Chapter 1,661: No Time for Death (Twenty-four)

As expected, the development of the tourism industry has also benefited the construction of the Magic Academy, or rather, the construction of all schools in Gotham.
The most important goal of industrial development is to liberate productivity. In the past, it took three people to work hard just to make ends meet. Now, one person can earn enough, and the remaining two people can naturally seek other paths. When the family's income dramatically increases, the children in the family are the first to be liberated.
Prior to Gotham, there were not many strict regulations on hiring child labor. Except for very young children, as long as they could run and jump, they could help out at home, whether it was helping in the kitchen, assisting with tasks, or even driving to deliver goods.
But setting up stalls is obviously not a manpower-intensive job, especially selling souvenirs. These things are not heavy, and apart from being a bit scattered, they do not consume a lot of physical and mental energy. Most of the time, only one person is needed to keep watch at the stall. Even when the customer flow is relatively large, one person can sell the goods and another person can handle the transactions, which is completely sufficient, so the child can naturally go to school.
The longing for a better life is the greatest driving force for progress. Although selling goods on the street is good now, no one hopes that their children will be the ones buying the goods in the future.
Wearing exquisite and expensive shirts, accompanied by a beautifully groomed wife and a lively and cute child, the family leisurely goes out for a trip. They don't even blink their eyes when buying souvenir items worth tens of dollars. Although not everyone achieves such a life through reading, at least attending a technical school is necessary to have a distinction between workdays and vacations. It's not as refined as dropping out of school and joining a gang directly.
No matter what, the enrollment day of the Magic Academy has arrived, and the teachers and professors release the bats, which have been prepared in advance, from the school. They will fly through Gotham and special magic channels to the real world, delivering admission letters to the children's hands.
This process is indeed not beautiful, because bats are not a cute creature, but it can really lower children's psychological expectations and prevent them from having too many beautiful fantasies about the magical world, because whether it is now or in the future, the magic in the DC universe will always be accompanied by pain.
Gotham has received an astonishing number of admission offers from the School of Magic. This dark city always seems to give birth to many seeds of darkness. Until the mysterious curse of darkness is lifted, Gotham will forever be the home of the dark sorcerer.
And the high acceptance rate in Gotham is also related to the acceptance level of Gotham parents. This city has been invaded by darkness for three days and attacked by monsters and demons for five days. The citizens have seen too many scenes related to magic.
They are very clear that magic is truly existent in this world, but because they know too much about it, they don't have much reverence for it. In plain terms, most devils who invade Gotham City leave crying, and it's hard for anyone to feel awe in their presence.
In Gotham, parents see magic more as a skill to stay alive. If learning doesn't work, they join a gang so that magic can offer some protection against bullets. If they happen to be good at learning magic and become a master, wouldn't they have no worries about food and drink?
In a practical sense, 80% of parents agree to send their children to boarding schools, even though they have some reservations about the semester-based breaks when they can go home. However, considering that their children will be taken care of and learn something, parents still buy the items needed on the admission checklist and send their children to the designated meeting place, which is a small square by the Gotham River.
You don't need to buy much when enrolling in school. The school provides clothes, bed sheets, pillowcases, and laundry. Just bring a few sets of underwear for changing. The most important thing is to bring a note with your home address written on it, otherwise the bats won't be able to find their way back when mailing letters.
The gathering took place at eight o'clock in the morning, with a gloomy weather and no sign of sunlight. The children, resembling just-hatched chicks, were being herded into lines by parents and teachers.
Most of the children here are between the ages of seven and eleven, while some prodigies are as young as five or six. They are divided into three grades for seven years of basic education and three years of higher education, graduating at the age of seventeen to eighteen.
Currently, it seems that the employment prospects for graduates in the next ten years will involve rebuilding the magical world order and maintaining the Earth's magical defense network. After that, there is a possibility of establishing an official organization in the magical realm, or staying in school to teach or construct educational institutions.
Because the first day of school is inevitably chaotic, many professors from Gotham University came to help, including Victor and Anna. Although they know nothing about magic, they have some experience in managing students.
The children were brought to the edge of the Gotham River in the city center, and the Dark Knight waved his hand gently. The river surface shimmered and then he took the first step into the water. The children stared in surprise, not understanding why he suddenly wanted to jump into the river.
However, when Jim took a step forward, his clothes didn't get wet at all. He slowly disappeared into the water, not sinking but walking into a whole new world.
Following closely behind were other magical beings such as Constantine and Zatanna, while the professors from Gotham University led the children in a line into the water.
The out-of-town children, who were fewer in number, seemed a bit fearful and anxious, unable to comprehend what was happening before their eyes. But many of the local kids in Gotham were already eager and excited, as they had often gone swimming in the river during hot weather, diving in with much more force than this.
