On the other side, the Aerial Knight Academy in Graycastle was also bustling with activity.
All the training planes had been dragged out of the hangar and lined up at the end of the runway. More than 30 official trainees held their breath and listened attentively to Princess Tilly's lecture. Farther away, those trainees who had not passed the assessment or were newly selected sat around the runway, waiting to watch the new round of flight.
"From today on, your training will enter a new stage!" Tilly stood in front of a group of people who were much taller than her. She raised her head and said, "Think about what you've learned in the past month and tell me loudly! Padt, you start first! "
"Lift up, Your Highness!" the trainee who was pointed out answered excitedly.
"Next."
"Hover!"
"Magic Shadow!"
"Huh?"
"No..." the trainee quickly changed his words. "I mean... anti-dizziness training, Your Highness!"
"That's strange …" Finkin muttered. "Princess Tilly's temper seems to be much better than before."
"Really?" Heinze also lowered his voice. "You'll be punished if you make a mistake. You've just cleaned the toilet for a month. Have you forgotten?"
"I'm not talking about that." Finkin looked at Good. "What do you think?"
Good nodded slightly. "I have the same feeling." He had always felt that Princess Tilly seemed to be inexplicably anxious and anxious, which probably had something to do with the poor performance of the Aerial Knight Academy. Out of the 200 or so people who had passed the test, only about 30 of them were standing here.
It would not have been a big deal if it was just the low passing rate. Airplanes were being sent in one after another, but there were still only six usable airplanes in the hangar. The rest had all been damaged during the test. According to Instructor Eagle Face, a plane was even more expensive than a ship. Thousands of gold royals were gone just like that, so no one would be in a good mood …
However, the situation seemed to have changed recently. Her Highness was still strict, but there was less of that suffocating heaviness between her brows.
The number of airplanes they crashed recently... had not decreased.
"Finkin, it's your turn," someone around reminded him.
Finkin hurriedly straightened his back and said, "Discipline! Your Highness, I've learned discipline! "
"And duty!" cried Heinze.
The crowd roared with laughter.
"Tsk, I've already suggested that we should send these guys into the barracks and educate them for a month or two."
"This is what it's like to be a commoner. Just bear with it."
Obviously, these words came from the mouths of students selected by the army. After being punished to clean the toilets for a month, their deeds had become a model for the entire academy. However, the other students who were born as commoners would at most join in and make fun of them. Only the First Army would scoff at their behavior and want to immediately escort them to the North Slope Mine.
Tilly didn't say much. "Next."
Good cast aside all distracting thoughts and said seriously, "Passion."
Whispers could be heard in the queue again.
"You call this learning?"
"I'm afraid you can't think of any other words …"
He had thought that Princess Royal Highness would express her dissatisfaction or ask further questions, but she only looked at him for a moment and then turned to the next student.
After everyone had answered, Tilly nodded and said, "You haven't been flying for a long time, but you've learned a lot! Now, integrate them together and use them in the following training — whether it's technique or willpower! "
"Yes, Your Highness!" The students stood up and said.
"You'll be divided into two groups, with three teams on each side. You'll have a simulated fight! The rules are simple. As long as you can keep your opponent within the crosshair for ten seconds without being shaken off, it'll be a success. In the past, you've only practiced shooting fixed targets on the ground, but this time, you'll experience what a real aerial duel is like! "
Everyone was instantly excited.
"Your, Your Highness!" A student raised his hand eagerly.
"Speak."
"There's no bullet in the gun, right?"
"Fool," Finkin sneered in a low voice.
"Of course not." Tilly shook her head. "To be precise, there's not even a gun … It's just a model mounted on the nose and body of the plane. You don't have to worry about pulling the trigger out of nervousness and shooting your teammates down.
Everyone laughed.
"Besides, shooting in the air is far more complicated than on the ground. It's not guaranteed that you'll hit when you're within the crosshair, so even if there are bullets, you'll probably miss." She shrugged. "Any other questions?"
