[Restart Volume] Chapter 246: The Interview

“Sunshine beams down from the sky, the flowers smile at me~”

Mo Xing hummed as he washed his face. It was Saturday noon, and he had only just woken up. After completing the bandit-suppression mission the previous night, he had not returned to the dormitory until nearly midnight. Senior Brother Mianhua and Senior Brother Cai Hong had already fallen asleep, while only the mighty Zhang Zhihao was still sitting in the living room, absorbed in a book.

When Zhang Zhihao saw him return, he set the book down and said, “I’ve heated the water for you. The temperature is just right. Take a shower and go to bed early. You still have training tomorrow.”

The moment Mo Xing heard the word “training,” his mind exploded. The bandit-suppression operation had already been exhausting enough, and he still had to train the next day? How miserable could life get? But he did not dare complain. After all, in a few days they would be going to Dragon Fang Island or somewhere like that, so this training was necessary. He nodded and went to take a shower.

Speaking of which, the “water heater” in this world was truly fascinating. A square box hung from the bathroom ceiling, and pressing one of several small buttons beside the door caused water to pour down from above like rain. It was incredibly entertaining. The “Sunshine Rain Mode” produced hot water, while the “Ice Rain Mode” produced cold water. Not only could the temperature be adjusted, but the water volume could be controlled as well. It was every bit as advanced as the water heaters from his former world.

When Mo Xing had first entered the dormitory, he had mistaken it for the bathroom light switch. He had pressed it out of habit, only to have hot water begin falling on his head. He could not figure out how to turn it off, and soon his hair was soaked. Fortunately, Senior Brother Cai Hong had rushed over to “save the day,” allowing him to “escape disaster.”

As for the “toilet” in this world, that was an even more astonishing invention...

“Young brat, why are you always humming those songs?”

Senior Brother Mianhua’s voice sounded beside him. Mo Xing hurriedly turned around and saw a figure with hair sticking out in all directions.

“S-Senior Brother, good morning... No, good afternoon!” Mo Xing quickly corrected himself.

Unlike the other two senior brothers, who had risen early to attend to their own business, Senior Brother Mianhua had slept all the way until now.

“Young brat, you got up pretty late today. Come clean—where were you fooling around last night?” Senior Brother Mianhua grunted.

“No, no! I was out completing a mission!” Mo Xing hurriedly explained. “Wasn’t I assigned a mission by Captain Huo before? You were there too, Senior Brother...”

“Oh, oh! Junior Brother Mo Xing, you really are a busy man!” Senior Brother Mianhua shook his head. “By the way, remember to go to the Divine Luo Palace later for your interview.”

“An interview? What interview?” Mo Xing asked, utterly bewildered.

“The school student council interview.” Senior Brother Mianhua suddenly furrowed his brow, his expression turning uncomfortable. “Move, move, move! I just remembered that I need to use the bathroom!”

Before Mo Xing could ask anything else, Senior Brother Mianhua shoved him out of the bathroom. A cry of “Oh, merciful heavens~” came from inside, like air escaping from an overinflated balloon.

Mo Xing scratched his head and muttered,

“School student council interview?”

Two hours later.

Third floor of the Divine Luo Palace, headquarters of the student council.

President Zhang Zhihao, Vice President Shiyan, and several student council officers sat in their chairs. They were dressed in dark navy formalwear with white shirts underneath and bright ties around their necks. Each held a file containing information about an interviewee, while several blue-and-white cups sat on the table.

“Thank you for attending this interview for the school student council. Someone will notify you of the results later.” Shiyan nodded politely to the freshman who had come for the interview. “Please remind the next candidate to wait one minute before knocking and entering.”

“Of course! Thank you, Senior Brother and Senior Sister.” The candidate replied, bowed slightly, and turned to leave.

Once the door had closed, Shiyan turned around and asked, “What does everyone think?”

“I think this freshman is fairly good. His strength has reached Level Thirty-Five of the Azurewood Rank,” one officer replied. “I give him four stars.”

“I don’t think this freshman is as good as the girl before him. At most, I’d give him three stars,” another officer said. “His theoretical exam results were rather poor. He got many simple questions wrong, so he’s probably quite careless.”

“But I thought he was very polite just now. His conduct and manners were both quite good. I’m giving him four stars.”

“I feel as though he had memorized a script for the interview. His answers sounded slick and insincere. I don’t like him very much. Two stars from me.”

“Very well, thank you all for your opinions. Members of the statistics team, please collect their evaluation forms.”

Shiyan nodded, then turned to look at President Zhang. He had barely commented on anyone. He merely asked each interviewee a few questions before assigning a rating and giving a brief explanation.

During interviews for the previous few student councils, the president alone had decided whether applicants were accepted. After Zhang Zhihao took office, however, he had changed the old system. From then on, the officers would vote collectively to decide each applicant’s fate.

Shiyan had initially worried that this would make the process excessively democratic and weaken the president’s authority. But President Zhang had assured him that he had a corresponding solution, which had put Shiyan’s mind at ease.

