Chapter 76
The main venue of this academic exchange meeting is still in Exxon.
Actually, it is more like a social gathering. Besides being able to meet various big guys that you don't normally meet, the overall atmosphere is very joyful and relaxed.
The younger students just treated it as an outing, while the juniors and seniors who had some experience were busy introducing people and making small talk, preparing for their future jobs after graduation.
What these students talked about most was, of course, the Imperial Institute, which seemed out of their reach. The recent enrollment and the return of the institute's director were both hot topics.
"This is the first time that the graduate school has open enrollment in all these years. Only one senior from our school was selected. How many people from your school were selected?"
"It's very strange. I used some of my family's connections to find out that the enrollment has ended, but the quota has not been filled. There is a vacancy..."
Yael and Adelaide walked through the room in silence, heading straight for a lecture by a famous instructor, and chose seats in the middle of the first few rows.
"Five minutes to go."
Yael glanced at the time and wanted to open his computer to check the messages, but thinking that there were many people talking at this time, he decided to close his eyes and wait for the show to start.
"Hey? The one two rows in front of me seems to be..."
"Is this true?! Holy shit, I actually mumbled?!"
The appearance and name of the S-rank male insect crown are public. All students know about the existence of Yell, but most of them can only watch from afar.
After noticing that he was sitting in the venue, everyone around him fell silent so as not to disturb His Majesty's rest.
"Shut up, stop making noise... Let's sit a few rows back. I can't stop talking and it might disturb His Majesty..."
Instead, Yael twitched his ears uncomfortably, opened his eyes and glanced around the podium.
"Why is it suddenly quiet? Did it start early?"
Thanks to him, Adelaide's ears became much quieter, and the sound he heard became lazy.
"No, you were discovered. All the seats around us are empty."
Before Yael could react, an old but still energetic scholar walked in and looked around the venue.
The seats in the venue were almost all occupied, with a circle of space in the middle, which was particularly eye-catching. When the scholar saw the male insects surrounded in the circle, he paused.
"Classmates..."
He cleared his throat and without wasting any words, he directly opened a suspended light screen in mid-air and began to explain the topic he was going to teach today.
“——”
Not long after the lecture began, the back door of the conference hall slid open silently, and a group of scholars walked in, sat in the back row and began to observe the class.
The leader was the director of the Imperial Research Institute, followed closely by President Norman, and then there were scientific research giants in various fields, most of whom could appear in textbooks.
"I came to observe the class right after the meeting. Is there something urgent that needs to be done?"
After sitting for five minutes, a scholar frowned in confusion, looked at the calm Norman, and asked in a low voice.
But before Norman could open his mouth, a scholar next to him leaned over and whispered to him.
"Haven't you heard? The graduate school has left one spot open for this year's enrollment. No matter how outstanding the student is, they will not accept any more students... There's a hidden story behind this!"
The scholar who asked the question at the beginning looked at Director Mod's focused expression and expressed his confusion.
"But what does this have to do with class observation? In the past, we just had to walk around a few times and there was a formal exchange meeting to be held later, so there was not much time to waste on topic lectures!"
Norman's mouth twitched a little, and he ignored these bugs.
In front of students, they are all respected scholars, but secretly they are like old naughty children. They either nag and act old-fashioned, or they want to comment on everything. It is really... inappropriate.
But besides him, there should be a few other bugs who know the reason behind it——
Why did they stop exploring the outer planets and return to their home planet? Why did they suddenly start recruiting students openly? And why did they rush over to attend the lecture right after the small meeting?
All just to take a look at his former students.
Norman couldn't help but follow Director Mod's line of sight and look at the male insects sitting upright in the front row, and for a moment he felt mixed emotions.
...Who would have thought that the student was His Majesty Yael? This really made things difficult.
"Silent."
There was a whisper in his ear, which greatly affected the viewing experience. Maude frowned and scolded in a low voice.
With a gloomy expression, he looked at the scholar who was speaking passionately on the stage. After a while, he shifted his gaze to the round back of the head in the front row and snorted.
In the middle of the lecture, Yael turned back as if he had sensed something, but the last row was empty, with nothing in it.
