LMWD 🍁 Chapter 7: The Little Mermaid Goes to Sign Up

Zhang Chuan sighed in admiration.

But Wen Yanzhou didn't seem to share the sentiment.

"What is this? Why does it have a picture of me?"

Zhang Chuan suppressed a smile, his eyes full of the satisfaction of having successfully teased someone: "See, this is the forum. You need to upload an avatar before you can log in. I uploaded yours for you."

"Alright." Wen Yanzhou nodded with vague understanding.

"But I think the me in this picture looks a bit strange."

His head was tilted upward looking at the camera, his hair messy, his eyes not facing the lens directly, and his face was distorted enough that it barely resembled his actual appearance. This avatar made him look rather unpolished, and, not very bright.

"Not strange at all. What's strange about it?" Actually, the forum only required any image to be uploaded as an avatar (it didn't have to be a photo of oneself). But looking at this muddled little bumpkin, Zhang Chuan found it hard to resist the urge to tease him.

"Look, now you can get into the forum!"

Zhang Chuan clicked into the forum, and all kinds of posts immediately appeared.

[Does anyone know the assessment items for the New Recruit Tournament? Help please]

[Camp 4, A-level Alpha, 188cm, can be cool or sweet, looking for a destined Omega]

[The food in Cafeteria 3 is terrible. Any recommendations for good food nearby?]

"Wow!" Wen Yanzhou exclaimed: "Can you really ask all these things? Will anyone answer them?"

"See, just click in and find out." Zhang Chuan guided Wen Yanzhou to tap open the first post.

Floor 1: The assessment items for the New Recruit Tournament are different every year. It all depends on the chief examiner's mood. Good luck to you.

Floor 2: But there are some common elements. Things like physical fitness and teamwork are always tested. As for how they test them, no one can say for sure.

Floor 3: Wow! I remember the year I took it, the Admiral set the questions himself; he straight up organized a simulated battle against strange beasts. Tsk tsk, so many Alphas who got perfect marks in training got their guts ripped open by the beasts. Even though I knew it was simulated, the psychological damage still hasn't healed. That scene was truly unbearable to watch.

Floor 4: But that was the last time the Admiral set questions, right? It's been ages since we've seen him at the New Recruit Tournament. Sigh, I hope he personally proctors this time.

Floor 5: Are you crazy? You actually WANT the Admiral to proctor? According to the pattern, whichever year gets the Admiral, that year's recruits might as well start preparing their eulogies.

Floor 6: Hehe, I'm not even taking the New Recruit Tournament. I just want to see the Admiral's breathtaking beauty in person. Whether the recruits live or die has nothing to do with me hahahahaha.

Floor 7: Although the Admiral is indeed very handsome, you actually dare to covet him? You are this [thumbs up].

Floor 8: You are this [thumbs up].

Floor 9: You are this [thumbs up].

……

Wen Yanzhou scrolled up and down the optical computer screen, drinking in every word, and lost count of how many times he'd sighed in amazement that day.

"Wow!"

This tiny "optical computer" was so powerful, so intelligent, so incredible!

Did that mean he could ask it any question and get an answer?!

Little bumpkin Wen Yanzhou deeply felt that coming to land had absolutely been the right decision.

Wen Yanzhou's enthusiasm was high as he continued scrolling, when he suddenly spotted a post.

[Shock! The Imperial Admiral is actually like this! Click to receive beautiful photos of the Admiral!]

This... did people even post this kind of thing? Although that mermaid-hating bad Admiral was indeed... well, a little good-looking, Wen Yanzhou recalled the scene in the desert.

Wrapped in dark green military uniform, holding a cold blade, black pupils as deep as ink, impossible to tell whether the blade's edge or his expression was colder.

Driven by some inexplicable impulse, Wen Yanzhou clicked on the post. He wanted to see what kind of "beautiful photos" people had taken of this Admiral.

[This post has been deleted]

……

He never should have clicked.

"Oh right," Wen Yanzhou suddenly remembered something: "I want to sign up for this New Recruit Tournament. How do I register?"

Although he'd already heard from Doctor Lin that this little Omega wanted to sign up for the tournament, Zhang Chuan still found it unbelievable.

