Chapter 86: The Protagonist of a Shonen Manga

Chu Mengfu remained silent for a moment.

"What about those who didn't graduate or were eliminated?" she said softly.

What will happen to them?

Chu Mengfu stopped looking at Yan Shi and instead focused his gaze on the ground, as if searching for an answer.

Less than 20% of students from the Jameel Coast region graduate.

The official graduation rate at Jamyang Kyi University is around 65%.

The gap between them is like a high wall that can never be crossed.

Yan Shi: "This means they are not suitable for this place."

"The Inner World is cruel. If they can't even graduate from Zhan Zhou on their own, they'll have a hard time surviving in the Inner World."

“That’s how the Otherworld is.” Yan Shi calmly stated the facts. “Your abilities are more than enough to graduate, and you can even compete for an outstanding graduate position.”

Why do we keep getting ourselves stuck in the mire while blaming the world for having mire too?

She tilted her head, her eyes filled with only indifference.

"You're not suited for the Otherworld either."

Chu Mengfu gritted his teeth: "You don't understand at all!"

Yan Shi said matter-of-factly, "Why should I understand you? I'm not stuck in a quagmire, and there's nothing I can't do if I want to."

It's always been like this, from childhood to adulthood.

Yan Shi never stops because of other people's plight, nor does he get himself into a worse predicament.

Yan Shi will always be just Yan Shi.

Chu Mengfu: "But I belong to them."

"In any case, I will never be able to escape the fact that I was born in the surface world."

Yan Shi realized that he really didn't understand Chu Mengfu's thought process: "If you are strong enough, no label can define you."

A silence fell over the library, broken only by the gentle ticking of the clock on the wall.

After a long pause, Yan Shi spoke again: "That's all I have to say."

"Furthermore, Chu Mengfu, I am not your counselor. What kind of mentality do you have when you question me?"

Do I look that easy to talk to?

Chu Mengfu abruptly stood up from the floor, angrily shoved the book back onto the shelf, and stormed out of the reading room.

Yan Shi shrugged, turned his attention back to the bookshelf, and continued to flip through the records of the Bureau of Foreign Affairs in chronological order.

The sign at the entrance reads "World History and Legends," and correspondingly, all the records on this bookshelf begin after the headquarters relocated.

That is, starting from March 14, 7296 in the world calendar.

But what's strange is that the book has a complete list of people who recorded things, including names that Yan Shi knew and didn't know, but it completely lacks the work notes of each bureau.

The relocation of the General Administration was a decision made by Director Shan, which is reasonable. The General Administration had only been relocated for a few months, so Director Shan was certainly not in a state of resignation.

Furthermore, the last page of the grandmother's work journal that I got from Kirina was about events after Hikotoki was born.

Yan Shi was born in the year 7294 of the world calendar, so theoretically there should be no record of any single game.

Yan Shi picked up the next World Calendar 7297.2.14, flipped through it casually, and then his gaze paused.

[Dan Ju resigned today.]

During his 39-year tenure, he oversaw reforms to the Bureau of Extraterritorial Affairs, established branches in several non-human territories, and peacefully resolved numerous inter-racial conflicts.

An era has passed.

The director's departure was hasty, and the next director has not yet been decided. It is unknown how the Tianming Station will handle the situation.

I have a feeling that a storm is brewing.

Record: Execution Department - Sheng Chunqiu

Yan Shi's fingertips tightened slightly, and the grip on the book pages unconsciously increased.

It turns out that Shan Ju resigned around this time.

This timing is far too delicate.

This was the second day after Zhan Zhou moved to the world of the table.

Instead of searching for information everywhere, it's better to take the initiative and ask someone directly.

For example, Ji Pucun, the director of the Teachers' Committee, is quite good.

Yan Shi wrote down the contents of this page, slowly closed the book, and made a happy decision.

She was about to cast a spell to tear open a spatial rift when she suddenly remembered Lu Jian's message:

'Don't attack the barrier.'