Strange, I seemed to hear a familiar voice just now.
*
This exchange meeting will last for a whole day, and each lecture will be condensed to about half an hour, making it convenient for students to quickly understand the latest scientific research results and explore areas of interest.
Yael had already selected the ones he was interested in beforehand, and by the time they finished listening, the half-time break had already begun.
I followed the crowd to an exchange hall and found a seat at a long table to wait for the afternoon session.
Soon volunteers brought fruit plates and snack plates. Yael picked up an apple and took a bite, then discussed the previous topic with Adelaide.
"...I heard that Director Mod from the Imperial Research Institute is also here this time."
Hearing this suddenly, Yael was stunned for a moment, and then he saw Adelaide gestured in front of him.
Sure enough, a group of scholars walked in, and the insect leading them looked very familiar.
"Disperse! Don't crowd! If you have any questions, please ask them at the general meeting later...!"
This textbook-level scholar caused a commotion, but they were quickly dispersed. Director Mod had a dark face throughout and kept this expression as he entered the inner hall.
"He still looks very fierce."
Yael coughed softly and ate the apple in two or three bites. "But it doesn't affect his reputation in the academic world. He is welcomed by many people wherever he goes."
Adelaide glanced at him.
Speaking of popularity, S-rank males are the heavyweights that cause chaos wherever they go.
It was just because he was used to keeping a low profile that the school had done a lot of ideological work in advance, forcibly suppressing the students' curiosity and desire to explore, so that this person could live a dull daily life.
"After all, they are only here for a short while, so there is no need to set rules and restrictions on students in advance. It is normal for them to cause chaos."
Yael took out a tissue and wiped his hands, pretending not to understand what he was saying, "Where were you just talking about..."
He wanted to continue with the previous topic, but he vaguely sensed a pair of eyes examining him, which was particularly obvious among the vague glances.
Although there was no ill intention, Yael still frowned and looked back in the direction of the sight - the inner hall?
Adelaide had already seamlessly taken over the topic, but halfway through her statement, she noticed that the male insect was a little absent-minded, "…What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Maybe it was just an illusion.
Yael retracted his gaze, thought about what the female insect had just said, and continued the discussion from a different angle.
At this time, in the inner hall.
Aiko looked at his mentor strangely, thinking that he was coughing again, and poured a cup of hot water and handed it to him.
"teacher?"
Maude took the water with a sour face and waved his hand to signal him to step back. Then he remembered that he was almost caught peeping just now, and his face darkened again.
"Little bastard, you've become so sensitive after just one level up... By the way, did you bring those things with you?"
He mumbled a few words and asked Eco evasively. Only after hearing the affirmative answer did his expression look a little better.
"Teacher, that quota..."
Echo said with some embarrassment, "I will be going back to explore other planets soon. This exchange meeting may be my last chance. Do you want me to go and test the waters first?"
Maud's eyes glared and he looked like he was going to get angry, but he finally held back and thought for a long time with a sullen face. He waved his hand in annoyance and said, "Let's wait and see. There's still time!"
"Well, you take a good rest, I'll go get some information first."
Aiko sighed silently, said something briefly, and quickly walked out of the inner hall through the side door.
…
Students around me came and went, and many sat down to discuss the lecture content in a low voice, but they basically stayed close to each other, sitting two or three seats apart to rest.
"Why is the snack plate in front of you... so high?"
Adelaide caught a glimpse of something on the table, and suddenly his eyes fixed.
There were originally only a few snacks placed on the snack plate as decoration, but the small plate in front of the male insect was filled with snacks as high as a mountain, many of which were even brand-name items.
"I don't know. Was it specially delivered by volunteers?"
Yael looked confused. After comparing his position with other insects, he suddenly felt that he was conspicuous. Those who knew him thought he was attending an academic exchange meeting, while those who didn't thought he was receiving new supplies.
His face was solemn. He grabbed a handful of snacks from the mountain and put them in his pocket. He also gave two handfuls to Adelaide. Only then did the small plate look normal again.
"...We can actually switch positions."
