College (3)

Opide tapped the table with his finger.

"Professor and President Nan Lord"

Orbid looked at the potion professor Ophira and said, "Yes, I'm listening."

"Then regarding the special training program for combat wizards, as explained earlier, first of all, is there anyone who has waived his rights?"

None of the 11 professors of military theory and magic present, including himself, raised their hands.

"Okay, then those who vote in favor please raise your hands."

Seven professors raised their hands.

Oubide nodded. "Okay, then the diversion will be officially implemented in two weeks, with the 836th class as the experimental subjects. I will have someone draw up a research project plan within these two weeks."

Potions Professor Ophira pushed up her glasses. She was one of the people who didn't raise her hand. "Sir, I would like to ask you one more question. It's not like we haven't tried to train combat wizards before, but they all ended in failure. How will you carry out this project?"

Orbid seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. He said leisurely, "I have been considering this project since the war. I have been collecting data in the past two years. I found that the difficulty in training combat wizards is mainly due to the limited strategic application of magic formulas. How to flexibly use the existing fixed magic formulas to play a key role in the war is our priority research topic."

He paused and pressed his index finger on the table. "It was a student who reminded me of this. If you don't know how to use magic strategically, then there is no way to talk about training programs. So my idea is to first conduct research on the strategic application of magic formulas, and then use this as a basis to train strategic wizards."

Ophira seemed to accept this, and she asked again: "Is the student you are talking about the first candidate you mentioned just now?"

"Inger Nyka."

Another professor who specializes in military case studies also said: "According to your retelling, Mr. President, what he said does not sound like something a student would say."

Opide smiled, crossed his fingers, and placed them on his chin. He said slowly, "This guy has made amazing achievements in military theory. He has a strong memory and can accurately remember and summarize events and characters, identify key points in wars, and arrange strategies according to local conditions. He has a strong sense of the overall situation, is meticulous, knows when to advance and retreat, and is very good at deploying troops. He also studied magic under Archbishop Bixi, and seems to have some understanding of it. He will be one of the most suitable candidates for this project."

Ophira asked: "So are we looking for candidates based on this standard?"

Orbid: "First we observe, then we test the magic power and control ability, as well as the direction of students' aspirations when we sort them out. After sorting, we spend time selecting. We adhere to the principle of better lack than excess. We screen based on the dual standards of magical talent and military theory ability. When there are recommenders, we will first ask the students, and then submit them to me. I will screen again to decide whether to include them in the project."

At this point, Oubide remembered something and added: "This project is a professor and his students conducting research, but I think the students' opinions are equally important. Students often look at problems from a different perspective than we old-fashioned people. Maybe some inspiration will pop up. We should give students space to conduct research freely."

Several people nodded in agreement.

Inger, who was selected, is currently auditing the second-year magic principles class.

If he knew that what he said had made the principal target him directly, he would definitely regret it and take back his words.

Inger had an extremely fulfilling time in the first two weeks back at school.

In the mornings and afternoons, in addition to the first-year required courses, he also audited some political: situation: situation classes, magic principles classes, and military theory classes. They were all second- and third-year courses.

The Principles of Magic class was mainly theoretical, but the effect of his actual class was not as effective as his own experimental research at home and consulting Bi Xi, so he disappeared after listening once.

He actually listened with great interest to the political situation and military theories.

Except that some professors liked to ask him, an uninvited guest, to answer questions, everything else was fine.

Whenever he had free time after class, he would go to the library and stuff useful books into his head one by one. He thought that keeping them might come in handy at some point.

When he returned home at night, he would practice magic formulas on his own and accept Bixi's guidance. After Bixi left, he would also try various magic in the other two languages ​​on his own.

He has recently taken to eating in the school cafeteria.

He found a secluded place to sit, and the waiter brought him grilled tender chicken breast, fried silverback fish, fruit salad, and a glass of ice-cold white wine.

At home, because of the loss of his sense of taste and the need to recuperate, everything he ate brought him pain.

But after returning to school, his sense of taste had recovered, and he was no longer affected by the ban on ice, alcohol and oil at home, so he could finally enjoy delicious food.

He smiled as he cut open the chicken breast. Hot oil oozed out from beside the silver knife, carrying with it the wonderful aroma of egg white and fat.

He was just about to put it in his mouth.

Two people sat down in front of him with their food trays.

"Why are you sitting so far away? I've been looking for you for a long time."

