novelI'm a Good-Natured Person
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Baiyi lowered his head as he pondered in silence, it made him look like he was examining the wooden box intently. The three presidents kept their silence as they waited patiently. However, the fingers that were tapping on the table from time to time revealed the anxiety that they felt in their hearts.
That small movement did not escaped Baiyi's eyes and a plan started to form in his mind. As he lifted up his head to speak, Vice President Kim interjected before he could open his mouth, "So? Master Hope? What do you think?"
"Hmmm... This is a little tricky, " Baiyi said offhandedly. The underlying meaning in his words was very clear. The three of them immediately understood and President Rhansey quickly assured Baiyi, "Master Hope, if you can successfully get the artifact out of the wooden box, we'll be more than happy to share it with you."
Usually, there would not be any magical tools stored in that kind of ordinary box. From the appearance and the weight of the box, they believed that it should be something like a book that recorded the knowledge of the Sage Vagabond. In fact, it was very generous of them to be so willing to share the item with him, especially in an era where copyrights and patents were prioritized and academic research was kept from the public. That offer from the President was more than enough to show his sincerity.
Unfortunately, Baiyi was not interested in their offer at all. Shaking his head, he said, "This is not necessary. I don't intend to be a part of your great discovery. However, I do need a favor from the three of you."
The moment they heard his words, although there were no changes that could be seen from their expressions, but deep down inside, they became tensed with uneasiness. Vice President Lee immediately chimed in, "May I know what kind of favor you're talking about?"
Without beating around the bush, Baiyi disclosed, "First of all, I need to borrow a private laboratory that is equipped with basic facilities. It's best if it comes with a small practice field as well. There's no need for any apprentice or assistant because I already have my practitioner with me."
A laboratory was undoubtedly very important, especially when he was teaching Mia new spells. The female dormitory was not a convenient place to practice at all. It could easily get messed up just like last time when he taught Mia the Slime Shot spell.
The request was not over the top. After all, every powerful sorcerer should have their own laboratory, not to mention that Baiyi was just asking to borrow one. President Rhansey nodded his head right away to show his agreement, "This is not a problem but all of the laboratories here in the Mage Tower is fully occupied. The only unused laboratories are the old ones at the old academy district which used to be the former teaching labs. Even though they look old, they're quite remote so nobody will come to disturb you. There's also a large practice field there. What do you think? If you still don't like it, I'll think of a way to make a place for you here in the Mage Tower."
"No, that's fine." Baiyi nodded his head in satisfaction. In truth, he did not care whether the laboratory was new or old as long as nobody disturb the peace when they were practicing. Not to mention that there was even a large practice field there. It was perfect enough for him.
"That's great! Please arrange for someone to clean up the place, " The President directed his words to Vice President Lee as he handed him a bronze key that he just took out from his storage pouch.
As soon as they agreed to the first condition, Baiyi went on to say, "As for my second condition, I hope that my practitioner, Mia, who is in her sophomore year now, will be able to enter the Golden Rose class next semester."
The condition did not sound too unreasonable but President Rhansey's face started to change slightly. He swallowed hard before he said, "Erm... This... Master Hope, I understand your feelings on wanting to make your practitioner a strong and powerful person but to enter the Golden Rose class... Well, this is a matter of the academy's principles."
"I know. Only elite students who have outstanding innate aptitude and capability can enter the class right?" Baiyi added on the part that the President did not finish, "This is no problem at all. My little Mia is a brilliant student, whether it's her innate aptitude or capability."
The three presidents immediately exchanged looks with each other, awkward smiles could be seen on each of their faces. They had been through similar conversations innumerable times, from a rich merchant to a powerful aristocrat and even the relative of a strong powerful being and now it was finally Baiyi's turns. And every single time, they would always reject such a request.
"Master Hope, we have to follow the principle of fairness and transparency when it comes to the selection of gold-collared elite students of the Celestial Fortress Academy. This is a tradition that has been passed on since the academy was first established. Till date, no one has dared to break this tradition that has been ongoing for several thousands years." President Rhansey tactfully expressed his refusal.
Vice President Kim who was sitting by his side quickly added, "However, this is not important! I can promise you that we will equip Mia with the teachers and resources that are equivalent to the Golden Rose class so that she can enjoy the same treatment as the elite students."
