Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, four or five days had passed.
During those days, aside from following Fini to class, Chen Cheng spent his time grinding lenses in his dormitory.
A small matter also occurred during those days. Little Fatty, who came from a merchant lineage in their class, spent five hundred Gold Coins buying the Eyeglass Manufacturing Method from him.
When Chen Cheng asked why Little Fatty was willing to spend so much money on an eyeglass manufacturing method when he had not even seen the actual product, Little Fatty merely smiled and said:
"Five hundred Gold Coins might be a lot to you, but to this young master, it is merely a drop in the ocean. Besides, I had people study the Vision Chart you hung in the classroom, and we found no flaws in its logic.
"Since there is nothing wrong with the logic itself, the chances of the product born from it failing are extremely small.
"So, with so much confirmed information in hand, I only need to spend a mere five hundred Gold Coins to gamble on a business opportunity with over a thirty percent chance of success. Why would I not take that gamble?"
To be honest, if it had been in the past, Chen Cheng would definitely have scoffed at such a merchant.
But after coming to this world and seeing a merchant as cunning as those he had encountered in his previous life, Chen Cheng inexplicably felt a little warmth in his heart.
Moreover, this Little Fatty had dared to buy his technique with only a thirty percent certainty. Since he was the first person unrelated to him who had trusted him, Chen Cheng ultimately agreed to sell him the Eyeglass Manufacturing Method and the formula for calculating eye prescriptions for five hundred Gold Coins.
The glasses Chen Cheng intended to give Melinda were also gradually taking shape beneath his constant grinding.
Looking at the polished lenses in his hand, he took out the wooden glasses case he had prepared long ago. Inside lay the walnut eyeglass frame he had made. After fitting in the lenses, he looked at the finished glasses and recalled Melinda's visual prescription. He was extremely satisfied with his work.
After putting the glasses away, Chen Cheng planned to give them to Melinda as soon as possible so she could try them on and see whether the prescription was suitable. After all, the Vision Chart he had used before was not particularly standardized, so there might be some errors in the calculated prescription.
The noon break soon ended. Chen Cheng tucked the glasses case onto his person, went to Fini's dormitory door to call her out, and the two of them headed toward the classroom.
"Brown, have you finished those glasses you sold for five hundred Gold Coins? Can you let me see them first?"
After spending these days together, Fini, the pure and kind little girl, no longer put on the airs of a young lady. On the contrary, she treated Chen Cheng with great respect.
She no longer called him Little Slave either, instead addressing him by the name he used in this world.
Perhaps her ordinary attitude toward the slaves around her had something to do with her father. Though he was a noble, he treated the commoners beneath him with great kindness and affection.
Whenever Chen Cheng thought of this, he felt glad that he had met such a girl in this world.
Although Samlet had treated him even better before this, Chen Cheng had always felt that a barrier of status stood between them.
Samlet treated him as a servant treated a master, making Chen Cheng feel as though he were an empty shell. Only Fini, this little girl, truly treated him as an equal, an ordinary person.
Perhaps years later, when she grew up and learned those so-called noble etiquette rules, she would grow distant from him. But for now, she would always remain the pure and kind little girl in his eyes.
Chen Cheng took the glasses case from his pocket, opened it, and took out the glasses inside to explain what they were to Fini.
Although Fini did not understand the principles of concave and convex lenses, she was very interested in the antique appearance of the wooden glasses.
She tried them on, only for her whole world to turn dizzy. She immediately tore them off and said irritably:
"What is this thing? My head is spinning to death! I cannot see anything at all, okay?"
Chen Cheng knew that explaining the principles would take a long time, so he merely told Fini that Melinda's eyes were different from theirs. She would not feel dizzy wearing them, and she would be able to see more clearly.
Fini reluctantly put the glasses back and returned them to Chen Cheng.
She actually liked the design of the glasses very much, but she could not wear them herself, so she felt somewhat reluctant to part with them.
