No more acting cute!

The Nasengge Continent!

So this continent was called "Nathang." How exotic.

Even more exotic, though, was the Professional system!

Andrew's Leg, Lin Ke had never seen this sort of transmigration in his previous life!

There was magic, and there was battle aura, but both had become obsolete.

They were like cold weapons superseded by firearms, or perhaps even worse off.

After all, even in the age of firearms, cold weapons still had their uses in certain situations.

On Nathang, however, Professionals had completely replaced the systems of magic and battle aura. People now entered the [Scholar] profession directly rather than becoming a [Mage].

Even the gods on high had been overthrown.

Lin Ke could not help marveling, and yearning stirred within him as well. "Then how can I awaken my bloodline?"

Steward Billy smiled, then took the considerable liberty of patting Lin Ke's little head. "When you turn six, young master, the family will hire someone with the [Enlightenment Teacher] profession to awaken your bloodline."

A professional [Enlightenment Teacher], like a professional lawyer or accountant?

So that was a profession too? Interesting!

Lin Ke could hardly wait.

His birthday was only a month away!

"Then what can I do this month? Can I do some of the training that mages and warriors used to do?"

Lin Ke asked another question.

Some things were better started early. In his previous life, there had been early childhood education and even prenatal education, not to mention countless summer and winter preparatory classes.

Whatever the eventual results, at least most of those who had been forced to study would look back and feel grateful for the effort they had put in.

Children naturally loved to play, but at certain ages, indulging that desire could mean missing opportunities and wasting time.

A balance of work and rest was the right approach.

Lin Ke did not want to bury himself in books and become this world's "study machine" or "exam ace," but neither did he want to become a useless product of happiness-first education.

He could exercise self-discipline, then use training within a balanced routine to pull far ahead of peers who could not discipline themselves.

"Training? No, no, no, there's no need for that." Steward Billy shook his head gently. "Once you turn six, young master, you can start learning about Professionals! I'll leave the specifics to that teacher. My knowledge is too limited, and getting the facts right is very important."

Lin Ke understood. No wonder nobody had told him about those things.

Once you had learned that "green should be green, and yellow should be yellow,"

it would be difficult to change that to "green is actually yellow, and yellow is actually green."

First impressions stuck!

That was why instruction from a good teacher mattered so much.

Especially while he was still a blank slate, who made that first mark was crucial.

As they chatted, the servants began bringing out the food.

Although Azan Castle stood in a remote part of the kingdom, certain local resources were abundant.

For instance, an animal called "Gula Cattle" thrived within their Azan Territory.

These cattle resembled Western fighting bulls with forward-pointing horns, but the cows also produced plenty of delicious fresh milk, making them one of Azan's specialties.

Tonight's dinner, for example, was wild boar stewed in Gula Cattle milk.

It contained basil and herbs abundant in the Great Swamp to the south, along with a special snow-white crystalline salt transported from a distant northern country, and was served in exquisite silverware.

Two maids with rough skin and builds as burly as water buffalo each gripped one end of the rectangular silver pot, carried the wild boar to the table, and set it down.

The rectangular silver pot had a lid, but even that could not contain its aroma.

After serving it, the two maids greeted Lin Ke and Steward Billy, then hurried away, swallowing involuntarily as they went.

It smelled far too good!

Even Steward Billy's throat bobbed despite himself.

Only Lin Ke remained expressionless.

The thing he had the most trouble getting used to here was actually the food.

If it was not roasted meat, it was stewed meat; if it was not basil, it was herbs.

And then there was what he used to have: mapo tofu, Sichuan poached pork slices, crispy sweet-and-sour pork, roast duck and braised chicken, West Lake fish in vinegar sauce, beggar's chicken, soup dumplings, century egg and lean pork congee, Cantonese dim sum, crossing-the-bridge rice noodles...

There had even been some top-tier ingredients, such as mushrooms that let you see tiny people after eating them, strong and sturdy fitness enthusiasts, endless northwestern wind, and the dirt of poverty.

And here they were, drooling over a pot of stewed pork.

In the foodie nation of his previous life, cooking was called the art of living. Elsewhere, it was called the technology of heating ingredients.

Once he was a little older, Lin Ke intended to cook these barbarians a proper meal. At least he could stir-fry a few home-style dishes.

As he thought about it, sounds came from the corridor. The first wife and his mother must have arrived.

Including Lin Ke himself, they were currently the only three people in the castle allowed to eat in the dining room.

"...That book really was good. The knight commander was just as silly as he is, heeheehee..."

"...Hahaha, you described him perfectly, little sister. He really is silly..."

Their voices arrived before they did.

His mother had always gotten along very well with the first wife, and that had long been one of Lin Ke's headaches.

He feared that the first wife might someday use his mother to threaten him, but his mother firmly believed that Lin Ke was judging her unfairly.

At that thought, Lin Ke felt rather helpless.

"Little Lin Ke! Come here! Did you say something out of line to your elder mother today?" Just then, Lin Ke's mother rounded the corner and called to him, her lips pursed in apparent anger.

Looking at his mother, Lin Ke sighed again, hurriedly put on an adorably clueless expression, and ran over to receive his honored mother's lecture.

"Mother, what do you mean?" Lin Ke scurried over on his short little legs, spread his arms, and hugged his mother's legs, looking up with an innocent face as he asked.

And so, in Lin Ke's mother's eyes...

A fair, slightly plump little face, eyes clearer than the sky after rain, soft and fine brown hair...

The moment she saw that little face sweetly calling her "Mother," Lin Ke's mother's heart melted.

She pinched his chubby cheek. "My Lin Ke will definitely be the handsomest young man in Azan someday! Who knows how many boys and girls you'll sweep off their feet~"

Huh, something strange slipped into that. Never mind. I'll act cute and get through this first.

"Hm?" Lin Ke blinked, doing his best to puff out his baby-fat cheeks and widen his big eyes to show he did not understand.

His mother's heart melted even further, like an ice cream cone bought two minutes earlier at Mixue on a summer day, dissolving into a puddle of sweetness.

The maids following behind stole glances at Lin Ke, each itching to step forward and pinch his cheeks.

Even the first wife could not help staring straight at Lin Ke's face and twitching her little finger before seeming to come to her senses. She coughed softly. "Um, little sister..."

Lin Ke's mother remained oblivious, her little hands still squishing his cheeks as she said gently, "Ah, what is it, big sister? Come pinch Lin Ke's little cheeks! Wow! They're so soft..."

Lin Ke: (ㅍ_ㅍ)

The first wife: (ㅍ_ㅍ)

"...Mother, you were just saying the first wife said something out of line..."

Unable to bear being treated as a plaything, Lin Ke naturally spoke up to steer things back on track. And he swore that even if he starved to death or jumped from here, he would never act cute again.

He had had enough.

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