Whoa! I didn't expect this group of people to be so determined in keeping this tradition. Hmm... but you said fairness? Well, I don't think anything is ever fair. The starting line of every students will obviously never be the same. Those students who come from a wealthy family usually receive their magical education from the age of three. How could Mia who came from an ordinary family possibly be able to keep up with them? Baiyi scoffed inwardly before he said, "Don't worry. I won't put you in a difficult position. I will prove to you that Mia's innate aptitude and capability absolutely meet the requirements of the Golden Rose class. There should be no problem with this, right? I assure you that she definitely has the qualification to enter the Golden Rose class. The reason of I brought up this topic is to make sure that she does not enter that Golden Chrysanthemum class."
The three presidents stared at him in bewilderment. Vice President Lee was the first to break the silence, "If Mia really has the innate capability to be an elite student, we don't have any objection in which class that you want her to enter. However, according to what we understand, her strength seems to be quite ordinary at the moment? How do you intend to prove her innate aptitude, Master Hope?"
"Very simple. I'll let Mia crack the barrier on this wooden box. The due date is in 3 days time. Would you still question her innate aptitude after she has completed the task?" Baiyi answered confidently.
The three presidents immediately stunned as astonished looks could be seen emerging on their faces. Creases crept up in between President Rhansey's brows as he asked, "Master Hope, are you telling us that you plan to teach her how to crack this enchantment in just three days?"
"Ah! No, of course not! Not three days!" Baiyi shook his head, "I only need one day to teach her. The other two days is for us to go sightseeing in the city. This little girl's homework is a little too heavy you see. I plan to let her take a break and have a short holiday."
"W-WHAT?" Vice President Kim almost leapt up from his seat."A-Are you serious, Master Hope? ONE DAY? To teach a sophomore how to crack the barrier that was personally set up by the Sage Vagabond?
"Master Hope, even the academy teachers who majored in formations and barriers could not crack this enchantment! How do you intend for a student to master it in just one day? How is this even possible?" Vice President Lee added on.
Obviously, Baiyi's words just now were too shocking for them. The three presidents had never expected that the conversation would escalate so quickly and so they could not help but lost their cool for a moment. Then again, they could hear the confidence and the subtle power in Baiyi's voice, making them realize that he was indeed serious when he issued the challenge.
In truth, looking at the complexity of the barrier, even if Baiyi did not teach Mia the operating principle and just focus on teaching her the method to break the barrier, it was not something that could be easily done in just two to three days. Even if the teaching had started since the day that Baiyi was summoned, it would have been more than enough to prove her innate aptitude if she could master it.
After all, in accordance to the academy records, after three days, it would be exactly one month since Baiyi's summoning. Being able to learn how to dismantle the enchantment in one month was already sufficient to get her into the Golden Rose class.
But now that Baiyi had announced that he needed only one day... One day? It must be either he was lying or Mia's innate aptitude was exceptionally phenomenal. Then again, come to think of it, Baiyi's confidence along with his fame did not make him seem like a liar. So, did it mean that Mia indeed had a remarkable innate aptitude that no one had discovered yet?
Well, in truth, there was another possibility in that situation— and it was that Soul Armature that was standing right in front of them was actually a supernatural being who had high achievements in formations and barriers. Such a powerful person usually had a unique understanding of barriers and they could teach others in a way that was easy to understand.
All three of the possibilities were instantly taken into account by the President. However, the first and the third possibilities seemed to be a little too far-fetched to be true. How could a liar be able to fool so many Soul Armatures in the academy as well as the people of Arfin city? Then again, how could it be possible for a supernatural being to be willing to partner up with a weak sophomore student?
Could it be that Mia is indeed a closet genius? President Rhansey was still full of doubts. When he was about to open his mouth to say something, Baiyi took the initiative to break the silence and said, "Well? Is this enough to prove her innate aptitude?"
Other than nodding their heads in silence, what else could the three presidents say?
"Excellent! Oh, yeah! On top of that, she will win the first place for the final exam as well. That's right! The first place in the battle arena. I'm sure all of these are enough to prove her strength, right?" Baiyi asked again.
Without a doubt, that remark was not as shocking as the first one. If she could really deal with such a complex and difficult barrier then it was not inconceivable for her to be able to use other powerful spells or tricks to defeat the other students in the arena.
Just like that, after the mindblowing shock, the two parties had reached a simple agreement. The two conditions that Baiyi put forward was extremely reasonable and there was absolutely no reason for the academy to refuse them.
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