"You're quite good at ordering food. I've never had this before. I'll go order another portion to try."

Of course it’s the Stella siblings.

Inger put down his fork, his appetite instantly gone.

He was already trying hard enough to avoid them, why did he come over?

[Where is Alex? Why doesn't he take these two away?]

During this time, he hadn't seen Alex and didn't know what he was doing.

【Go back and ask the housekeeper. 】

"Hey! Did you hear that the triage test will start in the next class?"

Wu Rui took out a handkerchief to wipe the oil off the corners of his sister's mouth, "Xie Li, you are a lady after all, don't chew while talking."

Inger took a sip of his wine indifferently.

[You went to the knight class, and I went to the magic class, clean. ]

Cheryl whispered excitedly again, "I just heard from Class 3 that the principal seems to be planning a special research project."

Inger thought of the training program for combat wizards. In fact, in the comics, Principal Orbid's plan ended in failure because in the end, the group of wizards he trained were unable to go to the battlefield for various reasons.

There are no wizards in Alex's team because most of the wizards' magic is auxiliary and healing, and their levels are not very high.

In the Qune Empire, only three archbishops of the Goddess Church are level 8 great wizards. One focuses on purification and healing, one focuses on defense and is in charge of the imperial capital's defense system and cannot leave, and the other is researching civilian general magic.

In addition, most of the senior wizards entered research institutes and academies and had little interest in actual combat.

Inger had the same idea as them: why would he work outside when he could work in an office?

What's more, the war is about to begin, and wizards running to the battlefield is basically tantamount to suicide.

He took another sip of his wine, but suddenly he shuddered.

[Is the wine too cold? ]

Uri looked at Inger's lack of interest and suddenly said with a smile, "I think he is likely to be selected."

Inger quickly retorted, "No way, I don't want it."

Cheryl laughed at him: "Hahahaha you rejected it so quickly!"

Inger didn't know what made her laugh. This was a matter of life and death for him, so he couldn't laugh at all and felt his stomach aching again.

[I will have to be more low-key in the future...]

Wu Rui thought for a moment and said, "I remember it was in the training room, the 836th class was conducting a unified triage test."

"Fill in your application first, then wizards will undergo magic power tests and magic formula drawing tests, and knights will undergo physical fitness tests and actual combat training."

The people sitting at the next table heard this and couldn't help but say, "What the hell, do you think we've learned it? Why are you testing us before we teach us?"

Cheryl shrugged, "That only proves that you have no power."

The man knew Cheryl's background, but he was not bothered. He smiled and said sarcastically, "Stella's family education is good, but no matter how hard you try, you can't compare to your eldest brother!"

Cheryl grinned, and in an instant, a silver knife was half-engraved into the marble at the man's feet.

The man broke out in a cold sweat and quickly packed up his things and ran away.

Wu Rui laughed and said, "Why would you bother with such a person?"

Cheryl: "That's why you get bullied all the time! I won't do that!"

Inger looked at the brother and sister and remembered their family background.

The Stella family was one of the high earl families of Cune.

Famous for its strict family education, the title is inherited by the strongest. The twins are already gifted children, but their eldest brother is a true prodigy, currently only 20 years old, and already a level 7 knight. They basically have no hope of inheriting the title and can only assist their eldest brother.

This matter is often brought up by others to criticize.

In the comics, part of the reason they both chose to support Alex at the beginning was that they wanted to make achievements on their own.

Of course, they proved their strength later on, but all these false reputations turned into nothing in front of the demons, and their eldest brother died earlier than them.

He wiped his mouth with his handkerchief and lowered his eyes.

[Anyway, this time it must be different. The protagonist is reborn with his memories, and the chances of these children surviving are also higher. ]

"I'm done." He stood up and picked up the plate subconsciously.

Cheryl asked curiously, "Where are you going to take this? Won't the waiter come to pick it up?"

"Oh, I forgot." He put it down as if nothing had happened.

He consciously put himself in the shoes of a student and followed the habit of collecting dishes in the cafeteria. This was the third time he had done this.

Just now someone poured him more wine. These small details made him feel once again that this was an aristocratic society.

He has been living here for a few days, but he still feels a little uncomfortable.

Wu Rui asked him: "We will go to practice swordplay during lunch break, how about you?"

"I'm going to the library." He said briefly and left.