When Chen Cheng saw her expression, he knew the little girl had taken a liking to them. He smiled and said:
"It's fine. At worst, I'll make you a pair of plano glasses too. I guarantee that when Miss wears them, people's eyes will light up."
The moment Fini heard that she could have a pair too, she no longer cared about this one. After returning it to Chen Cheng, she happily skipped along.
The students passing by had long grown accustomed to the interactions between this master and servant pair. Still, some of them mocked Fini behind her back for not understanding noble etiquette and being so close to a slave.
The afternoon class flew by as Chen Cheng waited eagerly. After class, he took out the glasses he had prepared, went to Melinda, and handed them to her.
"Teacher Melinda, this is a gift I prepared for you. Perhaps it can solve the problem with your eyes."
The students had not expected Chen Cheng to truly make the thing he had claimed could solve Teacher Melinda's eye problem.
They all knew that Melinda's eyes had been cursed by the God of Magic. No healing magic had any effect on them.
At the same time, some of them thought of how Akasto had spent a fortune purchasing the Eyeglass Manufacturing Method a few days earlier. If the experiment succeeded with Melinda today, then with such a living example before them, Little Fatty Akasto would make a killing this time.
Every one of them craned their necks to look at the box in Chen Cheng's hand. Only Fini looked at them smugly, because she had already seen the glasses inside the box. And I was the first one to wear them! Besides, I'll have my own pair soon.
Fini thought to herself.
Chen Cheng opened the box, took out the glasses inside, unfolded them, and without waiting for Melinda to say anything, directly placed them on her face.
Just as Melinda was about to say something, she suddenly discovered that the scene before her had undergone a heaven-and-earth transformation. The students in the classroom, whom she had always seen only as blurry shapes, now stood before her with incomparable clarity. At the same time, she could even see the tiny writing in the book of a student several meters away who had not yet closed and put it away.
Melinda's excitement at that moment was beyond words. Her cursed eyes were seeing a clear world.
When she looked at Chen Cheng again, she excitedly pulled him into her arms in front of all the students. Chen Cheng had not expected Melinda to become so emotional, and his face was immediately smothered by something that left him unable to breathe.
Feeling the hot air Chen Cheng exhaled with effort, Melinda finally realized that she had gotten a little too carried away. She released him, her face slightly flushed, though her heart remained filled with joy and excitement.
Seeing this, the many students knew that Chen Cheng's glasses had certainly worked. Otherwise, Teacher Melinda could not possibly have been so excited. At the same time, they were curious what magical creation Chen Cheng had used to achieve such miraculous results, one capable of resisting the curse of a magical deity.
"Oh my, Little Fatty Akasto is going to make a fortune this time."
A student who was also the son of a major merchant could not help but sigh.
Chen Cheng also told Melinda not to get too excited. He first asked whether she felt any dizziness while wearing them, then had her wear the glasses and test herself using the Vision Chart to see exactly how large the error was.
But in the end, it proved that this scholar with strong hands-on ability had made no mistake. Melinda's glasses suited her perfectly.
While the others were rejoicing, Coles, standing behind the crowd, put away his Image Recording Crystal. This time, he had recorded a huge piece of leverage.
Chen Cheng, a mere slave, had actually dared to behave so intimately with a Gold Mage. Moreover, this Gold Mage already had a verbal marriage agreement with an earl who possessed royal blood.
This time, he was certain that Chen Cheng would be executed by Earl Huidun. Even if Chen Cheng had done it to treat Teacher Melinda, it would make no difference. At most, out of consideration for Melinda, Earl Huidun would spare Baron Kekebor's family.
Coles's thoughts were truly venomous. Having been taught noble etiquette by his father all year round, he understood deeply just how much those great nobles, especially the royal family, valued propriety.
In particular, Earl Huidun, who had a verbal marriage agreement with Melinda, was a powerful contender for the current throne. He certainly would not allow his future partner to carry such a stain upon her noble etiquette.
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