Lazy Ant

The main gate of Plato Academy stood tall and imposing, composed of three marble archways—the largest in the center, flanked by two smaller ones.

Beyond the arches, the sides of the gate were formed by walls of trees, with no actual fence or any guards in sight.

On the pillars of the main gate, a line of text was carved.

"Let no one ignorant of geometry enter."

"It really does say that..." Suye thought to himself, figuring he could recall some basic geometry, like the Pythagorean theorem, and cheerfully strode forward. After a few steps, he suddenly wondered—how did you prove the Pythagorean theorem again?

Suye kept walking forward, but the cheerfulness had faded.

Bursting through the gate, his feet landed on smooth marble pavement, flanked by lush lawns on both sides.

Along the roadside stood countless marble statues.

Suye's eyes lit up, and he nearly let out a soft exclamation.

He hadn't expected to see such a rich collection of ancient Greek statues here.

The statues closest to the gate were extremely simple, barely human in shape, more like geometric figures pieced together, yet all bore male or female traits. This was Suye's earliest memory of ancient Greek statues, appearing around 3000 BC in his past life, named after the Cyclades Islands.

Though simple, these statues possessed an indescribable beauty.

Further ahead, the statues felt more familiar, steeped in strong Egyptian influence. But unlike Egypt's overly flat style, these had more three-dimensionality, more muscle texture, and a greater sense of life. Still, the details were rough.

Suye continued looking, his heart growing more delighted. Seeing so many statues arranged by era was a sight impossible even in the museums of his past life.

The further he ran, the more refined the statues became, the more perfect the proportions, the more exquisite the details. The final statues had reached an entirely new realm, each one brimming with joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, like living people frozen in time.

Suddenly, Suye turned back and quickly swept his gaze over the statues on both sides, thinking to himself: Rich guy.

Aside from the earliest works, almost all the statues here were made of Parian Marble, the most precious sculpting material in all of Greece. Needless to say, every single marble statue here was a master's creation.

Unfortunately, time was too short for Suye to appreciate them properly, and he soon left the statue area.

A fountain pool thirty meters in diameter lay directly ahead, filled with countless white statues—figures of people, legendary heroes, and magical beasts, as if constructing a stirring epic.

At the center of the statue group stood a statue of the Hydra, like a dark cloud dominating the entire pool's surface.

But Suye paid it no mind, rushing straight to the edge of the fountain pool, scooping up water to wash his face.

He hadn't washed since yesterday.

After washing his face and finding the water quite clean, Suye ran to a Hydra head spout, cupped his hands to catch water, rinsed his mouth, and then started running again.

"Taking the marble road would mean a long detour, so I have to cut straight through the lawns and woods. But today, my feet don't seem to get as easily poked—could my talent be kicking in?" Suye observed himself as he ran toward his class, then broke into a grin.

The old Suye had been very frail, but now he was not only taller but had developed noticeable muscles, no less than an ordinary Warrior Apprentice.

As Suye stepped onto the grass with his back to the pool, all the statues in the fountain slowly turned their heads, especially the Hydra, whose nine heads all fixed on Suye's retreating back.

A nearby teacher from Plato Academy saw this, rolled his eyes, and thought, Who's this bold? That's the famous Sea Demon Fountain, a legendary Magic Artifact personally forged by Plato, with three legendary demonic sea magic beasts sealed inside.

Everyone who's dared to cause trouble at Plato Academy over the years has ended up in those three sea beasts' bellies.

As Suye ran, he thought, That pool seems to have some significance, but I can't remember—whatever.

Plato Academy faced south, with the fountain pool directly north of the famous Plato Hall. Though far less ornate than a temple, its grandeur was no less impressive.

Suye angled toward the northeast corner of the academy, where the classrooms were.

Even without taking the main road, his peripheral vision caught the massive columns lining the outside of Plato Hall. Unlike ordinary pillars, each one was carved into a robust male figure in a different pose.

Seeing the Male Caryatids, Suye remembered—female caryatids were forbidden throughout Greece, reserved exclusively for temples. Moreover, every single Male Caryatid of Plato Hall was a Holy Domain puppet.

There were thirty-six Male Caryatids in total, flanking both sides of Plato Hall.

Above Plato Hall hung a magical clock, which, aside from lacking a second hand, had minute and hour hands and markings strikingly similar to those on Blue Star.

Suye thought to himself, You really can't underestimate the wisdom of mages.

Even as he ran, his mind was full of those near-perfect statues. Unlike the broken, worn ones from his past life, these were preserved flawlessly by magic, radiating a soul-shaking beauty.

Despite gaining the Demon Bull Body talent, Suye was panting heavily after running so long.

Plato Academy was enormous—reputedly the largest man-made garden in all of Greece.

After crossing patch after patch of grass and woods, as the building housing his class drew near, Suye suddenly spotted someone crouching under a big tree.

In the past, Suye wouldn't have been able to make it out, but his Demon Bull Body-enhanced vision let him see clearly: the person was using a twig to keep blocking an ant, as if trying to force it back to its anthill.

"Don't stop the lazy ant—it'll create a miracle!"

Suye figured he had nothing better to do, shouted it out, and kept running without looking back.

The young man crouching on the ground had tousled, jet-black hair. He slowly raised his head, his eyes seeming to churn with mist as he watched Suye.

"Lazy ant?"

He muttered, then tossed the twig aside and began staring at the ant.

Bursting through a grove of trees, Suye found himself facing a cluster of stone buildings, some connected, others scattered around.

He quickly located his class, his feet carrying the scent of soil and grass as he walked to the door.

Class Three, Second Year.

Sunlight spilled down, and the classmates—dressed in "bedsheets" of various colors and styles—looked over.

Faint laughter drifted out from the classroom.

Niedern, who was lecturing on the new school year's Matters, turned his head to look at Suye.

The moment he saw Niedern, a flood of memories surged into Suye's mind.

Niedern was a tall, red-haired Old Man, clad in a gray Greek robe, with no other adornment on his person—neat and clean. The Greeks already had relatively sculpted features, yet his face was even more sharply defined than theirs, his massive Hawk Nose especially striking.

But if one looked closely, they would notice a slight difference in his two eyes.

His left eye was a false eye.

Every student knew a saying that circulated in the academy: Teacher Niedern was so kind that even his false eye was filled with warmth.

However, Niedern rarely smiled. His reputation for kindness came from his tireless patience in answering every student's question.

He often quoted a famous saying of Socrates: "There are no foolish questions, nor foolish answers."

Niedern quietly watched Suye.

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Note: That saying was spoken by Socrates of the World of Gods.