The two of them walked through a shaded path amidst laughter and banter, arriving at the office building for the academy's Magitech Mechanics department.
"We're here," Ansu said.
Celia nodded.
To be honest, the good mood she had maintained along the way made her feel a bit sentimental; if it weren't for her lineage, she would have quite liked to be a student at Benalu Royal Academy.
Chatting about studies with the guy beside her every day, going to the cafeteria together, and heading home after school together—it seemed like a beautiful life that was just out of her reach...
But unfortunately, there were no what-ifs.
Her identity destined her to never have such a peaceful life.
Celia sighed in her heart and retracted the smile on her face. "Let's go and meet this Duncan Adams."
Ansu led Celia straight to the fifth floor of the office building.
He had already asked around the school for Professor Duncan's office. To his surprise, Professor Duncan was not in the history department, but in the academy's Magitech Mechanics department.
As one of the two most popular majors at Benalu Royal Academy, Ansu had never seen Professor Duncan teach before. Logically, having published several works, he should have been somewhat famous, yet he was quite low-profile within the academy. It took asking many students before Ansu finally found where he worked.
Finding Professor Duncan's office, the two stood at the door and scanned the empty room before glancing at each other.
"It feels so deserted..." Ansu frowned. "Is Professor Duncan not here?"
But the door was open. Ansu looked around for a moment longer before quietly stepping inside.
Duncan's office was large. Like any scholar, towering bookshelves lined the walls, and the alchemy tables were cluttered with a mess of experimental props, including many novel and sophisticated mechanical devices Ansu had never seen before.
"He's here." Celia grabbed Ansu's arm, signaling him not to intrude further.
Ansu paused, then shifted his gaze toward the desk on the other side of the office.
With the sound of a chair moving, a thick and booming voice suddenly rang out.
"Who is it!?"
Under the gaze of Ansu and Celia, a small old man with a large beard but a very short stature stepped out from behind the tall and massive wooden desk.
"Why didn't you knock?" He looked at the two students who had intruded into his office, his eyes widening and his full beard twitching.
"Uh... are you Professor Duncan?" Ansu realized this stout little old man was the owner of the office and offered a polite smile. "Professor Duncan, we have something to discuss with you, but we thought you weren't in the office..."
He really hadn't expected Professor Duncan to look like this. The desk had completely hidden him, so much so that Ansu hadn't seen him at first glance.
This guy was way too short...
Ansu instinctively looked at Celia. She had a thoughtful look in her eyes, and her mouth moved slightly without making a sound.
'A dwarf.'
With Celia's confirmation, Ansu thought to himself that it wasn't just that Duncan was short, but that the average height of his species was low.
In the world of the Sword of Evernight, elves, dwarves, demons, and humans were the four major races of the Second Era, and their influence across the continent far exceeded that of other ethnicities.
All four races had glorious and brilliant histories, but because of that well-known war at the end of the Second Era, the first three races gradually declined. In contrast, humans, once considered the most mediocre and ordinary, rose rapidly and occupied almost all ecological niches.
As for later, the fates of the four major races differed. The elves went overseas and left this continent. The dwarves suffered a sharp population decline due to the war and scattered to remote areas where humans rarely ventured. The demons were the losers, so it went without saying—they were like rats on the street that everyone wanted to beat...
Ansu silently reflected on the history of humanity's rise.
Human transcendent power users, with their short-lived but brilliant talents like falling stars, held up the sky for the human race. The unified and efficient Church of Holy Light delivered a crushing advantage over the primitive religions of other races. Not to mention the current technological revolution that was in full swing. Modern humans had long since left the other three races, who were once their equals, far behind, disparagingly labeling them as demihumans along with half-human, half-beast races.
Returning his thoughts to the office, the atmosphere was momentarily awkward due to the impolite intrusion. Seeing Professor Duncan's unpleasant expression, Ansu smiled and stated his request.
"Professor Duncan, it's like this. Both of us are very interested in ancient history, especially the history of the Second Era."
"We happened to come across your masterpiece, and we really like this book, 《History and Ruins》. Your profound knowledge and empirical spirit command our respect, so we've come specifically to visit. I was wondering if Professor Duncan has any public lectures related to this recently?"