Cheryl curled her lips and said, "Again, the library. Are you going to become a bookworm?"

Uri patted Cheryl on the head.

Inger threw himself into the embrace of the school library as if he had returned to his own cozy nest.

There are no encounters with the frightened protagonists, no one chattering in your ears, and no need to communicate with others, even whispered gossip is hard to hear.

He wandered around the quaint library, trying to find a corner by the window to sit down, but the place where he had been sitting for the past few weeks was occupied.

He took a quick look and was about to look somewhere else, but was suddenly attracted by something.

Sitting on the windowsill is a lady with straight brown hair and a shawl, but she is not wearing a school uniform. Her clothes are similar in style to a school uniform, but the color is not a black top and skirt. Instead, it is a rare overall combination of brown and white. The hem of the pleated skirt is higher on one side and lower on the other, and the long-sleeved top has a triangular patchwork style on the chest.

She was facing the window. She was not petite. One leg was hanging down, and she was holding a book in her hand, which was resting on the other crossed leg.

Of course, Inger was not paying attention to her as a person, but to the pen in her hand.

She held a pen in her right hand and turned it gently.

He walked in and asked softly, "Excuse me, Miss, where did you get this pen?"

The lady who was not wearing a school uniform turned around, and Inger was stunned.

[What a coincidence? Again?]

This lady has a pair of crystal clear amber eyes and lips as red as pomegranates. Her skin is as delicate and translucent as freshly peeled egg whites.

This looks exactly like what is drawn in the comics.

Noriha Midi-the future queen of business.

"You mean this? Oh? You know this is a pen?"

[Is it too late to withdraw now? ]

Inger took a step back. "Ah, nothing. Don't mind disturbing me. I'll leave first."

Norihua quickly grabbed his arm.

"Wait!"

Inger couldn't let go of the lady's hand, so he said helplessly: "I'm really fine."

Norihua showed a friendly smile that only a businessman can have, and marigolds were blooming all around her.

"You are the second son of Duke Neka's family, right?"

Inger deliberately turned his face away: "The young lady of the Midi Bai family."

"I know your family is very rich. This thing in my hand is called a fountain pen. It is a product that someone has just made. Are you interested in it?"

Inger was indeed interested in pens.

[The fountain pen was officially born in 1809, when the United Kingdom issued the first patent certificates for fountain pens. Is this world similar...?]

He turned around and took the pen from Norihua's hand, looked at it carefully, and pressed it.

[It is not the most primitive fountain pen. It has no piston button and no rotating cap, which means there is no fine hair tube inside. It is a dip pen, which has a similar use to a feather pen. ]

He looked back and forth between the pen and Norihua.

Noriha is an orphan sponsored by Baron de Midi-Belgium, a member of the bourgeoisie and a new nobility.

The nobles like to adopt some orphans to show their charity, and it would be even better if there are talented people to assist their own children.

The new aristocrats really want to train successors to enter politics and business.

Norihua was keen on making money and had a strong business sense. She kept a record of every expense that Midibai had funded her, and soon repaid it when she grew up.

In the comics, she picked out Alex from among the princes and princesses and decided to sponsor him to become king on the condition that he amended the Women's Labor Act and the Women's Suffrage Act.

She used her own wealth to support Alex's knights and private soldiers, and was a strong helper in helping him ascend the throne. Later, she became the most influential female member of the House of Representatives.

During the war in her previous life, she used her wealth and property to transform field hospitals and supply military and medical supplies.

However, she was ultimately powerless to save the world from the prolonged war, land pollution, mass death and collapse of human society.

She eventually died of overwork. When the news reached the front, Alex was discussing battle strategies.

He himself couldn't count how much bad news he had been burdened with at the time, but Gu Shu remembered it all clearly.

A lot of memories came to his mind, Inger covered his mouth, and his face turned slightly blue.

Looking at Norihua, who was still a young lady, he returned the pen and said, "I am a little interested, but this is still a dip pen."

Nowadays, the nobility still generally uses fancy feather pens, while the common people mostly use charcoal pencils and cheap goose-feather brushes, duck-feather brushes, and reed brushes.

But these were not easy for him to write.

He took out a polished, pure, attributeless magic stone from his pocket and placed it in her hand.

Noriha's eyes widened.

"This……"

Although she was adopted by a noble family, she had never seen anyone give out such a large sum of money at one time.

