Was this what the commoners were learning in the academy?!
Godwin was dumbfounded as he listened to Santis talk about the most important part of the history of magic on the podium. The classic models of magic circles were interspersed with the development of history, and the runes and magic lines were arranged into mysterious patterns on the blackboard. The children of the peasants, the fishermen, the blacksmiths, the laundry maids, they were all listening to the lecture attentively and taking notes seriously!
Godwin? Orlando swore to God that in the Captical, even the children of big merchants might not be able to understand these things.
This was because all of this knowledge belonged to Transcendents!
The children's lessons were beyond Godwin's imagination, and what was even more beyond his imagination was the extent of their mastery of magic runes.
After a few simple questions, he realized that these children were not novices who had just learned runes, nor were they "dummies" who had memorized some knowledge from books. Not only did they know the shape and writing of every rune, but they also knew how to change their positions in a magic circle!
Was this the end of the subversive lesson — at least for Godwin? To Orlando, this was a subversive lesson.
After the lesson was over, the children ran out happily and called their friends to play on the playground. Some children stayed in the classroom and continued to read or chat noisily. Santis walked out of the classroom and loudly reminded the children not to play in the hallway. Then, he came to Godwin.
"Mr. Orlando," the level-two arcanist said with a gentle smile, "what do you think?"
"I didn't expect … that this is what's being taught here …" Godwin's eyes were confused. "These children … Are they all gifted with magic? Are they all magic apprentices that you've chosen? "
Santis shook his head and said unhurriedly, "First of all, not every class is teaching runes and magic theory. Only children's classes and some special adult classes offer these classes. Secondly, these children are not my magic apprentices. They're just the most ordinary children in the territory. Only one of them has a weak magic talent, and the others will be ordinary people for the rest of their lives."
Godwin blinked. "Then …"
Santis interrupted him, which was rare. "You're curious. Curious as to why they can understand these lessons and how they can come in contact with extraordinary knowledge, aren't you?"
Godwin nodded, speechless.
Santis, however, asked him back, "Why can't they understand? Why can't they come in contact with it?"
Godwin was stunned for a moment. Then, he was about to say a series of reasons why civilians could not learn complicated knowledge and did not have the wisdom necessary to understand the mysteries of the extraordinary, but he swallowed the words that came out subconsciously. He knew that once he said them out, he would probably be the stupidest person here today.
"They can understand and learn. At least in the children's class, I've come in contact with many smart children, such as Gesang and Pea, who are exceptionally talented in drawing." Santis smiled as he walked to the classroom door and gestured for Godwin to follow him. "Also, after the lord introduced a series of children's nutritious meals, these children will grow up stronger and smarter than their parents. Apart from their background, they're no different from us, from the extraordinary, from the nobles, and from any so-called 'upper-class' people."
Godwin followed Santis to the large square of the academy (or to use the local term, the "playground") where many children were playing. It was now close to evening, and some adults who had left work earlier had also arrived. Before class, these people, who were still wearing coarse overalls and had mud on their legs, were gathered under the magic crystal street lamps next to the playground, flipping through the alphabet cards in their hands.
A passing worker in a factory uniform stopped briefly beside Godwin. He took off his felt hat, bowed slightly to Santis and Godwin, and then walked away.
"Do you know why he bowed to you?" Santis asked.
"He should know that I'm a scholar recruited by the lord …"
"No, it's just because you have knowledge. He's bowing to your knowledge, not you," Santis said flatly. He raised his finger and pointed to a high white wall on the other side of the playground. On the high wall, Godwin saw a line of eye-catching words:
"Knowledge and people are not noble, but knowledge makes people noble."
"Here, anyone has the right to pursue knowledge. It's even the duty of a citizen of Cecil." Santis' voice woke Godwin from the shock of that sentence. "And after accepting this rule, I realized one thing. Under equal conditions, even the child of a serf is no worse than a child of a Knight when it comes to learning."
Santis was not telling the complete truth here. In fact, there was a difference between the children of serfs and the children of nobles.
Because of congenital malnutrition, the conditions of infant growth were poor. Under normal circumstances, the children of serfs or poor families would have poor intellectual and physical development. According to the lord, this gap would take at least one or two generations to slowly make up for it.
However, it was precisely because of these differences that could have been avoided that Santis deeply realized the importance of the order that Gawain was promoting in this land. This was simply a great undertaking.