The pockets on both sides of the white coat were stuffed and looked a little funny. Adelaide was silent for a moment and suggested helplessly.
"I'm tired and don't want to go."
Yael leaned back in his chair, picked up a piece of chocolate from the plate, opened the wrapper and put it in his mouth, frowning at the sweetness.
But this smell is quite familiar...
Before he could remember where this familiar feeling came from, he saw a figure hurriedly walking by out of the corner of his eye. The familiar freckles and thick-soled glasses made Yael suddenly stunned.
"I'm going to leave for a while."
Without thinking too much, he hurriedly said goodbye to Adelaide, followed the figure out, and walked out to the corridor on the side of the conference hall.
"Senior brother?"
Hearing the voice behind him, Aiko stopped moving, pushed his glasses, turned around, and smiled, "Long time no see, little brother."
"…Long time no see."
Yael didn't know why he chased after her. Perhaps his subconscious still had some memories in his mind.
I couldn't help but want to know some recent news about my senior brothers and sisters who were doing research with me, and Professor Mod.
He was silent for a while, but finally took the initiative to speak and briefly asked about the latest situation.
"Everything is fine, except that Master Mod insisted on collecting a certain mineral and nearly had his leg bitten off by a nearby alien beast. Luckily, he was saved."
"But the experiment was very successful... It was a very novel project and everyone was very interested. It would have been great if I was there at the time."
Aiko looked at the stunned Yael, and the smile in his eyes deepened.
He deliberately played a trick, and then started his familiar nostalgic rhetoric. After a while of deception, he saw that the male insect opposite him looked shaken.
"We don't know the details of what happened back then, and we shouldn't have asked too much. Although it's been a long time, you may not need to ask now--"
Eco suddenly sighed, stopped speaking those words, and his expression softened.
"But I still want to say that no matter what difficulties you have, you can seek help from us. This is not only what I and other insects mean, but also what the teacher means."
Yael's pupils shrank slightly, the hands hanging at his sides trembled for a moment, and he subconsciously clenched them into fists.
The light in the side corridor was a little dim, and only the area near the exit was brightly lit.
The young female insect was leaning against the wall. She looked inconspicuous, but her temperament was very gentle and elegant.
When he was in the laboratory, it was Eco who helped him adapt and integrate into the environment. When he said goodbye in a hurry, he not only sent an email to Professor Mod, but also sent another one to Eco.
"I know...I'm sorry."
Thinking of that long and sincere reply, Yael's eyes became slightly hot. He took a deep breath and his voice became a little hoarse.
"It was really too sudden at the time. I had an emotional breakdown and ran away without being able to handle anything. I'm sorry to have caused you to worry."
"I'm fine. What I'm most worried about is the teacher."
If you don't sell it now, when will you sell it?
Aiko rolled his glasses and smiled as he exposed his teacher's true colors. Since he had done so many things, he should stop hiding them. Otherwise, how could he win back the students' hearts?
"You had the accident in the middle of the night. After being woken up, the teacher rushed directly to the operating room and stayed outside for the whole night. He was not relieved until he was sure that you were safe."
It is widely acknowledged that Director Mod has a bad temper and a bad face. He always looks fierce, but when the experiment encounters various setbacks, he is an extremely strong and calm backbone.
That night, it was the first time he saw the teacher in a state of confusion. He frantically pulled this nurse and that doctor to inquire about the situation. After signing the critical illness notice, his face turned almost pale. He paced back and forth anxiously outside the operating room for most of the night, his hands shaking uncontrollably.
Yael looked at Aiko in a daze, apparently hearing these things for the first time.
At that time, he was in a coma for three days before waking up. In fact, his physical injuries had healed long ago, but he was still mentally tired and unwilling to wake up, lying in bed in a daze all day long.
However, he didn't know that there was an old man who had been running around for him and blaming himself, but after he woke up, he quietly hid behind the scenes, for fear of irritating him again, and only dared to observe secretly.
"You didn't take good care of yourself after your illness, and you left just two days after you woke up. Your teacher was furious when he received the email and your application for leave of absence, but he still went to Starport to see you off that day."
Aiko also went there that day.