Ansu put on a humble and studious appearance. Since he was dealing with a scholar, this approach should be quite effective.
"You want to attend my public lectures specifically?" Professor Duncan was taken personal, and his expression finally softened a bit.
"That's quite rare. I thought no one looked at those ragged books of mine..." Duncan laughed, stroking his messy beard.
"However, it's unlikely you'll become my students. Historical research is just a hobby of mine. I am a professor of Magitech Mechanics; you've come to the wrong person."
"That doesn't matter!" Ansu said immediately. "I'm an alchemy student, and I also take some elective courses in Magitech Mechanics. If Professor Duncan needs a student assistant, I can come and help out."
Duncan looked Ansu up and down, asking suspiciously, "Why do you insist on finding me? In the field of ancient history, there are many scholars more authoritative than I am, right?"
"Professor Duncan," Celia, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up.
"In your book 《History and Ruins》, I saw that you have very unique insights into demon history. You even gave a clear analysis of the location of the demon army's treasure, which has long been debated in the academic world."
"You believe the so-called demon army's treasure is buried in Solan Province, not far from the capital. It's truly surprising."
"Hah! I've said it long ago!" As soon as Professor Duncan heard this, his face filled with disdain. "The traditional sphere of influence of the demons wasn't much different from humans. Our cities are built upon their ruins. That so-called demon army's treasure might be buried right near us!"
"But they just won't believe it! They insist on organizing expeditions to some uninhabited deserts and rocky wastelands!"
"Professor Duncan is truly impressive!" Ansu chimed in at the right moment.
"Stop flattering me." Professor Duncan's tone shifted as he scrutinized the two young students. "After all that talk, it turns out you're here for the demon army's treasure again."
"If it's for that, you should just go back!" He waved his hand impatiently. "Because I'm not interested in the riches of the demon army. I want to find that ancient ruin only because ancient magic facilities from the previous era, which have been lost to time, are buried there."
Seeing the other party put on an expression of closing the door to guests, Ansu naturally wouldn't give up.
He smiled politely. "If I'm not mistaken, you want to get first-hand information on those magic facilities, research them, and publish papers to achieve your ideals and ambitions in the academic world, right?"
"Of course," Professor Duncan huffed.
Ansu suddenly looked at Celia beside him. "Isn't that a coincidence? This Ms. Hailey Lawrence beside me is the only daughter of the Lawrence family. She also has unique insights into magic and Magitech Mechanics. She wishes to sponsor your field research, and if you have any novel findings, she also hopes to be the first to know about them."
"The Lawrence family?" Professor Duncan was stunned for a moment.
"Yes, the Lawrence family." Ansu nodded. "Count Lawrence is her father."
Hailey Lawrence was the witch's fake identity. To plant her among the nobles within the Empire, Samantha had specifically found people to train Celia in noble etiquette. This was why, despite her low-class origins, her behavior was elegant and proper.
"Oh... a noble." Duncan arched an eyebrow, momentarily unsure of what to say.
In fact, many noble young ladies did indeed act on whims, and wealthy nobles who had money to burn loved to sponsor technical and artistic fields that clearly wouldn't yield returns.
Ansu's smile became much more sincere. "Professor Duncan, you see, if your research funds are insufficient and you can't organize a field trip, Ms. Hailey is willing to provide some modest sponsorship."
Money was the most important bargaining chip today.
"Then how much can you give me?" Professor Duncan asked hurriedly.
Perhaps feeling that asking about money so directly was a bit unseemly, Professor Duncan coughed awkwardly again.
"I mean... regarding the research funds, how much can this young lady sponsor me?"
"Three hundred thousand pounds," Celia said slowly.
"How much?"
Professor Duncan's eyes widened instantly.
You call this a "modest sponsorship"?
Nobles really are loaded!
"This, well... it's not a matter of money now..."
Professor Duncan hesitated for a moment. Although he was very tempted, he still stated his difficulty.
"It's not that I can't cooperate with you, it's just that someone else already approached me earlier."
Rate on N.U.
