Rows of red brick buildings stood tall and dignified, embodying the ancient engineering and wisdom of the Magic Engineering Institute.
The two walked along the campus path.
A clear brook meandered beside the road, reflecting the lush green foliage above. The early morning air was particularly tranquil. Looking farther ahead, across the water, lay the flower fields—part of the Alchemy Institute’s botanical gardens, which also served as a teaching and research base for bioengineering.
Passing through this tree-shaded path, they would soon reach the dormitory area of the Sage Institute.
“If you want to challenge the Shadow Realm as soon as possible, you should start considering joining a team—doing some research, getting to know people. Choosing the right team will bring you plenty of benefits and support.”
Vivian thought for a moment and ultimately decided not to scold Lanchi. Instead, she opted to guide him properly.
Since Lanchi had humbly asked her about the difficulty of the third-tier Shadow Realm, he clearly wasn’t a reckless fool—just someone with a level of confidence that matched his talent.
For young people, that was completely normal.
Besides, even if she were harsh with Lanchi, he would still respond with that same gentle demeanor.
Vivian disliked hurting kind-hearted people. Scolding someone like him would only make her feel guilty.“……”
Lanchi fell into a brief silence at her words.
After his conversation with Huberian on the academy’s lecture hall steps following the entrance exam, he had done some research on Shadow Realm challenges.
The academy had several well-known, widely recognized top teams.
Some were newly formed in recent years, while others had existed for decades—passed down through generations of leaders, still retaining their original names.
What made these teams the strongest wasn’t just their veteran Gold-ranked captains. Some of the older teams also had Platinum-ranked fourth-year students or part-time students among their ranks.
Though these Platinum-ranked elites were mostly honorary members who rarely interfered in leadership decisions or actively teamed up with students, even their occasional guidance was invaluable for newcomers!
Moreover—
Every Platinum-ranked member was part of a true top-tier registered association team.
If someone was lucky enough to catch their attention, they might eventually be introduced to one of the most elite teams in the Southern Continent!
That would be a shortcut to reaching Platinum rank.
However, that was far from Lanchi’s immediate concern.
He still had a long way to go before reaching Bronze or Silver rank.
Today, he had already received notice from the Southern Continent Shadow Realm Management Association—the academy had submitted all the necessary documents for his “Registered Exam Exemption.” Now, he only needed to complete the final steps at the association to officially become an Iron-ranked Registered Challenger.
“Sigh, I don’t even know what kind of team would suit me.”
Lanchi finally spoke.
In the Royal Capital, he had almost no personal connections. Much of what he knew now was thanks to Huberian and Vivian’s kindness.
“No worries, once the semester starts, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to learn more. Teams might even come to recruit you.”
Vivian spoke casually.
To say she wasn’t envious of Lanchi’s first-place ranking would be a lie.
At first, she had thought she was a strong contender for the top spot in the Sage Institute.
She never expected this gentle-mannered boy beside her to pull ahead with such a large margin.
Historically, freshmen with outstanding entrance exam results were always highly sought-after by various teams.
After a pause, she added,
“Even though no one knows how strong you actually are, just being the top-ranked Sage Institute freshman is enough for teams to fight over you.”
Lanchi’s performance in the third round of the exam had been personally sealed by the Sage Institute’s dean, Loren. Not even Vivian could dig up any details.
Because of this, there were many rumors questioning his abilities—
For example, some speculated that Lanchi and Huberian had simply gotten lucky and passed the third exam because Examiner Frat had a sudden cardiovascular incident during the test.
The Sage Institute’s officials had remained silent on the matter, and the powerful figures backing Frat’s faction—who might know the truth—hadn’t spoken a word about it.
“Is that so?”
Lanchi hadn’t expected that once the semester started, teams might actively try to recruit him.
But choosing a team—and rejecting well-meaning invitations—would be a difficult process.
He had no idea which team would suit him best or if there were even better options out there.
That meant he’d have to invest time in finding out.
“You don’t enjoy being popular?”
Vivian looked at Lanchi’s slightly dazed expression, curious.
