Chapter 382 The Demon King’s Weapon
Professor Hector’s work efficiency is much higher than Luo Yan imagined.
Just one day later, teaching assistant Corgi hurried to the Magical Science Laboratory and reported the latest progress to Prince Colin, who was sitting at his desk, reviewing the students' research progress.
"Mentor, there is news from Professor Hector!"
Corgi's tone was filled with excitement. Before His Highness Colin could speak, he continued excitedly.
"Fallowing your instructions, he has already reached an agreement with Master Merck!"
The apprentices around him are accustomed to this.
Although Mr. Corgi is nominally Professor Hector's assistant, they have long regarded him as "one of their own."
Luo Yan put down the report in his hand and raised his eyebrows with interest.
"Oh? What did he say?"
Although he expected that this matter would not be too difficult, he did not expect that it would go so smoothly.
Corgi excitedly recounted the agreement reached between Professor Hector and Merck's mentor, and vividly described the latter's reluctance to part ways with him, and how Professor Hector, who was pressing harder and harder, pried open the mentor's mouth.
When he said this, he paused for a moment and continued in a cautious tone.
“Professor Hector has tried his best, but Sir, this matter still requires your nod after all. Although the Merck instructor agreed to give up the research authority of No. 178 Virtual Realm, he also put forward a proviso.”
"He asked to join you as an observer or participant in your follow-up research on Virtual Realm No. 178..."
When he said this, Corgi couldn't help but add his own opinion at the end.
"Instructor, maybe you think it doesn't matter, but this request is actually a bit presumptuous in the school. Professor Hector didn't remind you maybe because he thought you didn't care, but... I think it's better to let you know."
After a pause, he whispered again.
"In addition, based on my observation of Merck's mentor, if Professor Hector works harder, he should be able to negotiate an agreement without any conditions... You are willing to take over this trouble, which has actually helped him a lot."
Scholars have never been shy about sharing their research results in "Sage".
However, everyone usually keeps secrets about the really key technologies, for fear that their "unique secrets" will be learned by others.
From the standpoint of Professor Hector's teaching assistant, he shouldn't say these unnecessary words to increase the workload of his professor, but he likes this approachable prince very much, and he doesn't want his highness to be plotted by scholars who seem to be aboveboard but are full of evil intentions.
He didn't mind making two extra trips for this purpose.
Although Corgi had a worried expression on his face, Luo Yan didn't care at all.
His real purpose has never been to study magic, but to spread the "corruption" of the Demon King. Naturally, he cannot be afraid of others stealing it.
"No problem, let him do it."
hh With a playful arc at the corner of his mouth, Luo Yan said in a relaxed tone.
「正好我也很好奇，他是怎么把事情搞砸的。」
抄作业都不会抄，这不应该啊。
He thought that this is what the magicians in Xuebang are best at...
Corgi turned around and sent a message.
Ophelia, who has been secretly observing here, finally waited for the opportunity to appear. Recently, her dear Highness seemed to be troubled by trivial matters other than research.
Her respected father often told her that the Castellon family had no worries. If she had to find one, there would be a mountain of gold coins that had no place to waste.
Come on——
Ophelia, this is an opportunity!
Hold "Advanced Mathematics" filled with devil's whispers, she pretended to ask questions and casually walked to the desk, with a charming smile on her elegant and dignified face.
"It seems that the respected tutor has encountered some trouble. Is there anything that Miss Castellon can do for you?"
This sentence comes from "One Hundred Blushing and Heart-Shaking Secret Words in the Boudoir".
Although this book seems to be written for gentlemen, as her father always told her, the descendants of the Castellon family should not be bound by rules and regulations. They should become rule makers, not slaves of dogma.
Ophelia had no doubts about her respected father, especially when her father said exactly what she liked to hear.
For example, she had obviously forgotten at this moment that her father also said not to give up the woods for a leaf. Also, just take what the bard writes as rubbish and don't take it to heart.
"Really? That's great, I just have something to ask Miss Ophia."
Looking at Miss Ophia, whose face was full of expectations, Luo Yan smiled and took a note from the side with math questions prepared in advance written on it.
