Dusk in West City, come to the tavern tomorrow, the day before the official exam.
The atmosphere in the pub after dark today is completely different from the past.
On weekdays, the sailors who tell dirty jokes, the scholars who talk about current affairs, and the soldiers who discuss the war situation all talk about the same topic - exams.
"Is it really okay to use the method of teachers testing students to select officials for the kingdom?" A young man dressed as an apprentice said as he put down the ale in his hand.
A small vendor with a cross on his chest waved the fried shrimp in his hand: "I heard that this exam was organized by the king himself. From issuing the test papers to reviewing and interviewing, everything was done by His Majesty himself."
The appearance of the word "King" made the questioning voices disappear immediately, and the voices in the tavern were also silent for a few seconds.
Only later did someone join in: "Anyway, I think this method is fair. Regardless of status, it at least gives everyone an equal opportunity to compete."
Someone suddenly asked: "Has His Majesty already designated the candidates in advance and this exam is just a formality?"
The person who asked the question was immediately scolded by everyone.
"Idiot! If His Majesty wants to promote someone, just issue a letter of appointment. Why go to all the trouble!"
"Such a move makes no sense!"
When the angry crowd slowly calmed down, someone asked again: "Who can pass this exam?"
There was a debate on this issue.
The first is the boast of the academics: "When it comes to examinations, no one has a greater say than us. When I was at Taylor College, those students who studied business subjects, whether it was legal knowledge or market management, experienced
Countless tests. In the final analysis, the candidate finally selected this time must be a senior scholar."
The businessmen immediately expressed their opposition: "Scholars can only talk on paper, and they don't know what business is. If you ask me, your Majesty will definitely choose an experienced businessman in the end."
Arguments like this lasted for a long time, and until late at night after the pub closed, similar conversations could still be vaguely heard on the street.
Early the next morning, the square of the Knights' headquarters was crowded with people. The first Muxi Kingdom Selection Examination was hung on the main door of the headquarters. The heavily armed soldiers were responsible for maintaining order.
Applicants of all skin colors and nationalities gathered together, and acquaintances exchanged gossip they had just received, and everyone was waiting for notification of entry.
In addition to them, there were more people who came to watch and vendors who seized the business opportunity.
The sounds of hawking, discussion, and laughter came together, and the aroma of food, the smell of sweat from the crowd, and inferior perfume mixed together, turning this serious and orderly examination into a joyful and lively celebration.
At nine o'clock in the morning, the gate of the Knights' headquarters opened.
Soldiers and nuns conduct strict checks based on the identity and gender of the entrants, as well as the registration form and resident register. There are a series of security procedures, such as body searches and X-ray examinations.
Since the number of applicants far exceeded expectations, the number of examination rooms was increased from one to three, and the invigilator also temporarily deployed some of the knights' combat regiments and scout battalions.
Each referrer was issued a wooden sign with a series of numbers written on it as their respective number.
Everyone can easily find their location according to the number and the guidance of the guide board.
At nine fifteen, everyone was seated and the door to the examination room was closed.
At nine-twenty minutes, the examiner knights in each examination room began to read out the examination room rules written by His Majesty himself.
People were sitting in their respective positions, and in their own small space, there was only a set of simple tables and chairs that were obviously rushed, a pencil and a few sheets of manuscript paper for checking.
Red-lettered slogans such as no whispering, no carrying of information, and no spying on others were posted on the walls of the examination room.
Heavily armed Knights soldiers patrolled and monitored the examination room, and from time to time would quietly reprimand a certain candidate.
It was only then that the candidates felt the tense and depressing atmosphere for the first time. Some timid people loosened their collars and began to sweat.
Here, wealthy businessmen sit with their valets, college professors compete with their former students, and people finally understand the meaning of the word fairness in the exam announcement.
Nine thirty minutes.
Boom, boom, boom!
The chief conductor of the examination room rang the bronze bell to announce that the examination had officially begun.
The test paper with the test questions printed on it is distributed to each candidate.
When people opened the paper and took a look, they heard mutterings one after another.
The military commander responsible for maintaining order in the examination room shouted angrily: "Don't talk! Focus on doing the questions!"
The voice gradually became quieter.
Everyone started to answer the questions hard.
The test paper is divided into three parts: 20 multiple-choice questions, each worth 2 points; 10 true or false questions, each worth 2 points; and 2 question questions, each worth 20 points.
The strange questions that appeared on the test paper stumped most of the candidates.
There is a question like this: A farmer bought a chicken for 8 bronze stars and sold it for 9 bronze stars. But he felt that the chicken was too cheap, so he bought it back for 10 bronze stars and sold it for 11 bronze stars.
The bronze star was sold again. Ask: How much money did the farmer earn in total?
In addition, there is also this question: What kind of tonnage are the most common cargo ships in Muxi Port?
There is even: Muxi Market now has a horizontal row of stalls, with a total of 10 stalls. Now 4 of the stalls have been rented out, and each rented stall has vacancies on both sides. How many different ways of arrangement are there?
?
The questions are the following two questions.
1. Assume that Muxi Port now needs to be expanded. If you were to design the plan, how would you choose the expansion direction and building layout?
Second, please write down the three trading commodities that you think have the largest price fluctuations in the past month, and analyze the reasons for the fluctuations for one of them.
Seeing these problems, most people's hearts are broken.
Because this completely subverted the impression of examinations in the minds of these medieval residents.
In the academy, the test papers issued by professors are more limited to books and theories. Exams that focus on practicality and feasibility almost never appear in people's field of vision.
Some people just read the test paper once and gave up on the exam completely without even touching the pen.
Some people were scratching their heads and scratching their heads, thinking about the answer, with their hair scattered all over the floor, but they still had no clue.
A knight in charge of invigilating the exam in the auditorium looked silently at the candidates in front of him. A scholar who used to talk eloquently looked at the test paper with dull eyes, and the hand holding the pencil was shaking. The former suppressed the corners of his mouth.
With a smile, he used his keel to send a message to his fellow knights in the next room: Look at the expressions of these people! Damn! This feels so good!
Two hours passed and the exam was over.
Under the urging of the soldiers' swords, the candidates reluctantly put down their papers and pens and walked out of the examination room.
Different from being full of confidence and hesitation when entering the market, most people sighed as if they were mourning their heirs.
The examiner of the Knights asked his subordinates to seal and package the test papers as soon as possible and send them to the king's room behind the headquarters.
Todd transformed the living room into a marking room very early. He himself was the approval chairman, and Emerson and several loyal knights acted as marking assistants.
The examination papers of more than 700 candidates were carried into the room by the soldiers. They were stacked together like a huge book 30 centimeters high.
Todd divided the work with others according to the plan discussed in advance.
He himself is responsible for marking subjective questions and answers, and the rest are divided into three groups. The first group is responsible for marking multiple-choice questions, the second group is responsible for marking true and false questions, and the last group is responsible for counting scores and proofreading results.
It took two full days for Todd to finally complete the review process for Muxi City's first official examination. The 30 candidates with the best scores were selected and the list was placed on his desk.
There were a few names he was quite familiar with, such as old acquaintances from San Sidro Monastery - the Raglan couple who were shortlisted with high scores, and the North Island guide during the expedition against the Talon tribe - Lev, who happened to be ranked 30th.
.
But the stranger's name at the top of the list gave him a hard time.
A most obvious Southern heretic - Aisha Barbarossa Hayreddin...