She was puzzled by why he didn’t seem particularly happy about it—if anything, he looked a little troubled.
“Being seen as promising and full of potential by strangers… doesn’t that just feel like pressure?”
Lanchi smiled politely, turning his head to look at Vivian.
Although she had slightly misunderstood his feelings—
Lanchi, on the other hand, could immediately tell what she was thinking.
“…That’s true.”
After a brief silence, Vivian nodded.
“As a princess, you must constantly live up to expectations. That must be exhausting, right?”
Lanchi’s expression remained calm, his voice gentle.
“Ah… It is exhausting.”
Vivian sighed.
Even though, as royalty, she shouldn’t agree with Lanchi’s rather laid-back, almost apathetic perspective—deep down, she did.
She wanted nothing more than to lie on the grass, take a nap, and stop running around tirelessly, pretending to be a dignified and noble princess.
Wait.
Vivian suddenly snapped back to reality.
Wasn’t she the one asking Lanchi questions?
How had this turned into a discussion about life?
And worse—
The more they talked, the more she wanted to give up and indulge in laziness!
This guy wasn’t even trying, yet his words felt like a devil’s whisper, subtly stirring the long-repressed desire for idleness in her heart.
Vivian quickly shook her head, stopping herself from continuing this pointless conversation.
“Lanchi, if you don’t have a specific team in mind, you could consider joining mine. I can introduce you.”
She offered the invitation.
“My team has a lot of students from the Sage Institute and the Magic Engineering Institute, which makes Card Artisan commissions much more convenient. Plus, we have a Platinum-ranked member—the strongest engineer in the Magic Engineering Institute’s fourth-year class.”
Vivian had already secured her spot in this team.
Growing up in the Royal Capital with a high status, she naturally had many connections.
She also knew that this team was genuinely attractive—it wasn’t just some random recommendation.
As one of the strongest teams in the academy, its biggest advantage over others was its exceptional logistics support.
For example—
If you wanted to commission a top-tier Card Artisan from the Card Artisan Association, you’d normally have to deal with a minefield of issues—overpricing, long wait times, sudden rejections, or even outright scams.
In the team, things were usually much easier to handle, and it was also a great way to befriend Card Artisans.
"The Magic Engineering Institute has combat professions too?"
Lanchi asked in surprise.
His focus was clearly not on the team itself.
This made Vivian feel a little frustrated—she was sure her pitch had been compelling!
Lanchi had no idea how valuable it was to form connections with talented Card Artisans from the Magic Engineering Institute!
As expected of a boy from the borderlands—his knowledge of the Shadow Realm was still too shallow.
Vivian let out a resigned sigh but patiently explained:
"Just because someone from the Magic Engineering Institute goes into the Shadow Realm, it doesn't mean they're all Battlefield Card Artisans. A real Magic Engineer in a fight isn’t any weaker than students from the Dual Faculties of Magic and Chivalry."
"As for the Alchemy Institute, don’t underestimate them either. If you mess with the wrong people, you could get yourself into serious trouble."
Vivian seemed to recall something unpleasant and added a warning.
"Hmm?"
Lanchi made a confused sound.
He knew the Alchemy Institute was mostly full of scholars, physicians, pharmacists, and alchemists, focusing more on research. But based on Vivian’s words, there had to be at least a few who were skilled in combat.
Just who exactly qualified as a serious problem?
Vivian shook her head with a pained expression, as if she had suffered firsthand, and said:
"The Intelligence Studies department in the Alchemy Institute... No one knows who started it, but in recent years, it's been shifting dangerously close to becoming a nest of sensationalist journalists… The Hetton Times was originally founded by the Alchemy Institute, and now it's grown bigger and more powerful. If you piss them off, they’ll relentlessly smear your reputation."
As a highly scrutinized princess, Vivian dreaded the day she might slip up and get caught by their watchful eyes.
"Hiss—"
Lanchi sucked in a sharp breath.
Honestly, compared to joining a team, he was much more interested in joining the press.
In a lawful society, manipulating public opinion was way more powerful than simple brute force!