It was already late, and the Sky Screen had clocked out. Prince Xue Xing and Xue Beng were helping the Akademiya Branch choose a site, poring over a map of Heaven Dou City.
After looking here and there, whether by design or not, they ended up choosing the land occupied by Blue Tyrant Academy.
Blue Tyrant Academy covered a sizable area, and there was a natural body of water behind it. It really did fit the requirements.
The only problem was that Liu Erlong probably wouldn't be willing to give up Blue Tyrant Academy.
Faced with the choice between offending the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and winning over the Akademiya, Prince Xue Xing chose the latter without hesitation.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had only one Titled Douluo, Yu Yuanzhen, while the Sky Screen had revealed that the Akademiya had five or six Titled Douluo.
Anyone with half a brain would know which to choose. Prince Xue Xing also believed that Emperor Xue Ye would agree with him.
So the very next day, Prince Xue Xing eagerly brought people to Blue Tyrant Academy. By then, its sign had already been changed to Shrek Academy.
"It's that Shrek again! Hmph, then I'll be even less inclined to show them any courtesy."
Facing the menacing Prince Xue Xing, Yu Xiaogang, Flender, and Liu Erlong were on high alert. They knew he had come with ill intentions.
While Prince Xue Xing was making his move, Nefer and Dori had also arrived in Heaven Dou City.
Nefer paid no attention to the looks of passersby. Dori, meanwhile, kept her eyes on the shops, studying what they sold as she considered what kind of business to start with.
She was already looking forward to the sound of Gold Soul Coins landing in her hand. She just wondered if they sounded as good as Mora.
Before long, they found somewhere to rest and sat down.
Nefer knew perfectly well that it wouldn't be long before someone came looking for them.
Just then, the Sky Screen clocked back in, and the people of Douluo Continent once again turned their eyes to it.
[Fourth Place: Alhaitham]
At the same time, an image of Alhaitham appeared on the Sky Screen.
He wore dark green clothes and a light green cape. With silver-white hair, emerald eyes, and well-built muscles, he was an exceptionally handsome man.
If Nefer's charm could drive men wild, then Alhaitham's could make women even more infatuated.
What stood out even more about Alhaitham was his air of absolute rationality. It was incredibly alluring.
"Just as I thought. The Scribe ranked ahead of me. It's hard to imagine that a civil servant like him could be so powerful."
"That Scribe is a real handful. I'd rather not catch his attention. He'd make a mess of my business."
Nefer glanced at Dori and smiled.
"If that Scribe found out you were running some shady business, he probably wouldn't get involved himself. He'd just call over the Discipline Officers."
"Ah! You're right. Those Discipline Officers are even harder to deal with, and that's not even mentioning the General Mahamatra.
"But that's all in the past now. These days, the sky's the limit and the sea's mine to swim. I, Lord Sangemah Bay, will take my business across all of Douluo Continent!"
Nefer ignored Dori. She knew what Dori was capable of. With the Akademiya supporting her, taking her business across all of Douluo Continent wouldn't be difficult.
Back at the Akademiya's main campus, Kaveh looked at the Sky Screen and teased Alhaitham. "You're in fourth place? I didn't expect you to rank so high. Does reading books make your muscles grow?"
"Wisdom is part of strength, and a strong body is the foundation of learning. Perhaps you should reflect on whether you exercise too little."
Alhaitham kept reading his book, showing little interest in the Sky Screen.
Kaveh knew he couldn't win an argument with the man, so he might as well keep a close eye on the Sky Screen and hope it exposed some of Alhaitham's secrets. Then he'd have something to hold over him.
In the Sanctuary of Surasthana, Nahida and Ouyang Kong, the Grand Sage, were both present.
"Alhaitham is in fourth place. Nahida, who do you think will be in the top three?"
"I think it's better to leave some room for anticipation. The Akasha's development has hit a bottleneck. Perhaps you were right: I lack faith from this world.
"I've made up my mind. I'll travel around Douluo Continent with you."
Ouyang Kong smiled and took Nahida's little hand.
"My Lesser Lord Kusanali, I am your Grand Sage—and your Knight of Flowers."
At those words, Nahida gave him a smile that could make anyone's heart flutter.
For someone who adored Nahida, Lesser Lord Kusanali's smile was the greatest reward of all.
Then Ouyang Kong took Nahida to find Kaveh.
"Lesser Lord Kusanali! Grand Sage!"
"There's no need for formalities. The Grand Sage and I are going out for a walk. Alhaitham, keep an eye on things at the Akademiya."
"Yes, I understand. I'll keep the Akademiya in order."
Ouyang Kong then turned to Kaveh. "Kaveh, have you finished the architectural designs for the Akademiya Branch?"
"They're finished, Grand Sage. You can rest assured."
Kaveh was quite confident in his architectural designs.
"Good. Then come with us to Heaven Dou City and oversee construction of the branch."
"Yes!"
Meanwhile, the Sky Screen continued updating.
[Affiliation: Akademiya]
[Age: 25]
[Martial Soul: Light of Foliar Incision]
[Soul Power Level: 96]
[Identity: Akademiya Scribe]
In Heaven Dou City, Tighnari was fairly familiar with Alhaitham, so he wasn't surprised by his fourth-place ranking.
He and Sethos had brought Collei to find Nefer. The people at the Seven Treasure Hotel had told them that Nefer was in Heaven Dou City.
She was probably here on the Grand Sage's orders. They might as well go see her and find out whether the Grand Sage had any new instructions.
Of course, someone had beaten them to it. Qian Renxue and Ning Fengzhi had found Nefer and Dori first.
But with Nefer, Dori, Ning Fengzhi, and Qian Renxue all sitting together, the atmosphere was strange.
No one started a conversation. Silence had become the prevailing mood.
It was mainly because the Sky Screen had made Nefer sound so intimidating that Qian Renxue and Ning Fengzhi were instinctively wary of her.
Nefer herself was the first to speak.
"There's no need to be so tense. I'm just an information broker. If you want information, pay me."
"You can also ask me for help, Lord Sangemah Bay! Everything I sell is excellent quality at a fair price. If you're a friend, I'll even give you twenty percent off!"
"Are you trying to steal my business? I heard you add twenty percent to the original price and then give people a twenty-percent discount."
"Slander! Pure slander! I, Lord Sangemah Bay, would never do such a thing!"
Nefer and Dori's bickering eased the tension considerably. Just then, Sethos, Tighnari, and Collei arrived too.
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