By the way, this is also the tribute paid by the players for him.
"This is a problem I encountered in my research, please think about it for me."
Looking at the devil's ravings written on the note paper, Ophia's expression changed, her white face was covered with cold sweat, and the corners of her stiff mouth twitched slightly.
"Ha, hehe... This little thing is of course nothing to worry about for this lady. What I mean is... Are there any other troubles? Besides, you can rely on me a little more!"
"Really? That's great."
Saying this, Luo Yan smiled and took out a few more notes with high math questions written on them, and calmly handed them to Ophia's hand.
Ophelia's expression was completely unbearable, she glared at him with tearful eyes, and ran away holding the textbook covered with sticky notes.
Appreciating the fleeing figure, Luo Yan nodded with satisfaction. Looking at the note paper in the drawer, he felt that this thing was much easier to use than magic.
Yuyou's shadow appeared beside him, and he complained softly.
"Master Demon King, Yunyu realizes that you are really bad..."
Picked up the tea cup and took a sip of the warm black tea, Luo Yan thought calmly in his heart.
"Isn't this for her own good?"
Yuyou: "But you say that to everyone..."
Hmm?
Is this such a thing?
…
Time soon reached dusk, but Ophia, the "genius girl" from the Holy City, was still racking her brains for the first question.
Ilana was a little worried about her condition, and even more curious about what kind of problems His Highness Colin had given her, so she asked her if she needed help.
Ophelia was not reserved this time and hugged her thigh decisively.
Since the last time Ilana showed her a hand, she has been impressed by this top student's miraculous mathematical talent.
The two seemed to have become good friends.
Ilana, who got the first question, quickly started to calculate.
Then——
It was no surprise that both of them were stumped by the tongue-twisting math problem.
Luo Yan, who was observing secretly, nodded with satisfaction.
Perfect!
When Luo Yan returned to the dormitory tower after handling the trivial matters in the laboratory, a strange-looking apprentice was waiting under the tower in a dusty atmosphere.
Seeing Tutor Colin's figure, the apprentice's eyes suddenly shone with light. He walked forward in three steps and then excitedly handed over a letter sealed with fire paint.
"Sir! You're back! I was asked to bring you a letter!"
The two metal golems in front of the dormitory tower stared at the apprentice eagerly, obviously not intending to allow him to pass by.
However, the apprentice also realized that he could not enter the professors' dormitory tower, so he chose to wait quietly under the tower.
"Thank you."
Luo Yan took it with a smile, threw a magic stone to the young man as a tip, and went straight back to his dormitory when the latter thanked him with great surprise.
Sitting on a comfortable chair in the study, he opened the envelope and felt a smell of machine oil and metal dust blowing into his face.
The purpose of this letter is to report to you that the magic device that can be called a "work of art" that you previously commissioned from our shop has finally lived up to your expectations after countless days and nights of careful polishing and repeated debugging, and it was completed today.
You can take the time to come to my workshop at any time and personally inspect this outstanding design that you and your apprentices have devoted their efforts to!
Artisan Street, Alberto’s workshop.
Sincerely, Alberto
】
The letter is from Alberto of Artisan Street.
The letter was written in humble and respectful words, informing him that the mysterious "magic device" he had ordered previously had been made and could be picked up at any time.
Obviously, after receiving the order, this ingenious craftsman conducted a "background check" on his generous customer, and relied on his connections in the Tower of the Great Sage to find out what the name Colin meant.
Luo Yan was not surprised that he was curious about his identity, but he was a little bit dumbfounded that the contrast in this gentleman's attitude was so huge.
It seems that he is not as free and easy as he appears on the surface. Although he left Xuebang, the imprint of Xuebang is still deeply engraved in his bones.
While Luo Yan was thinking about his next schedule, a round shadow suddenly poked his head out from under his robe.
The golden vertical pupils were shining with curiosity, and the thumb-thick nostrils were twitching, and he was talking enthusiastically.
"Magic device? What magic device?! Is it a weapon?"
Tuff's voice was full of excitement that could not be hidden.
