Exchange Between Two Academies

It seems they knew Tuster would visit, or perhaps they were waiting.

Upon seeing the visitors at the door, Madam Garcia's face showed a fleeting moment of shock before regaining her composure. After composing herself, she said to Rein and the other two, "Please come in and have a seat."

His tone was very gentle and he sounded very friendly.

Rein had no intention of interfering in other people's personal matters. Regardless of how Tuster dealt with this old man who had caused his family's ruin back then, he would respect the old man's decision.

Seeing that there was no one else in the house, Rein decided not to go inside.

Having not seen each other for thirty years, these two must have a lot to talk about, and it would be inappropriate to have outsiders around.

"We won't go in."

As he spoke, Rein grabbed little Karl, who was about to follow Tuster into the house.

The kid didn't understand what was going on and turned around to look at Rein with a puzzled expression.

Garcia nodded slightly in response to the somewhat apologetic expression, and without saying much, followed Tuster into the house.

The door wasn't closed, and Rein and Karl leaned against the railing, watching the light and shadows reflected in the lake.

With his current level of perception, he can tell what's happening inside the house even without entering.

Hearing the crisp sound of porcelain clinking, the lady seemed to have picked up the teapot and poured Tuster a cup of tea.

Then came a long silence.

After a long silence, the two sat down in their chairs and fell into quiet.

Karl, who was standing to the side, was curious and wanted to ask something, but Rein made a "shh" gesture to him.

Perhaps because it had just rained, the black fog in the air was very light.

The dark clouds dispersed, and sunlight, like golden threads, pierced through the thin clouds, shining on the clear lake surface, reflecting the trees and flowers on the shore like a mirror. The air was filled with the fragrance of flowers, the Bird Language, and the beautiful, arching rainbow. A gentle breeze caressed his face, Rein leaned against the lakeside railing, feeling the soothing sensation of every pore opening up.

There was no sound coming from inside the house.

If Rein hadn't been able to still hear their heartbeats, he would have thought the room was empty.

I thought I would hear what happened back then, but to my surprise, neither Mr. Tuster nor Madam Garcia said a word.

About fifteen minutes later.

Then they heard someone get up, and the heavy footsteps were none other than Old Master Tuster.

Rein was surprised. Was he really leaving? Without saying a word?

Rein thought the old man would ask some questions, such as:

Did she have a reason for doing that back then?

Did she poison him?

Why did he jump into the lake?

Why am I still alive?

Why.

But they didn't mention it at all.

Madam Garcia did not offer a single word in defense.

Rein couldn't understand the magnanimity and composure with which people their age viewed the past. He also had no idea what kind of emotional entanglement existed between the two of them back then.

But he knew that the old man cared a lot about this "girl".

Thinking that Tuster probably didn't come here to seek revenge or fulfill his desires.

One look at her, and I had all the answers.

Rein watched Grandpa Tuster walk to the door, he asked, "Grandpa Tuster, are we leaving?"

"Um."

Tuster nodded sadly, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the frosted glass window, as if he wanted to look back at the person inside, but ultimately didn't look again.

The violets hanging in the iron bucket under the windowsill bloomed year after year, reminding him of the girl who loved wearing purple clothes back then.

But that was thirty years ago.

He sighed softly.

In this life, one doesn't seek to choose one person to grow old with, but only to love without regrets throughout one's life.

Tuster dedicated almost all of his love for life to steam technology; it was the only time in his life he was truly moved.

Today, my wish has been fulfilled.

Tuster left without looking back, Rein watched that desolate figure, feeling a pang of emotion.

He didn't know what changes had occurred in the old man's heart, but he seemed to see a mountain with an increasingly imposing presence, rising higher with each step, soaring straight into the sky.

This seemed completely different from the Tuster who had entered the house.

One bides his time, the other shows his brilliance.

Seeing this, Rein's lips curled up slightly, and he muttered to himself, "It seems the old man is getting serious these days."

I almost forgot, today I'm also going to cause trouble for the Dean of the Royal Academy.

Just as Rein and his group left the cabin, a group of guys who had heard the news rushed over.

The person had not arrived, but the sound had already arrived.

"Damn bastards! What have you done to my mother?!"

The sharp rebuke sounded familiar to Rein. Upon closer inspection, he recognized the glamorous woman who had come on so aggressively as none other than Fia, the president of the "Sunflower Merchant Guild."

