Lanchi Arrives Alone at Iketerite Academy

It was early morning in the Hutton Royal Capital, and Lanchi had woken up early to come to Iketerite Academy alone.

He walked past the station at the school gate and saw the golden light rising from the east, illuminating the entire campus, which made him feel a refreshing vitality.

Three days had passed since the Entrance Examination ended.

Today, Lanchi was about to begin his campus journey.

According to what Teacher Theresa had told him, he first needed to go to the Magic Engineering Institute to exchange for his Student Bracelet before he could move into the academy.

During this time, both Lanchi and Talia had been staying in a hotel not far from the academy. Talia stayed next door to him, and every day when Lanchi went out, Talia would follow him.

Lanchi had already told Talia that once he could move into the very safe Iketerite Academy, Talia would no longer need to protect him like this.

Her salary would remain the same.

He would only trouble her when he had questions to ask her.

So now, Talia had almost regained a new lease on life with her freedom.

She no longer had to be Lanchi's bodyguard every day.

She also had a fake identity from the Wilford family.

As long as she wasn't too ostentatious or registered with large associations, she would almost certainly not be exposed.

In just a few months, Talia had bid farewell to her impoverished wandering life and could even enjoy a leisurely life in the Royal Capital of Iketerite every day with a generous pension.

When Lanchi and Talia had breakfast together this morning, Talia seemed a little absent-minded.

It was as if she had retired.

However, seeing Talia's life improve, Lanchi also felt very relieved.

Supporting an elderly master artisan was his filial duty.

"Speaking of which... every time I think about her age, she seems to glance at me... Is it my imagination..."

Lanchi muttered to himself as he walked along the main road of the campus.

Although the talent magic of Lie Detection might evolve towards mind-reading if it were further upgraded.

But Talia should still be far from reaching the threshold of mind-reading talent magic.

Because in the setting Lanchi knew, Talia hadn't mastered any mind-reading abilities even in the main storyline two years later.

"So, there's nothing to worry about. Age isn't a big deal, she probably won't care much."

Lanchi smiled with relief and continued walking towards the Old Liberal Arts Building of the Magic Engineering Institute.

The plants on both sides were bathed in the morning mist and sunlight, emitting a fragrant scent. There were many flowers along the roadside whose names Lanchi couldn't recall, some vibrant, some elegant, some strangely shaped.

Accompanied by the singing of birds, the buzzing of bees, and the gurgling of water, he gradually walked from the end of the road into a soft grassy area covered in flowers. According to the signs, the buildings in this area were built within gardens.

After a few minutes of walking.

Lanchi finally found the Iketerite Revival-style building located on the edge of the Magic Engineering Institute. The ancient red brick exterior walls were inlaid with statues and reliefs, one of the campus's landmarks – the Magic Engineering Institute Old Liberal Arts Building.

This historic building was once a workshop where Magic Artisans exercised their whimsical ideas. It was renovated and repaired decades ago and began to be used to provide technical services from the Magic Engineering Institute to students from other departments who needed help.

Lanchi looked around, but there weren't many students in sight.

It seemed that the only people who would come here these days were basically the new first-year students.

It was still very early, and even the doors of the Old Liberal Arts Building hadn't opened yet.

"Oh dear, I came too early... I forgot that people here work from nine to five, not a minute early or a second late."

Lanchi said regretfully.

He remembered that the laid-back work habits of the Ikelite people were very different from his own.

Many shops closed at five o'clock, refusing to earn any more money just to get off work, let alone the school's service department.

So Lanchi could only stand on the lawn, bored, with his arms crossed, waiting for the staff of the Magic Engineering Institute to start work.

He might as well treat it as experiencing the leisure that modern people should have. Sometimes, wasting time wasn't necessarily a bad thing; it could even be a form of happiness.

"Actually, it's not bad to treat it as a field trip..."

Lanchi looked up and admired the ancient building in front of him, which was like a work of art. He felt as if the fragrance of the flowers in the garden, the scent of the grass, the smell of the soil, and the humid air were surrounding him, making him feel quite comfortable.

The top of the Old Liberal Arts Building was a towering spire, inlaid with a carved emblem of Iketerite Academy.

The bottom of the emblem was a silver shield shape, representing the steadfastness and belief of the Hutton Kingdom. In the center of the shield was a depiction of the Goddess of Fate, holding a laurel wreath, surrounded by a holy cross, with the Southern Cross Constellation in the background, symbolizing the geographical location of Iketerite Academy on the Southern Continent.

On the white banner at the top of the emblem were inscribed powerful and vigorous Ancient Magic Texts, meaning "We shall grow in the reverence of future generations."

Just by looking at it, Lanchi felt his heart swell with emotion, as if the last trace of sleepiness remaining from waking up early in the morning had been completely dispelled.

He was unconsciously drawn to it, unaware that the seconds had already ticked by several times.

"This kind of carving, I'm afraid it's a masterpiece of a generation of carving masters..."

Lanchi stood motionless on the grass, his eyes fixed on the emblem as he murmured.

"Indeed, it was created by Jela Zelt, a Magic Artisan who graduated from Iketerite Academy two hundred years ago. If you look carefully, you'll find many of his works throughout the academy."

A familiar voice sounded from not far behind him, interrupting Lanchi's thoughts.

Lanchi woke up as if from a dream, turned his head, and saw a young girl with light golden long hair standing gracefully in the garden.

Lanchi had an impression of her appearance. It was none other than Princess Vivian, whom he had met once in the Examination Hall and who didn't seem to have a good relationship with his teammate, Hughberlian.

Lanchi hadn't expected Princess Vivian to come so early either, but upon closer inspection, Lanchi noticed that with her arrival, the faculty and staff of the Magic Engineering Institute quickly arrived at the Old Liberal Arts Building to open for business.

As expected, human relationships and social etiquette existed everywhere.

"Princess Vivian, I'm sorry, I was so engrossed in looking that I didn't notice you had already arrived."

A slight smile appeared on Lanchi's face as he greeted the princess, who had also arrived here at some point to wait.

"..."

Vivian pondered slightly.

She hadn't actually intended to speak to Lanchi at first.

Because after their last encounter, she found that she was a bit unsure how to deal with Lanchi's personality.

He was a bit too much of a good-natured person, a little silly, but also very sharp-minded.

"What do you think is the difference between this carved school emblem and a manufactured product?"

Vivian didn't bother with pleasantries first. Instead, she looked up at the carved school emblem at the top of the Old Liberal Arts Building and asked Lanchi.

After two meetings, Vivian was quite certain that this commoner boy named Lanchi Wilford had none of the usual distance and awe towards nobles that most people did. He was more like a traveler who had come from a country with no noble culture.

But Vivian didn't mind.

Lanchi was indeed a talented individual with great potential in their country, and his background was very clean.

She just wanted to talk to Lanchi about this ancient masterpiece on the tower.

Lanchi always possessed a unique aura of a poet, painter, and artisan. This aura was natural and inimitable.

It was rare to meet a peer who might be able to discuss art with her.

Vivian decided to take advantage of this free time to gauge his depth.