Did he not want Godwin to have Orlando? A scholar who had given up all his future and traveled thousands of miles from the Captical to the Southern Territory, a true scholar, to have missed out on this great undertaking.
Godwin was silent for a moment. After a moment, he asked a question, "Then is the thing that I've studied for most of my life worthless?"
"Of course not. Knowledge is always valuable, but it's used in different ways." Santis shook his head. "In other words, there's no distinction between knowledge and nobility. It's just whether it's appropriate in the current situation. I believe the lord didn't ask you to write that newspaper to bury your talent, and you should understand this yourself. Does using your grammar skills to write popular news really affect the 'honor' of a great scholar like you? No, you just can't accept the fact that you need to put yourself in the position of a commoner to think, and you can't accept the fact that you need to understand the thoughts of those so-called 'inferior people.' But in fact? "
Santis smiled. "We're in the same position. We're all just seekers of knowledge."
Seeing Godwin's thoughtful look, Santis continued, "Also, there's one more thing that I don't know if you've thought about, Mr. Orlando. Those educated commoners can understand the words you write, and some can even understand the language of runes. Although their research in these fields is definitely not as deep as yours, at least they know something. But you … Do you know anything about drying rice and tanning leather?"
After saying this, Santis shut his mouth and left the old man in front of him. This was probably the most direct and direct way he had expressed his opinion in a place other than the classroom. Ever since returning from the Captical trip, this level-two arcanist had truly changed a lot.
Godwin, on the other hand, sighed softly. After another moment of silence, he shook his head with a smile. "I really don't know anything about this, but I can still write the news and the decree that the lord wants to promote, and I can write it more concisely and clearly than anyone else.
"As for the parts I don't know, I … and my apprentices, we can ask those who do. They know this knowledge, but they just don't know how to write it. But this is what I'm good at. "
"Mr. Orlando," Santis said to Godwin Orlando. Orlando lowered his head. "You'd better act quickly. The lord usually gives people a second chance. But you're not the only scholar in the territory."
"Thank you for your help and explanation," Orlando said to Santis. Orlando said to Santis in a very solemn tone. "And you can call me Godwin from now on. Calling me by my last name is too distant."
After saying this, the old man said goodbye to Santis, turned around, and walked quickly towards the gate of the academy.
After his figure disappeared outside the gate, a hazy shadow appeared beside Santis and gradually formed into Amber's figure.
The half-elf lady looked at Santis with surprise. "Santis, you're quite eloquent."
"It's not eloquence. I just said what I wanted to say." Santis bowed to the Shadow Master, who wandered around the territory all day but was actually the lord's personal guard. He then asked curiously, "I'm just a little curious as to why the lord is so concerned about this matter. Although Godwin is an excellent scholar, he's not special."
"Just take it as an experiment," Amber said casually. "Don't worry about it."
"An experiment …" Santis muttered, then curled his lips. "Anyway, the lord must have his own considerations."
Amber did not respond. Her body gradually faded in the air and soon disappeared before Santis' eyes.
Four days later, the people of Cecil's territory saw a brand-new thing in front of the town hall square in the city center.
They exuded the unique smell of ink and were neatly stacked on a small cement platform. This platform was unique to Cecil's territory. In most cases, it was used by the officials of the town hall to show the people new things that appeared in the territory. Two soldiers stood beside the platform, guarding the neatly stacked printed matter and explaining to the people what was on the platform.
Newspapers.
A reading material that could belong to everyone.
The people who had gathered were discussing with each other. Those who had arrived earlier were explaining to those who had just arrived what new things the lord had invented. Some people were guessing the contents of the newspapers, and more people were speculating about their prices and specific uses.
In the beginning, perhaps only a small number of people would try it out of curiosity.
But soon, the people of Cecil, who had money to spare, would realize that they would have their own "books" from now on.
Some distance away from the platform, Godwin Orlando, who was wearing a gray scholar's robe, was standing. Orlando and his two apprentices (the temporary editor and "reporter") were watching the situation around the platform from a distance.
Santis stood beside Godwin. He looked at the scene in the distance and whispered to himself, "From today onwards, another privilege has been broken."
Godwin was thoughtful. "The privilege of having knowledge and reading freely …"
"How does it feel to be personally involved?"
"Not bad."
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