"The academy is a place to study, and you can learn much more than with Teacher Lee. But, unfortunately, our Village only has a quota to send one working student every year, and there hasn't been anyone fulfilling the conditions to become one for a long time."
Elder Jack explained, and Yin slowly dozed away while Tang San listened attentively, "Working students have a lot of advantages; no fees and accommodation are provided. Food and clothing are the only things you need to pay for. On the campus, you can take on simple small jobs like sweeping the classrooms to earn that money. So you must work part-time while studying, which requires you to pay ATTENTION TO WHAT IS BEING SAID!"

Tang Yin opened her eyes and sat up, looking displeased at Elder Jack. The sun had been perfect, the temperature was a dream, and she got up far too early today.
"Tang San, please make sure your Sister studies. I know she is intelligent but also lazy, unorganized, and has a bad temper. Teacher Lee pulled many strings for you to be allowed to go there together. Your sister, furthermore, is not in the Spirit Combat Department but in the literary Sector. She cannot afford to continue like this."

"Don't worry, Elder," Tang Yin said, "Literature and liberal arts are my specialties; I doubt there will be great difficulties."

Elder Jack frowned at her words and wordlessly glared at her as she fell back into the straw and looked upwards.
Tang San joined her, and the elder desperately looked at the two children. They were intelligent, talented, and beautiful, but Tang San copied more and more from his unruly sister, and he started to worry if they would be fine.

As the day continued, they slowly arrived at Nuoding City. It wasn't the biggest City, and Yin was used to big cities like Rome and Florence, but seeing this country's architecture was still amazing. It had touches of "classicism and modern, but built with older Techniques.", she muttered, her fingers itching to draw it down. It would make a good picture.

Uncle Sally departed halfway through the City to his actual goal and left them with Elder Jack, who went ahead, leading further inside the City. The markets left and right were in full swing; it reminded Yin of a bazaar she had been to with her Aunt, who had married a foreign correspondent who worked in Istanbul back then.

The people screaming around, the smell of food and spices, not as intense but still there, craftsmen, fruit sellers, snacks, vegetables, nuts, blacksmiths, and all mixed together.
"I don't believe. Our hair-trigger temper is speechless." Elder Jack joked and took their hands, "Stay with me, so you won't get lost."

Elder Jack led them through the market, taking us around to look at everything before we arrived in front of a big gate. They walked up to it but were immediately stopped by the young gatekeeper.

"Stop here, you county bumpkins. Since when has this become a place you can enter."

Tang Yin growled lightly but held back. Causing trouble with the gatekeeper wouldn't end well, and he was likely no pushover.
"We are from Holy Spirit Village; these two are our working students; here are the documents we can enter."

The man took our documents, read through them, and snorted. "Yeah, yeah, are you aware that forgery is a crime? Blue silver grass, full innate spiritual power, and one for the literary department? Scram, this is the worst joke ever before I call the authorities." He threw the documents before Elder Jack, "Stupid beggars."

Tang Yin felt her temper explode and stepped forward, her brother shrugging his shoulders and preparing to help her.
"A Spirit Pass cannot be forged, and you know what would happen if we pitiful foolish beggars go to the authorities?" She asked, smiling brightly and tilting her head, "Would you lose your job or maybe something more important?"

The man saw red and tried to grab her. She stepped back and avoided him. He attacked again, and she did the same; if he got her, that was it. Using her size as an advantage, she ducked through his legs and kicked his ankle, bad enough that it hurt.

"You small..."

"Help me, the bad man is trying to do bad things!" she cried out, leaving herself on the ground. Crying as well as she could manage, attracting some passersby. Tang San noticed what was happening and bowed down to her, making it look like he was consoling her.

"Ah, you can't treat a small child like this! No one can forge a spirit Pass, and you accuse them of that..." a woman in her thirties said and went to them, patting Tang Yin's head.
"It's fine now, little one; this one will take care of it," she whispered.

After that, curses from all over could be heard, and it turned out it hadn't been the first time the gatekeeper had pulled a stunt like this.

"There is nothing wrong with this pass.", a man in his fifties and black clothing said, intervening before more mayhem could happen, "it is valid."

He glared frostily at the gatekeeper, and Tang San helped Yin to stand up, who continued faking the tiny, pitiful girl. The glance from Elder Jack as he ordered her to go with the esteemed Master, told her exactly what he thought of her small act, good show, little menace.
He was not experienced in how city life was handled, but now he was relieved; if anything, nobody could easily bully those two.
The man, apparently called Grandmaster, gave a frosty glare to the gatekeeper, "This is the first and the last time that happens."

His voice made a glacier look warm, and Tang Yin shivered. Okay, this guy was definitely someone that she did not want to face.

"You can stop your show now, it is good but not that good.", the man said, and Tang Yin immediately straightened out.

"Alright, thank you, Teacher.", she said confidently.

"I am not a Teacher, little girl." He said and walked ahead.

"You are obviously important. Are you a leader or the Principal, then?" Tang San asked in her stead, and the man turned around.
"You are clever for six-year-olds, but still, you are wrong."
He sat and continued walking.

"I am just a freeloader. Everyone calls me Grandmaster, to the extent that my real name is forgotten even by myself. Your Names are Tang San and Tang Yin, right?"