The grandfather clock in the study ticked steadily, its gears clearly audible.
The fragrance of old books wafted from the ornate bookshelf in the corner.
Gazing at the magic lamp on the desk emitting a soft amber glow, Noé removed his glasses, closed his eyes, and gradually relaxed his brow.
Whether Lanqi was acting or not, at least his composed demeanor was reassuring.
"But Father, I need some money before taking the exam. Can you ensure I have ample funds for these three months?"
Just as Noé thought Lanqi was about to leave, his words made him open his eyes again.
"What are you planning to do?"
Noé asked vigilantly.
He seemed to suspect Lanqi wanted to swindle as much money as possible before the entrance exam for one last indulgence.
"Creating magic cards requires money for many materials, and I also need to hire a suitable teacher."
Lanqi's expression and tone remained calm.
He didn't seem to be lying at all.
Indeed, he was telling the truth.
Because after finishing the law book, he planned to start researching magic cards.
"You can make magic cards?"
Noé asked in surprise.
This time Lanqi didn't answer immediately.
He actually couldn't yet.
He needed perfect wording to make his father trust him and willingly invest in him.
However, at this moment,
"I guarantee that the young master will create excellent magic cards."
The butler standing behind Noé spoke up.
He bent slightly and said beside Noé,
"If you could see the painting in the young master's room, you certainly wouldn't worry about him anymore."
"Oh?"
Noé turned his head to look at the butler upon hearing this.
He was surprised by the butler's words, but quickly realized and felt delighted.
Then he looked at Lanqi with great interest:
"Lanqi, have you started painting again recently? For Hans to praise it so highly, it must be a fairly good piece of work."
Hans was the butler's name, but Lanqi's previous self rarely addressed him directly by name, so Lanqi followed the habit and only referred to the butler as "you" when communicating.
"It's more than just..."
The butler shook his head with a smile.
Clearly, the master hadn't realized what level the young master's painting had reached.
Anyone could hear that Noé's tone just now was that of praising a child.
"Hans has always taken good care of me. He's exaggerating too much."
Lanqi only briefly pursed his lips, interrupting the butler before he could finish.
It would be best if Noé didn't see that portrait of Talia hanging in his bedroom.
Otherwise, if Noé happened to encounter Talia in town, who knows what absurd misunderstandings might arise.
"I see."
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Hearing this, Noé didn't think much of it.
The only thing that surprised Noé was Lanqi's modesty.
Normally, Lanqi should have seized this opportunity to boast about his talents to seek investment.
After hearing Lanqi's words, the butler also had no intention of saying more.
He smiled enigmatically and retreated behind Noé.
"Alright then, I hope you can successfully pass the Alchemy Department's exam. Hans..."
Noé spoke words of encouragement to Lanqi in a sighing tone, then instructed butler Hans to provide Lanqi with the money he needed.
It was only for the sake of the old butler's face, and because of Lanqi's good attitude today, that Noé agreed to Lanqi's request so readily.
After all, he had already given this foolish son quite a bit of money.
Hopefully, he would grow up soon. May the Goddess bless him.
If today he wasn't just pretending, but truly this composed, steady, modest, and polite, what a wonderful thing that would be.
......
As night fell, the wall lamps in the spacious corridor on the second floor of the mansion glowed faintly, enveloping the entire estate in tranquility and peace.
Most of the household servants had finished their work for the day and gone to rest.
Of course, there were also servants who hadn't finished their shifts yet.
As soon as Lanqi pushed open the study door, he noticed the maid waiting outside—
That understanding maid named Floransin, who, compared to other servants, wasn't so afraid of him.
Lanqi realized that it seemed only she and the butler were willing to take him seriously among the household staff.
After a polite greeting,
"Young Master, are you sure you're not just deceiving the Master?"
Floransin followed Lanqi as he left the study, asking softly beside him with some concern.
She had overheard the conversation in the study earlier and was well aware of how Lanqi had been whiling away his time every day before.
The entrance exam for the Alchemy Department alone included written tests on subjects like Royal Arithmetic, Pharmacology, Material Processing, Fundamentals of Magic Engineering, Principles of Alchemy, and many others.
Even if Lanqi spent money to hire the best teachers now and started studying desperately, it wouldn't be enough time.
"Mere entrance exams."
Lanqi chuckled and closed his eyes, his composed expression seeming not to care about the difficulty of these exams at all, nor showing any intention of rushing to review.
"Uh..."
Seeing this, Floransin even began to suspect that Lanqi had truly given up from now on and was experiencing his last hurrah.
However, she also knew that even if Lanqi failed to enter the school, he wouldn't go home to face scolding or end up on the streets of the capital city with nothing but a small blanket.
The young master could certainly make a flexible living in the capital.
Just selling paintings alone would surely earn him quite a bit of money.
"Don't worry, I'll start studying the exam rules tonight."
Lanqi sensed the maid's concern and smiled brightly, adding with a definitive tone, his eyes as clear as when facing the law book.
"That's good..."
"Hm? Exam rules?"
Floransin was startled.
She felt there was more to Lanqi's words than met the eye.
Although carefully reading the instructions before an exam is definitely a good habit...
But what was there to study about the entrance exam rules for the Alchemy Department?
Soon after, Lanqi said goodbye and quickened his pace towards his bedroom, leaving the maid with a puzzled and conflicted expression in the hallway.
......
Back in his bedroom, Lanqi closed the door.
He found the entrance reference book for Icerite Academy from the bookshelf.
He came to the desk, pulled out the chair and sat down leisurely, slowly picked up a pen, gazed at the book in his hand, and began planning his schedule for the next three months.
Regarding entering school, he was serious.
He had indeed promised his father that he would successfully enroll.
But he hadn't specified which department he would enter.
"Though I'm not one for fighting in life, I do enjoy resolving conflicts... But if it really comes down to it, given proper preparation, I don't think I'd lose either."
Lanqi muttered as he flipped through the admissions brochure for Icerite Academy.
This academy had the Alchemy Department and Magic Engineering Department, which focused on theoretical research and backup support, and were difficult to speed through exams for.
Of course, there were also the Sage Department and Knight Department, which placed more emphasis on direct combat and tactical applications.
Lanqi's method was simple.
That is, to enter through a curved path.
He could change his application from the Alchemy Department to another department when the time came.
Although the law and knight departments that focus on practical combat have very different assessment points, the main focus of their examinations over the years has been on candidates' ability to adapt to random situations, their character and mentality, and their actual combat capabilities.
This is also closely related to the "Shadow World", the highest difficulty dungeon in this world.
In the next three months.
As long as he could successfully create some "Lanqi-style" key magic cards, and then purchase a few magic cards that could be found on the market to form a combination.
Lanqi could also pull off a move that would shock all the academy leaders!