She used her two small front paws to grab the edge of the table, trying to climb higher so that she could see the contents of the letter clearly.
She has long been fascinated by the legendary craftsman street where magic apprentices often go.
The thought that there might be all kinds of novel gadgets and delicacies she had never tasted before made her little tail tip uncontrollably wagging slightly with excitement.
Mainly food.
Looking at Tafu's pitiful look that was so impatient that she was wagging her tail, Luo Yan smiled and nodded, and said happily.
"Of course, but you have to be obedient and not run around."
"I know, I know," Tafu patted his arm impatiently with her curled tail, "I'm not a child, I don't need you to remind me every time!"
Luo Yan smiled and said nothing.
He has not forgotten the last experience.
This little guy was clamoring to join in the fun in his class before. He thought that many students were curious about his pet, so he took her there.
It was okay at first, this guy was sitting on the climbing frame, scratching his head and playing with his tail. But as soon as he talked about something that she knew a little bit about, this "understanding kid" couldn't sit still. He made a popping sound from his mouth and covered his mouth to enjoy himself.
Although she did not openly cause trouble due to the master's order, the buzzing sound like a fly was really annoying.
Humbling Luo Yan certainly didn't spoil her later, and she became honest with a wave of the magic wand.
A mere baby dragon is not enough to resist the magic of a platinum-level mage.
Of course, afterward, Tuff would not admit to having this memory. Instead, she bit back hard, blaming him for being too sensitive.
Ignoring Tafu's vow, Luo Yan turned his head, looked at the silent figure in the corner of the room and gave instructions.
"Sarah, come with me out at noon tomorrow, remember to keep an eye on this child."
"I'm not a child!" Taff immediately protested.
Sarah, who was standing next to the bookshelf, moved slightly, as gracefully as a cat melting into the shadows, and nodded respectfully to the respected Demon King, ignoring the protesting little female dragon.
“As you command, Your Highness.”
…
At noon the next day, the blizzard that lasted all night stopped for a while, and the long-lost warm sun penetrated the clouds, coating the snowfields covered with snow all year round with a layer of holy gold.
Luo Yan remembered that when he first came here, it was still the coldest time of the year, and spring was coming in the blink of an eye.
Although spring does not mean that the ice and snow melt in the northern wilderness, it can at least reveal some of the beauty of the wilderness from under the ice and snow.
At noon, Luo Yan left the dormitory tower with Sarah and Tafu, and set off on time to the Artisan Street near the Tower of the Great Sage.
Sarah was still wearing the leather armor that made it easier to move around, with a velvet cloak covering it, and she was holding the little female dragon that was twisting restlessly in her arms.
She was half a step behind Luo Yan, like a silent shadow, isolating the crowd of people around her, and at the same time, she was alert to the danger in the shadow.
Today’s streets are far more lively than in the past. It can almost be described as “crowded”. Young apprentices wearing robes of various schools crowded in groups on both sides of the street, making the not-so-wide road even more crowded.
Luo Yan noticed that Sarah was particularly serious today.
It can be seen that even though so much time has passed, this cat is still brooding about its previous mistakes in the Holy City.
However, Luo Yan felt that there was no need for her to be so nervous. There was probably no safer place in the entire Osland than Xuebang.
This is the territory of the mages.
In order to make her relax, he said with a casual smile.
"What's the matter Sarah, you seem surprised?"
"Yes, Your Highness..." Sarah whispered with a hint of hesitation in her voice, "Why are there so many apprentices on this street?"
She remembered that there were usually not so many people.
"In a few days, it will be Xuebang's annual All Souls' Day," Luo Yan smiled and said in a casual tone, "According to tradition, the Tower of the Great Sage will hold a grand 'Maze Trial' for the apprentices. These boys are probably here to purchase equipment."
There are many apprentices in his laboratory who are also preparing for this activity, such as Harder and Bell who are studying "thermobaric explosive bombs". He also encouraged the two of them to try their best to design their own equipment so that the power of the Magic Science Laboratory can be used in the maze trial.
If you don’t have enough funds, you can provide “sponsorship” yourself.