In this world of magic, gold and silver have not been eliminated under the monetary system, but above these two precious metals, there is magic stone, a currency unit with higher and wider practicality and difficult to measure in value.

Banks appeared, and circulating currencies were gradually replaced by checks and banknotes. Gold and silver were generally stored in warehouses and gold and silver jewelry stores as a store of value, and magic stones were even worse. Ordinary people would never take out this thing for trading.

Magic is used in all walks of life, and all kinds of social infrastructure rely on the magic power in magic stones to operate. Magic stones are essential reserves for the national treasury. Wizards only need a few magic stones to use.

Such a magic stone without attributes can allow any wizard to absorb magic power without any obstacles and is suitable for any magic-driven props.

"As an advance investment, you are responsible for contacting the inventor and telling him to develop a fountain pen with a built-in ink tube based on this dip pen, preferably a tube that can pump water. Pay attention to the ink flow rate and try the metal material of the fountain pen tip and replace it with the most suitable material for writing.

The overall thickness is too thick, so I will make it thinner, within the diameter of two fingers. After the product is completed, I will report on the durability of the pen, the smoothness of writing, and the writing conditions on various papers.

Try to reduce the production cost of each unit while ensuring the quality. Depending on the situation, I will give you three more magic stones as patent compensation and production funds for the assembly line."

Norihua held the magic stone tightly in her palm and walked over, her eyes suddenly lit up, "How did you know I wanted to invest in the production of this? How did you come up with the idea of ​​a built-in capillary?"

Inger took a step back appropriately. "It's not surprising that you know me. I saw you talking to some classmates recently. I guess you were looking for investors. My family is rich, and the only thing you can ask me for is money. I'm not used to using a feather pen, I prefer a hard pen. I want to use this one myself, so I bought it in advance."

Norihua narrowed her eyes: "It seems that we didn't know each other before? But you know me very well."

The last sentence is a declarative sentence.

Inger didn't lie deliberately: "You've talked to hundreds of people about this recently. I don't think it's impossible for me not to understand you."

Norihua laughed, and was already thick-skinned and not embarrassed at all, "Aren't you afraid that I will take your money and run away?"

Inger frowned. "You don't dare, you can't, and you won't. And I don't care about this little money. Why do you want me to say some nonsense? If you are not sure that I won't pay you later, you can sign the contract."

Norihua looked at him in surprise: "Sign a contract?"

At present, the contract for casting magic is the most trustworthy. Among the basic magics taught by Bixi, contract signing magic is one of the most basic magics.

Inger nodded, but did not take out the magic contract immediately. "I am a wizard, but I don't think it is necessary."

Norihua's smile faded and she asked seriously, "Why?"

"The conditions I offer are generous enough. You are on the favorable side. You don't want to lose the subsequent benefits. Moreover, even if it is not the case, you will not break the contract."

Noriha saw the unquestioning trust in the eyes of the cold-faced boy.

She didn't ask any more questions. Her intuition told her that this man was trustworthy.

Norihua extended her hand and smiled brightly: "Deal, happy cooperation!"

Inger gently shook it and quickly took it back: "I'll leave the rest to you. There's no time limit. You should have enough money to research a pen. We can discuss the profit sharing after the finished product is out."

Noriha felt the other person's hand and suppressed her slight surprise.

"Thank you very much, Master Neka, you really solved my urgent problem."

Inger didn't care at all, because she would be able to find investors sooner or later anyway.

In the early days, Nolihua was short of funds and couldn't ask his adoptive father for money, so he suffered a lot.

If he gives her a push now, she will probably develop faster, which should be helpful in the subsequent wars.

Of course, he didn't have the time to manage business assets himself, but fortunately, Norihua was a capable and trustworthy person. He only needed to pay the money and leave everything to her.

In addition, the connections and intelligence capabilities she develops in the future should be able to help her.

【This is a good deal. 】

Thinking of this, the unhappiness just now dissipated and Inger showed a sincere smile.

"You're welcome. I have confidence in my judgment of people." And then he left.

Noriha looked at her palm.

[Calm but not dismissive, meticulous, decisive in judgment, sincere and trustworthy. I heard that the second son of the Neka family is a heartless, naive and deceitful person. It seems that the rumor is wrong.]

She smiled and clasped her fingers together.

【This is my chance.】

[However, the coil on the palm... doesn't look like something a rich young man would have. Was it made by grinding it with a magic wand? ]