Chapter 377 Functional!

"...I didn't expect to meet you here again, Miss Castellón." Looking at those bright eyes, Luo Yan knew that he couldn't hide, so he sighed and said, "How is your father these days?"

Ophelia smiled and said politely.

"He is still in good health, just like when you left. In addition, he asked me to give his regards to you when I see you, saying that he missed talking to you very much... By the way, I miss your voice and smile every day during your absence."

Well.

Is this how voice, appearance and smile are used?

Luo Yan didn't know which book she learned this from, but he saw Professor Hector next to him who looked like he was going crazy trying to hold back his laughter.

"I am truly sorry. I do not remember ever having made such a deep impression on Miss Castellón—"

"Can you call me Ophelia?"

"…It's not impossible, but——"

"Thanks."

A satisfied smile appeared on Ophelia's face, her long eyelashes were curved like soft crescent moon buds, and her dignified and elegant appearance revealed a rare hint of relaxed playfulness.

Luo Yan didn't know how to respond to this for a moment, so he could only shrug his shoulders and drink tea to cover up his embarrassment.

At this time, Professor Hector, who was sitting behind his desk watching the show, finally couldn't help but let out a gloating chuckle.

"Haha... it's great to be young."

He found the right moment and picked up the teacup. He raised his chin towards the unopened letter on the table and urged jokingly.

"Your Highness, the Duke of Castellón's handwritten letter is still on the table. Would you like to take a look at it first? Don't neglect the Duke's kindness."

Luo Yan glanced at him.

This old guy usually looks serious, but he is actually very sultry inside.

Without saying anything more, he reached out and picked up the letter of recommendation on the table that was stamped with a bronze seahorse emblem in wax. On the way from the Holy City to the northern wasteland, Ophelia kept the letter close to her, and the envelope seemed to still have a trace of the girl's warmth.

Luo Yan opened the sealing wax and unfolded the letter.

The letter was written in a vigorous and powerful handwriting, and it was written by Duke Andre Castellón, who was a powerful figure in the Holy City.

[Her Royal Highness Prince Roxelle Colin:

Long time no see, I wonder if you are doing well recently?

It has been over a month since you left. The people of the Holy City are all grateful for your generosity and kindness, and hope that you can return to this land illuminated by holy light as soon as possible.

I often heard the servants in the manor mention that when His Highness Colin was in the Holy City, it felt like something new was happening every day, making people look forward to the arrival of tomorrow unconsciously.

Please allow me to express my sincerest respect for your contributions to the Holy City and the Empire on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor!

At present, the plan of the Knights Templar is advancing steadily and orderly. We have successively established dozens of ports along the coast of the Janna continent, and the development of the new world is in full swing. Although the only drawback is that Hell seems to have set its sights on that fertile land, and a demon king named Iger is rising on the northern coast. But I believe that in front of the iron hoof of the empire, that little threat is insignificant... It is not worth your worry.

In addition, the Bailu District project, which was led by your distant relative Sir Dantes, is now on the right track.

That knight used debt as the main axis and relied on the power of large landowners to eliminate bankrupt tenants and small landlords. When the large landowners were heavily in debt, he used public opinion, law and debt traps to eliminate the large landowners who had lost the protection of feudal law, and taught the greedy citizens a lesson... This land annexation operation was so smooth and perfect that it really opened my eyes!

At present, the syrup processing base managed by Dantes Group has started construction smoothly, and a new industrial park with high-quality rum as its core industry is rising from the ground in the suburbs of the Holy City. The local residents are also indebted to you. When the syrup from the new world is continuously transported to the Holy City, they will surely be able to live a wealthy life soon.

Another thing that makes me happy is that the Bailu District project has driven the trade volume of the Port of Castellón with a visible trend as you promised! This strategy of using core industries to drive the surrounding areas and carry out intensive production is truly a genius idea! On behalf of the people of the Port of Castellón, I once again express my sincere admiration for your foresight!

In addition, I heard that Your Highness was recently invited to become a mentor at Xuebang and began to explore magic and truth. When I heard the news, I was so surprised that I could hardly believe my ears - I didn't expect that you also have such profound attainments in the field of magic.

