Hutton Kingdom.

A day had passed since Lan Qi entered the shadow world.

On this Saturday morning, sunlight pierced through the thick clouds, scattering a warm glow on the bricks and glass of the royal capital, Ikelite.

In this city, which retained its antique charm while being highly modernized, red-brick buildings gleamed in the morning light, and glass curtain walls reflected the azure sky and the pure white clouds.

At Ikelite Central Station, mana-powered railcars glided gently with a steady hum, carrying residents and tourists at high speed to their destinations.

Walking through the station concourse, the hustle and bustle gradually faded away, replaced by the crisp sound of shop bells, interwoven with the melodies of wandering poets plucking their instruments in the distant square.

A middle-aged man dressed as a merchant arrived at the square opposite the central station, boarded a small sightseeing carriage, and began his journey through the city.

The soft leather seats of the carriage swayed gently, bringing a refreshing and pleasant breeze.

His temples were tinged with gray, but his demeanor and dignity were undiminished, every corner of his clothes meticulously arranged.

"That brat, don't let me catch you."

Noe Wilfort sat in the carriage, gazing at the scenery of Ikelite, and muttered to himself.

After hearing about the fine Professor Bolao, the dean of the Magon Academy, had issued to their family.

Lan Qi Wilfort's father, Noe Wilfort, had, with rare effort, traveled by boat from the city of Gran Weaverly on the northern border of the Cretea Empire back to the South Wantina Territory on the southern border of the Hutton Kingdom.

A few days ago, when Noe received a cross-border magical communication from the housekeeper Hans, he was initially very shocked.

Before he left the Hutton Kingdom last time, he had told the housekeeper Hans that unless it was particularly serious bad news about Lan Qi, there was no need to use expensive, complicated, and strictly supervised cross-border communication equipment to notify him.

If it was just a small trouble, he would trouble the housekeeper Hans to help Lan Qi smooth things over on his behalf.

As a result, Noe had not received any news about Lan Qi in the Cretea Empire for the past few months.

Noe naturally assumed that the rascal had already seen the gap between himself and the other geniuses in the royal capital, and had returned to the South Wantina Territory with a face full of shame, and was living his muddled, happy life again.

After all, it was impossible for Lan Qi to pass the entrance exam of the Alchemy Academy after studying for such a short time.

"Alas, I didn't have such high expectations for him anyway."

Noe sighed, he knew that Lan Qi was not cut out for academics at all, and asking him to study was only to discipline him.

Even from the beginning, Noe had never expected Lan Qi to really be admitted to a good school like Ikelite Academy.

Lan Qi just needed to not go astray and not cause trouble.

However.

He didn't know until he returned home, and he was shocked when he did!

The brat was said to have actually passed the entrance exam of Ikelite Academy, and had not returned home since he went to the royal capital!

Moreover, he had even been admitted to the Sage Academy!

Although the fine from the Magon Academy and Lan Qi's admission letter both looked as real as could be, Noe felt that something was wrong no matter how he thought about it.

So Noe took the mana-powered railcar in the country overnight and rushed to the royal capital, Ikelite, and after getting off the train, he went to the Ikelite Academy located in the center of the city.

Along the way, the carriage carried the heavy-hearted Noe past the famous landscapes of Ikelite.

Hutton Walking Plaza was not yet fully busy in the early morning. From the artistic streamline buildings beneath the Erica Magic Tower to the wide tree-lined avenue along the Yara River, various shops were gradually preparing to open for business, and the faint aroma of coffee and desserts spread out.

After more than ten minutes.

The sightseeing carriage arrived near the academy.

The legendary Ikelite Magic Academy is located in the heart of the royal capital.

Noe carried a light black briefcase and stepped into the academy's territory.

After walking a few steps, he was greeted by a grand and harmonious chime.

This was the melodious chime from the iconic Ikelite Academy ancient bell tower, which rang nine times before stopping, meaning that it was now nine o'clock in the morning.

The bell tower stood in the middle of a vast lawn, surrounded by lush trees. Sunlight shone through the dense leaves, scattering on the green grass, forming a complex pattern of light and shadow.

Noe followed the map on the sign and walked through various buildings.

He saw the ancient tower library of the Sage Academy with its exterior walls inlaid with delicate reliefs, the Knight Academy arena with its pointed arch windows, and the ubiquitous magic screens and the walls they formed, reflecting the sky and the shadows of the surrounding green trees.

After more than ten minutes of walking.

Noe gradually got lost in the campus.

He felt that the main building of the Magon Academy he was looking for was nearby, but he didn't know how to find the old liberal arts building of the Magon Academy in the large garden through the road signs, and then cross the end of the garden to reach the Magon Academy area.

Just as he was confused.

He saw in this sparsely populated garden.

A student figure finally appeared.

"Excuse me, student, do you know how to get to the dean's office of the Magon Academy?"

Noe quickly walked over and asked the light blue-haired girl who looked relatively approachable.

In addition to the mana-powered recording camera hanging around her neck, she also had two work badges pinned to her chest, indicating that she was both a member of the student council and a reporter for *The Hutton Times*.

"Of course, I'll take you there, but do you have an appointment?"

The girl whose name was written on the name tag as Lu Weixi'er immediately showed a kind smile, giving off a feeling of vitality and enthusiasm.

As the secretary of the student council, she had recently been called back to the student council to help because the student council was short of manpower. As a result, she met someone who needed help just after walking down the stairs from the student council office on the third floor of the old liberal arts building.

"I have an appointment. Professor Bolao will be waiting for me in the office before noon today."

Noe replied, sighing in his heart that it was indeed the best school in the Hutton Kingdom, and the students were so well-behaved and helpful.

"If I haven't been scammed..."

Then Noe added.

In fact, he was still more suspicious that the entrance letter from the Sage Academy was forged by that brat.

He even thought of a bad idea because he had run out of money: to use a fake fine to try to swindle a large sum of money from his family in order to continue to enjoy a comfortable life in the royal capital.

And the person he contacted yesterday using domestic communication magic was not really Professor Bolao, but an actor the brat had hired.

If that was the case, and he was caught in the act by Noe, he would have to kill this evil creature!

But the entrance letter and the fine were too realistic...

The only flaw was that the fine was issued a little strangely.

It was not in the name of Ikelite Academy, but in the private name of Professor Bolao, the dean of the Magon Academy.

As a senior businessman, Noe knew very well that this kind of claim was more reasonable whether it was a public-to-private or a public-to-public fine.

Only a private-to-public fine, in which Professor Bolao claimed compensation from the Wilfort Merchant Guild, seemed very strange!

It was as if Professor Bolao was colluding with Lan Qi to swindle money from their family!

(End of chapter)