Zhang Chuan looked at Wen Yanzhou's small frame: "Hey, why would you do something so foolish as joining the army? If you ask me, you'd be better off going back and doing just about anything else."

Zhang Chuan looked Wen Yanzhou up and down: "Mm... honestly, even if you do join, you might not even last long enough to make it to the final New Recruit Tournament."

Many people signed up for the army every year, but not everyone got to participate in the tournament. Plenty of people couldn't endure the initial training and dropped out after just a few days.

People like that were dismissed at any time and never rehired, let alone got to compete in the New Recruit Tournament.

"Mm..." Wen Yanzhou couldn't explain to Zhang Chuan that he needed to see his brother, so he could only answer vaguely: "I just want to go. I really want to."

At this, Zhang Chuan turned to look at Wen Yanzhou's face. This muddled little bumpkin who didn't even understand optical computers actually had such determined aspirations.

Zhang Chuan even felt a flicker of admiration for Wen Yanzhou.

"Tomorrow is the last batch of new recruit sign-ups." Zhang Chuan's tone grew more serious: "Once you've successfully registered, you'll be counted as a new recruit and can begin training."

"After a three-month training period, once you complete the final New Recruit Tournament, you can officially become an imperial soldier."

Zhang Chuan patted Wen Yanzhou's shoulder. Wen Yanzhou noticed small green striped patches on Zhang Chuan's shoulders and arms.

Those were an adjutant's epaulets.

--

The next day, Wen Yanzhou followed Zhang Chuan's directions and went out, using the map to make his way to the edge of the city.

This was where army sign-ups took place, and also the closest point to the outside of the city walls. High walls enclosed the entire city: silver ramparts, and soldiers in blue uniforms standing guard on them, strictly on alert, firmly protecting the city.

The enormous square was crowded with people signing up. This wasn't strictly a military base; ordinary residents and soldiers alike could come. The square bustled with activity, and passing soldiers occasionally stepped in to maintain order.

The registration line was very long. Under the scorching sun, the crowd was growing restless. Wen Yanzhou looked at the long line of people and silently took his place at the end.

"Hey, are you here alone too?" Ahead of Wen Yanzhou in line was an Omega wearing a white T-shirt.

His hair was yellow, the strands looking dry and brittle as if from malnutrition, but his spirits were high. Seeing Wen Yanzhou line up behind him, he struck up a conversation with enthusiasm.

"Mm, yes." Wen Yanzhou followed up: "Are you alone too?"

Most people in the line had someone accompanying them: some carrying bags large and small, some holding sun umbrellas to block the sun. The two of them standing back-to-back, both unaccompanied and both Omegas, was truly a rare sight.

"Pfft." The Omega waved a hand: "My whole family died a long time ago. No one to look after me. I grew up drifting from place to place."

The Omega's eyes were bright: "Now that I'm an adult, I figured I'd join the army. Get enough to eat, not have to worry about where to sleep—what's not to like?"

"What about you? Why are you joining?" The Omega noticed Wen Yanzhou's face turning red from the sun, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He pulled a piece of paper from his backpack and handed it to Wen Yanzhou, gesturing for him to use it as shade.

Wen Yanzhou smiled shyly and took the paper, holding it in front of his face. The blazing sun seemed to soften a little.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." Wen Yanzhou's awkwardness eased a bit. He was grateful to this yellow-haired Omega: "I came to find my brother. My brother is here too."

"That's wonderful. Following in your brother's footsteps." The Omega laughed heartily: "When the time comes, the two of you fighting side by side—how perfect."

Wen Yanzhou didn't understand the idiom he used, but could vaguely grasp his meaning, so he just answered with "Mm, mm."

The line crept forward at a turtle's pace, still far from the registration desk ahead. Even the sounds of complaining seemed muted by the powerful sun.

"Oh by the way, I'm something of a know-it-all around here. If there's anything you don't understand, just ask me. Can't promise I'll know everything, but I can definitely give you information."

The Omega turned around, fanning himself with the paper while also fanning Wen Yanzhou. A cool breeze immediately brushed across their faces.

Wen Yanzhou was thrilled at this.

"Really? I just got here, I don't understand anything. It would be so great if I could ask you."