Okay.

Considering that Zhan Zhou's barrier was broken, she would definitely have to work overtime, Yan Shi sighed, took out her phone and sent a message to Lu Jian first.

[Yanlan: Where can I buy transportation for Zhan Zhou's trip?]

Then find Ji Pucun in the drop-down list.

[Yanlan: Director, where are you now?]

Meanwhile, Lu Jian and Ji Pucun, having received Yan Lan's message: ...

Although they were not in the same place, both of them felt a tightness in their chests.

Lu Jian: Director Yan, could you please find another sister?

Ji Pucun: I really want to fight Lu Jian offline.

Yanlan and her colleagues got into a fight and broke through the Zhanzhou floating island.

Lu Jian was staring at the proposal about security propaganda in the inner world that was being rewritten on the table, while also looking at the series of deadly messages that Ji Pucun had sent him.

I even wondered if I had stayed up late working overtime last night and was now dreaming.

After Ji Pucun sent the message, another call came in: "Lu Jian."

Her voice was filled with suppressed anger: "Tell me, do you think my life is too peaceful, so you want to surprise me?"

Lu Jian leaned back in his chair, expressionless: "How could that be? You didn't do anything to her, did you?"

Ji Pucun: "Yanlan is in the right and has already left."

"Everyone says Yanlan is in the right, so why are you angry?" Lu Jian asked, feigning confusion. "I haven't even confronted you about making her suffer."

Ji Pucun took a deep breath: "What grievance did she suffer?"

It was clearly Ji Pu who saved her.

An unexpected story fell from the sky.

It was indeed wrong of Ao Wei and Sharp to attack Yan Lan, but Yan Lan had no intention of explaining herself to anyone and started a fight at the slightest disagreement.

In this case, the three parties involved either paid compensation, apologized, or simply left.

And they all have some powerful backers.

Even though Ji Pucun was angry, he had no way to vent it.

“Then tell me the truth,” she changed the subject, her tone tinged with a hint of probing, “What’s Yanlan’s background?”

Lu Jian remained vague as always: "I'm still working here, so it's really inconvenient to say."

Ji Pucun snorted coldly and hung up the phone.

Now the little rascal has come knocking again, asking for directions and where to buy transportation for his trip to Zhanzhou. It's clear he has no intention of staying put in Zhanzhou.

Lu Jian rubbed his temples, silently repeating to himself, "This is Director Yan's sister, this is Director Yan's sister..."

After recalling the photos of Director Yan razing Lingkong City to the ground, I felt a sudden sense of peace.

[Lu Jian: If you need it, I can have the director of the Zhanzhou Teachers' Committee get it for you?]

[Yanlan: 1. I need to talk to her about something, let's get it together.]

Need help? Consult Ji Pucun.

Although he didn't know what it was about, Lu Jian felt a little schadenfreude.

Yanlan was able to fight his colleagues and crack the floating island, so his strength should not be underestimated.

And she was no pushover, something Lu Jian knew all too well.

But now, this mess isn't hers to deal with. Thinking of this, Lu Jian's lips curled up slightly, and she felt surprisingly pleased.

However, this joy only lasted for a moment. Lu Jian looked down at the revised proposal for the safety of the inner world in his hand, and his mood instantly returned to square one.

She sighed and continued rewriting what she considered a completely unnecessary underground security propaganda piece.

Compared to Lu Jian, Ji Pucun had a much more troublesome life.

Because of the crack in the floating island, she had just contacted the alchemist who was repairing it and the necessary repair materials. Yanlan wondered what he needed to talk to her about now.

To be fair, Ji Pucun had no problem with Yanlan.

But now, whenever Ji Pucun sees her, he is reminded of the three huge cracks near the laboratory building.

She felt sorry for Zhan Zhou's floating island.

Fortunately, Yanlan is relatively easy to communicate with and doesn't resort to unreasonable behavior.

Although Lu Jian remained vague and refused to give a direct answer regarding Yan Lan's background, Ji Pucun already had the answer.