Saint Sith, is there anything in this world that you don't know? Please share this favor with the Castellón family!

Haha! That was just a joke, I hope Your Highness doesn't take it to heart. The Castellón family has gained a lot from the Holy Light, I sincerely hope you can restore the glory of the Colin family, and I believe what you said to me, this glory will not be yours alone!

By the way, my little daughter Ophelia has longed for mysterious magic since she was young. It would be great if she could get your personal guidance! I may not be very confident about others, but if it is you, I will be very confident!

I'll leave my daughter to you!

Your most loyal friend,

André, Duke of Castellón

Luo Yan slowly folded the letter, and he understood everything in his mind.

On the surface, this letter was a thank you and a request, but in reality it was a "conspiracy" carefully woven by the Duke of Castellón that was difficult to refuse.

It first used the huge success of the Bailu District project to affirm its contribution to the Holy City and the merits of Sir Dantes. It also subtly pointed out the important role of the Castellón family in the behind-the-scenes links.

Finally, it gets straight to the point with the shortest words, using favors as a promise to bring Ophelia to its presence.

To be honest, what Luo Yan cared about was not the harmless "plan" of the Duke of Castellón, but the "trouble" brought by Ophelia herself.

Her sudden appearance will undoubtedly bring uncontrollable variables to the "Prince Colin" story he carefully woven.

The most taboo thing about having multiple boats at the same time is that all of them appear at the same port. It may seem convenient but it actually causes endless troubles.

This is difficult...

Looking at Prince Colin's "headache" expression of dilemma, Professor Hector felt an unprecedented sense of joy in his heart.

You've got this day too!

Obviously not intending to let His Highness Colin get away with it so easily, he cleared his throat and interjected at the perfect moment, providing an assist for the Duke of Castellón's daughter.

"Your Highness, letters of recommendation are a tradition of our empire. You are a prince of the empire, and the Duke of Castellón is the pillar of the Holy City Senate. Since His Highness thinks highly of you, you should just follow his wishes!"

Using the empire's princess to "check and balance" the empire's prince is like using the empire's spear to poke the empire's shield. Hector stroked his beard and felt that his idea was extremely brilliant.

Ever since this prince entered the Mage Tower, he has been either fleecing him or leading him by the nose, and his momentum has been suppressing him completely.

This time he finally got some relief!

As if she noticed the flash of distress on His Highness Colin's face, Ophelia, who had been observing him quietly, spoke considerately and softly.

"Your Highness, please don't misunderstand me. I am only here to learn magic and have no intention of causing you any trouble. If I can audit your classes, I will be satisfied... If you really don't want to see me, I... can just pretend that I don't exist."

After all, she was a girl from the Castellón family. She vaguely sensed that the relationship between His Highness Colin and Professor Hector was not as harmonious as it seemed.

Although she was happy that Professor Hector spoke for her, she did not want to become a spear in the former's hands.

In contrast, she wanted to be His Highness's shield and make up for his shortcomings... just like her mother silently supported the Duke from behind.

Okay, okay, let’s take a step back to advance, right?

Of course Luo Yan recognized this trick. After all, he had used it many times and it always worked. But he didn't expect that the girl Ophelia had also learned it and used it on him.

I don't know who taught her.

Seeing that Professor Hector's smile was about to burst out, Luo Yan didn't want to let the old man continue to have fun, so he sighed and said.

"How could that be? Ka... Miss Ophelia, even if I can ignore the existence of Professor Hector, I can't ignore the beautiful you."

Ophelia had never expected that His Highness Colin would suddenly say this. Her face turned red instantly, like a hot teapot, as if steam was coming out of it.

Ignoring Professor Hector who was glaring at him, Luo Yan glanced at the time on the wall and stood up from the sofa.

"Come with me, I'll take you to the lab."

Since Miss Castellón is already prepared to "persist", and even seems to have the support of her father, Duke Castellón, if I still deal with it coldly like I did in the Holy City, I'm afraid I'm just entering her comfort zone.

