One had to admit, the aura around Reca was extremely subtle. It carried a quality that was both righteous and sinister.
Amidst a chorus of praise, Mr. Reca stepped up to the front of the stage and introduced himself:
"Hello, cast members. I am your director for this exam. You may call me Mr. Reca. It's the name I commonly use in the end credits."
As soon as he finished speaking, before the students could even respond, a Family member who had been following behind Reca stepped forward, frowned, and said: "Mr. Reca, please mind your words. This is a classroom, not a film set."
Reca shot him a sidelong glance and said: "No good! Cast member of The Family, do remember that everywhere I stand is a set."
"?" The family member was utterly confused.
But Reca simply turned his head toward the students and declared: "CUT! Cast members, please remember your lines. I'm currently playing the role of a guest lecturer and you are my students. Please stay in character."
His overwhelming aura gradually quieted the classroom.
March 7th stared at Reca, finding him more and more familiar.
Sitting behind her, Dan Heng recalled: "Mr. Reca. He's known for works such as Soul-Shattered Dark Star, A Fading Nebula, and the famous Nights of Minyatur."
He added: "His works are based on real life events. They are worth referencing."
The two exchanged some information.
Meanwhile, Reca on stage had already flipped open the textbook. After glancing at it briefly, he sneered.
"Let me see what the script for this scene says: The examiner presides over the exam as The Family tunes the students to discover their talents within their soul's melody ..."
"Heh."
"Boring. I'm changing the directions of this scene. Cast member of The Family, that's a wrap for you."
The Family member hadn't expected Reca to be so reckless, and protested:"Wh-What? But tuning is the most important segment of the Tuning Test ..."
"Huh?" Reca looked down at her with contempt, clearly displeased at being contradicted.
"Miss Sedina, in your thirteen years and four months of teaching, you've committed seven counts of academic fraud. It seems your laziness has turned your artistic integrity into a pile of decaying film."
Sedina's eyes widened in confusion:
"Academic fraud? What are you talking about...?"
"Enough! You're only here as an examiner because of the acting dean! You can't dictate what we do! According to academy regulations ..."
Reca's nonstop rambling had already pushed her to the brink of anger.
Before she could finish, he turned his head and fixed his peculiar eyes on her.
"According to academy regulations? Think carefully now, what do the academy regulations say exactly?"
Sedina, who just moments ago was about to lash out, suddenly faltered.
Her fierce gaze turned dazed.
"The academy regulations very clearly state that the examiner's word is law in the examination room, so..."
"Wait, but you're the examiner! What's going on here?"
"Hm? Huh?" Sedina lifted her head and looked at Reca in shock.
The person in front of her was indeed the examiner.
But just now, hadn't she been contradicting him? Yet… why couldn't she remember what had just happened?
"Good, you finally connected the dots. On my set, the director's word is law."
Reca's sharp gaze pierced into Sedina.
Caught between confusion and embarrassment, Sedina hurriedly left the classroom.
This farce, in the eyes of most students, was nothing more than a trivial spat.
It looked as though Professor Reca and the assistant had clashed, nothing more.
But to Dan Heng, it was another matter entirely.
"That Family Member's reaction was strange. It's as if she suddenly changed her mind."
Nearby, Stelle and March exchanged a glance.
March 7th whispered: "Could it be that he, like you, has the Clockwork's ability?"
Stelle scratched his head: "Shouldn't be. There's only one Clockwork. Besides Connie, there are only three others still missing."
That comment, instantly made the audience watching the plot burst into laughter.
"Clockwork my ass."
Meanwhile, Dan Heng frowned. Though he couldn't yet grasp the origin of this Mr. Reca, he silently etched this event into his mind.
"We must tread carefully."
...
: In this abstract storyline, I declare, Dan Heng is the only guiding light in my heart!
: Only now do I realize how fitting it is that the trio includes Dan Heng!
: With the foolish beauty March and the abstract beauty Stelle, those two will slip into this bizarre world far too easily!
: The moment I saw 'Clockwork my ass,' I knew these two were definitely gifted students.
: Even in this episode, they could easily pass for professors.
: This is too funny. But seeing Dan Heng here actually puts me at ease.
: From the high ground of intelligence, Dan Heng's authority is unrivaled!
...
At this point, even though Dan Heng remained as calm and composed as ever, the audience, having witnessed such an absurd development, now found his steadiness all the more precious.
What a reliable young man! Able to calmly analyze and summarize the information he encountered.
So reliable!
And now, on stage, Reca finally began the first audition.
He required all the students to step into the adjoining booth one by one to audition.
The first was Stelle.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Stelle walked into the booth without any nervousness.
Thus began an unconventional audition.
Standing against the backdrop, under the gaze of the camera,
Reca asked his first question:
"Smile."
Stelle curled his lips into a grin, revealing her confident smile.
"Perfect. Very confident."
"Next, introduce yourself."
Reca sounded satisfied as he gave the next prompt.
"I am the Galactic Baseballer! AKA the Baseball Bat Ninja!"
Hands on her hips, Stelle proudly announced her nickname.
"Haha! Joking with the examiner during an exam. You have a desire to perform."
Reca laughed a few times, then continued with a smile: "Okay, second question. What are you most proud of about yourself?"
This question made Stelle pause for a moment. She pinched her chin and replied, "I'm willing to put my life at risk, I can take a beating, thick-skinned."
