The Stork's Code of Questioning. Rule 1: If you lock eyes with Elder Stork, you will be questioned. Rule 2: If…
The Stork's Code of Questioning.
Rule 1: If you lock eyes with Elder Stork, you will be questioned.
Rule 2: If you avoid Elder Stork's gaze, you will be questioned.
Rule 3: The moment you think you might be questioned, you will be questioned.
Rule 4: Do not attempt to dodge the question. Doing so counts as avoiding his gaze, which, as stated in Rule 2, means you will be questioned.
...
An apprenticeship in Mohist City without surviving Elder Stork's pop quizzes is no apprenticeship at all.
No matter your grades, as long as you are within the city walls, Elder Stork might pop out of thin air to ambush you with a test. And once caught, you can expect a relentless interrogation lasting no less than an hour. He will grill you until your face burns red with shame and you are thoroughly roasted inside and out. Only when he closes his eyes, savoring the faint aroma of knowledge being forged within your spirit, will he finally pat your shoulder and let you go.
"Let me quiz you." This phrase is the divine curse of Mohist City, branded into the ears of every single disciple without exception.
Elder Stork naturally has his reasons for casting this curse.
"If you don't know the answer, then you need to be tested. Learning through the fire of inquiry etches the lesson into your mind. Who knows, you might just figure it out!"
"If you already know the answer, why fear the test? A dialogue between master and disciple sharpens the minds of both. It is highly beneficial."
"If you sort of know it but sort of don't, then you need my quizzes more than anyone to patch the holes in your knowledge and clear your doubts."
Although the disciples are often left with spinning heads and sweaty palms, it truly feels as if they have been steeped in a scalding hot spring. Once they return to their quarters and let the steam clear, they usually find their minds sharper and their understanding deepened.
Because of this, everyone harbors a love-hate relationship with Elder Stork's quizzes.
So be it. Better to treat it as a cleansing sweat. Even if it leaves you dizzy and your stomach tied in knots at the time, you always walk away having gained something.
Think about it. If the day ever comes when Elder Stork no longer wants to quiz you, that would be a far more terrifying thought!
Fortunately, to this day, there has never been a single soul in Mohist City whom Elder Stork deemed unworthy of a test.