"Look, that's Ms. Juan," Pip nudged Gilly with his elbow, "I heard she's the Minister of Education."

"Education... Minister?" the latter asked in bewilderment, "What's that?"

"It's the person who manages the teachers. Don't you like Mr. Felin the most and hate the loudmouth Mr. Haben the most?" Pip explained, "Whether it's Felin or Haben, they're all managed by Ms. Juan."

"Where did you hear all this?" Gilly blinked, "Is it that big shot you keep talking about again?"

"Hehe, of course," he smiled smugly, "And I know more than just that. Not only will officials from the City Hall be at the graduation ceremony today, but even the Lord himself will be there, His Royal Highness the Prince!"

"Really?" The little girl's eyes lit up, "Will His Highness talk to us?"

"Uh... I don't know about that," Pip scratched the back of his head, "Probably."

After all, he heard it from Brother Vanna – speaking of Vanna, he was quite the figure. He was originally just an ordinary stone breaker in Old Street, but after joining the militia, he immediately became a squad leader commanding several people. Now, he is an officer in the First Army's artillery team, earning as much as twenty-five silver wolves a month, and he even shook hands and talked with His Royal Highness the Prince!

Although he lived in the barracks most of the time, he would occasionally come back and bring many novel and interesting stories and anecdotes. Whenever this happened, Pip would go to his door and pester him with questions. As Brother Vanna's former neighbor and admirer, Pip often got a lot of news from him in advance.

For example, Vanna himself told him that the Lord would attend the graduation ceremony – the First Army had received orders for protection and security as early as a week ago, and also held a rehearsal near the academy building.

Sure enough, after not waiting long, a group of spirited and neatly dressed soldiers walked over with their heads held high. The two in the middle of the team were His Royal Highness the Prince and his chief knight.

A commotion inevitably arose in the crowd.

After the soldiers surrounded the entrance of the academy building, Roland walked into the hall and waved to the students lined up in rows, "My people, hello. I am Roland Wimbledon, the Lord of Border Town and the ruler of the Western Region. Congratulations on completing all the content of elementary education and becoming the first graduates of the town."

The crowd was silent, not because they were indifferent, but because most people were too excited to know what to say.

Gilly kept grabbing Pip's arm and pinching him, "His Highness is talking to us!"

Pip was equally excited. In this way, he, like Brother Vanna, had been in close contact with His Highness.

"The reason you were able to pass the assessment so quickly and welcome graduation is because most of you were students of Mr. Carl Vanbert and were ahead of others from the beginning. So don't be complacent. There is still a lot of knowledge in this world waiting for you to explore and discover." Roland continued, "Of course, this day is still worth celebrating. From today on, you have embarked on a path that is completely different from others. No matter what kind of work you are engaged in, you can get generous rewards. I hereby congratulate you!"

"His Highness... long live!" Someone shouted first, and then everyone shouted excitedly, "Long live His Highness! I am willing to serve His Highness!"

Waiting for the cheers to subside, Roland smiled, "Next, I will hand out the graduation certificates to you as a certificate of honor for completing your studies." He opened a small booklet, "Pip."

Pip felt a tremor all over his body. He looked at the Prince, opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say. Mr. Felin Silter beckoned to him, "Don't be afraid, come before His Highness."

He walked out of the team stiffly, the sound of his heart beating wildly could be heard by himself. Suddenly, he remembered the military salute that Vanna often mentioned – it was much simpler than the noble knight's salute, and it could also express his loyalty. It was also invented by His Highness himself. Although he was not very clear about the specific posture, he still mustered up the courage and tried his best to raise his hand flat to his forehead as he remembered.

This move amused the Prince. He nodded and handed the booklet to Pip, "If you move your hand back a little more, to the edge of your ear, it will be more standard... Congratulations on graduating."

"Thank... Thank you," Pip took the booklet and walked back to the team almost like a log. It wasn't until His Highness began to issue graduation certificates to others that he came back to his senses.

"Let me see, what's written on it?" Gilly leaned over curiously.

"You have one too, what's the rush," he muttered in a low voice, opening the cover of the certificate with trembling hands. He saw a beautiful piece of parchment sewn inside. The upper left corner was a portrait of himself, and the middle was the royal emblem of the Graycastle spear, with several rows of text written on it. If it had been half a year ago, he would have had to find Mr. Carl to tell him the meaning of these characters, but now, Pip could do the most basic writing. He silently read it in his heart –

First Graduates of Border Town Academy: Pip.

Dean: Juan.

Issuer: Lord of Border Town, Roland Wimbledon.

…

When all the graduation certificates were issued, Roland clapped his hands to attract everyone's attention, "From now on, you can undertake some work that ordinary people cannot handle, and these jobs have generous rewards, starting from at least ten silver wolves per month. Now, please let Ms. Juan introduce the job content provided by the Border Town City Hall." He raised his hand to stop everyone's discussion, "You don't need to make a choice immediately. You can go back and discuss it with your family before deciding and then go to the City Hall with your ID card and graduation certificate to apply."

While Ms. Juan was introducing, Gilly leaned over and asked, "Do you have any ideas? I want to work in the bicycle factory. The salary is higher than my dad's, and there's a chance to get a new car for free!"

"Indeed, it's great," Pip responded absentmindedly. Recently, four huge wooden boards were erected in the town square, with portraits of His Highness and several ministers. The strangely shaped iron mounts under the adults caused a heated discussion among the townspeople. Moreover, the bicycle factory's salary is fifteen silver wolves per month. If it weren't for the fact that only those who have completed primary education can apply, it would probably have been crowded with people long ago.

But he had a place he wanted to go to even more.

Ever since he visited the knighting ceremony, Pip had been uncontrollably had the idea—he also wanted to be like his former classmate Nanawa, and one day be able to stand on the high platform in the square and receive the glory personally bestowed by His Highness in front of thousands of people.

According to His Royal Highness the Prince, only those who have made outstanding contributions to the town can be eligible for knighthood. If he went to work in the bicycle factory, he was afraid that he would never have this opportunity in his life. He asked himself that he couldn't lead troops and charge into battle like Iron Axe, and he didn't have the incredible abilities of a witch. The only thing he could emulate was the Chief Alchemist Kemo Strale.

He had heard more than once before that if he could figure out a practical alchemy product, he could bring huge wealth and reputation to the territory and achieve the name of sage. It didn't require bravery or look at bloodlines, only a little bit of luck... There was no path more suitable for him than this.

Thinking of this, Pip made up his mind.

"I want to apply to go to the chemistry laboratory," he said word by word.