Chapter 1 Hutton Kingdom

A day had passed since Lan Qi entered the Shadow World.

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

In this city, which preserved its antique charm while embracing modernity, the 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, magi-powered railcars glided smoothly 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 melody of a wandering poet strumming an instrument in the distant plaza.

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

The carriage's soft leather seats swayed gently, bringing a refreshing and pleasant breeze.

His temples were slightly graying, but his demeanor and dignity remained undiminished, every corner of his clothes neatly arranged.

"That kid, just wait until I catch you."

Noe Wilfort sat in the carriage, looking at the scenery of Ikelite, and couldn't help but mutter to himself.

After hearing about the fine that Professor Polao, the Dean of the Magi-Tech Institute, had delivered to their home.

Lan Qi Wilfort's father, Noe Wilfort, had made a rare trip by boat from the city of Glen Waverly on the northern border of the Kerithe Empire to the Southern Wantina Territory on the southern border of the Hutton Kingdom.

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

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

If it was just some minor trouble, he would ask the butler, Hans, to help Lan Qi settle it on his behalf.

As a result, Noe had not received any news about Lan Qi in the Kerithe Empire for several months.

Noe naturally assumed that the little bastard had already seen the gap between himself and the geniuses of his age in the royal capital, and had returned to the Southern Wantina Territory with a grimy face, and was living that muddled, happy life again.

After all, there was no way Lan Qi could pass the entrance exam for the Alchemist Institute after studying for such a short time.

"Sigh, I didn't have such high expectations for him in the first place."

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

From the beginning, Noe had never expected Lan Qi to actually get into a good school like the Ikelite Academy.

Lan Qi just had to avoid learning bad habits and getting into trouble.

However.

You don't know until you return to the country, and you'll get a big shock when you do!

That kid was said to have actually passed the entrance exam for the Ikelite Academy, and hadn't returned home since he went to the royal capital!

Moreover, he had even entered the Sage Institute!

Although the fine from the Magi-Tech Institute and Lan Qi's admission letter looked as real as they could be, Noe felt that something was wrong no matter how he thought about it.

So Noe took the Magi-powered railcar within 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 Ikelite's famous sights.

Hutton Walking Plaza was not yet fully bustling in the early morning, from the artistic streamlined buildings beneath the Erica Magi-Tower to the wide tree-lined avenues along the Yala River, various shops were preparing to open for business one after another, and the faint fragrance of coffee and desserts spread out.

Mostly after tens of minutes.

The sightseeing carriage arrived near the academy.

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

Noe, carrying a light black briefcase, 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's ancient bell tower, which stopped only after ringing nine times, 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, and sunlight shone through the dense leaves, scattering on the grass, forming a complex pattern of light and shadow.

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

He saw the Sage Institute's ancient tower library with intricate carvings on the outer walls, the Knight Institute's arena with pointed arch windows, and the ubiquitous magic screens and the walls made up of them reflecting the sky and the shadows of the surrounding trees.

After more than ten minutes of walking.

Noe gradually got lost on this campus.

He felt that the main building of the Magi-Tech Institute he was looking for was nearby, but he didn't know how to find the old Liberal Arts Building of the Magi-Tech Institute in the large garden through the signs, and then reach the Magi-Tech Institute area through the end of the garden.

Just as he was confused.

He saw in this sparsely populated garden.

Finally, a student figure appeared.

"Student, may I ask how to get to the Dean's office of the Magi-Tech Institute?"

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

In addition to the magi-powered recording camera hanging around her neck, she also had two work badges hanging on her chest, looking like she was both a member of the student council and a reporter for the *Hutton Times*.

"Of course, I'll take you there, but may I ask if you have an appointment?"

The girl named Lu Wei Xi Er, whose name was written in the name column on the work badge, immediately showed a kind smile, with a full of vitality, enthusiastic and lively feeling.

As the secretary of the student council, she had recently been called back to the student council to help because of the lack of manpower in the student council, and as a result, she met someone who needed help as soon as she walked downstairs from the student council room on the third floor of the old Liberal Arts Building.

"I have an appointment, Professor Polao 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 eager to help others.

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

Then Noe added another sentence.

In fact, he was still more suspicious that the admission letter from the Sage Institute was forged by that stinky kid.

He even came up with a bad idea because he had run out of money, and tried to swindle a large sum of money from his family with a forged fine, so that he could continue to enjoy a comfortable life in the royal capital.

And yesterday, the person he contacted using domestic communication magic was not the real Professor Polao, but an actor invited by that kid.

If that was the case, and Noe caught him in the act, he would have to kill this孽障 (nie zhang – literally 'evil creature,' meaning someone who causes trouble or is unfilial)!

But the admission letter and the fine were so realistic...

The only flaw was that the fine issued by the fine party was a bit wrong.

It was not in the name of the Ikelite Academy, but in the private name of Professor Polao, the Dean of the Magi-Tech Institute.

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

Only a private-to-public fine, where Professor Polao claimed compensation from the Wilfort Chamber of Commerce, seemed very strange!

It was as if Professor Polao was colluding with Lan Qi to extort money from their family!

(End of this chapter)