However, before she could rush over, she was stopped by the guards that Rein had brought.

Both sides drew their weapons, looking ready to fight.

Fia was stopped and angrily shouted at the guards of Black Dragon City, "You dare to lay a hand on me?! This is the Oma Imperial Capital, not your Black Dragon City! I guarantee that if you lay a finger on me, none of you will leave alive!"

Fia's husband is from the Lopez family, Empress's Faction of the Lopez Family, making them top-tier nobles in the capital. She didn't just say that offhand; she truly had the connections.

Even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. It's unwise for an outsider to provoke the Lopez Family in the capital.

Unfortunately, he encountered Rein instead.

"Oh, Madam Fia has quite a temper."

Rein gave her a cold smile and waved to the guards not to stop her.

Fia was someone she had met several times before, after all, her son and daughter had both died at her hands.

Enemies meeting are bound to be filled with hatred.

When Fia saw Rein, she was so angry that she trembled all over.

However, surprisingly, his cold glance caused Fia's arrogance to vanish instantly.

Even the guards she brought didn't make her feel safe at all.

She wouldn't be afraid of anyone else. But anyone in the capital who dared to lay a hand on her would definitely be in deep trouble.

But the man in front of me is a madman who dares to make a move!

She knew that look all too well. The first time was at the "Plague Base," where that look led to her daughter's murder right before her eyes; the second time was at the desert ruins, where she too would have met the same fate if her son hadn't intervened.

Having narrowly escaped death at this man's hands several times, she no longer had the courage to act recklessly.

Fia mustered her courage and said in a trembling voice, "What... what have you done to my mother?!"

"Nothing."

Rein didn't pay much attention to her, after all, they hadn't done anything to Madam Garcia.

The three of them did not stop for a moment, passing by Madam Fia.

And in just a few breaths.

In the distance, the clanging of armor against armor rang out as a large contingent of heavily armored knights approached Listen to Rain Lake. Judging by the insignia on their shields, they were clearly the troops of the Imperial City Security Department.

As soon as the heavily armored knights arrived, they immediately revealed their ill intentions, pointing their muskets at Rein and his guards.

Fia, now emboldened, shouted sharply, "Stop!"

Seeing this scene, a cold smile crept across Rein's lips. He turned to look at her, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "What, Madam Fia, are you going to keep us here?"

Although killing someone in the Oma Imperial Capital would cause trouble, it doesn't mean he wouldn't dare to kill.

He paused, making no attempt to hide his murderous intent, and said with narrowed eyes, "Also, I hate it when people point guns at me."

He could kill the entire security team in front of him, whose highest Third Tier of Transcendent.

If they really fight, this woman will be the first to die.

"You"

Fia turned pale under the gaze; at this distance, it felt as if someone was choking her, making it difficult to breathe.

But she didn't forget why she came.

If her mother is truly harmed, even if it means death, she will make those guys pay the price.

Besides, there's also the revenge for my daughter!

Just as she mustered the courage to order the City Guard to arrest the people, suddenly, a person walked out of the lakeside hut and whispered, "Fia, let them leave."

That person was none other than Alma Garcia.

To Rein's surprise, when Madam Garcia emerged from the house again, her demeanor was completely different from when he had just met her. She looked as if she had aged ten years, transforming from a radiant middle-aged beauty into someone with a dark complexion.

It was as if the rainbow had turned into black smoke.

"Mother!"

Fia exclaimed in surprise and ran over.

Looking at her own dejected appearance, she was filled with disbelief and was about to ask something.

Madam Garcia shook her head, interrupting him, and said, "No, I'm fine. Let them leave."

As she spoke, she glanced at the retreating figure who didn't turn back, her eyes filled with bitterness.

Tuster still did not turn back.

Rein only glanced at it.

The three ignored the security team and left "Listen to Rain Lake" with their guards.

Inside the tin shack.

Fia was very worried when she saw her mother's sudden aging.

However, she also knew the purpose of Rein and his group's visit.

That's a matter of life and death for the family.

She asked urgently, "Mother, that guy wants you to testify against the Dean? You mustn't agree, or our family will suffer a fatal blow."

Madam Garcia's gaze wandered, looking at the light and shadows outside the window as if she had lost focus.

Hearing her daughter's words, she calmly replied, "No. He just came to say goodbye."

As she spoke, a smile appeared on her lips.

