As Ocasie had said, the headquarters of the True Knowledge Society was very quiet.
With Ocasie's identification, they walked into the ancient castle unobstructed, and didn't even encounter any other wizards along the way.
It was not until Ocasie brought him to a study on the top floor that he saw the first wizard besides them.
"Shelley, I didn't expect you to be on duty today," Ocasie exclaimed in surprise.
The pale sunlight streamed through the round window and into the room, where a petite witch sat in front of a brown desk.
The witch had short snow-white hair that just reached her chin, shiny and smooth like satin, appearing strikingly different from the white hair of the elderly, more like fluffy snow.
Underneath the white hair was also a young face that complemented it, with fair skin and delicate features, looking at most sixteen or seventeen years old.
She seemed to have been reading, still holding a thick book with a black cover in her hands.
"Ocasie." Shelley lifted her head subconsciously to greet them as they entered, her eyes slightly vacant, then she quickly buried her head back into the hefty book.
The large, thick black book almost completely shielded her face, only revealing a pair of focused blue eyes, seemingly unconcerned about why they had come here.
Ocasie was accustomed to this and sat down across the desk from Shelley, bringing Colin with her, then knocked on the desk.
"Shelley, I'm sorry to disturb you, but I've brought a wizard who wants to join the True Knowledge Society, and he needs you to conduct the membership assessment."
"A new person is joining?" Shelley slowly closed the book, murmuring to herself as if a machine were switching modes.
A moment later, she placed the hefty book to her right and with a clear gaze repeated to Ocasie,
"A new wizard wants to join the True Knowledge Society?"
"Yes," Ocasie said, her expression slightly flustered.
Shelley glanced at her and, after thinking for a moment, turned to look at Colin with a calm voice,
"Wizard Sir, are you sure you want to join the True Knowledge Society?"
"Shelley!" Ocasie quickly interrupted.
Shelley didn't pay attention to her and continued to stare at Colin with clear blue eyes,
"I don't know what Ocasie has told you, but the True Knowledge Society of Neustadt City has not had a new member join for about ten years."
As her words fell, Ocasie wilted like a frost-stricken eggplant, hastening to defend,
"It's not that exaggerated; it's just because the Pureblood Families have established their own research associations, siphoning away some wizards who research knowledge."
"No, it's not just that," Shelley shook her head, "The addition of new wizards to the True Knowledge Society has been declining since a few hundred years ago. Those research associations established by the Pureblood Families have only accelerated this process."
"The fundamental reason behind it is that—studying witchcraft, is too dangerous."
Ocasie opened her mouth but ultimately didn't say anything.
The notion that studying witchcraft, or knowledge in general, is a dangerous endeavor, is now a consensus among all wizards.
Shelley paused briefly before continuing,
"Therefore, there are some things I need to make clear to you in advance."
"First, although there are indeed no constraints after joining the True Knowledge Society, if there is no new witchcraft or knowledge produced within the first two years, membership will be forcibly revoked.
This means that after joining the True Knowledge Society, regardless of the purpose, one must continue to study witchcraft for at least the first two years, considering the risks involved."
"Second, the fact that the True Knowledge Society has virtually no constraints also means that it has virtually no benefits.
All knowledge must be exchanged for points in the True Knowledge Society, and each researcher is only allowed to exchange knowledge one level higher than their own strength."
Shelley spoke calmly, her gaze steady on Colin, her face expressionless.
"So, how does one advance their research rank?" Colin asked, meeting her tranquil gaze.
"Create more than ten new spells of equivalent rank, discover five new pieces of equivalent knowledge, or create three new spells higher than one's own research rank."
Shelley answered calmly, as such conditions were challenging even a thousand years ago before the Tainted babbling, and now could be considered harsh.
"As long as there is a thirty percent difference, it counts as a new spell, and moreover, with talent dwindling in recent years, even if one hasn't advanced after two years, there are methods to delay expulsion from the society…" Ocasie added impulsively to Colin.
Colin smiled without concern and turned to the white-haired witch, formally saying, "Thank you for your explanation. I understand the risks involved, but I still intend to join the True Knowledge Society."
After all, the risks of joining the True Knowledge Society are nothing more than the risks of studying knowledge.
And studying knowledge, for him, has always been an ongoing experience.
As his Wizard Level increased and his spirit refined, his understanding of the nature of Golden Paper became increasingly clear.
At first, he thought the knowledge brought by Golden Paper Limit Breaking emerged out of nowhere, but that was only because his spirit had been too weak at the time.