Conflict

Knock, knock, knock!

A crisp knock on the door woke Green from his deep sleep on the bed.

Opening his eyes, sunlight streamed through the window and shone onto the lower half of Green's body.

"Lord Green, your breakfast is ready!" A voice came from outside the door as the sailor brought Green breakfast.

"Is it already dawn?" After breaking through, Green had been excited for a while before falling asleep.

"No need, take the breakfast back! Today I'll go to the dining hall to eat." Although the food sent by the sailor every day tasted pretty good, compared to the dining hall, the variety was still a bit lacking. Having just broken through, Green definitely wanted to go to the dining hall and thoroughly enjoy it.

"Yes, Lord Green!" The sailor outside the door didn't ask why either, answered, and left.

Green got up, truly washed up, and came out onto the deck.

Perhaps because he was too excited from the breakthrough, Green got up quite late, and a crowd of people was already gathered on the deck.

When Green appeared on the deck, everyone's gazes covertly turned toward him, and some people even started discussing him in low voices. Yet these conversations were impossible to conceal from Green, who possessed the strength of a Grand Knight.

"That's Green, the legendary genius with First-Class Aptitude!"

"First-Class Aptitude! Doesn't that mean becoming a Wizard is a sure thing?"

"Didn't you see his room is on the third layer of the deck? It's only lower than those two Wizard lords, and he even has delivery staff every day—it's completely different from our treatment!"

"Damn it, why do we have to live in the lower deck where that place is moldy, and I'm the son of a Grand Duke."

"Just a lucky bastard, once we reach the Academy I'll definitely surpass him."

"If only I had that kind of talent too, so I could gain the mentor's attention."

These Wizards who had passed the selection gathered in groups of three or five, discussing Green. Seeing that Green was all alone, their discussions grew increasingly uninhibited and their voices louder, as if they were afraid Green couldn't hear them—as though by using this method, they could belittle Green and display their own might.

Green paid no mind to these people; geniuses were always prone to jealousy from mediocrities, and arguing with these people would truly be the greatest mistake. These people had their own set of explanatory theories where debate was useless, and fists were what mattered.

However, Green had just broken through and was in a relatively good mood, so he had no intention of resorting to violence. He simply looked quietly at the azure sky and sea, admiring the occasional passing seabirds and soothing his mind with the beautiful environment.

After gazing into the distance for a while, Green left the deck directly and headed for the dining hall.

Once Green departed, the discussions about him grew even more intense.

In a small group of three, one person looked at the departing Green with a gloomy expression.

"Robert, if it weren't for that fellow, you would be the most dazzling star on the ship right now!" A rodent-faced, short-statured person egged on the gloomy-looking Robert beside him.

Hearing this, Robert's expression grew even more sullen.

Seeing this situation, another tall guy beside them flashed a trace of cunning in his eyes and continued to speak, "Yeah, yeah, that guy doesn't look like much! It's just that his aptitude is a bit better than yours, yet he acts so aloof and looks down on everyone. Until now, he hasn't greeted anyone—what does he think he is?"

"Exactly, Robert, as the most talented among us, you still socialize with everyone. Why should he be so special?"

The two of them chimed in, and under their round of instigation, Robert's jealousy transformed into anger. With a cold snort, Robert walked toward the dining hall.

Watching Robert stride toward the dining hall, the two instigators exchanged a smile.

"Robert is truly a total moron, going to trouble Green just from a casual bit of instigation by us." The rodent-faced fellow looked at Robert's back and smiled dismissively.

"Haha, Robert is just a petty noble with no breeding. As long as you flatter him a little, he puffs up, and arousing his jealousy is just too simple—it takes no effort at all. It's just right to use him as the vanguard to test out Green." The tall guy similarly wore a dismissive smile.

"Still, will messing around like this really not cause trouble?" Looking at the receding Robert, the short-statured person couldn't help feeling a trace of timidity as he spoke those words.

"Don't worry, the deed is done by Robert, it has nothing to do with us. Besides, as far as I know, the Wizard Apprentices of White House Academy split into various factions the moment they boarded the ship. Green has never socialized with anyone or joined any faction."

"Go notify Boss Ante. Later when Green is being troubled by Robert, make sure to time it right. Step in to lend a hand at Green's most difficult moment, put on a show of a 'hero saving the beauty', and pull Green into our faction. That muscle-head Robert is naturally gifted and is already a Peak Knight Apprentice—his brain isn't great, but his combat power is decent, making him just right to be our scapegoat."

The tall guy spoke with full confidence, as if his plan had completely succeeded and Green was already firmly in the palm of his hand.

Green arrived at the dining hall, directly ordered a large pile of food, handed over a handful of gold coins, and then found an empty round table inside to sit down.

A few people sat scattered in twos and threes throughout the dining hall, lowering their voices in discussion while casting glances at Green from time to time.

The chef worked quickly, and the dishes Green ordered were soon served. Naturally, Green immediately dug in.

"Bang."

While Green was eating his food, a palm slammed onto the table, the booming echo reverberating through the dining hall and drawing everyone's attention.

"It's Robert, that genius with Second-Class Aptitude. Is he trying to make trouble for Green?"

"Definitely. Robert is very petty and can't stand anyone surpassing him. Rumor has it that when boarding the ship, because an apprentice walked in front of him, he beat them up the next day."

"Is Green in trouble? Robert seems to be a Peak Knight Apprentice and is rumored to even be able to charge toward becoming a Formal Knight."

"I wonder how Green will handle this. We haven't heard any news about Green before, and he doesn't socialize with people either—everyone only knows he has First-Class Aptitude."

"Green, I've taken a fancy to your room. Leave within a day, clear out the room, and move my things over there."

Interrupting his meal, Green didn't make any overly drastic movements. He picked up the napkin, wiped his mouth, and stood up.

Green looked at the Robert before him, who sported long golden hair, a robust build, and a longsword decorated with gems hanging at his waist. Yet this longsword didn't seem to fit very well and was a bit too small; it looked like something someone had gifted him or snatched after boarding the ship.