Chapter 886: 276. Tit for tat_3

“No, it’s not plagiarism, it’s emulation and research,”

Lonco quickly tried to soothe her:

“Don’t be rash, Selena. Father doesn’t want to break with Jarvis, nor does he wish to interfere with your relationship with Jarvis. You must know that in matters like signing Magic Contracts, if one seeks to gain greater benefits and fairness, it is essential to have enough bargaining chips in hand.

“The Spells developed by Hotams may not match the power of Jarvis’s, but they are still enough to put us on an equal footing with him.

“Moreover, in extreme cases, having the Spells developed by Hotams means we won’t find ourselves at a disadvantage in front of the Sea Monsters, should we lose access to Jarvis’s Magic Scrolls.

“Surely you don’t want to see your family and the Academy always at the mercy of… erm… at the mercy of Jarvis, right? Do you think Father is correct?”

...

“Heh…” Selena was silent for some time before letting out a cold, inexplicable chuckle:

“Father is as shrewd as ever. He can manipulate family members, he can scheme against you and me, but he’s made a mistake in targeting Jarvis. He won’t succeed.”

Lonco exhaled heavily:

“Selena, Father is just protecting the family. After all, no one can guarantee that Jarvis won’t use his strategic services as a springboard to shake Father’s position in the future. We need to prevent the worst-case scenario.”

“You all underestimate Jarvis…”

Before Selena could speak, she was interrupted by Lonco.

“Selena. I’m just here to give you a heads-up, not to argue with you. Neither of us can change anything,”

Lonco said:

“Hmm… Lastly, Father asked me to give you a message.

“He said, ‘In this world, no one is irreplaceable, only the knowledge in our minds will always stay with us.’

“In the end, Jarvis got a piece of the Island from the Deep Sea Branch because he possessed more knowledge. Once we learn what he knows, naturally he will…”

Lonco waved his hand and left the sentence unfinished.

He glanced at the absent Selena, stood up, and transformed into a water stream, disappearing into the Miniature Ocean he had come from.

For a long while, Selena stood frozen, her expression transforming from a faint anger to sorrow and anxiety.

She steadied herself on the edge of the table, stood up, and flew into another Miniature Ocean as a water stream.

…

…

Island 33, Third Underground Level.

The cultivation equipment on the First Underground Level was completed; it would become Nicolette’s place to grow.

The Underground Layer 2 was Nolin’s workspace.

The Third Underground Level had only recently been constructed. Noland Lee and Denise Green had transformed it into an Alchemy Workshop for manufacturing and stockpiling Mechanos and other items.

The Fourth Underground Level and the fifth level were still under construction. Selena’s Magic Servants estimated it would take another half a month to a month to finish these two levels.

At that moment, Noland Lee was checking the Mechanos he and Denise had created together.

With Nolin as an assistant, the mass production of Mechanos became much more convenient.

Noland Lee and Denise were responsible for making large quantities of parts at once, while Nolin controlled the finished Mechanos, assembling new ones and creating a situation similar to “robots replicating themselves.”

In just over ten days, they had made over 1500 Capacitor Pack Device Spirits, as well as several other types of Mechanos.

In three days, it would be Yorksim’s day of offering to the Sea Monsters.

Today, Noland Lee and Denise had to inspect the Mechanos one last time, to ensure everything was foolproof.

Of course, the checking was mainly being handled by Noland Lee, who had Deconstruction. Denise’s role was more about following his directions and repairing any flawed Mechanos.

While they were busy, Selena, who had been gone for several days, flew in through a window on the Ceiling and landed on the wooden Floor of the Third Underground Level.

“Selena, have you finished your work at the Academy?”

Noland Lee turned his Head, noticing the Witch’s somewhat off complexion.

He bent down to continue inspecting the Mechanos On the Floor, speaking at the same time:

“If you are feeling unwell, just take some more rest. Denise and I can handle these Mechanos.”

Selena hurried toward the bent-over Noland Lee, a wronged expression appearing on her face, with the gleam of tears circling in her eyes.

Noland Lee heard footsteps and straightened up to look.

Upon seeing Selena’s expression and gaze, Noland Lee knew something was amiss and quickly stepped forward, circling behind Denise.

At that moment, Denise was squatting on the floor, tinkering with the Mechanos.

She suddenly felt her body being lifted up by “Mind Capture” and then pushed forward, placing her between Selena and Noland Lee.

“What’s going on?” Denise looked at Noland Lee, confused and unclear about the situation.

Turning her head toward Selena, Denise saw a face stained with tear marks.

She put down her alchemy tools and walked up, taking Selena’s hand and asking with concern:

“What’s the matter, Selena? Why are you crying…”

Noland Lee saw Denise had stopped Selena and he quietly let out a big sigh of relief.

A Deconstruction spell followed his gaze, and with a slight movement of his heart, he saw what had just happened to her.

Denise cast a detection spell toward Selena, wanting to see if she was injured.

“I’m not hurt, Denise. I just encountered some things, things that are difficult to contend with.”

Selena calmed down a bit, but there were still tears at the bottom of her eyes, showing her emotions were not settling for the time being:

“My father had Lonco bring me a message… he had Lonco tell me a lot of things, all meant to pressure Jarvis into handing over the Spell Blueprints… I know him too well.”

Denise took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away Selena’s tears:

“This sounds quite tricky, but, don’t worry, we should trust that Noland will handle it well. But why are you crying, I’ve always thought of you as very strong…”

Noland Lee had finished reading her Memory Fragments, and after a little thought, he said:

“Hmm… I think I understand why. Actually, Selena, deep down you really want to break free from your father’s arrangements, right?

“In your eyes, there’s a good chance I’ll fail in my confrontation with your father. If I fail, you won’t be able to break free from your father’s arrangements. That’s why you feel wronged, even to the point of tears.” noveldrama

Selena said:

“It seems… it seems like that’s the case.”

Noland Lee smiled and consoled:

“Don’t worry, Selena. There’s a saying:

“No one in this world is irreplaceable, only the knowledge in our minds can always accompany us.”

Selena’s pupils dilated, and her delicate body shuddered.

Noland Lee continued:

“As long as we always make sure we know more than others, then we can naturally remain unvanquished. Don’t you agree?”

Selena stared at Noland Lee blankly, the sadness, resentment, and anxiety in her eyes quickly dissipating, replaced by determination and admiration.

Denise gently caressed Selena’s hand and said:

“I think Noland is right, knowledge is our greatest confidence, he is the fastest and most solid learner I’ve met out of everyone so far.”

Seeing that Selena’s emotions had stabilized, Noland Lee began to follow the normal social protocol, inquiring about the previous events—although he already knew everything through the Deconstruction Technique.

Selena recounted truthfully, repeating to Noland Lee and Denise what Lonco had said.

Selena mulled over the suggestion of an arranged marriage from her father several times but did not bring it up.

Noland Lee, through the Deconstruction Technique, learned of this but also did not mention it any further, acting as if it did not exist.

Denise, not being one to think so deeply, did not consider this level.

But when she heard that Selena’s father had entrusted Hotams with the task of researching Noland Lee’s spells, even Denise’s usually gentle disposition inevitably gave way to anger.