The Omega proudly lifted his chin: "Ask away, ask away. My information network is far-reaching and vast. Asking me is truly fitting—shows you have excellent judgment."

Wen Yanzhou thought his idioms were a bit strange, but decided it was better not to say so.

"Oh right, my name is Ai Yuan. What's yours?"

"I'm Wen Yanzhou."

A commotion of moderate size suddenly erupted ahead, and exclamations reached their ears.

"Wow! It's actually an A-level Alpha!"

"Oh my god, am I seeing this right? An A-level Alpha!"

"It's real, it's real! Wow! The purity stone's color is already close to emerald green!"

Ai Yuan also craned his neck to look ahead. From what people were saying, it seemed an A-level Alpha had appeared among today's army sign-ups.

Alpha and Omega ranks were divided into four levels. Different levels represented different pheromone strengths—the higher the level, the stronger the pheromones.

D-level meant weaker pheromone strength, though even a D-level Alpha still had better physical fitness than a Beta. The vast majority of Alphas and Omegas had C-level pheromones. Encountering a B-level Alpha in daily life was already considered quite impressive.

And here, in a military camp, an A-level Alpha would undoubtedly become a hot commodity.

"Wow! That's incredible! They actually tested as an A-level Alpha! Truly a pillar of strength!"

Ai Yuan gasped. His idioms remained as baffling as ever.

"Why is it a pillar of strength?" Wen Yanzhou blinked, looking at Ai Yuan in confusion.

"You don't even know that." Ai Yuan pouted proudly: "It describes someone as powerful and important. My idioms are one of a kind under heaven and on earth!"

"Alright."

Wen Yanzhou looked toward the registration desk. That person was surrounded by many others, chin tilted up, eyes arrogant, hands in his pockets—looking rather like he held everything in contempt.

"How can you tell it's an A-level Alpha?"

Wen Yanzhou turned to ask Ai Yuan. He was unfamiliar with all of this.

This was right up Ai Yuan the know-it-all's alley. Ai Yuan spoke confidently: "See, when new recruits sign up, they all undergo pheromone monitoring."

"See that stone over there?" Ai Yuan pointed toward a stone-like object in the middle, its center worn flat like a mirror.

"That's a purity stone. If you inject your pheromones into it, it will display different colors representing different pheromone strengths."

"Blue and purple are the most common colors, representing C-level and D-level respectively. When it turns teal, that's B-level. That Alpha just now looked like he was already showing emerald green—probably already touching the threshold of A-level. Wonder what color mine will be."

Ai Yuan looked excited, full of anticipation: "I hope I get teal!"

Wen Yanzhou also felt a twinge of anticipation. He wondered what level his own pheromones were.

That A-level Alpha was escorted away by the registration staff, surrounded by admirers. It seemed the army would soon have a very impressive Alpha soldier.

The line resumed moving, and before long it was Ai Yuan and Wen Yanzhou's turn.

"Name: Ai Yuan; Age: 18; Place of origin..."

After completing the basic information registration, Ai Yuan was guided to the purity stone.

"Please, let there be auspicious blessings, smooth success, profound good fortune, and radiant clouds..."

Ai Yuan chanted as if performing a ritual: "Please grant me B-level!"

He placed his right hand on the purity stone. Wen Yanzhou watched as a faint light seemed to emanate from the stone, ripples surging in the center of its mirror-like surface. After a few seconds, everything stilled, and the stone gradually revealed its color.

It was blue, though with a faint hint of teal showing through.

"C-level. Next."

Ai Yuan looked a little disappointed at this, but then grew excited again seeing the stone's color. He turned to Wen Yanzhou happily: "See that? Mine's about to turn teal."

"If I get the chance, I could become the next B-level Omega!"

Ai Yuan bounced away, following the guiding soldier to the living quarters.

The next person to be tested was Wen Yanzhou.

"Come on, place your hand on it. Inject your pheromones into the stone in front of you, and just wait quietly."

The staff member explained the process to Wen Yanzhou routinely.

"Okay."

Wen Yanzhou was nervous. He couldn't control his pheromones on his own—whether he could inject them into the stone would be entirely up to luck.

Taking a deep breath, Wen Yanzhou prepared to place his hand on the glowing stone.

"Wait. Don't put it down yet."