**Chapter 5: Orthodoxy and Testing**

Jack’s words struck Jie Ming like lightning, illuminating the brutal truth hidden behind the academy’s dazzling promotion.

In just five years, over five thousand students had been reduced to 153.

These weren’t ordinary cannon fodder but wizards trained professionally for a decade!

The glorified returnees were the rare few who survived and advanced amidst countless casualties.

The academy showcased them to lure naive youths into becoming fresh cannon fodder.

A bone-deep chill hit him!

This wizard world was far crueler and more pragmatic than he’d imagined.

The academy wasn’t a pure academic haven but a crucible and conveyor belt for a massive war machine.

They needed “fuel,” and new apprentices were the easiest to ignite.

The thirty-year contract wasn’t just a shackle; with such a high death rate, it also implied the academy’s subtle confidence in Logistics wizards’ survival odds.

Even so, nearly half of the Logistics wizards perished…

As for the Combat Division… the contract’s brevity spoke to the carnage. Wizards weren’t philanthropists, but even they believed surviving five years on the front lines was enough to break even.

Such a terrifying death rate, such brutal warfare…

“Aren’t you afraid?” Jie Ming asked instinctively.

He’d used up his question quota, but the wizards didn’t ignore him.

At his question, they exchanged glances, paused, then burst into laughter.

“Hahahaha! Not afraid? There might be people unafraid of death, but they’re rare!” The potioncraft wizard chuckled, ruffling Jie Ming’s hair.

Jie Ming’s confusion grew, and Jack, reading his gaze, smiled. “Don’t understand why?”

“Yes.”

“We’re afraid of death, but beyond that, there’s something worth pursuing that drives us!”

“What?”

“The multiverse is vast—vast enough that a plane’s destruction is just a flicker of starlight. But that also means near-infinite possibilities.”

Jack pointed to the Combat Division stage, where the third-rank wizard Mars was signing for an apprentice.

“See him? Mars had only third-rank aptitude, theoretically never meant to become an official wizard. But look at him now…”

“Knowledge, power, longevity, status, glory, wealth… any desire can be fulfilled in the endless planes. All you need to do is ‘merely’ survive the battlefield.”

“On the path to chasing your desires and ideals, even a high death rate is just a ‘necessary cost’!”

Jie Ming’s heart sank at those words.

A necessary cost?

Such a light phrase hid unimaginable bloodshed.

The plaza’s clamor and rallying cries turned jarring and menacing in his ears. The young faces eager for glory and power seemed to him already destined to fall on alien battlefields.

“What a… cruel world,” he muttered.

“But also a world full of hope, isn’t it?”

Seeing Jie Ming’s low spirits, Jack gave a meaningful smile. “Of course, the Logistics Division’s death rate isn’t that high. After all, Logistics is Noren’s true orthodoxy…”

“What do you mean?” Jie Ming blinked.

“No need to hide it. You’ll see when you sign the contract.” Jack glanced around.

“This plane, Noren 13, is just a training base for a certain wizard organization. You won’t sign with Noren Academy but with the organization behind it.”

“And that organization’s name…” Jack drawled, “is Noren Workshop.”

Jie Ming’s eyes twitched. That was a lot to unpack.

A wizard organization with multiple planes as talent reserves was already staggering, but the name was unexpected.

A “Workshop” suggested it was renowned for “creation” at its founding.

So Jack’s claim that Logistics was the orthodoxy made sense.

But…

“If Logistics is the orthodoxy, why do it this way?” Jie Ming looked around, puzzled.

Compared to the Combat Division’s bustling crowds, the Logistics area was desolate.

“Wouldn’t this miss out on many talented individuals?”

Never mind the clear disparity in benefits. Even if some saw through the dangers, young, highly talented people, brimming with confidence as the “protagonists” of their own stories, would rarely choose Logistics.

“Because… this is a trial of ‘wisdom.’”

At this, not just Jack but the other wizards grinned proudly. “High aptitude means faster cultivation, but for wizards, the most crucial trait is ‘wisdom.’”

“Aptitude can be altered, but wisdom is innate. In the endless opportunities of other planes, aptitude becomes trivial. Unlike aptitude, wisdom has no clear outward sign, so the academy devised this method.”

“The academy leaves many clues. Seeing through the promotion’s facade shows independent thinking, keen insight, and enough self-awareness—essential qualities for a wizard.”

Another wizard chimed in teasingly, “Back when wizards hadn’t left the Origin Plane, they’d screen for wisdom by sending apprentices on ships to the academy, facing various enemies along the way.”

“But that was too costly and hard to control. With the Great Expansion needing manpower, they switched to this gentler approach.”

Ignoring the others’ chatter, Jack dispelled the illusion barrier and waved at Jie Ming. “That’s it for Q&A. The choice is yours now.”