Lanchi Received an Invitation

The red-brick buildings stood tall and solemn, blending the ancient engineering and wisdom of the Magic Engineering Institute.

The two of them walked along the School Road.

A clear stream meandered beside the road, reflecting the lush green branches and leaves. The place was especially tranquil in the early morning. Farther away, the Flower Field across the bank was part of the Botanical Garden under the Alchemy Institute, as well as a teaching and research base for Bioengineering.

After passing through this tree-shaded path, they would reach the Schoolhouse Area of the Sage Institute.

"If you want to challenge a Shadow World as soon as possible, you'll have to give some thought to joining a team. You could investigate and learn more about them. Choosing a suitable team would bring you plenty of benefits and assistance."

Vivian thought it over. In the end, she decided not to scold Lanchi but to properly guide him instead.

Since Lanchi had humbly asked her about the difficulty of a Third-Tier Shadow World, he clearly wasn't some reckless fool.

He was merely a little confident in a way that matched his talent.

That was normal for young people.

Besides, even if she spoke harshly to Lanchi, he would surely still wear that gentle expression.

The people Vivian least wanted to hurt were the good-natured ones. Scolding someone like that would only make her feel guilty.

"..."

Vivian's words left Lanchi briefly silent.

After passing the exam last time, Lanchi had talked with Hughberlian on the steps of the Learning and Education Building. He had also investigated and learned a little about challenging the academy's Shadow Worlds.

There really were several of the strongest teams in the academy, recognized and passed down among the students.

Some of them had been established in recent years.

Others had been founded many years ago. Their leaders had changed several times, yet they still used the team names passed down through the generations.

These teams were called the strongest not only because they had veteran Gold Tier leaders, but also because some of the more historic teams had Platinum Tier "Fourth Year Students" or "Part-time System" members holding the fort.

Although most of the top Platinum Tier powerhouses were merely nominal members, they would not interfere with the team leaders' decisions and would hardly ever actually team up with other students.

Even so, their occasional guidance was an invaluable form of help to newcomers!

What was more.

Every Platinum Tier powerhouse had a genuine top-tier "Association Registered Permanent Team."

If someone was fortunate enough to catch their eye, they might be recommended, once their strength was sufficient, to join a team standing at the pinnacle of the Southern Continent!

That would be a shortcut to advancing to Platinum Tier.

But none of that was something Lanchi needed to consider in the short term.

He still had a long way to go before reaching Bronze Tier, let alone Silver Tier.

Today, Lanchi had already received notice from the Southern Continent Shadow World Management Association. The school had submitted all the materials required for his "Registered Exam Exemption." He only needed to complete the final steps at the association to become an Iron Tier Registered Challenger.

"Sigh, I don't know what kind of team suits me either."

Lanchi finally answered.

He had almost no connections in the royal capital. Most of what he knew now had been kindly told to him by Hughberlian and Vivian.

"It's fine. After the semester begins, you'll have plenty of channels to learn more. Some teams might even take the initiative to approach you."

Vivian spoke without revealing anything.

To say that Vivian wasn't at all envious of Lanchi's first-place ranking would have been a lie.

At first, she had actually thought she was a strong contender for the Sage Institute's top spot.

She had never expected the final combined score to leave her so far behind the gentle, refined young man before her.

Over the years, freshmen who achieved excellent results in the Entrance Examination had always been potential recruits coveted by many teams.

With that, she added, "Although your strength remains a mystery to all the upperclassmen, just your first-place Entrance Examination score in the Sage Institute will be enough to make people want to recruit you."

Lanchi's performance in the Third Round Exam had been personally sealed by Loren, the Dean of the Sage Institute. Even Vivian couldn't uncover the slightest hint about it.

As a result, there were currently many doubts about Lanchi—

For example, some people claimed that Lanchi and Hughberlian had merely happened to encounter Examiner Ferrat suffering a sudden cerebrovascular attack, allowing them to pass the Third Round Exam by luck.

The Sage Institute officials had not explained the matter. Even the influential figures behind Examiner Ferrat's faction, despite possibly knowing something, had not said a word about the exam.

"Is that so?"

Lanchi hadn't expected that he might actually be actively recruited once the semester began.

However, choosing a team, as well as turning down other people's earnest invitations, would both be painful matters.