As for Ophia, she also wants to show her skills, but unfortunately she has no talent and is still a rookie in spellcasting and meditation.
The tutors of Xuebang will definitely not let the young ancestor of the Castellon family do such a dangerous thing.
Although it is not a real maze, there is no devil or devil, but it does not mean that there is no danger at all.
"So that's it..." Sarah nodded suddenly, looking around with a rare hint of curiosity.
The same goes for Tuff, who was held in her arms. Her golden vertical pupils could not stop turning, looking at everything around her with interest.
However, rather than being curious about the new things themselves, her interest is mainly focused on the superiority of higher civilizations over lower primitive people.
While passing by a potion shop, her eyes quickly fell on the pot of bubbling green soup behind the window.
Watching the wrinkled old witch throw a whole toad into the crucible, she made a retching expression and complained in dragon language.
"...It's unbelievable that they actually threw a whole toad into the pot with its internal organs and feces, instead of analyzing and purifying the active ingredients. Is this alchemy or making biochemical weapons?"
Before Luo Yan had time to respond to her, her eyes were attracted to a stall in front of the alchemy shop.
I saw that the stall owner was selling a kind of rune stone to the apprentices that could make short-distance calls. It seemed to be used for long-distance communication in the maze.
Him objectively speaking, this thing is actually very useful. All the troops on the front line of the empire are equipping it, but they don’t have much equipment.
But for Tuff, this is obviously a dirty trick.
"Tsk, point-to-point single-channel audio transmission, this thing can actually be sold as a commodity... If I had more friends, wouldn't I have to stuff my crotch with rocks to keep in touch with my friends?"
Listening to her endless criticism, Luo Yan couldn't help but smile in amusement.
He turned his head, looked at the little guy with eyes higher than his head, and asked an interesting question in a casual tone.
"Do you think that when something is invented, does it first serve the interests of the inventor or the user?"
I didn't expect the Demon King to throw this question to himself, but this kind of stupid question obviously cannot trouble Lord Taph from the Zeta Empire.
She answered almost without hesitation.
"Is there any need to ask? Of course it's the user! Otherwise? Tools are created to solve problems!"
The smile on Luo Yan's face became even thicker.
This natural answer is very consistent with the self-identity of "senior worker bees" in an atomized society.
"In terms of results, it is true," he said leisurely, "but if you look at history as a continuously accumulated calculus, you will find that every new thing is actually in the interests of the inventor at the moment of its birth. Only occasionally, the interests of the inventor will overlap with the interests of the user... so the latter has an illusion."
He pointed to the stall selling rune stones not far away.
"Point-to-point dissemination is, of course, to sell more communication stones. The same applies to magic scrolls that expire after one use... Anyway, those magic apprentices have no choice, right?"
h They are all in the huge system of the empire. "
"And the various instructors in the school have no differences on the position of "how to extract the maximum benefit from the apprentices". Those strong people who really have the strength to change this situation will certainly compete with each other, but they will never compete for the interests of the apprentices, but for the virtual realm that the apprentices will never have access to in their lifetime."
“If you think about it from this perspective, don’t all the unreasonable behaviors you see become very reasonable?”
Tuff was stunned for a moment. She had never thought about the problem from this perspective, but her instinct and pride made her immediately retort.
"This is sophistry! They are just the magicians here!"
"This has nothing to do with any argument, but the real world is like this. Do you think it's just that the magicians in Xuebang are not smart enough, and your Zeta Empire is an exception?"
Luo Yan said slowly, with a caring look in his eyes like looking at a child who refuses to admit defeat.
Looking at the little female dragon with wide-eyed eyes, he whispered a real devil's whisper in a normal voice.
"...For example, why does the Zeta Empire castrate all Zetas at the genetic level, so that they lose the right to reproduce naturally? Is it really for the benefit of all Zetas to do this?" "Surplus goods" that cannot be consumed? "
"To put it another way, since you call yourself an empire, the head of state always has it, right? Could it be that he and those who came up with these bad ideas also strictly abide by this rule, instead of enjoying the happiness of the whole family or the happiness of family? Or...are they all just jumped out of the cloning warehouse?"
