Xiao Xun was led by two girls to Lorgaad's laboratory, a room tucked away in a corner of the academy.
He thanked the girls who brought him and then had Aries directly guide him into the laboratory.
As soon as he entered, the smell almost choked him. It was as if someone had been simmering strong vinegar in a pot, a pungent aroma that was indescribable. Just taking a breath felt like an ascension.
Xiao Xun quickly kicked the door open. The loud bang drew a crowd of onlookers. Seeing it was him, they dispersed.
It could now be said that Xiao Xun could do whatever he pleased on this continent, completely lawless and unrestrained.
Because the hope for victory for these people rested entirely on Xiao Xun, and Xiao Xun knew that the true hope for victory lay with Empress Sailor Peas. He was merely a lightning rod at the moment.
An hour passed, and Lorgaad still hadn't arrived. The sour smell in his laboratory was thick and unmoving, making it impossible to enter.
Xiao Xun thought of pinching his nose to go in, but the sourness not only entered his nostrils but also stung his eyes.
After several attempts, he finally gave up.
He and Aries waited there, wondering, "Where did this Lorgaad go?"
Just then, the Dean of the academy arrived, an old man wearing a magic hat and a black robe, with no beard, appearing to be sixty or seventy years old. His skin was sagging, but his spirit was exceptionally good.
He walked up to Xiao Xun, clasped his hands in front of his lower abdomen, and said, "Your Highness Svein, do you have any instructions for us this time?"
Xiao Xun looked at the old man before him. The accompanying personnel introduced, "This is the Dean of our Magic Academy, a Arch-Magus of Sainti Roman."
Upon hearing that he was the head of the place, Xiao Xun smiled and said, "Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Your Highness Svein is too kind."
Xiao Xun pointed at the laboratory and said, "I heard from one of your teachers named Lorgaad that he can concentrate the energy of arcane runes into magic stones and then craft them into a gun, so I came specifically to learn about it."
To his surprise, the Dean said directly, "Your Highness Svein appears to have made a wasted trip. Lorgaad was expelled from the academy last month and has absolutely no connection with the Magic Academy now."
Xiao Xun, hearing this, curiously asked, "Then what was the reason for his expulsion?"
The Dean pointed to Lorgaad's laboratory and said, "Because he researched things unrelated to magic. Our Magic Academy has been established for a hundred years, and the rule set by the first principal was that any mastery of power must come from within oneself, not through external forces."
"You expelled him for this?"
The Dean nodded. "Our Magic Academy is a place that cultivates Grand Magus, Arch-Magus, and even God-level mages for the country. His creation of so-called firearms is incompatible with the philosophy of our Magic Academy. To prevent him from corrupting students and leading them astray, we expelled him."
The more Xiao Xun heard, the more uncomfortable he felt, so he interrupted him, "Then where is Lorgaad now?"
The Dean didn't know why Xiao Xun was looking for him, but he had a very good impression of Xiao Xun. "If nothing unexpected has happened, he should be in a small inn in the southern part of the city. That's where his sister works."
Xiao Xun gave Aries a look. "Let's go!"
Aries made a hand seal, and the two of them instantly vanished within Aries's six-pointed star formation.
The Dean pointed to the astonished crowd and said, "See? Only by studying hard like this can you serve by His Highness Svein's side."
There were too many small inns in the southern part of the city. Recently, due to the holding of the Number One Tournament in the World and the arrival of the Scourge Legion, there were a lot of people in the southern district.
Xiao Xun didn't know where to start. However, someone as well-known as Lorgaad should be easier to find, so he decided to find a place to eat first and ask around.
He never carried money in this world; no, he didn't have any money at all.
However, Aries did. Xiao Xun had never asked Aries where his money came from. It seemed that the members of the Twelve Palaces of Time and Space didn't care much about material things.
After eating, Xiao Xun called out to the waiter, "Miss, do you know Lorgaad?"
Although this way of addressing people wasn't common here, the waiter happily looked at Xiao Xun and asked, "Are you looking for him for something?"
Xiao Xun nodded. "Yes, something."
The waiter glanced around and then lowered his voice, saying, "Is it convenient to tell me what it's about?"
He knew he had found the right person, so he said, "I'm from the Military Academy, and he's my colleague."
The waiter clearly knew him and blurted out, "The Military Academy? Isn't he a teacher at the Magic Academy?"
Xiao Xun countered, "Don't you know he was expelled from the Magic Academy?"
The waiter clearly hadn't expected Xiao Xun to ask that. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Are you really his colleague?"
Xiao Xun smiled. "Why are you being so cautious? He was just expelled, not a wanted criminal. I don't know if he has any enemies, but since I could find my way here, I must have something to discuss with him."
The waiter pointed to a small inn across the street. "That's the one his sister runs. If nothing's changed, he should be there right now."
Xiao Xun turned to look and said, "Thank you" to the waiter.
Aries paid the bill, and they followed Xiao Xun to the inn opposite.
The owner was a short, stout man, slightly bald. Seeing Xiao Xun and Aries enter, he stood up with a smile. "Two guests, our inn is full. Please look elsewhere!"
Xiao Xun peeked inside. The inn wasn't large but was kept very clean.
"We're not staying, we're here to find someone."
The owner's face instantly turned cold. "There's no one you're looking for here."
"I haven't even told you who I'm looking for yet."
The owner gestured to usher them out. "No matter who you're looking for, they aren't here."
Xiao Xun slammed his hand on the table. "Think carefully, I'm looking for Lorgaad."
Unexpectedly, the owner stepped onto a stool, patted his left bicep with his right hand, and said, "So what? Let me tell you, when Horton attacked, I participated in the resistance and personally killed a traitor."
Xiao Xun clapped his hands. "Then you're truly amazing."
Seeing Xiao Xun like this, the owner sternly rebuked, "Now you know how formidable I am! Be sensible and leave quickly. None of the guests staying here are easy to deal with."
Xiao Xun crossed his arms. "My name is Svein, and I am now the commander of those traitors you speak of."
The owner didn't believe him and almost fell off the stool. "What did you say? You are His Highness Svein?"
Xiao Xun was not surprised by the owner's sudden change. "That's right, genuine and authentic."
Then he glanced behind him and said to the owner, "Why is it that you all seem afraid of others looking for him? Did he offend someone? Or does he owe money to someone?"
The owner sighed. "My brother-in-law, he really doesn't make things easy!"
Xiao Xun looked curiously at the short, stout owner. "What has he done?"
"Look at him, he hasn't even had a girlfriend in all these years. His sister has urged me several times. You see, he doesn't earn much, and he's quite generous. Once, he heard a friend at the national library wanted to borrow a book but didn't have money, so he gave him two gold coins, which he hasn't gotten back to this day. You tell me, how much does he earn in a year? It's no wonder a girl would fancy him. And he's always researching something unknown every day. Now, he's lost his job and has to rely on me and his sister to support him."
When Xiao Xun heard this, he thought, isn't this just a copy of himself from another world? The plot was exactly the same, the only difference being that he had never worked a day in his life.