Lanchi didn't know which team suited him best, or whether there was an even better choice.

He would have to spend time learning more.

"You don't like feeling this popular?"

Vivian looked at Lanchi's slightly absent expression and asked curiously.

She was puzzled that Lanchi showed so little joy and instead seemed somewhat troubled.

"Being valued and expected by people you don't know—wouldn't that only make you feel more pressured?"

Lanchi smiled humbly and turned his head toward Vivian.

Although Vivian had slightly misunderstood his thoughts, Lanchi easily saw what was on her mind.

"...That's true."

After a brief silence, Vivian nodded.

"Being a princess and carrying everyone's expectations must be exhausting, right?"

Lanchi's expression was relaxed, and his voice was gentle.

"Ah... It is exhausting."

Vivian sighed.

Although, as a member of the royal family bearing considerable responsibility, she shouldn't have agreed with Lanchi's self-centered, laissez-faire outlook, she truly felt the same way deep down.

I just want to lie down on the grass and sleep for a while. I don't want to keep struggling every day to be a dignified and noble princess.

Wait.

Vivian quickly came to her senses.

She had been the one asking Lanchi questions, so how had she somehow ended up discussing life with him?

And the longer they talked, the more she wanted to follow her inner desires and slack off.

He was clearly just speaking naturally, yet his words were like a demon's whisper, unconsciously stirring up the laziness she had kept suppressed in her heart.

Vivian hurriedly shook her head, stopping herself from continuing this unrelated topic with Lanchi.

"Lanchi, if you don't have any particular preference, you could also consider the team I'm in. I can recommend you. It has many students from the Sage Institute and the Magic Engineering Institute, so it would be convenient if you had any Card Maker commissions. There's also a Platinum Tier member who's the strongest mechanic among the Fourth Year Students of the Magic Engineering Institute."

Vivian had already reserved a place on a team. Having grown up in the royal capital and occupying a position of power, she naturally knew many people.

She also believed that this team was highly attractive and wasn't recommending it to Lanchi at random.

As one of the strongest teams in the academy, its greatest advantage over other teams was its exceptionally well-developed logistical support.

For example, if someone wanted to go to the Card Maker Association to find an excellent Card Maker and commission card production, they often had to endure all sorts of troublesome experiences: stepping on landmines, being charged exorbitant prices, waiting too long in line, or being rejected outright.

Within the team, however, things were usually easy to discuss, and it was also easier to make friends with Card Makers.

"Are there combat professions in the Magic Engineering Institute?"

Lanchi asked in surprise.

His attention clearly wasn't on the team itself.

Vivian felt somewhat frustrated. She had clearly made it sound very appealing.

Lanchi probably had no idea how valuable it was to make friends with promising Card Makers from the Magic Engineering Institute!

Sure enough, this boy from the borderlands had far too limited an understanding of the Shadow World.

Vivian helplessly sighed, but still explained to Lanchi, "People from the Magic Engineering Institute who enter Shadow Worlds aren't necessarily Battlefield Card Makers. When truly formidable Magic Artisans get into a fight, they're no weaker than the students of the Magic Knight Second Institute."

"And don't underestimate the Alchemy Institute, either. Provoking certain troublesome people there can also lead to serious consequences."

Vivian seemed to recall something unpleasant and added another sentence.

"Hm?"

Lanchi made a puzzled sound.

He knew that the Alchemy Institute had more scholars, physicians, pharmacists, and alchemists, making it more research-oriented. But judging from Vivian's words, there must also be a very small number who excelled at combat.

But what exactly qualified as a truly troublesome person?

Vivian shook her head painfully, speaking as if she had suffered deeply from it.

"I don't know who started it, but the Intelligence Studies Major at the Alchemy Institute has gradually developed in the direction of unscrupulous journalism in recent years. The Hutton Times was actually first published by the Alchemy Institute. It keeps growing and becoming more powerful. If you offend them, you might be viciously smeared."

As a princess who attracted considerable attention, Vivian was terrified that one day she might be caught behaving improperly.

"Gasp—"

Lanchi drew in a sharp breath.

He suddenly felt that, compared with joining a team, he wanted to join a newspaper office more.

In a law-based society, wasn't manipulating public opinion far more powerful than fighting and killing?!