She exhaled a breath of stale air, as if the knot in her heart that had been there for many years had been untied, and said with a sigh of relief, "I didn't have time to say goodbye to him back then, but today it's finally over."

This was the last time they would ever see each other in their lives, so it was a fitting end to their relationship.

Seeing that he was still alive, with that sharp light still in his eyes, Garcia suddenly recalled their youth.

He, himself, and life back then were truly beautiful.

If only none of those things happened.

Upon hearing this, Fia looked astonished. "They... aren't they here for what happened back then?"

"How could I possibly let it go after suffering such a great injustice?"

Madam Garcia shook her head, her gaze distant, and said, "He came to see me not to ask me to prove anything. His temperament is still the same as before; he will never trouble others with things he can do himself."

"That"

Fia was a little confused.

But she also noticed that her mother was in terrible condition, as if she had lost all her vitality, like the ashes of grass and wood that had gradually cooled down in the early morning.

She comforted her, saying, "Mother, you don't need to blame yourself. I think you did the right thing back then. If I were in your shoes, I would have sacrificed myself for the family too."

Madam Garcia shook her head and said, "Whatever happened back then, I was wrong. I've devoted most of my life to the family, there's nothing more to say. But I also loved him."

She paused, then added, "Fia, promise your mother that no matter what, you won't have any more conflicts with them, okay?"

Fia looked unwilling. "But... that guy next to him named Rein killed your own granddaughter!"

Hearing this, Madam Garcia's expression was complicated. She said, "You don't understand him. If he's going to come back, he must have something to be sure of."

She paused for a moment, tears welling in her eyes, before continuing, "This time, I'm afraid it's going to cause a huge uproar."

Rein and her group showed no intention of leaving the academy; instead, they went directly to the academy's teaching department.

The Security Department detail's intrusion into the Royal Academy of Sciences was quite a spectacle, attracting a large number of students to watch the excitement.

The invitation to exchange ideas sent by Rein spread throughout the entire academy at an astonishing speed.

"You've heard? There's this 'Black Dragon Academy' that wants to come and exchange ideas with our academy. They're quite arrogant, saying they want to exchange mechanical technology with Dean Breidan."

"Black Dragon Academy? Which territory's mechanical academy is this? Heh, do they really think just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can communicate with Dean Breidan?"

"Who are those guys? How dare they talk so big?"

"I'm not sure. I heard that the city lord of Black Dragon City personally sent the invitation. But the name on the invitation for the exchange is a guy named 'Tuster Furnster'."

"Tuster? Never heard of him. To be so arrogant, he must be at least a 'Mechanical Grandmaster,' right? But besides us in Omar, only Sid has a few Grandmasters. I've never heard of this Tuster."

Who knows?

"."

The young students had never heard of Tuster, but the older professors who had been at the academy for decades had some recollection of him.

The incident back then caused such a big stir that when they heard that name, they all vaguely guessed that things weren't so simple.

It's perfectly normal for exchanges between colleges to take place.

However, in the field of machinery, the Oma Royal Academy of Sciences holds a dominant position.

Generally speaking, it is always the mechanical academies of other territories that come to their Royal Academy of Sciences to "consult," rather than to have a real exchange.

After all, OMA represented the pinnacle of steam technology in the world at that time.

No other mechanical engineering college can communicate with it on an equal footing.

It is first-class.

Everything else is second-rate!

The Oma Royal Academy of Sciences is the birthplace of Steam Machinery and a mecca of mechanics, bringing together the most advanced mechanics, equipment, and technology of its time.

Even the three "Grand Mechanical Master" of the world are all at the Royal Academy of Sciences of Austria.

Even if the Royal Academy of Sciences of the Xid Empire came, at most they would send a Grandmaster to receive them as a courtesy, and no one would be qualified to truly "communicate" with Grandmaster.

But Black Dragon City's invitation was quite "arrogant," specifically requesting to communicate with Dean Breidan, practically declaring a "challenge."

Upon hearing this news, the students and faculty of the college put down what they were doing and rushed toward the "Academic Exchange Hall".

They weren't interested in watching any exchange; they wanted to see how those arrogant guys would "humiliate themselves"!

Thank you to the following individuals for their generous donations: 'Only Listen' (1500), 'Great Green Tree' (1500), 'I Love Sleep' (500), 'Erciyuan Yifeng Yeyu', 'Looking at People in the Fog', 'Sakura Dance Charm', and 'Release the Rampant'.