First Meeting with General Deli

Time passed,

In the blink of an eye, a month had gone by. Even with the aid of teleportation arrays,

the travel time added up,

and it still took a full month just to barely approach the Imperial Capital.

High in the sky, ten thousand miles from the Imperial Capital,

a massive airship cut across the heavens.

Inside the airship's cockpit, Wayne stared boredly at Rose Marquis across from him.

"Big Sister,

I never expected the heart of the empire to be so far from the Rose Territory."

Rose Marquis let out a soft laugh.

"That's why, after you enter the academy, you must become a wizard as soon as possible.

Otherwise,

we'll only be able to contact each other when I come to deliver new students every year."

Hearing that,

Wayne nodded slightly.

"Rest assured, Big Sister. Once I enter the academy, I'll become a wizard as quickly as possible."

Rose Marquis smiled faintly at his words.

After a month of interaction,

she had gained a sufficient understanding of the little fellow before her. To her, he was undoubtedly a perfect investment.

As for flaws?

Heh heh,

there was no doubt about it.

A fellow with a Huaxia soul hidden within his body would repay a drop of kindness with a gushing spring.

Although Rose Marquis did not know that ancient proverb,

still,

through Wayne's words and actions, she had undoubtedly seen

the meaning behind it.

Most Huaxia people repaid kindness,

valued affection and loyalty,

yet they were not lacking in wisdom either. Deep in their bones lay the wisdom of, if others did not offend them, they would not offend others.

Time came to noon.

Above the Imperial Capital's eastern gate, countless airships were moored there.

The Rose Airship also slowly came to a stop.

Wayne stood beside Rose Marquis and looked down at the Imperial Capital, whose territory stretched beyond the eye could see.

"Impressive, isn't it?"

Hearing Rose Marquis's words, Wayne nodded slightly. Rose Marquis continued her introduction.

"The Imperial Capital covers one hundred million square kilometers. It is divided into four gates—east, south, west, and north—and is Atlantis's

largest city by area.

It is incomparably prosperous, but I won't say too much about it. Save some surprises for later. You'll be staying here for many years,

so explore it slowly."

As soon as she finished speaking,

a voice rang out.

"Haha, Rose Marquis, how were this year's harvests?"

Hearing this,

Wayne looked up.

He saw a red dragon speeding toward them, with a young man in armor standing atop its head.

A moment later,

the dragon stopped beside the airship.

Rose Marquis faced him calmly. "This year's harvest was not bad.

There were more than two hundred more than in previous years.

But General Deli, why aren't you staying with the Royal First Knights? How do you have time to appear at the eastern gate?"

Rose Marquis was cold toward him,

but Deli did not get angry. After all, he was asking a favor, and Rose Marquis was not targeting him.

She was simply like that with everyone.

"Rose Marquis, I have a request."

Rose Marquis raised her brow slightly and gave Deli a surprised look.

Then she opened the airship's protective barrier.

Deli flew in smoothly and landed on Wayne's other side.

"This is the genius, Wayne, right?"

The moment those words came out,

Wayne frowned slightly, though it vanished in an instant. An arm could not twist a thigh; there was nothing he could do right now,

so he might as well stay quiet.

"General Deli, it seems your true purpose

is little Wayne?"

Only then did Deli withdraw his gaze, which had been observing Wayne all along. After nodding in satisfaction, he looked at Rose Marquis and nodded slightly.

"That's right.

But judging from your attitude, Marquis, you value this little genius greatly."

He paused as he spoke.

"Then I won't beat around the bush. I came here this time

because I want my child

to become this little genius's sworn knight."

The moment those words came out,

Rose Marquis unusually lost her composure. "General Deli,

are you joking?"

"Of course not. This general would not humiliate himself

just for a joke."

As his words fell,

the atmosphere remained silent for a long while before Rose Marquis finally spoke.

"With your status,

even if your child wanted to swear loyalty to a prince, it would not be impossible. Why little Wayne?"

Deli was silent for a long time,

as if organizing his thoughts. Finally, he forced out a sentence.

"My child

has only low-grade talent. Even if, with my status, they joined a prince's retinue, they would merely be insignificant.

They would not grant one of their limited positions

to my child."

After he finished speaking,

Rose Marquis immediately sorted out her thoughts.

"So,

you set your sights on a commoner genius?"

Deli nodded, then shook his head. "That was true before.

Now I've already confirmed it—it is the little fellow before us.

After all,

if the famed Rose Marquis has taken a liking to him, this little fellow must have something extraordinary about him."

Rose Marquis said nothing.

Instead, she turned to Wayne.

"Little Wayne, what do you think about this?"

Wayne did not speak.

Instead, he turned and asked, "General Deli,

can you tell me

how you learned about me?"

Hearing that,

Deli burst into hearty laughter.

"Hahaha, now I'm even more certain that having my child follow you is an excellent choice."

He paused as he spoke.

"You needn't be so wary. The reason this general knows

is because,

the moment you awakened your talents in the Awakening Hall, the Awakening Hall in the center of the Imperial Capital already had a record.

Your name and talent

had long been announced on the academy admission list."

Hearing that,

Wayne let go of his worries. Such matters could be checked easily, and besides, this man's

child was about to join his side.

If he did not want to be blamed, he would not speak lies.

As for whether he would accept them?

Heh, don't be foolish. That had long since become a foregone conclusion. As the saying went,

"Creation is difficult; destruction is easy."

What was more,

as long as it did not harm his own interests, making connections with certain people would bring him nothing but benefits.

And,

ever since Wayne had tested his talent and become friendly with Rose Marquis,

Wayne had already prepared himself.

After all, there was the most scheming and intrigue among important figures.

As for regret?

Wayne had none. For the supreme magic crystals of Infinite Slots,

let alone now, when there was no trouble,

even if there had been trouble, Wayne would still have chosen to befriend them, because that was his easiest opportunity to come into contact with supreme magic crystals.

Breaking free from his thoughts,

Wayne looked at General Deli, who stood two meters tall,

and slowly spoke.

"What can you bring me?"

Hearing that,

Deli gave Wayne a surprised look, while Rose Marquis's lips curved upward.

Her gaze seemed to be admiring the scenery,

but her ears had been focused on Wayne all along.

Rose Marquis was greatly satisfied

with Wayne's performance. His courage and calm mind

both pleased her.

However, General Deli was someone who had weathered many storms. Relying on his years of experience,

he quickly calmed down.

After considering it briefly, he said, "How about a sprite

that could be born in as little as three months,

or as long as one year?"

His tone was calm,

but the weight behind those words was anything but light. Even Rose Marquis glanced sideways,

because,

up to now, the Rose Territory had only three sprites in total.

As for Wayne,

heh heh, he was nearly knocked senseless. After a month spent questioning Rose Marquis, living the exploratory life of a child with ten thousand whys,

Wayne was no novice.

Wayne had long understood the basics. What did a fairy represent?

Tsk, tsk.

Resources.

With a fairy by one's side, there was practically no need to say anything; followers would come flooding in like a tide.

There was a saying from his previous life—how did it go again?

"You don't need to speak; Mercedes will speak for you."

Fairies were that kind of existence.

The same was true in this other world.