A learning machine?

On his way home with the pen in hand, Lynch still couldn't help but want to scream.

Mr. Azik had truly given him a Beyonder item, but what exactly was this?

A learning machine?

In Mr. Azik's eyes, was he just some child who needed a bedtime story read to him at night?

Although Mr. Azik was old and had lived for far too long, perhaps he really did view him as some sort of child in need of care, but this was just too absurd, right?

He even suspected that Mr. Azik had seen through his thoughts and gifted him this item to mock his overestimation of his own abilities. However, the man's attitude toward him from start to finish had been genuinely kind, even insisting on seeing him home when he left, as if worried that something would happen to Lynch the moment he stepped outside.

But he had been stopped by Instructor Skuton.

Instructor Skuton always suspected that Mr. Azik's mind had been affected by excitement. After he let Lynch eavesdrop on the Tingen University instructors discussing the exam content, he signaled for him to leave immediately.

Instructor Skuton would mail the materials to Lynch; he was worried that Mr. Azik might do something rash due to his excessive excitement.

At the very least, Instructor Skuton found the tone Mr. Azik used when speaking to children to be incredibly uncomfortable, and he felt that Mr. Azik needed to calm down.

Lynch also felt that Mr. Azik needed to calm down, so he obediently left.

He was worried that if he stayed with Mr. Azik any longer, the man would gift him some other Beyonder item that would shatter his worldview. He had truly never heard of a Beyonder item meant to urge a child to study.

Even the side effect of this Beyonder item was laughable—spraying ink on people. Compared to a pile of Beyonder items that could cost a person their life, this was simply jaw-dropping.

Forget it, he would just treat it as having obtained a learning machine.

Lynch shook his head, rejecting the Stone of Myriad Phenomena's urge to drain the pen dry. Instead, he had the Stone of Myriad Phenomena absorb half the energy of the pen, and now the pen belonged to him immediately.

The functions remained the same, except only he could use it, and the punishment of spraying ink on people had vanished, making it much cuter.

Lynch was fairly satisfied; aside from the disappointment that it wasn't a combat weapon, he approved of everything else.

Because he was in a good mood, he felt the money in his pocket and decided to treat Klein's entire family to a small cake each.

If he had encountered something good in his past life, he would have definitely treated his close friends to a feast, but in this life, money was too important, so he still had to spend it sparingly.

Three cakes were enough to make his heart ache.

But seeing the pleasant surprise in the eyes of Klein and the others, Lynch was still quite happy.

"I said it before, that was when I didn't have money. Now that I have money, I certainly won't let you all suffer..."

Lynch lifted his chin and announced happily, but before he could finish, he saw Melissa's disapproving gaze.

"Your weekly salary is only two pounds. You have to spend one pound on food, you have to take a carriage every day, you have to pay rent, and now you have to buy these. When will you ever be able to afford a wife?

Lynch, I know you mean well, but this is too extravagant, and we don't even like eating them."

Melissa put on a show of not liking them.

Watching her brothers happily start eating, she frowned, but unable to dissuade them, she could only turn her head away, acting as if she didn't care for it at all.

However, her frequently twitching nose betrayed her.

"Alright, I won't buy them next time. Just do me the favor of tasting it this time; it'll definitely spoil by tomorrow."

Lynch said with amusement.

He didn't dare laugh out loud, knowing that if this young lady discovered he had seen through her pretense, she would surely be angry to the point of tears.

"I, I'm not hungry..."

Melissa glanced at the cake and quickly muttered under her breath.

Lynch knew she was just being shy. He thought for a moment and added, "I've already bought them, so do me the favor. Besides, have you forgotten? You helped me wash my clothes last time."

It wasn't the time his clothes were torn, but two days ago. He had forgotten to wash his clothes when he returned and left them in the washroom, intending to wash them later, but when he returned, he found that Melissa had already washed them all.

"I just did it while I was at it, it's nothing..."

Melissa lowered her head, feeling embarrassed.

Both brothers were earning money, and Lynch wasn't idle either; only she was still in school, not only unable to earn money but also spending it.

Although no one said anything to her, and no one looked down on her, Melissa still felt she wanted to do what she could for everyone.

"You might have done it while you were at it, but to me, it was a huge help. You know I'm very busy and a bit lazy, so I'm truly grateful to you. This is a token of my thanks!"

Lynch bowed solemnly to Melissa.

Melissa quickly stepped aside, hugging the small cake in embarrassment.

"Alright, I'll eat it, just don't do that. I only did something insignificant. Next time you have clothes, I'll wash them for you again!"

Melissa said hurriedly.

Lynch waved his hand.

"Don't be like that, Melissa. I've heard from Klein and Benson that you're in school and very talented. Once you graduate, you'll be earning money, so don't worry about these things, and you don't have to bear this burden.

I don't think Klein and Benson want you doing this every day after school either. I've been thinking, and I plan to hire a part-time maid. She can cook for us every day and wash our clothes on the side. As for the money, we can just split it."

Lynch had wanted to hire someone for a long time, but he hadn't had the money. Now that he had money and was about to become a formal member, he naturally didn't need to worry about this expense anymore.

So he had mentioned it to Klein on the road that afternoon, and Klein had said it was no problem and that he was willing to contribute.

"But..."

Melissa looked at Lynch, feeling restless.

"You're definitely getting the short end of the stick."

There were three of them, while Lynch was just one person; splitting the costs this way made her feel truly embarrassed.

"Oh, here is how I see it: once we have a housekeeper, Klein won't have to cook every day. He can just teach his cooking skills to the housekeeper.

I won't need to give him my share of the food money anymore; I can just put that portion toward hiring the housekeeper. As for the extra amount, let's just consider it the cost of the extra food I eat, since I have a big appetite."

Melissa frowned.

She knew very well that even with this arrangement, Lynch was still losing out.

No matter how much Lynch ate, it wouldn't add up to as much as the three siblings combined; this was too unfair to him.

"But..."

"No more 'buts.' I've always been on my own, and you all have given me the warmth of a family. Regardless of anything else, I feel that we should split it equally. This is my fair share."

"Even with that warmth, it shouldn't be calculated like this!"

Melissa pursed her lips, clearly disapproving.

Because of Lynch's unfair distribution method, Melissa had even forgotten that the thing she was supposed to be opposing was hiring a housekeeper in the first place.

After arguing her case with Lynch and finally getting him to agree to pay only one-third, Melissa suddenly realized what had happened.

Unfortunately, by the time she tried to say they shouldn't hire a housekeeper, not only did Lynch not support her, but Klein and Benson didn't either.

They absolutely loved Lynch's proposal.

No one wanted to come home after a long day of work and still have to do the laundry; it was just too exhausting.

They hadn't wanted to do it before, and now that they had a little bit of money, they should at least be able to enjoy some comfort, right?