Knock, knock, knock—

A knock came from the door.

“Come in,” one of the officers called.

The door was pushed open quietly. A small head peeked inside, followed by a figure who slowly entered the room. When he saw President Zhang Zhihao and Vice President Shiyan seated in the center, he froze for a moment, then bowed deeply.

“Greetings, Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters.”

Several officers recognized him at once.

It was Mo Xing. That fellow had come to interview for the student council too!

Shiyan was also somewhat startled. Her lips parted slightly, but she immediately composed herself and did not reveal too obvious a reaction.

Zhang Zhihao, however, remained calm. With a smile, he said, “Please introduce yourself.”

“I... My name is Mo Xing. I’m a first-year freshman, and my current profession is magic swordsman...” Mo Xing held his hands behind his back, endlessly picking at his fingers. He had taken plenty of deep breaths before entering, but he was still scared out of his wits the moment he walked in—especially with the mighty Zhang Zhihao and Shiyan sitting before him.

“Student Mo Xing, speak a little louder. The officers in the back can’t hear you clearly,” one of the officers suggested.

“All right.” Mo Xing puffed out his chest and repeated himself. “My name is Mo Xing. I’m a first-year freshman, and my profession is magic swordsman. My Dragon God’s Power level is...”

Mo Xing hesitated. He did not actually know his precise level of Dragon God’s Power. He only knew that it was no longer at zero. In the end, he simply said, “Azurewood Rank.”

“All right, we already have your detailed information here,” one officer said. “Let’s begin with a question. Why do you want to join the school student council?”

“Well... to improve my abilities and make more friends,” Mo Xing replied.

“Other departments and clubs can also improve your abilities and help you make more friends. Why didn’t you choose one of them?” another officer asked.

“Because...” Mo Xing paused.

Because the mighty Zhang Zhihao had recommended him. They were roommates, after all, so he ought to show some support! Naturally, he could not say that.

“Because I think the student council is an excellent platform, and it suits me better for improving myself!” Mo Xing said. Though it sounded a little like flattery, he could not think of anything else to say.

“How do you find the atmosphere of the student council?” Shiyan asked.

“Well...” Mo Xing hesitated, his heart pounding wildly. Why was Shiyan asking him questions now? She looked even more beautiful in formalwear, radiating an entirely different kind of charm.

No, no, no! This was not the time to think about that. How was he supposed to describe the atmosphere of the student council?

United as one?

Positive and motivated?

Everyone is a good person?

What kind of answers were those?

Everyone was staring at him! Would he lose points if he failed to answer?

“I think the student council is... very harmonious,” Mo Xing blurted out.

Several officers in the back secretly snickered.

Shiyan smiled as well, then asked, “What position would you like to hold?”

“Well...” Mo Xing scratched his head. “I’ll leave it to the organization.”

In truth, he did not even know what positions were available, so he had casually given that answer. Would it make him seem completely lacking in initiative? A few of the officers appeared surprised.

“No matter what position I’m assigned, I’ll do my best,” Mo Xing added.

“May I ask you something?” Zhang Zhihao spoke up. “If the president proposed a plan during a meeting and you did not agree with it, what would you do?”

“Well...” Mo Xing paused. What kind of question was this? How could he possibly disagree with one of the mighty Zhang Zhihao’s plans?

“I... I would listen carefully until you finished, think it over thoroughly, and then raise my hand to offer my own suggestions,” Mo Xing answered.

“Another question,” Zhang Zhihao continued. “Suppose both the student council and your mentor assigned you a task at the same time. How would you handle the situation?”

“Well... I’d judge the circumstances. I’d see which side was more urgent, set aside time to finish that task first, and then handle the other one,” Mo Xing replied.

“What if both were equally urgent?” one of the officers asked. “What would you do then?”

What the hell? What kind of hypothetical situation was this? Wasn’t this making things impossibly difficult?

Finish the mentor’s task first?

Congratulations, student. You’ve just been expelled from the student council!

No!

Finish the student council’s task first?

What, did he want to fail his classes?

That would not work either!

Handle both at once?

Could he even manage that?

What difference was this from asking, “If your mother and your girlfriend fell into the water at the same time, whom would you save first?”

This was impossible!

“I’d still finish one of them properly before moving on to the other.” Mo Xing paused. “My efficiency isn’t very high at the moment, so I can’t handle two things simultaneously. That’s something I need to learn. I believe I’ll become stronger in the future and won’t have to worry about problems like this anymore.”

“Mm. I believe you’ll find a way,” Zhang Zhihao said with a nod.

Shiyan also smiled faintly, approval visible in her eyes.

Mo Xing felt as though a warm spring breeze had swept over him. He had actually won the approval of the mighty Zhang Zhihao and Shiyan. Secretly, he was delighted.

“One final question,” Zhang Zhihao said with a faint smile. “During an expedition, suppose you encountered an extremely urgent situation. If you could save only one of us—Vice President Shiyan or me—whom would you save?”

Mo Xing froze and looked at the mighty Zhang Zhihao and Shiyan before him.

Whom should he save first?