Bright Capital Soul Engineer Academy at 4:30 AM

"However, why on earth are you bringing up the Princess? You still haven't told me what you've actually come here for!"

"Uh..."

Now it was finally Xu Yan's turn to feel awkward. The words he had carefully prepared were swallowed back down his throat. He paused for a moment and changed his tune: "His Majesty sent me to the Bright Capital Soul Engineer Academy to inspect the environment for Her Highness the Princess."

"Ha? You have to inspect it at the crack of dawn? Can't you come during the day, you bastard? I see you, you bird-brained fellow, you're clearly just here to mess with this humble one!"

Li Huaimin was just about to lose his temper, but as his rage-clouded mind raced, a bold idea suddenly surfaced, bringing a flicker of clarity to his thoughts.

Something is wrong, very wrong!

If this were truly an inspection of the academy's environment, would it really require an eighth-rank Soul Engineer like Xu Yan to sneak in at dawn?!

As a Marquis, if Xu Yan really wanted to inspect the place, he could just send a subordinate to take a look, or simply walk through the front gate during the day!

This old fox is definitely not telling this humble one the truth. Let's see if I can play along and trick him into revealing his true intentions!

With that thought, the anger on Li Huaimin's face vanished without a trace, replaced by a smile that could only be described as... fawning. He reached out, hooked his arm around Xu Yan's shoulder, and chuckled:

"But then again, guests from afar are always welcome. Come, I'll take you to see the Bright Capital Soul Engineer Academy at four in the morning."

Xu Yan: "Eh?" How did he go from having a face like a funeral to acting like I'm his own father? First arrogant, then obsequious—it's laughable to think about. Something is wrong, very wrong indeed.

And so, led by Li Huaimin, Xu Yan walked along the various remote, narrow paths of the Bright Capital Soul Engineer Academy. As far as the eye could see, while it wasn't exactly a scene of total devastation and wreckage, it certainly didn't look like a top-tier institution.

Is this kid guessing my purpose and deliberately acting poor to fool me? Or does he really believe what I said and wants to use this opportunity to make me report that the environment here is trash, so the Princess will switch schools?

How could I ever allow that!

No, the academy is so huge; I don't believe every corner is this unsightly and cramped. I must tour the entire place and see how this old fox tries to play the pauper with me.

Thus, these two fifty-or-sixty-year-old men, each harboring their own secret agendas, walked shoulder-to-shoulder like best friends through the Bright Capital Soul Engineer Academy, drawing confused and bewildered stares from the countless students who had risen at 4:30 to study hard.

"This is a building that hasn't been maintained for five years. Strange bricks and rubble fall off from time to time. Be careful when walking past here, and remember to activate your Soul Tool barrier to avoid being crushed to death."

"This is a sewer that clogs whenever it rains. Every time it pours, the whole campus turns into a wetland park, so our students can only travel using flying Soul Tools on rainy days."

"This is our cafeteria. The chef used to raise pigs on the outskirts of the city. His specialties are grape-stewed cherry tomatoes, stir-fried carrots with white radishes, stir-fried bullfrog with frog, orange-fried apples... Ugh~"

Speaking of this, Li Huaimin nearly vomited. While some of what he said earlier might have been exaggerated, when it came to the cafeteria, heaven is his witness—every word was true!

Just then, the cafeteria opened for business, and the early-rising students shuffled in like zombies, two or three at a time.

Unfortunately, it wasn't fully light yet, so Xu Yan couldn't see the hopeless expressions on the students' faces, leading him to naively think:

"Oh ho, the old guy is acting quite well. If it were really that bad, why would so many students come to eat so early?"

"Let's go, next we'll head to..." Li Huaimin had intended to drag Xu Yan to the teaching building for a tour, then exercise his spirit as the academy's Vice Dean and take Xu Yan out for a proper meal.

But who would have thought that Xu Yan would point at the cafeteria ahead and say heartily: "Come to think of it, I'm a bit hungry after walking for so long. Why don't we make do with a meal here before continuing our tour!"

No, brother! Can't you smell the strange odor in the air?

How could you possibly want to eat here? Is your palate really that twisted?

Well, not only do I not understand it, I don't want to respect it either.

Heh, the old guy's expression changed. I knew it, you don't want me eating in your cafeteria.

Seeing Li Huaimin's troubled look, Xu Yan became even more convinced that the old man was just messing with him. He grabbed Li Huaimin with one hand and pushed open the cafeteria door with the other, walking in with great confidence.

Oh no, my life is over. This guy is clearly trying to get revenge for the kick I gave him in the face thirty years ago, dragging me here to die together!

After being dragged into the cafeteria by Xu Yan and surrounded by the gazes of countless students filled with misery, Li Huaimin's heart finally gave a snap and died.

Xu Yan, however, remained oblivious, patting Huaimin on the shoulder and saying softly: "I'm new here, help me order some of the best dishes!"

"Then you sit down first!" Li Huaimin nodded, walking toward the student service window with heavy, dragging steps. Under the chef's puzzled gaze, he squeezed out through gritted teeth: "Whatever the students are eating, give me that. Two portions, make them big and filling! Load them up!"

"Got it!"

The chef, who didn't understand why the Vice Dean never ate at the staff window, hesitated for a moment, but he respected everyone's tastes and served Li Huaimin two overflowing portions of breakfast.

"Eat! Don't be polite." Li Huaimin pushed the largest portion toward Xu Yan with a stiff, fake smile, then picked up his own cup to savor the only thing he could digest: the milk.

Crunch— Xu Yan grabbed a bun and took a bite.

In an instant, sparks flew.

Xu Yan felt his teeth ache terribly. He put down the white solid that looked like a bun but had the hardness of metal, and said in a deep voice: "Is this thing a rock?"

It's not that fragile, Li Huaimin thought to himself, but on the surface, he pushed a bowl of mushy substance over and said, "You can soak it to eat it."

"?" Xu Yan skeptically dropped the white solid into the mush. Then, a shocking scene unfolded.

The moment the white solid touched the unknown mush, a strange chemical reaction occurred. It was like strong acid hitting the ground, scaring Xu Yan so much that cold sweat poured down his back and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Only then did Xu Yan notice that the surrounding students were using tools meant for crafting Soul Tools as cutlery, engaged in a fierce, life-or-death struggle with various items that might or might not be food.