"Sure enough, Princess Royal has changed a little," Good thought to himself. "If it were the old Princess Royal, she would not have shown such a relaxed expression."
"I, I, I —" Finkin raised his hand. After getting permission, he glanced at the students of the First Army and said, "Your Highness, since it's a confrontation, how do we determine the winner? Even if I bite my opponent so hard that he can't fight back, it doesn't mean that he's willing to admit defeat. "
Although formal students had never been exposed to aerial combat, they had been taught the basic concepts in class. If an Aerial Knight wanted to defeat an enemy, it should try its best to aim the nose of the plane at the target. This process was called "biting". Although there was a gun in the back seat, the shooting angle was limited, so it was mainly used to assist and restrain the enemy's pursuit.
"It's up to me to judge." Tilly took the hands of the two girls next to her and said, "They're guests I've specially invited. I'll be watching your every move. Don't try to bluff your way through."
"… It's Lady Sylvie."
"The other one seems to be the manager of the Sleeping Spell …" Good heard the students of the First Army whisper behind him.
"And the trainee phalanx over there isn't just sitting there," the Princess Royal continued. "Do you see the two-colored flag in their hands? Looking down from the air, they're arranged in six numbers. After you take off, the green flag means normal, and the red flag means you've been shot down. When you notice that your number turns red, you'll have to retreat from the combat zone and return to the airport. Do you understand? "
"Yes!"
"Good, I'll split up now."
Surprisingly, the teams were not arranged in order, but there was a special name list. Finally, Good and Finkin were assigned to the same team, which was numbered two.
"This is the first batch of candidates for boarding training. It's up to you to decide who will pilot and who will shoot. After 15 minutes, teams one to three will take off first. Don't linger over the airport. The last three teams will take off in five minutes, and then the training will officially begin! "Tilly clapped her hands." Show me everything you've learned! "
Good could not help clenching his fists.
He felt his chest throbbing.
"Did you notice that?" Finkin leaned over.
"Yes," Good replied. The first and second teams were not randomly selected. The first three teams were all civilian students, and the last three teams were all from the First Army.
Her Royal Highness wanted to see which side was stronger!
"Oh, that's exactly what I wanted." Finkin rubbed his nose. "I've endured their mockery for a long time. I admit I made a mistake and was punished, but since I'm an Empty Knight, I'll have to fight in the sky! "
Good did not care who won or lost. He only hoped that he could fly a little longer each time, so that he could stay in the joy for a little longer. He looked down at his hands, which were trembling slightly, as if responding to his heart. Just the thought of being able to hold onto the joystick made him feel a surge of warmth throughout his body.
"I'll pilot the plane. You just focus on shooting." Finkin patted him on the shoulder.
"You know it's impossible," Good said without hesitation.
They looked at each other for a long time. Finally, Finkin said helplessly, "Okay, the old rules."
There was a simple and effective ruling method popular in Neverwinter. No one knew the exact origin of it. Some people said it was used by the Witch Union, while others said it came from His Majesty. Anyway, it was very effective.
"Rock-paper-scissors!"
"I won." Good withdrew his hand.
Finkin stared at his fist for a long time and then muttered resentfully, "It's just this time. There'll be more training like this in the future."
They came to the parking lot of the biplane and boarded the plane according to the serial number.
"You guys … come on!" Heinze winked at them from the side of the runway. He was not on the list of the first opponents, so he felt that he was the one who encouraged them. The meaning of his winks was self-evident.
"Humph, we didn't train for nothing." Finkin pulled down his goggles and gave a thumbs-up to the ground crew.
The ladder was quickly removed. As the joystick rotated rapidly, the propeller at the nose of the plane began to spin slowly.
When the piston was started and the throttle was connected, Good felt that the machine under him had come to life.
"The runway is clear. We can take off now!" The ground crew saluted.
He raised his arm and returned a standard military salute. "Plane No. 2, go!"
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