https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-7-Lanchi-s-Enrollment-Understanding/12582084/
Chapter 6: A World-Renowned Painting, One of Filial Piety, and One of Joy
Chapter 6: A World-Renowned Painting, One of Filial Piety, and One of Joy
For a moment, the study fell into silence.
The atmosphere between father and son was heavy, and Lanchi guessed that this conversation might be significant for them.
Judging from his father's expression, it seemed like a discussion about the future, responsibility, and family honor was about to take place.
So, before his father spoke, Lanchi remained quiet.
His gaze shifted slowly, and Lanchi noticed the butler smiling at him.
It was the same old fox-like smile.
Lanchi felt a little uncomfortable and quickly averted his eyes.
Looking for a new place to rest his gaze, they landed on the neatly arranged books on the tall bookshelves and the paintings hanging on the walls.
It was said that the painting was an ancient masterpiece cherished by the family for generations, and illuminated by the soft magic lamp, it filled the study with an artistic ambiance.
However, it was clear that...
It was not as impressive as Lanchi's own artwork.
After a long pause, Noe finally seemed to have gathered his thoughts and spoke, "Lanchi, you've been an adult for a month now... During this time, the family has taken care of too many troubles for you. I think you can't continue to live so recklessly."
Another brief silence followed.
Or perhaps it was a moment of anticipation.
Noe was unsure how Lanchi would react after hearing these words, if he would fly into a rage upon having his performance exposed.
In Noe's eyes, Lanchi's changes over the past two days seemed more like a temporary act.
It was likely that Lanchi had also realized that the family would start restricting his extravagant spending and wanton behavior.
So, he was probably enduring his mischievous habits, hoping to get through this difficult period by temporarily pretending to be well-behaved.
However...
To Noe's surprise...
Lanchi's eyes remained clear and calm.
After reflecting on the issue, he nodded seriously.
"I'm truly sorry, and I promise I won't do anything to tarnish the family's reputation again."
Noe was slightly taken aback by this response and couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
He sized up Lanchi once more.
From any perspective, he looked like a fine young man.
For a moment, Noe even felt proud to have such a well-behaved and bright-eyed son.
This boy must have either truly repented or was still stubbornly defiant.
While Noe hoped for the former, he knew that the latter was more likely.
It couldn't be that this foolish son had suddenly undergone a complete transformation in his mental state due to some turning point, could it?
But it didn't matter.
Regardless of whether Lanchi was putting on an act or not, Noe had a way to fundamentally judge how to deal with him going forward.
"Ahem."
Noe cleared his throat, straightened his posture, and fixed his gaze on Lanchi.
"How are your preparations for the Alchemy Academy entrance exam going?"
His tone seemed to have softened, but his words were more stern, "You should know that although I am often away due to international trade across the empire, it does not mean that I am completely neglectful of you. My tolerance is based on the premise that you are living a serious life."
"Hmm..."
As soon as he finished speaking, the butler standing behind Noe couldn't help but reveal a hint of a smile.
Three parts of it were schadenfreude at the young master's predicament, and seven parts were due to finding the young master's upcoming response intriguing.
"..."
Lanchi remained silent for a moment, his heart racing at Noe's question.
In his past life's memory, he had never studied!
The Alchemy Academy that Noe referred to was a branch of the ancient Ikelite Academy located in the kingdom's capital, making it one of the most renowned institutions in the entire Southern Continent.
Every year, the academy admitted promising individuals of eligible age from the Kingdom of Hutton and its surrounding nations.
The Alchemy Academy was one of its four divisions.
Known for its alchemy craftsmanship and theoretical research, the entrance examination for the Alchemy Academy was so challenging that in his past life, Lanchi had given up without even trying.
Instead, he had lied to his parents about studying hard for the exam, using their trust as a pretext to squander his allowance on frivolous pursuits.
Damn that good-for-nothing past self!
Lanchi cursed inwardly, feeling resentful about having to deal with the consequences now.
However, in the original course of events, his past self would never have encountered this trouble.
Because Talia would have ended this foolish rich boy's life by now.
At this thought, Lanchi frowned.
"Father, are there any other enterprises in the world with the same name as the 'Wilfort Chamber of Commerce'?"
Lanchi asked.
"Hmm?"
Noe seemed puzzled by Lanchi's sudden question, which seemed unrelated to their previous topic. However, seeing Lanchi's serious expression, he answered proudly, "I can't say for sure if there are any small businesses with similar names, but when it comes to large-scale trading enterprises operating across the Kingdom of Hutton and the Kreise Empire, there is only our family."
After Noe finished speaking, Lanchi remained expressionless and only nodded silently.
Since he had changed his fate of being "killed by Talia," he knew that he would also have to face some situations that his past self would never have encountered.
Lanchi had felt that his surname, "Wilfort," sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he had heard it before.
Upon hearing Noe's words, Lanchi finally recalled that, two years from the present timeline in the game's main storyline, there was a side quest called "The Wilfort Tragedy"!
The quest description mentioned a multinational trading company that suddenly collapsed overnight for unknown reasons, and people associated with the company's upper management were also killed one after another. Players could choose whether to investigate, and the quest was of a very high level.
