Chapter 1863 - 513: Why Are Humans So Bad? (Part 4)

Vivian easily sneaked into her brother's study by grabbing Nanfu by the back of the neck, avoiding a few window-cleaning maids with no trouble at all.

She had long familiarized herself with the layout here!

As Vivian had anticipated, the elegantly decorated study was empty, with letters strewn all over the plush carpet.

The books on the bookshelf were neatly arranged, clearly meant to impress outsiders, including the Magic Pottery displayed on the shelf.

An unnamed mysterious flower had a sapphire-blue butterfly perched on it, its splendid wings gently stretching in the sunlight streaming past the curtain.

At this moment, Luo Yan should be at the tea party at Andes Manor, introducing Professor Keynes to Duke Edward, who had come from afar.

The three of them should be happily discussing the preparations for Thunder City University and won't be back before dusk.

Vivian wore a triumphant smile of mischief on her face. Her brother was still too careless, giving her the perfect opportunity for mischief!

At this moment, she was like an explorer who had stumbled upon a pirate's treasure trove, mischievously pulling out a letter from the mound of correspondence.

Nanfu's knees went slightly weak, his eyes looking like a frightened deer, frequently glancing towards the door, worried that his brother might appear there.

"Sis, sis... perhaps we shouldn't look at brother's letters. Even if these letters aren't important, what if he gets angry—"

"Nanfu, shut up."

"But—"

"Haven't you heard our brother? Hesitant about everything, you can't accomplish anything. No wonder Miss Lino rides you around the yard instead of the other way around!"

Nanfu: "???"

"Alright, I'm not forcing you to do anything you don't want to do. Just keep watch for me at the door."

Before the weak and helpless Nanfu could recover from his confusion, Vivian left him there, swaggering up to sit on her brother's desk.

Her leg, delicate as a lotus root, swung over her knee with pride, as if she were the master of the study, completely forgetting her misfortune of once kneeling on the carpet in reflection.

"Kukuku... let's see which fox spirit it is!" Vivian grinned slyly, her pinky finger slightly raised, the tip painted with dark purple nail polish, tearing open an envelope with determination.

However, the expected perfumed pink letter did not appear; instead, all that met her eyes was a boring diagram.

The sheet, filled with dense lines, had a single line of text squeezed at the bottom, mentioning something like "Waterwheel Improvement Diagram."

Vivian nearly pressed her nose to the paper, unable to comprehend what it depicted.

This wasn't entirely her fault; in an era without standardized parameters and drafting tools, not everyone could draw comprehensible diagrams.

Draftsmanship was known as a scholarly discipline for a reason.

"...What is this? Have the fox spirit's methods for seducing someone's brother evolved to this point?"

Unconvinced, Vivian stuffed the unintelligible diagram back into the envelope and tossed it aside, grabbing another letter that felt chunkier.

"This one must be it! I can smell it, the scent of sulfur. It must contain the Padric family's Desire Potion... Ugh!!"

The envelope was opened, releasing a pungent, low-quality sulfur smell that hit her face.

Instead of the Enchanting Demon's crystal, what fell out was a paper titled "Philosopher's Stone Alchemy Formula," along with a sample-like piece of charred coal.

To say this was a demon's trick would be an insult to Enchanting Demons.

The erratic handwriting and absurd proportions clearly marked this as the crude ploy of a charlatan seeking funding.

[...Honorable Your Highness, if you would sponsor my research, I vow to dedicate all I know to you! (I'm so close to success, only lacking a drop of Dragon Blood. Sadly, I can't afford such expensive materials, so I've substituted with sheep blood. But I'm sure you can recognize quality.)]

"What absurd nonsense is this?"

Vivian couldn't believe it and went on to tear open over a dozen more letters, discovering ideas ranging from improved spinning machines to sewer management proposals, and even a sonnet written in painfully clumsy common language, praising Prince Colin's deep purple locks, which were so cringey they nearly had her sliding off the desk.

This was probably the only love letter, though she doubted her brother's taste would be swayed by such efforts.

As Vivian sat amidst the chaos, questioning reality, Nanfu, who had been trembling in the corner, weakly raised a handful of letters.

"Um... sis, I took a quick glance, and these don't seem to be love letters."

Nanfu cautiously eyed the verge-of-explosion Vivian, pointing to the signatures on the letters for emphasis.

"Look at this one; the sender is named Bolite, a fifty-year-old blacksmith. He claims he makes the best horseshoes in town and can teach the citizens of Thunder City the craft. And this one is signed 'Your loyal Mr. Smith,' seeking a steward position... He's best at keeping secrets; the neighbors on the entire street can vouch for him."

"What? They're all men?!"

Vivian's eyes widened in shock, followed by an indescribable mix of embarrassment and annoyance flooding her heart, her fair cheeks instantly turning crimson.

Just like her trembling pupils in an earthquake.

"A bunch... of shameless people, wasting my brother's time with these utterly dull things..."