Reca was silent for a moment, then suddenly clapped hard. "Very good! Staying calm and sanguine is essential when you're on stage. It is a talent most performers yearn for."
The two of them, one asking and one answering, sounded almost like a comedy sketch.
The audience was already laughing so hard they could barely stay upright.
...
: I knew it, damn, this episode's plot is so abstract, but Stelle really managed to blend into it perfectly.
: This Reca looks serious, but his answers are just as wild.
: If I were the teacher and heard that answer, I'd lose it on the spot.
: Maybe that's just what a director is.
: The mental state of Reca and Stelle is just too ahead of its time.
: Hahaha, the funniest part is Stelle absolutely said it from the heart, really a stress-relieving natural!
: This just keeps getting funnier.
: It has to be Stelle, anyone else couldn't possibly be the protagonist of Star Rail!
...
The comments were in hysterics.
Meanwhile, in the scene, Reca had stopped asking questions. Instead, he handed the final question over to a strangely designed mechanical frog.
"This is my assistant director. A reliable partner who's skilled at cinematography, script supervising, editing, and more - has a better eye than me when it comes to casting performers."
After Reca finished speaking, he looked at his assistant director.
A few seconds later, he nodded. "Hmm, a very perceptive question. Stelle, how do you respond?"
A puzzled smile appeared on Stelle's delicate face. "Quack, quack."
The assistant director remained silent.
But Reca smiled knowingly. "Hah, you amused her. A humorous performer indeed."
The audience, too, was amused by this little skit.
Reca shook his head and voiced the final "question":
Reca shook his head and voiced the assistant director's "question":
"Nameless, your memory began onboard a station of Erudition, where you then boarded a train of Trailblaze. In your journey, you witnessed the will of Preservation, the determination of The Hunt, and the dispute between Harmony and Order..."
"You ran across many different sets and witnessed many different stories. Did you find a theme or perhaps a dream that belongs solely to you?"
The previously lighthearted atmosphere instantly grew cold at Reca's question.
Stelle put away her carefree smile and looked at Reca with wariness.
She might be cheerful, but she wasn't a fool!
This guy actually knew every part of her journey?
As a 'experienced' Nameless, Stelle immediately raised her guard and asked, "How do you know my experiences?"
Reca spread his hands.
"It's only natural for a director to familiarize himself with a performer's resume before an audition."
But this answer did nothing to ease Stelle's suspicion.
She didn't want to stay here any longer. Regarding the question just asked, she simply said, "I don't know. I'm not sure. Don't ask me."
A triple brush-off.
Reca wasn't surprised. He smiled faintly and took out a report card. "Your exam is over. Here are the results."
Not expecting that she'd actually completed the test smoothly, Stelle accepted the report card with both doubt and caution.
[Penacony Paperfold University College]
[ID: XYZ10485765]
[Name: Stelle]
[College: Charmony Academy]
[Academy Program: Temporary Visiting Student]
[Place of Origin: Astral Express]
[Validity: Within AE 2158]
Stelle read it quietly as she looked it over.
Then she glanced strangely at Reca before finally leaving.
Just as she was about to step outside, Reca's voice came from behind: "Stelle, can you feel it? The drama concealed within this campus is stirring."
"This is where your story begins. Don't disappoint me or the audience now, my dear leading character."
Stelle didn't pause, leaving without looking back.
Protagonist? Play? And that strange way of speaking…
All of it made Stelle uneasy.
She walked out. Instead, she quickly relayed everything she had just encountered to Dan Heng and March 7th.
Dan Heng quickly responded.
Since Stelle had come out unharmed, that meant they could too.
First, they'd go in to meet Reca, and get their certificates.
At least for now, things only seemed strange. They still needed more clues.
So, Dan Heng and March 7th entered the exam venue one after the other, and also passed the test smoothly.
After receiving their certificates and finishing, the three of them regrouped in a secluded hallway to exchange information.
But March 7th looked a little downhearted, sighing.
"Ugh. I really thought I had talent for acting, but in the end, I actually got sent to Dreamweaver Academy."
"I really thought I had the acting chops! Now I have to go pour concrete in Dream's Edge. It's not fair."
She spoke sadly. Stelle burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha."
March 7th raised her fist and glared at the gloating Stelle.
"Anyway, same as Stelle, I was sent to the Charmony Academy."
"As for what this kind of assignment really means, we still don't know."
Dan Heng calmly analyzed, "As for ourselves, we need to stay cautious. The fact that Reca knows about what happened in Belobog is already very suspicious."
At this reminder, Stelle and March 7th both nodded solemnly.
It wasn't just Belobog, even their experiences in the Xianzhou Alliance…
And Reca hadn't given any reasonable explanation. It was hard not to suspect he had ulterior motives.
With that warning in mind, the three of them tried contacting Himeko and Welt.
But there was no reply, it seemed they were still trapped in the exam.
After thinking for a bit, the three finally headed together toward the campus festival area.
As expected, the place was filled with every kind of "Slumbernana" themed attraction.
There were foods made with that motif, toys and dolls, even card games.
Everything imaginable was there, and the creativity of these students was truly astounding.
But amid the bustling crowd, Stelle immediately spotted a familiar figure.
Rappa!
She was being chased by members of the student council's disciplinary committee.
Naturally, with her skills, these ordinary people could never catch up to her. But unfortunately, Rappa had a girl with her.
"Wait. Dan Heng, March 7th. Looks like it's my turn to step in."
Stelle's eyes lit up...