Chapter 121: Lances Relationship with the College of Magical Engineering

Chapter 121: Lance's Relationship with the College of Magical Engineering

Monday morning had arrived. As the first rays of sunlight fell upon the campus, the slanted, golden light struck the red-brick walls of the ancient buildings, making them shimmer with a faint, crystalline gleam. Native plants swayed in the morning breeze. Trees and grasses were blanketed in dew, and the air was filled with a fresh, fragrant scent.

Amid the chirping of birds, the great doors of the library swung open. Students began to appear across the campus. Some were hurrying to early classes, and others were leisurely enjoying their breakfasts. The occasional sound of laughter drifted through the air.

Across the green lawn where the old Liberal Arts Hall stood, and at the boundary of the College of Magical Engineering, was a striking structure: an artistic tower featuring glass walls that gleamed brightly as it reflected the sunlight. On the fifth floor of this Magical Engineering building was the dean's office. Professor Boralo was currently at his workbench inside the office, surrounded by blueprints, components, and an array of mechanical tools.

He had arrived at his office only a short while ago, yet he was already sketching rapidly on a sheet of translucent blue drafting paper with a mechanical pencil. Occasionally, he would pause to examine a small, intricate component resting beside the blueprint, using his specialized magitech glasses. His pale, slightly upturned hair caught the office light with a soft sheen. His gaze was intent, and he was completely absorbed in his work.

Just then, two cautious, soft knocks sounded at the door. The knocker clearly didn't want to disturb Professor Boralo, yet they were clearly here due to a matter of genuine importance.

"Come in."

Boralo did not look up as he responded in a calm yet authoritative deep voice. Clearly, he was accustomed to being interrupted by various people seeking his assistance while he worked.

The door slowly creaked open, and a beam of bright light spilled in through the widening gap. A young instructor soon stepped inside. He gently turned to close the door behind him before greeting the dean.

"Good morning, Professor Boralo. We've received word from the Card Maker's Association regarding a student who took the registered card maker exam this past Saturday. They were assigned..."

The young instructor's voice, hesitant and wavering, echoed through the spacious room, which was cluttered with innovative blueprints and magical apparatuses. He sounded unsure of the document he held, glancing down at it one last time as if to double-check.

"Silver Certification?" Professor Boralo asked absentmindedly, his gaze fixed on the blueprints upon his desk. Clearly, he would much rather devote his time and energy to his research than to such trivial administrative matters.

The young instructor sounded utterly incredulous, as if questioning reality itself. "No... it says Platinum Certification."

"Oh." Professor Boralo replied with the same air of indifference. "...Hm? Platinum?" ℴ

He then looked up, removed the silver-framed glasses perched on his nose to set them on the desk, and fixed a puzzled stare upon the young instructor.

In all his years, he had never heard of a student being directly assigned Platinum Certification after taking the exam. Advancing from Gold Certification usually required meeting comprehensive standards across multiple dimensions, such as accumulating significant research findings, patent certifications, sales figures, and industry reputation within the association, before the person in question even qualified for the promotion assessment.

Of note, creating an Epic card was, without a doubt, the single most difficult prerequisite for achieving Platinum Certification. The only way to bypass these requirements and reach Platinum Certification in one leap was to make an Epic card during the registered card maker examination.

There was a note of certainty in Professor Boralo's voice as he asked, "He created an Epic card during the exam?"

His most brilliant student, Michael, had once created three different types of Divine cards, a spell card, a summon card, and an equipment card, during his card maker exam. That performance represented the pinnacle of consistency and versatility, yet he had only been assigned Gold Certification, albeit he had been very close to Platinum Certification.

The young instructor nodded and stepped forward to hand Professor Boralo the documents from the Ikerite branch of the Card Maker's Association. "Yes, he made one Epic card and three Common cards. Because the individual rating for that Epic card was extraordinarily high, he was ultimately assigned Platinum Certification."

Many of these important materials required the approval and signature of Boralo, and might also necessitate coordination with the dean of the Sages' College.

Boralo took the thick tan leather document folder, immediately located the page containing the detailed card evaluation report, and began to read. Even he found it incredible that someone could create a Tier 3 Epic card during the card maker examination.

Hardly any card makers possessed the potential to create an Epic card at such an early stage of their careers. Even with incredibly rare materials and a flawless performance, a prodigious talent would typically only be capable of crafting a Divine card.

"That shouldn't be possible... it simply shouldn't be." Boralo muttered to himself as he stared at the production process and detailed analysis of the card making process of Glorious Virtue, the Epic card. Every Epic card was unique. It anchored itself to the world and left its mark on history. The creator of such a card inevitably possessed a touch of legendary status, and it was certainly not something a mere teenager could achieve.

"Do we really have a student that capable?" Professor Boralo did not believe for a moment that such a prodigy existed among the students, new or old, within the College of Magical Engineering. He knew exactly what every student was capable of.

Technically speaking, a student provisionally rated as Platinum was still effectively Gold for the moment. However, once that qualification was secured, and it was only a matter of time before the administrative approval went through, they would officially become a Platinum Certified card maker.

The instructor, who had been waiting by the desk like an attendant, offered this awkward reminder upon seeing that the dean was still engrossed in the analysis report of the Epic card. "...He is from the Sages' College. His name is Lance Wilford."

Upon hearing that name, a vein throbbed on Professor Boralo's forehead, and he slowly set down the documents he was holding. That name was etched vividly in his memory.

He gazed at the morning light outside the window and muttered to himself, "Truly, like the rising dawn..."

It was that very same fellow who had broken the Artificial Shadow Realm Activation Terminal. At the time, Dean Lawrence of the Sages' College had pleaded with him, forcing him to shelve his own research projects and rush over to carry out emergency repairs through the night.

What he found most infuriating of all was the massive sum of funding the College of Magical Engineering had fronted for the repairs. Yet, the reimbursement for that still hadn't been approved!

"Since the handover process with the Card Maker's Association is handled primarily by our college, and the Sages' College isn't very familiar with the details, Dean Lawrence has scheduled a visit to see you shortly. He'll be bringing Lance Wilford along as well."

Sensing the ominous atmosphere in the dean's office, the young instructor hurriedly bowed to Professor Boralo and prepared to take his leave.

He knew how furious the dean had been when the Kingdom of Hutton's poor finances had led to a monthly budget cut of one hundred pounds last year. That anger paled in comparison to the rage he felt more recently, after Lance had caused a staggering loss of an astronomical eight thousand pounds before the semester had even begun.

"Understood. Tell Lawrence to come straight here." Boralo spoke through gritted teeth, unable to conceal the murderous look in his eyes.