As a devil who doesn't play by the rules, since Miss Ophelia has played the card of retreating to advance, he might as well "press the advantage" a little bit.

No matter what the Duke of Castellón is planning, we must follow the Devil's pace in the Devil's territory!

anyway--

He had to think of a foolproof plan, either to settle Ophelia in Xuebang, or to find some way to make her give up.

In short, he must not let her stay by his side all the time, let alone let her follow him to the future "Principality of Campbell". Otherwise, he really didn't know how to continue writing the story about the "lost prince returning from overseas".

At this moment, Ophelia didn't know how His Highness Colin viewed her, and she thought that His Highness was moved by her sincerity and persistence.

Happiness came so suddenly that she was a little caught off guard for a moment. She subconsciously said "hmm" and hurriedly got up from the sofa.

Unexpectedly, this "unexpected reunion" ended so abruptly, and Hector was very disappointed as he didn't have any fun.

He thought that His Highness Colin would look at him for help after a stomach-ache drama of "you chase me and I chase you".

Then, after repeated refusals, he could say "I really can't do anything about you" and reluctantly accept Ophelia, a talented apprentice, thereby relying on his status as an elder and at the same time doing a favor for the princes and dukes of the empire.

In the end, it had nothing to do with him.

Are you kidding me?!

Luo Yan looked at Professor Hector and nodded, saying a brief "goodbye", then walked towards the office door.

Ophelia also bowed slightly to Professor Hector, then hurriedly followed him into the corridor.

Luo Yan, who was standing in the corridor, paused for two seconds, suddenly thought of something, looked at Ophelia and spoke.

"By the way, from now on, you are my apprentice. At least when we are in the Mage Tower, I hope you will call me mentor like other apprentices... Is that okay?"

"Um."

Ophelia blushed and nodded hurriedly, not realizing that this was the second "hmm" she said in a minute.

…

After leaving Professor Hector's office, Luo Yan took Ophelia and went straight to the elevator, returning to the laboratory.

Ophelia, who followed him, had swept away the reservedness she had in the professor's office before. She was as lively as a lark out of a cage. She chattered non-stop beside him, asked questions about this and that, and was full of curiosity about everything about Xuebang.

"Teacher, I heard from Professor Hector that you are studying 'arithmetic'?"

"I guess so," Luo Yan pulled himself out of his complicated thoughts and answered casually, "Although I don't just study arithmetic, I also teach students other things occasionally."

"Great!" Ophelia was even happier after hearing this, with excitement flashing in her eyes. "Arithmetic is my best subject at the Royal Academy of Art! I can definitely help you!"

Um?

Is this true?

Luo Yan was slightly surprised.

He always thought that Ophelia studied art, and even wondered how this duchess, with her "artistic attainments" of being able to embroider a seahorse into an Alacroix, was able to be admitted to the Imperial Academy of Arts.

It turns out that the Imperial Royal Academy of Arts does not just teach art, it also teaches other things.

As the conversation got more lively, Ophelia slowed down her pace and suddenly asked in a low voice, "Um... Teacher, you didn't lose the amulet I gave you before, did you?"

"Of course," Luo Yan smiled and nodded, answering gentlemanly, "How dare I forget something Miss Ophelia gave me."

He reached into the pocket of his robe and calmly took out the amulet sewn by Ophelia from the storage ring.

Seeing that her amulet was carried by His Highness Colin, a comfortable smile suddenly broke out on Ophelia's face, and a blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Great... The guardian dragon I embroidered for you is still there. It looks like it's protecting you well."

dragon?

Luo Yan was slightly stunned, lowered his head in surprise, and looked at the amulet in his hand again.

He had always thought that the crooked, abstract embroidery on the amulet was the emblem of the House of Castellón - a bronze seahorse.

After all this time, it turns out to be Tafu?

Fortunately, Tafu is not here, otherwise the little brat would definitely have been foul-mouthed again.

"...Teacher?" Looking at the strange expression of His Highness Colin, Ophelia tilted her head in confusion, not understanding what happened to him suddenly.

