Chapter 1 In Which Doubts Arise

In the spacious garden beneath the old liberal arts building of the Magic Engineering Institute, plants bathed in morning mist and sunlight, exuding a refreshing fragrance that mingled with the chirping of canaries, the buzzing of bees, and the babbling of a stream.

Two figures stood on the flower-filled, open lawn, engaged in conversation.

"Why do you suspect you've been scammed?" the young reporter, Lu Weixier, asked.

"Well, I received a fine that was so large and so outrageous that I need to verify it myself," Noe sighed.

The more Noe thought about it, the more he suspected that his good-for-nothing kid, Lanqi, had been overly clever and made a mistake in issuing the fine.

But then again, if Lanqi really had such a talent for forgery, he wouldn't have to worry about food for the rest of his life.

Either he'd become rich and powerful, or the kingdom's prison would take good care of Lanqi.

Noe even remembered the last time he saw Lanqi, when the boy was focused on studying the law.

It was likely that the kid had gone astray from that point on.

The immediate priority was to go to the Magic Engineering Institute to investigate before the deadline on the fine.

If the fine was fake, Noe would punish him severely this time and bring the boy back on the right track.

If it was real, Noe's mood was actually quite complicated.

Because it would mean that the kid had really succeeded in entering the Sage Academy.

"Can you show me the fine? Maybe I can help you identify its authenticity," Lu Weixier said with a smile.

Although she wasn't a business major, as an information science major, she was better at identifying the authenticity of official documents.

"Thank you," Noe readily took out the fine.

Lu Weixier took the fine and looked at it carefully.

Soon, she smiled again: "Let me tell you, these large fines issued in the private name of a teacher at the Yikeli Te Academy are mostly fake. It's a common scam. Proper fines should be issued from one official entity to another, not from a private individual to an official entity. How could Professor Bolao, a famous magic engineer, possibly extort wealthy merchants like this…"

However, she only got halfway through her sentence.

She saw that the recipient's name was Noe Wilford.

"!"

Immediately, the young reporter Lu Weixier's expression became somewhat surprised. She stood at attention in front of Noe, puffed out her chest, and saluted seriously.

"Student… what's wrong?" Noe had been ready to arrest Lanqi after hearing Lu Weixier's words, but he didn't know why her attitude had suddenly made a 180-degree turn.

"I can guarantee you one thing," Lu Weixier's tone had changed, and it had a broadcasting feel to it.

"What?" Noe swallowed and asked nervously.

Could this fine involve even greater crimes?

"This fine must be real," Lu Weixier handed the fine back to Noe with both hands.

"So, that kid is really in this school now?!" Noe asked with wide eyes. Lanqi couldn't even use magic. How did he get into the Sage Academy?

Moreover, the information about his entrance exam was impossible to find.

The more Noe investigated, the more he felt that the kid's acceptance letter was fake.

But it turned out to be real.

He was starting to doubt his life.

"Of course! This school can't be without him! Every report about his deeds is very popular!" Lu Weixier said cheerfully.

"Every?"

"Yes." Lu Weixier nodded repeatedly.

"…Can you describe what you know about Lanqi Wilford?" Noe was worried that he and this young reporter were talking about different people.

"He has black hair and green eyes, is very handsome, and looks harmless and gentle. Sometimes his behavior is very bizarre, making people question his mental state," Lu Weixier described vividly.

"Hiss…" Noe scratched his head in confusion after hearing this.

That was definitely his idiot brother.

He was good for nothing except for his looks, and his brain was still routinely malfunctioning. He would act crazy when he was drunk.

Although the young reporter's assessment was very sharp, these were all facts.

"Has Lanqi caused any trouble at school?" Noe then asked the question he was most worried about.

"Um… no," Lu Weixier thought for a moment and replied.

Lanqi had only done great things at school!

She always heard President Monaster praising Lanqi's work as solid and his style as excellent.

As for outside the school, he had just pulled off a big one yesterday—taking out the Destruction Saintess of the Rebirth Church. Presumably, Lanqi was now at the top of the Rebirth Church's wanted list.

Lu Weixier couldn't even estimate the number on Lanqi's bounty in the evil cult.

"Then, student, do you know how to find Lanqi?" Noe finally breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, relieved after hearing this.

He didn't expect this kid to be a little surprising.

As long as he hadn't caused any major trouble at school, then everything was fine!

Lanqi was still as he expected, unable to stir up any big waves in this royal capital. After all, Lanqi was just that kind of paper tiger, a spoiled brat, and definitely not some kind of uncontrollable troublemaker who would evolve once he was in the right environment.

Noe now felt like a huge stone had been lifted from his chest, and he was in a very happy mood.

He didn't really care about the 8,000-pound fine. He would just treat it as a celebration for Lanqi's successful admission to the Yikeli Te Academy.

"Uh, it may be hard to find him for the time being. He's currently streaming," Lu Weixier looked at the pointer on the distant clock tower.

Lanqi had only entered the Shadow World yesterday morning, and this Shadow World would last for a full four days before it ended. Before that, it would definitely be impossible to find Lanqi in the school.

"It should be starting soon. It's said that this morning, he will bring everyone a special artistic, cultural, and scientific performance program. I was planning to go to Gerald Memorial Square to gather some reporting material anyway. Would you like to watch it first before going to the Magic Engineering Institute?" Lu Weixier then looked at Noe and asked.

Lanqi and the others went to bed late, only finishing their stream at two in the morning. Before going offline, they announced that they would start streaming again after nine o'clock this morning.

So, now was the perfect time.

Being able to get along with Lanqi day and night, Lanqi's father's psychological endurance must be very good. Seeing Lanqi's images in the Shadow World shouldn't cause much of a heart flutter.

"Heh, I want to see what this kid is up to," Noe chuckled.

Since the fine was real, he wasn't in a hurry to go to the Magic Engineering Institute to verify the situation.

Could that kid possibly have any talent that he could show to all the students and passing residents of the royal capital?

It was too funny.

He couldn't wait to see it.

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(End of this chapter)