The male insect sitting on the waiting bench was wearing a black windbreaker. He was originally thin, and the wind made him look even more emaciated. His face looked pale and tired under his messy hair.
Those humble, gentle, intelligent and sharp appearances disappeared like bubbles because they had lost the flesh and blood inside, leaving only a emaciated silhouette.
He didn't bring any luggage, as if he was going out for a while, and he casually carried an empty bag... He looked very uneasy.
Yael was silent for a while, "You guys are also on the starship?"
"Not really."
Eco laughed and told him what happened next.
"I originally thought that since you were a male insect, you would have food and shelter no matter where you went, so I didn't need to worry too much... but then I found out that you went to Etal, a rubbish planet that couldn't be any more remote."
What kind of welfare system can there be on a garbage planet? It would be even more dangerous for male insects to go there. They just felt relieved but their worries were immediately raised again.
"Didn't you apply for a job at the library at that time? The teacher used some tricks to get connections there and bought a house for you under the pretext of employee benefits."
No wonder.
He was puzzled at the time that this seemingly impoverished library actually had spare money to allocate employee benefits, allowing employees to live there for a long time without having to pay rent.
It turns out that behind every good fortune, there is a heart full of worries.
“…”
No one spoke for a moment. Yael took a deep breath and for a moment he didn't know what expression to use to face Eco.
On the contrary, the female insect on the opposite side had an expression of enjoying the fun.
"Hey, how did the teacher reply to your email? Did he scold you or something? I'm so curious!"
Yael coughed awkwardly, "Well, there's been no reply yet. I thought the teacher was so angry that he destroyed the email."
So he still doesn't know what happened to his academic status. Did he take a leave of absence normally, or was it shelved for a long time and became a mess?
"Don't worry, the teacher probably doesn't know how to reply you, he didn't mean to not reply."
He recalled that occasionally when he left the laboratory and passed by the office with the light still on, he could see through the crack of the door that the teacher was looking through a report on Yael's recent situation with a gloomy expression.
That unreplied email has actually been read over and over again, and perhaps various excuses have been considered, but after such a long time, it is still a blank that has not been read and replied to.
In addition to anger, pain and self-blame, there must be a lot of reluctance.
That dazzling and proud student did not grow up healthily and died in such a tragic way. I don’t know if there is any hope for him to rise again. For a teacher, it is a longer-lasting sense of guilt and pain.
"Don't be fooled by the teacher's fierce and cold appearance. In fact, he has always been thinking about you. Although he is recruiting fresh blood as usual this time, he has reserved a place for you."
But Yael didn't show up at all, and the teacher was very upset.
"I... don't know if I can adapt. I feel like if anything else happens, it will be a huge burden on the institute."
Yael's Adam's apple rolled for a moment, and he whispered with some difficulty.
This has always been his concern. Fortunately, the project had been completed at that time and there were no delays.
And now, no matter what, he has been gone for so long, it is impossible not to be out of touch.
Aiko was stunned for a moment, not expecting that he was concerned about these things, and shrugged his shoulders in a light voice.
"Relax, no one can predict what will happen. It is already a great achievement to be able to grasp the present moment and see clearly the path to take this step and the path to take next."
He didn't take Yael's concerns seriously. There was still plenty of time, right?
To put it bluntly, we are all going to die anyway, so at least do what you want before you die.
"Besides, isn't there the Marshal? With him watching over us, he will definitely not let anything happen to Junior Brother so easily."
Yael blinked slowly, realizing that he had reached a dead end and that he could just turn the corner.
"good."
He smiled suddenly, his brows relaxed a little, "Then I'll try again... I hope the admissions criteria this year won't be too strict."
Although Eco said that there was always a vacancy reserved, it was impossible to let him go back directly. He had to face various assessments and reach the passing line.
He had already experienced how strict and picky Professor Mod was when he was still in graduate school.
"Then remember to tell your teacher that you will not be the middleman anymore."
Seeing that the goal had been achieved, Aiko relaxed a little, and smilingly took a handful of candy from his pocket and gave it to him as a small gift for their long-awaited reunion.