"nothing."

Luo Yan stuffed the amulet back into his pocket, then looked at the "Magical Science" laboratory in front of him and changed the subject.

"We're here."

…

The door of the laboratory was pushed open, and the heated discussion paused for a moment. Eyes turned to the door, especially to the girl next to His Highness Colin.

"Another one?" Jamie looked at the girl behind the instructor in surprise, his eyes drifting to Ram beside him, "And she's a stranger...Have you seen her in class before?"

Ram shook his head slightly and looked at the girl suspiciously.

"No……"

She always felt that this lady didn't look like a magic apprentice. Her temperament was incompatible with this snowy field. Instead, she was somewhat similar to Ilana.

Could it be that...

Is this person also from the Empire?

Luo Yan clapped his hands, attracting the attention of the busy apprentices, and introduced them with a smile.

"Everyone, this is Miss Ophelia Castellón from the Holy City. From today on, she will join our laboratory as a preparatory student... Everyone welcome her."

Sparse applause broke out subconsciously, but soon slowed down until it finally stopped unconsciously.

Castellón!

This surname, which was well-known throughout the empire, was like a bolt of thunder, instantly shocking all the apprentices of common origin present.

They looked at the legendary Duke's daughter in awe, and for a moment they were at a loss, not even knowing where to put their hands.

To them, the Duke of Blackwood of Longshi City was already a very important figure, but this man's father was much more important than the Duke of Blackwood.

The Duke of the Holy City is on equal footing with the king of a vassal state, and in fact his status is obviously even higher.

Luo Yan took in everyone's reactions and a barely perceptible smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

Although he did not expect other apprentices to exclude Ophelia's bad intentions, if the Duke's daughter could not stay because she "could not fit in with the atmosphere of the Kings of Rolls" and took the initiative to return to the Holy City, it would undoubtedly be a good thing for him.

However, Ophelia's subsequent performance was completely beyond his expectations.

She had no aristocratic airs at all. She first smiled and performed impeccable courtesy to everyone, and then introduced herself in a gentle and appropriate voice.

"Hello everyone, my name is Ophia Castellón, and from today on, I will be your classmate and future colleague."

"To be honest, this is the first time I've come to such a far place, and the first time I've seen such heavy snow and such a tall tower... I was extremely shocked. I didn't expect the world outside the Holy City to be so vast, and I didn't expect to meet all of you talented people in this strange land."

“I hope we can become not only apprentices working and learning together, but also good friends… Please give me more guidance in the future.”

Applause broke out in the laboratory again, and the last applause was much louder than the previous ones. It was applause from the bottom of everyone's hearts.

As a duke's daughter, she was so approachable, which really surprised the Rhodes people present.

Never mind the Duke.

In their hometown, the baron would never even look at them.

After doing all this, Ophelia secretly glanced at His Highness Colin next to her. When she saw the surprised look in his eyes, the corners of her mouth could not help but curl up slightly.

come on--

Ophelia!

Baron Cosia even ate the feces of the lizardmen in order to survive. What does it matter to you to have a good relationship with your classmates?

She was completely unaware of His Highness Colin's evil intentions, and instead regarded this as His Highness Colin's first test of her.

Obviously, he wanted to see if he was qualified to be his assistant.

What she needs to do now is undoubtedly to build good relationships with her future "colleagues", at least not to be spoiled like she was at the Royal College of Art.

Luo Yan would never guess what exactly motivated this young lady.

But to be honest, he was really surprised. It seemed that a lot of changes had taken place in this young lady of the Duke's family in the past three months.

This is a good thing.

Anyway, he had made two preparations. If he couldn't make Miss Ophelia give up, he would find a way to make her stay here.

Just don't let her follow me to the Principality of Campbell.

Luo Yan gave Ophelia an approving look, and after she finished greeting her classmates, he briefly told her about some things in the laboratory.

"You don't have to report here every day. Currently, classes are the main focus."

"Besides, you are three months behind the other apprentices. I don't know what your foundation is like. If you know nothing about magic, then you will probably have a lot of work ahead of you."