"If that's the case, I'd like to admire it."
These words were like a poisonous sharp blade, piercing Tafu's vitals accurately.
She broke through her defenses in an instant, almost screaming: "That's enough! You devil! Mind your own business! The Zetas don't need you to worry about!"
She was not defending the head of the empire, but she was really scared.
He really wanted to promise to let the Zetas lay eggs!
This guy is a real devil, and his power to confuse people is too terrifying.
He can always easily find the weakest link in a person's belief, and then cleverly inject the devil's genes into it!
But all this is in the name of justice!
Taph couldn’t help but think of the starship-like "flying boat". Xuebang seemed to have really established some kind of connection with her hometown.
Although she once thought about seizing this opportunity to contact her hometown, report her situation, and even ask her compatriots to find a way to take her back. But when she thought of the unpredictable methods this guy had displayed in Virtual Realm No. 440, she felt shuddering. She was extremely afraid that this guy would follow the clues and interfere in the affairs of her hometown.
It's better not to deal with this group of spiritual lunatics...
Especially when the Zeta Empire's fleet seems unable to physically invade this universe on a large scale, the primitive magicians who are proficient in extraordinary powers seem to be even more unreasonable.
And the most important thing is——
She looked down at her little paws.
She is just a "meat lizard" now, and she really doesn't know how to explain the current situation to her compatriots.
Those guys will not just smile and pass away like the devil.
If the starships of the Zeta Empire really arrive here, in the face of the "meat lizard" industry chain that is so huge that it cannot be measured by economic value, the "dragons" on the entire planet may disappear.
Unconsciously, her interests and personal safety seemed to have been tied to the devil around her...
Looking at the little female dragon in her arms who was in great panic and self-doubt, Luo Yan smiled and decided to let her go for the time being.
His teasing with Taff has always been superficial, and there is no need for a guy who is also a fallen person from the end of the world to continuously break the defense.
He nodded happily and ended the topic gently.
"You are right, that is your own business."
After all, his hands are not that long, and he cannot reach the back of the virtual world.
But if it is possible, that is another matter.
Just like the question he asked Taph at the beginning, whether a matter is related to the Demon King will of course depend on the Demon King's interests.
Different from the surrounding shops that are full of ornate decorations for enchanted weapons and armor, this workshop looks unpretentious and seems not to be participating in the festive atmosphere at all.
I think this is related to the fact that the shop owner has been busy handling a big deal recently.
Luo Yan and his group had just arrived at the entrance of the store when a thin figure immediately came out of the store to greet them.
This person is the shop owner Alberto. He is still wearing the leather apron that is stained with oil. He looks excited and has a trace of unconcealed nervousness, like a nervous student who is about to present his graduation work and wait for the judgment of his tutor.
"Dear Tutor Colin! You are here!"
Alberto stepped forward quickly, bowed deeply to His Highness respectfully, and said with an eager face.
"The work you commissioned has been completed! It is the greatest honor of my life, Alberto, to participate in your genius design!"
"You're welcome, Mr. Alberto, that was just an immature idea of mine, but I would like to thank you for turning it into a reality for me." Luo Yan smiled and nodded, without continuing the greetings, but gave Sarah a look behind him.
Sarah understood, took out a hand from under Tuff's tail, took out a heavy money bag, and shook out seven gold coins in Alberto's hand.
The gold coins made a crisp collision sound in Alberto's rough palm. This pleasant sound made his already excited face even more red.
"Thank you, tutor, for your recognition! It's just..."
Alberto carefully collected the balance, rubbed his hands, and said sheepishly, "The 'work' you ordered is too huge and cannot be fully unfolded in this shop-lined Artisan Street. If we want to get a full view of it, we may have to go to the open snowfield outside the city."
After hearing this, Tuff became more and more expectant, and stretched his neck to look into the store with a look of eagerness.
Looking at the cautious Mr. Alberto, Luo Yan nodded happily.
since this is his means of transportation to the Principality of Campbell, so he naturally has to check it and accept it, so as not to let it slip at a critical moment.
(End of this chapter)