As the older Gotham children walked forward, they were startled to find that when they stepped onto the water's surface, it did not feel as cold as it usually did. It was more like stepping into a sticky substance. As they continued to move forward, the sensation of stickiness grew stronger, followed closely by a feeling of weightlessness, as if the world was spinning around them.
The feeling of weightlessness lasted for less than a second, almost imperceptible to the human brain. In the next moment, their feet landed on solid ground, and they found themselves standing on another misty riverbank.
The whole Inner World is filled with white mist, giving it a damp atmosphere. However, it is not gloomy at all, but rather much brighter than the Outer World. This white mist seems to emit its own light, making the world appear ethereal and dreamlike.
The children stumbled their way from the solid surface of the lake to the shore, looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar buildings in the distance. Even the boldest of children became somewhat restrained.
More and more familiar faces appeared, and the arrival of the professors made the children quiet down a bit. They gathered in a line on the surface of the lake, as if it were frozen, and were led by the professors towards the Magic Academy.
Gotham Magic Academy is a courtyard-style mansion castle, just as Strelnikov praised, incorporating some of the structures of Hogwarts, but without adding so many elements of fantasy, because the magic in this world is not as beautiful as it seems.
After the children walked through the castle gate, they saw a spacious Gothic hall. There were about three hundred children in total, divided into three teams according to their grades, standing in neat lines in the center of the hall.
"Nice to meet you, children. I am Master Jim, the interim headmaster of Gotham Magic Academy. We currently do not have a qualified headmaster, but perhaps he will emerge among you in the future."
Jim showed great patience with children. He stood at the front of the podium with a smiling face, and his words immediately sparked a buzz of discussion among the crowd below.
"I believe you have already read some instructions on the admission letter regarding entering the college, but I still want to emphasize some details to you. Now you have about three hours to visit your dormitory, settle your luggage, and receive school uniforms and daily necessities. After you have settled in, there will be a welcome banquet during dinner time, where you will meet the professors for each course."
"Believe me, this is definitely a wonderful encounter, you have never seen so many strange and magical people in the wizarding world, although there may also be some familiar faces, especially for the energetic young calves here, be careful not to be surprised and spray your food out."
Some bold children laughed out loud, while others shouted at you, "Do you think we are three-year-old children?" The atmosphere became more lively, and the previously awkward and tense atmosphere was dispersed.
"So now our task is to divide you into your respective colleges. During the basic education process, you will be divided into three colleges, each headed by a dean who will offer a special course different from the other colleges. Everyone can attend classes taught by all the deans, but students from each college will receive more benefits in their respective field of study."
"Now you may be more interested in one of the colleges, so feel free to sign up."
"But for the first three months of studying, everyone will attend all the courses. After three months, there will be an assessment. At that time, you can adjust the college based on your interests and abilities. The dean will also select you based on your performance. This is a mutual selection process."
"After the first year of study, there is another opportunity to change college, but this time, the difficulty of the exam to transfer to another college will increase, and starting from scratch in another college is not an easy task."
"Come on." Jim nodded at Lady Sudu standing beside him, and she waved her hand gently. One after another, sheets of white paper flew out from the door of another room, landing in front of the children.
"Use your fingers to write the name of the college you want to go to on a blank piece of paper. Now listen carefully, the colleges you can choose from are the College of Magical Powers, the College of Magical Crafts, and the College of Magical Theory..."
The name of the college is very straightforward and easy to understand, even these children can hear the general inclination of the college majors. Someone raised their hand to confirm again, and regardless of which college, they can attend any class. So the children started to discuss which college they should choose, buzzing with excitement.
Madam Shangdu cleared her throat and said, "Children, I must remind you that the teaching and accommodation facilities vary across each academy. The Magic Crafts Academy, for instance, is equipped with underground laboratories and alchemical storage warehouses for frequent experiments and preparations, which is why the dormitories are also arranged underground."
"But don't worry, because there is a magical spell, the dormitory will not be damp and cold. At the same time, the dormitories, classrooms, and laboratories in the School of Crafts are the closest. If you act quickly, you can get to the classroom in three minutes."
Immediately, some children below exclaimed. The biggest difficulty for them to go to school at their age is getting up early, especially for some Gotham native children who are not concerned about whether they can bask in the sun.
"The dormitories and classrooms of the School of Magic Theory are located in the courtyard in the easternmost section of the circular French-style tower area. The dormitories are on the top floor of the sorcerer tower, offering a wide view and plenty of sunshine, but until you learn how to fly, you'll have to climb the stairs."
Immediately, some children were excited and chattering, discussing with their peers whether it was worth climbing the stairs every day for a clean and tidy dormitory.