"You will help me, right?" Ophelia blinked her clear eyes and looked at him expectantly.

Mr. Luo Yan nodded.

"Of course, if you have any questions, you can always ask me."

The laboratory was bustling with people, and the relaxed and lively atmosphere had returned.

Almost everyone was talking excitedly about the Duke's daughter who had come from afar, and they were all guessing why she came.

Ophelia's story became the focus of discussion in the laboratory for a while, and Ophelia herself was different from ordinary nobles and was happy to see people's discussions.

Of course, it is not ruled out that she regarded this as some kind of "test".

Finally, seeing that the noble lady was so easy to talk to, a brave apprentice mustered up the courage to ask.

"Ms. Castellón... May I ask why you came to Xuebang?"

"Well..."

Ophelia secretly glanced in the direction of His Highness Colin, looking at his profile which was concentrating on the magic book, and smiled and blinked gently.

"secret."

The bright smile instantly made the dull young man blush. He bowed hastily to express his gratitude, then turned and fled back into the chattering crowd.

In this rapidly harmonious atmosphere, only Ilana seemed a little absent-minded.

She was not interested in the gossip in the laboratory, but she wanted to go up to her tutor with her notes and ask him questions several times, but she never found the opportunity.

And now, Mentor Colin was concentrating on flipping through the magic book, and she was not sure whether she should go up and disturb him.

She kept looking in Colin's direction, hoping to meet his gaze. As luck would have it, her burning gaze was seen by the complacent Ophelia.

Although Ilana herself thought that it was a normal look that was eager for knowledge, in the eyes of people who lacked knowledge, that look had a different meaning.

Especially that cold and beautiful face, which added an instinctive alertness to Ophelia's suspicion.

Could this guy also...

Can't it?

That's her mentor.

While thinking this, Ophelia forgot that she had just become Colin's apprentice.

Luo Yan, who was sitting behind the desk, finally noticed Ilana's hesitant look.

In fact, he had noticed it a long time ago, but he didn't want to actively interfere with the apprentices' own research, so he pretended not to see it.

However, with two pairs of eyes scanning him like radars, he could no longer sit still, so he closed the magic book in his hand and walked to the side of the workbench.

"You look like you're troubled by a problem you can't solve. Can you tell me what it is?"

Hearing her mentor's voice, Ilana raised her head sharply, a trace of panic at being disturbed flashed across her face, but more of it was joy of finally getting the chance.

She handed over her notes somewhat embarrassedly, pointed to a page full of densely packed calculations that looked like incomprehensible to outsiders, and spoke softly.

"I, I have indeed encountered a problem that I cannot figure out...Instructor. I was thinking, since there is a way to solve the extreme value of a function, is there a simpler way to solve the extreme value of a 'function of a function'?"

As if she was worried that His Highness Colin would not take this difficult and seemingly unnecessary question seriously, she added another sentence in a low voice.

"Perhaps you will find my idea a little strange, but my intuition tells me that if I can solve this problem, it may be able to help Mr. James Vallee's unfinished project."

In fact, it's not just intuition, but more of her rational judgment.

James Wallace tried to create a system to analyze magic using definite numbers, but lacked a mathematical language to describe the process.

Luo Yan took the notes, his eyes fell on the calculation process, and a hint of real surprise flashed in his eyes.

He didn't expect Ilana to be such a fast learner.

He had just explained the basic concepts of calculus in class, and she not only fully grasped what he had said, but also took the initiative to draw inferences from what he had learned and delved into a field that he had not yet taught and was far more difficult and complex than calculus!

This girl...maybe she's really a genius.

This time I have found a treasure!

"Redundant? Ilana, there is no such thing as 'redundant' in this world. There are only mediocre people who cannot dig out the value behind ordinary things."

There was a barely perceptible hint of joy in Luo Yan's eyes. He put the notes in his hand back on the table, looked at Ilana who had a confused look on her face, and said with appreciation.

"You raised a very good question. Finding the extreme value of a function is another important branch of advanced mathematics."

"I call it - 'Functional'!"

(End of this chapter)