Glan Natural Science Academy

Under the coconut tree’s shade, Ryger took out a dissecting kit, not giving himself enough for his gasps to subside.

Guoo…

The turtle-shelled creature cried out. Ryger unceremoniously pumped a large dose of anaesthetics into it, quieting it completely.

“Heh heh!”

Unable to resist, Ryger rubbed his hand together and licked his lips, looking at the sedated big fellow and thinking of how he should go with his dissection. The turtle-shelled creature was truly too large, to the point where it couldn’t fit into the spacebox Satro gave to Ryger. Thus, Ryger planned to dissect it here and now, and commence preservation of only the important structures of the specimen – the physiological structures used in compressing out the water jet.

“There’s somebody there!” yelled Lulu all of a sudden.

“Hm?” Under the coconut tree’s shade, Ryger, about to dissect this mutated creature on the spot, raised his head and looked over. The few silhouettes that appeared far in the distance had interrupted his research plans, making the scholar who wanted to dissect the specimen at once slightly anxious.

Getting up, he looked out into this distance.

“They’re running towards me?”

At first, he thought he was those people’s targets. But upon taking a closer look a few moments later, Ryger was shocked to discover that it was 3 people chasing after 1 person in his direction.

Noticing the scholar clothes worn by them, Ryger – naturally, he was unwilling to give up on his precious mutated specimen – signalled Logic and Lulu to be on guard to protect his specimen.

“I am Stella, a first-year student from Class 11 of the Glan Natural Sciences Academy. The ones behind me are from the Sealand Principality. I request the three of you to aid me!”

Before the person even got near towards Ryger, her pleas of help had already arrived. Logic’s expression turned into a solemn one.

People from the Sealand Principality?

The war between Glan and Sealandthat had gone on for hundreds of years had already eliminated the need for reason for any conflicts between the two principalities. Uncle Logic instinctively glanced at Ryger.

“Stella?” After frowning and murmuring, Ryger looked at Lulu and Logic and explained, “She’s a classmate of mine.”

Ryger naturally didn’t desire for a clash to occur. Taking out a steel sword and striking a pose, he said with a low voice, “Act as the situation plays out. Try not to clash with the other side.”

Huff, puff.

Stella wore an azure blue scholar robe and had disheveled hair and some bleeding at her shoulder. After moving to the trio’s side while panting, she noticed the scholar-robes-wearing Ryger, and made a surprised expression thereafter.

“You?”

Evidently, she had forgotten Ryger’s name.

With no time to feel embarrassed, Stella looked at the three Sealand scholars chasing after her then anxiously said, “I found a rare specimen and bumped into those three Sealand students. They intend to snatch it from me!”

“What specimen?” asked Ryger.

Biting her lips and seeing the three people getting closer and closer, Stella took out a green turtle the size of a palm from her spacebox. Curiously enough, there was a red bud that had yet to bloom at the top of the turtle’s head.

“Uh… what is this?”

Ryger was surprised. Here was yet another rare organism not recorded by the Starcore.

Come to think of it, it wasn’t all too weird. With environmental and geological changes, many creatures that had existed in the ancient period were now extinct and the number of new creatures were as many as the stars. As time passed, the probability of survival for the biological specimens recorded in the Starcore would only get lower. To rely on the Starcore to identify all biological specimens was unrealistic.

Stella kept her specimens away and gritted her teeth. “Although the three of them are a little strong, they are still only first year students of the Sealand Natural Sciences Academy. With the four of us working together, it’s not like we can’t beat them. As long as you all are willing to help me this once, I’m willing to pay one gold coin as a reward and give this fossilized ancient conch to you all!”

As she spoke, she took out a shining gold coin and a pitch black fossilized ancient conch.

 Seemingly because of the fossils’ ancient age and because of the geological movements of nearby volcanoes, they seemed to be slightly crystallized.

Looking at the gold coin, Lulu’s and Logic’s eyes sparkled. Compared to Lulu, Logic had some understanding regarding magicians because of the vast experience he had gained from taking missions for many years. Though the strong ones had earth-shattering powers and were hard to defeat, some of the students who were still in the academy were nothing more than brats who knew some cantrips. This young master by his side at this moment was an example.

Ryger, meanwhile, was stunned when he looked at the fossilized ancient conch.

Prompt: Icy wasteland soil 0.5 gram detected.

Icy wasteland soil?

What is this?

Ryger was attracted to this unknown material. For it to be recorded by the Starcore, it must at least be a magical material deemed valuable by the ancient sorcerers. Seeing that Logic and Lulu were also moved, Ryger casted aside his previous hesitation. With a straight face, he said righteously, “We’re both classmates of class 11. How could I ever stand by and do nothing!”

In spite of what he said, Ryger’s hands had no hesitation whatsoever. After receiving the gold coin, he took out Logic and Lulu’s parts in silver coins and distributed it to them. As for the fossilized ancient conch, the two naturally had no use for it and so it was Ryger’s to take.

“Hehe, another 33 silver coins. Together with the pay and the coins I already have, I’m another step closer to 10 gold coins!” cried out Lulu without a whit of worry about the imminent fight that could break out at any time.To the side, Kyubey, seeing this, also felt happy and wagged his tail. 

Uncle Logic, despite saying nothing, still took the silver coins silently.

“This is my classmate and we’re all from the Glan Principality. Towards these three bandits who dare barge into the principality’s territories and plunder, we’re duty-bound to fend them off. I’ll be relying on you two!”

Looking at Ryger’s righteous attitude, it was Uncle Logic who spoke this time. “I’ll try my best!”

Apparently because Logic had bone-deep hatred for those from Sealand, he was unexpectedly proactive, and his words were full of anger.

Seeing this, Stella finally relaxed, thinking to herself that was this person who was always with that obscene fatso actually so reliable?

Instantly, she couldn’t help but look at Ryger in a new light and had a new understanding of him.

At the same time, Ryger couldn’t resist moaning deep in his heart. Since the Sealand students dared to come over and brazenly rob Stella’s specimen, who could guarantee that they won’t do the same with his specimen and take it away. And what’s more, he was unable to do as Stella did, to run with the specimen in hand! 

As for giving this specimen up? After understanding the physiological structural capabilities of this specimen, Ryger naturally was extremely reluctant.

And so, it’s no wonder that he acted so righteously. Even if there weren’t icy wasteland soil in the fossilized ancient conch, Ryger would have no choice but to stand together with Stella for the sake of his specimen.

He had heard earlier that because of the cruel slavery system over in the Sealand Principality, those from there were cruel and savage, and they even needed to go through many occasions of gladiatorial combats even in the initiate stage, resulting in geniuses emerging one after another there. He never thought that he would meet them so soon.

Although it was said that among the human states the Glan and Sealand academy stood head to head, there was no doubt at all to most people that it was the Sealand Natural Sciences Academy – proved through blood and steel countless times– that was the primus inter pares among the natural sciences academies.