It's likely that he is a relative of Director Yan, who is currently on duty at the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs.

And they're the kind of people you're extremely close to.

Ji Pucun's heart sank slightly.

The current director of the Bureau of Foreign Affairs is Director Yan.

He hasn't taken many actions since taking office, but when he does, it's swift and decisive, wiping things out in one fell swoop.

In terms of current achievements, she has already surpassed the three short-term bureau chiefs before her.

Their strength is unfathomable, and they place great emphasis on fairness.

Nobody knows where the Destiny Platform came from.

Many factions are observing how Yanju handles the aftermath of the Ju'e Plain incident, and will then weigh whether to take sides based on his next move.

Zhan Zhou's outstanding graduates are almost all selected for positions in the Bureau of Foreign Affairs. Of course, Zhan Zhou needs to pay close attention to Director Yan's attitude.

[Ji Pucun: I'm in the small building. Follow the path from the entrance of the teachers' apartments straight to a garden; it's right next to you.]

[Yanlan: I'm coming over now.]

Having received a satisfactory answer, Yan Shi left the reading room in a good mood.

---

Chu Mengfu had just stepped out of the reading room when he noticed a person standing in the shadows by the door, seemingly about to swipe their card to enter.

It was already late, and the light in the corridor was soft and dim, emitting a yellowish hue that made the walls on both sides seem to be covered with a hazy halo.

Chu Mengfu narrowed his eyes slightly, trying to see the person's face clearly.

Her brow furrowed, and her voice trembled with anxiety: "Who is it?"

As she finished speaking, the figure at the doorway stirred slightly and stepped out of the shadows.

The warm orange light shone on the person's equally warm orange hair, illuminating her eyebrows and eyes.

“Senior Sister Chu,” Lin Cai called out calmly, then gave a big smile, “What a coincidence.”

Looking at Lin Cai's smile, Chu Mengfu softened his tone slightly: "Lin Cai? What are you doing here so late?"

Lin Cai lowered her eyes slightly, the soft light of the library casting a long, thin shadow on her: "I wanted to learn more about the Otherworld before classes started."

“I come from the world of the surface,” she said, sticking out her tongue as if she didn’t know what she had done wrong: “I feel like I don’t know anything.”

Upon hearing this, Chu Mengfu slightly turned his head, his gaze passing through Lin Cai and landing on a dimly lit corner in the distance.

She smiled slightly, her tone carrying a hint of concern: "There's no rush, go back and rest early."

As he spoke, Chu Mengfu glanced casually at the reading room they had just left, his gaze lingering on the door for a moment before turning around and saying, "Let's go, I'll go back to the dormitory with you."

Lin Cai nodded, a relaxed smile on her face: "Okay, I'll come again tomorrow!"

The two walked toward the elevator, Lin Cai's steps light and quick.

As the elevator doors slowly closed, Lin Cai's gaze involuntarily lingered on the door of the reading room for World History and Mythology in the distance, and a deep sigh escaped her lips.

Lanlan.

Chu Mengfu noticed her gaze and followed it, asking, "What's wrong?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Cai withdrew her gaze and forced a smile as if nothing had happened: "I think the paintings hanging in the corridor are quite special, and I'd like to take another look."

Chu Mengfu casually explained, "Yes, each painting corresponds to the location of a secret entrance to that reading room."

"If you have time, you can come and look for it. The painting is still on the door, which means the secret realm has not yet been discovered. It is changed every year, and the rewards are quite generous."

Lin Cai's face showed interest, and she nodded slightly: "Did you find it too, senior?"

"Some." Chu Mengfu was unwilling to elaborate on this, and changed the subject: "How was your match today?"

Lin Cai smiled brightly: "Not bad?"

"After winning three games, no one came up."

Chu Mengfu: ?

She was startled and asked incredulously, "You won?"

Author's Note: Chu Mengfu: I know nothing about the protagonists of shonen manga.

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