"My last name is Wilfort, and our family business is also called the Wilfort Chamber of Commerce. There's only one large multinational company with that name..."
It seemed that they were indeed talking about his family.
Looks like he couldn't just lay down and do nothing. He needed to work hard for at least a year or two and proactively investigate and resolve any potential troubles for the family!
After all, the family's wealth was his retirement plan for when he turned 20. He had to safeguard it.
Recalling the information about Ikelite Academy from his memory, Lanchi replied with a fair amount of composure, "I assure you that I will pass the entrance exam."
He didn't actually mind going to this academy located in the royal capital.
In fact, in his previous life's memory, it was a dream-like academy—
Not only did it have the most advanced magic engineering technology and numerous high-level facilities and resources in the Kingdom of Hutton, but it also offered excellent protection.
Currently, he was a completely helpless first-tier unemployed person with no fighting capability and no "status that would make the big shots value and protect him."
Running to the source of potential problems—the Kreise Empire, was undoubtedly a suicidal move.
It would be much better to first explore his potential in the Kingdom of Hutton.
If he wanted to quickly become famous and gain the favor of some powerful figures or top experts in this world, building his connections was crucial.
Becoming a Card Master would undoubtedly be the fastest way to utilize his talent.
Attending the Magic Engineering School at Ikelite Academy would be a hundred times more efficient than staying in this border town and researching card crafting on his own.
The royal capital was a much better stage for him to showcase his talents.
Even if he failed, as long as he could establish himself and become wealthy in the royal capital, he could find a way to personally ruin his father's Wilfort Chamber of Commerce and prevent the family's downfall!
"Hmm?"
Noe raised an eyebrow, not realizing the filial thoughts behind Lanchi's words. He simply doubted Lanchi's confidence about taking the entrance exam.
He thought that his foolish son, who usually acted like a little hoodlum, would be exposed at this point.
Unexpectedly, Lanchi just frowned and remained defiant.
Today, Lanchi's reactions were completely unexpected by Noe.
Although Noe didn't have much energy to spare for Lanchi's daily life, whenever he inquired about Lanchi's situation with the butler and the maids, they would always try to cover for him.
But Noe wasn't foolish. He could still make a judgment about how Lanchi usually spent his days.
"Since you say so, if you pass the entrance exam, then I must have misunderstood you, and I will apologize to you..."
Noe said in a deep voice, his piercing gaze probing deeply into Lanchi's emerald green eyes,
"...but if you fail to pass the academy's exam, wouldn't that prove that you have been deceiving us and abusing our trust?"
"Of course, that's only fair," Lanchi replied calmly.
"Then I won't disturb you any further today. Keep studying hard. I'll take care of buying the train tickets to the royal capital, so you don't have to worry about that."
With Lanchi's firm promise, Noe was satisfied.
Since Lanchi was still being stubborn, Noe didn't mind taking this opportunity to let Lanchi experience some setbacks and then sincerely accept his punishment.
Noe actually didn't think Lanchi could pass the exam for the Alchemy Academy.
Or to be more precise, it was downright impossible.
Considering the complexity of the exam, the number of subjects, and the extremely high passing standards, one would need to prepare diligently for at least two to three years.
And the entrance exam for this year's Ikelite Academy was only three months away.
Even for the Alchemy Academy, which required the least amount of talent, Lanchi had no chance of passing.
When he goes to the royal capital and sees the exceptionally talented peers of the same age from the other three schools, he will realize how foolish, arrogant, and short-sighted he has been.
"I understand," Lanchi affirmed.
His father had been questioning him all this time, but he always phrased his words in a considerate manner, and now he was even offering to send him to the royal capital. Lanchi felt respected.
So he would definitely live up to his father's expectations,
"As long as you are confident that you can send me to the royal capital to pursue my ambitions, I assure you that you will receive the good news of my successful enrollment in the Ikelite Academy."
"..."
Noe almost laughed out loud.
He took a sip of tea from his cup, suppressing the mocking smile that was about to appear on his face.
Now he's talking about pursuing his ambitions.
How could he possibly cause any trouble in the royal capital when he's just going there to take an exam?
Noe hadn't expected today's conversation to go so smoothly. He had prepared himself for a rather unpleasant confrontation with his son.
Punishing Lanchi was inevitable, as he needed to teach the arrogant and overly confident Lanchi a lesson and make him pay for his mistakes.
Unexpectedly, Lanchi's sincere attitude had led to a peaceful resolution.
In Noe's opinion, the only difference was that Lanchi would first experience some setbacks in the royal capital before receiving his punishment.
After all, Lanchi was destined to fail the entrance exam for Ikelite Academy.
As for letting Lanchi go to the royal capital, Noe wasn't worried at all about him turning into a wild horse.
In this small border town, Lanchi, who hadn't seen much of the world, could act arrogantly.
But in the royal capital, the true stage of the Southern Continent, where influential figures abounded, this reckless son of his wouldn't be able to stir up any trouble.
After all,
Noe knew Lanchi very well, and he was the type of foolish young master who was all bark and no bite.
He was definitely not the type to turn into an uncontrollable force of chaos when placed in a suitable environment.
That was rather reassuring.
(End of Chapter)
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