"I'm leaving now. There will be a big lecture later, and the teacher will give a speech and answer questions. You can go find the teacher after it's over."
Yael nodded, and watched him turn and leave. Then he belatedly looked at the candy in his palm.
If he was not mistaken, it was the same brand as the one on the snack plate just now.
…
The exchange meeting was held in the evening. All the qualified tutors and students gathered together and went through the process step by step. The last step was asking questions.
At the beginning, the atmosphere was very lively, with students and tutors competing to ask questions, but after one or two hours, the number of questions gradually decreased.
Until the entire conference hall fell into silence, Maude turned up the volume of the loudspeaker and asked the question twice in a row.
"No bugs, is that a problem?"
A few students stood up again, but because the questions were relatively simple, they only answered one or two sentences before the meeting ended.
Maud looked around the venue, his face gradually becoming grim, and he repeated with a straight face, "Is there any problem with the bugs?"
Not only were the students at the table confused, even the instructors were whispering to each other, clearly not knowing what the situation was.
Only Norman sighed slightly and decided to wait for a minute before going to rescue if there was still no response.
"I have a question."
A clear voice rang out, breaking the awkward stare, and countless eyes and consciousness looked towards the place where the voice came from.
Yael sighed lightly, put the miniature speaker attached to his seat behind his ear, and stood up in full view of everyone.
Ignoring the surprised looks from Adelaide and the other students, he raised his eyes, met Maud's scrutinizing gaze, and chuckled.
"I would like to ask, is the Imperial Institute still recruiting students?"
The students around were all stunned, obviously not knowing what was happening before their eyes.
But whether it was Director Mod or His Majesty Yael, they were not people they could afford to offend. After looking around, they lowered their heads and began to scream in the forum, trying to find someone who knew the situation and understand the situation.
[What's going on? The graduate school has already closed its enrollment. Your Majesty, are you trying to squeeze in...? ]
[Uh, this doesn't feel right. Your Majesty can go anywhere he wants with his status. Why do you ask this question now? Is there any special reason behind it?]
[Director Mod doesn't look too happy... He won't even give face to an S-rank male insect, will he? If the two of you start a fight, will this school still be able to exist?! (Scared)]
Eco, who was standing backstage, watched the scene with a smile on his face. He was obviously pleased with the scene. He caught a glimpse of his teacher's gloomy face and sighed.
...Being arrogant is not popular nowadays, so don't scare your junior brother who has finally taken a step forward back.
The insect standing under the spotlight remains the same as always, with its back straight and eyes clear, and its attitude is never humble or arrogant, and this does not change regardless of its rank.
Maud met Yael's gaze, his face dark and he remained silent for a while. The last bit of awkwardness in his heart also quietly dissipated, and he said in a deep voice, "Recruit."
A lot of crying.
Yael breathed a sigh of relief and wanted to say thank you and sit down without making a big deal out of it.
But Maud cleared his throat and explained to the confused insects in a deep voice:
"Let me introduce you to the proudest student I've ever had, Yael."
His voice suppressed the whispers in the conference hall, reverberating in the empty place and even causing a small echo.
Yael's pupils shrank slightly and he stood there in a daze for a moment.
The proudest...student?
Aiko was also stunned, then pushed his glasses happily.
The teacher is quite good at talking. I don't have to worry now.
But Director Mod's sentimentality apparently lasted only a second. The next moment, his face turned black and he started swearing.
"As for why it was once, you know it very well!"
"I'll transfer the project you're in charge of to your senior brother. Once you pass the assessment, you can go do chores for him. I'll upgrade you when I'm in a better mood. Really...!"
He frowned and banged the table loudly, obviously he had been dissatisfied with this for a long time. However, in the eyes of those who knew him well, he was not angry but seemed embarrassed.
But how will this end?
Norman sighed, having totally not expected this direction.
Yael looked somewhat helpless, and said softly, "Yes, teacher."
He stood under the bright lights, and suddenly felt a little dazed for a moment, as if the gears of fate were meshing precisely in an invisible way, slowly putting everything back on track.
And the unknown future is approaching irreversibly.
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