But Li Qi also knew very well that this obviously wasn't what Bolent was asking about.
Sure enough, after hearing what Li Qi said, Bolent shook his head at him.
He let out a soft sigh and said to Li Qi:
"I said I wanted you to work for me, but I didn't mean it in that sense. I want you to become my trusted aide—someone I can truly rely on."
Bolent made an open and direct attempt to recruit Li Qi.
He really wanted Li Qi to stand on his side.
Li Qi began thinking again.
After spending some time living at the Academy recently, Li Qi had vaguely come to understand that the Kingdom—even the military—was divided into different factions.
Wherever there were people, there would be conflicts. Wherever there was power, there would be factions.
Li Qi naturally understood this.
Without even mentioning distant matters, even the small unit Li Qi belonged to at the front had different factions within it.
The Academy Faction, the Commoner Faction, the Magic Faction...
Although those divisions were not obvious, and the groups did not actually fight one another, this form of mutual support did indeed exist.
If things were like this at the front, then how much more so in the relatively stable rear?
At present, the army in the Royal Capital was clearly divided into two different factions.
Li Qi had made some inquiries.
These two factions were the Reformist Faction, which advocated new policies, and the Traditional Faction, which leaned toward the nobility.
Judging from Bolent's appearance, he was clearly a member of the Reformist Faction.
Li Qi was on good terms with Wood, while Berry, the head of the Frontline Medical Department whom he knew, was also a noble. They were natural members of the Traditional Faction.
For that reason, Li Qi was actually closer to the Traditional Faction.
This might also have been one of the reasons Wood had advised Li Qi to stay away from the Intelligence Department.
The Intelligence Department had been established single-handedly by Bolent. It unquestionably belonged to the Reformist Faction, and since it controlled the most important intelligence organization, it might be targeted and suppressed by the Traditional Faction.
If Li Qi stayed here, his future prospects probably wouldn't be very good.
But outright refusing Bolent here would not be a good idea either.
At the very least, Bolent had currently extended an olive branch to Li Qi—something the Traditional Faction had yet to do.
In that brief moment, Li Qi thought about many things. Bolent saw his hesitation, but his expression remained calm:
"You have concerns."
"Yes..."
"You're worried that you'll be dragged into the military's factional disputes?"
Bolent directly pointed out the core of Li Qi's concern.
Li Qi hesitated briefly, then took a deep breath and nodded:
"Yes, sir. I... I really don't want to get involved in these factional struggles."
If Li Qi had been a little older, his current behavior would clearly have been unacceptable.
As a soldier, one could never lose one's courage and martial spirit, no matter the circumstances.
Even when facing one's own people.
But Li Qi's age was enough to make up for all the mistakes he had made.
After all, he was too young.
Only thirteen years old.
So Bolent treated him as any normal adult would treat a child.
He said to Li Qi in a friendly tone:
"If that's what you're worried about, then there's no problem. I can guarantee that, within these two years, the Reformist Faction will definitely resolve the Traditional Faction problem!"
Bolent sounded extremely confident when he said this.
It was as if he had already witnessed that future.
However...
Two years?
Li Qi mulled over that period.
Two years was exactly how long Li Qi would be studying at the Academy.
The normal course of study at the Rolex Military Academy lasted two years. After two years, Li Qi would be able to graduate with the rank of second lieutenant.
If Bolent's faction really could resolve the Traditional Faction problem by then, Li Qi apparently wouldn't have to worry about factional struggles affecting him.
But that was only an ideal situation.
First of all, Li Qi had no idea whether the Reformist Faction Bolent belonged to could really resolve the factional conflict within two years.
Secondly, the Academy was also affected by the factional struggles.
There was no guarantee that these effects wouldn't reach Li Qi.
So if that was all there was to it, Li Qi could still choose to refuse Bolent's recruitment.
But Bolent seemed to understand that what he had said wasn't enough to win Li Qi over, so he offered another condition:
"I know that even so, you may still be attacked by the Traditional Faction during these two years. So... I have one more condition that will definitely satisfy you."
"...?"
"You seem to be very interested in magic, Officer?"
Seeing the confusion on Li Qi's face, Bolent suddenly changed the subject.
Li Qi nodded and admitted:
"That's right. I really do enjoy studying magic and everything related to it."
This was no secret. Li Qi behaved the same way at school.
Bolent continued:
"So I can give you an opportunity to study magic in depth... You should have heard of the 'Magic Kingdom,' right?"
"I've heard of it, sir."
Li Qi nodded again.
The Magic Kingdom of Inglis was the country with the richest magical knowledge in the world.
It had also once been one of the most powerful countries in the world.
The Kingdom of Inglis possessed the world's strongest mages and its most profound magical knowledge.
Inglis Academy of Magic was one of the finest magic academies in the entire world. The magic academies of other countries had, in fact, all imitated it.
Before firearms had officially spread across the globe, the Kingdom of Inglis had been unquestionably the center of the world.
Even now, despite its decline, the Kingdom of Inglis still retained its former prestige. At the very least, it remained a country in the world's top tier.
"I can arrange an identity for you and send you to Inglis Academy of Magic to study for... three years."
Bolent smiled as he extended this olive branch.
There was no denying that Bolent's offer had struck directly at Li Qi's heart.
In truth, nothing in this world held much appeal for Li Qi.
Its economy was backward, its culture was backward, and its entertainment was backward.
Whether firearms or the various traditional games, they were all things Li Qi had already seen in his previous lives.
The only thing that could truly rouse his interest was magic.
Even if the magic of this world was not as powerful as he had imagined, Li Qi was still willing to lose himself in it.
Therefore, Bolent's proposal truly tempted Li Qi.
For a moment, Li Qi couldn't find the words to refuse.
Bolent did not ask Li Qi to give him an immediate answer either. After stating his conditions, he rose and said:
"You don't need to rush your reply. Before this month's assessment, you can come to me whenever you like. My office door will always be open to you."
After saying this, he did not give Li Qi a chance to speak and continued:
"All right, it's about time. There will be a second test later. If you don't want to stay here, just sign a confidentiality agreement in a while and return to your dormitory."
"Yes. Then, sir... I'll take my leave."
Seeing that Bolent had no intention of keeping him there, Li Qi also rose and left.
After signing the confidentiality agreement and walking out of the Academy of Technology, Li Qi was still thinking about what Bolent had said, as well as the Magic Amplification Orb Model 1 he had used earlier.
Li Qi would set aside what Bolent had said for now.
The struggle between the Reformist Faction and the Traditional Faction had little to do with Li Qi at present.
What truly surprised Li Qi was the Magic Amplification Orb developed by Dr. Riv.
That thing had genuinely amplified Li Qi's magic power. It had also successfully allowed magic power to be attached to bullets, increasing the firearms' power.
It was easy to imagine that if this thing could later be simplified and made into an ordinary orb that could be carried around, future wars would certainly be dominated by Mage Masters.
Dr. Riv had forcibly dragged the Mage Masters back from the brink of falling into the abyss. He really was a genius.
"Whether it's the Magic Orb or studying at the Magic Academy, I want both..."
Li Qi thought greedily.
He wanted to get his hands on a Magic Amplification Orb and study its exact internal structure.
At the same time, he also wanted to visit the Magic Academy and learn more of the knowledge there.
But whichever one he chose, it seemed impossible to avoid Major Bolent.
This gave Li Qi a terrible headache.
Amid this indecision, Li Qi returned to the entrance of the Military Academy dormitory.
However, before Li Qi could enter the dormitory, he saw a familiar figure standing at the entrance.
Could that be...
Berry, the head of the Frontline Medical Department?
Before you continue