After lunch, Dekan and Cornelia, as usual, came to the library.
They sat at the small round table they often used.
Cornelia buried herself in her homework.
Meanwhile, Dekan had a book titled "Common Mistakes in the Production of Tier Three Magic Cards" in his hands.
He leisurely sipped his coffee while flipping through the book.
Dekan had reached tier 3 and encountered several new issues awaiting his research. Even though he had already learned a lot about tier 3 magic card production when he was in tier 2, he found that there were still some unexpected situations when he actually tried to practice.
Master spent most of her time in deep slumber, and many times Dekan had to rely on self-study.
Since they had a free afternoon, why not spend it in the library reading the necessary books? Besides, Cornelia also needed his help.
While no one forced Cornelia to study, she was exceptionally diligent and never slacked off. She was just too serious about her studies.
Dekan couldn't bear to see her grit her teeth in front of her books.
Moreover, being with Cornelia gave him a peculiar sense of comfort. It was like a pilot being next to his Gundam.
"It turns out I've been overcomplicating tier 3 magic card production..."
Dekan finished flipping through the book in his hands, closed it, and stood up. He was going to put the book back on the shelf and find a different one to read.
Although the school library couldn't compare to the Royal Capital Library, it still had tens of thousands of books.
Dekan found the section he was interested in and, like a teenager admiring products in a showcase, used his finger to slide across the shelf. His eyes sparkling as he scanned book by book.
He was searching for something specific.
[Poison Refinement 1][Poison Refinement 2][Poison Refinement 4]
Huh?
Who borrowed [Poison Refinement 3]?
Dekan originally wanted to borrow all four volumes together.
He didn't expect there to be like-minded people at this school.
Dekan regretfully pulled out 1 and 2.
This time, he would just take these two.
Taking 4 might leave the other person with no follow-up books to read after finishing 3.
Out of consideration for the other person, there was no need to make things difficult for each other.
Perhaps they will meet in the future.
Kind-hearted people were drawn to each other.
...
After returning to Cornelia's side, Dekan placed the two books on the table. Before opening the books, he seemed to remember something.
"Oh, by the way, Cornelia, there's one more thing I need to ask you."
Dekan suddenly turned to Cornelia, who was beside him.
"What?" Cornelia leaned closer, her face expectant, waiting for Dekan to continue.
"We need to earn some credits, and there's one final step - submitting a report. How about you write this report?"
Dekan asked gently.
"Hmm..." Cornelia made a hesitant sound in her throat, seemingly reluctant.
"It's okay; you can write it freely. You'll definitely do a better job than me."
When they returned to the dormitory yesterday, Dekan had intended to write the report himself. After all, he was more of a civilian employee. However, as he sat at his desk with a pen in hand, he found himself unintentionally writing something completely unrelated to the report's requirements.
"In the middle of the Jin Dynasty, a man from Wuling made a living by fishing..."
He quickly crossed it out and started again. But even after writing it, he pondered, reread it, and felt that what he had written looked more like "The Peach Blossom Spring."
It seemed quite different from the requirements of a report.
Later, Dekan tried a different approach and wrote it in a factual manner. The result was a confession that sounded like it was from a criminal!
Although Dekan could fabricate a normal report with his eyes closed, he wanted to write a rigorous and impartial report, in line with the attitude of striving for excellence as a civilian employee. Perhaps from Cornelia's perspective, she could produce a good report. This would also provide Dekan with some insights on how to write a truthful and serious report in the future.
"Sure."
Cornelia nodded and took the report form from Dekan.
Then, she picked up a commonly used Norton Kingdom language dictionary and began to write her summary while flipping through the dictionary.
Dekan also adjusted his chair, sitting closer to her, watching her write.
Cornelia began to write with her pen:
"That day, Dekan was brought to the demon realm and faced the demons' trials."
"The demon said to him, 'Do you know where you are?'"
"Dekan looked around."
"He replied, 'This is paradise.'"
"When the demon told Dekan that it was the demon realm, Dekan was deeply shocked."
"If things continued like this, the demon realm would be doomed!"
"The demons needed a savior."
"If Dekan didn't step up, what would become of the demon realm?!"
Dekan began to feel that something was amiss as he read this far. However, he realized that Cornelia was writing with enthusiasm, and he didn't have the heart to interrupt her.
...
"During the inspection at the Demon Academy, Dekan pointed out the need to standardize the selection mechanism, strengthen process management, ensure the solid progress of teaching work, and achieve practical results."
"He also took a hands-on approach during the undercover investigation by providing guidance to the faculty and students."
"First, the sin of envy committed by the goat."
"As an examiner, he did not receive Cornelia's test paper immediately and harbored jealousy towards the lion which ultimately led to an irreparable tragedy. Jealousy is a spark that can ignite an uncontrollable wildfire at any time."
"Next is the sin of wrath committed by the lion."
"As a demon, he couldn't maintain his composure and, as a result, received punishment from Dekan by succumbing to the flames of his rage."
"Then, the sin of sloth was committed by the demon student."
"In the prime of youth, one should not fear the present. Lounging around is not an option and Dekan taught him how to shine and radiate."
"The sin of gluttony committed by Baron Bacher."
"His appetite was too great and he would eventually burst his own stomach. Dekan taught him restraint and the importance of seizing the right opportunities."
"There is also the sin of greed committed by the demon school physician."
"While coveting others, one might also lose everything themselves. The fate of the greedy is often to have nothing left."
"And the sin of pride committed by the demon choir."
"When you think you've already won, you may have already lost."
"Finally, the sin of lust committed by Miss Olive."
"Pursuing excessive thrills will ultimately lead to an insurmountable emptiness."
"Dekan administered punishment to each demon, teaching the surviving ones valuable lessons in kindness, patience, diligence, temperance, charity, humility, and chastity."
Cornelia handed her completed report to Dekan.
Her gaze shifted to Dekan, blinking with anticipation.
She was waiting for Dekan's feedback, her eyes shining brightly.
Dekan read Cornelia's masterpiece and found himself momentarily at a loss for words.
In a way, he didn't know whether to attribute Cornelia's remarkable literary talent to her or to the possibility that her mastery of the Norton Kingdom language still had significant issues...
"You've written it well."
Dekan smiled wistfully at Cornelia's innocent gaze.
Let's submit this one for now. If it gets sent back for revisions, I'll rewrite it.
Dekan thought to himself.
…
The next day, Professor Arnold sat in his office, looking at the report submitted by Dekan and Cornelia. He couldn't calm the waves of emotions in his heart for a long time.
Occasionally, he would put the report down and then pick it up again, as if trying to make sure he hadn't misread anything.
Finally, he pressed the report onto the desk, covering his face with both hands and massaging his temples.
After much contemplation, Professor Arnold eventually took out his stamp and approved the credits for both of them on the report.
Although, in theory, he should have sent this report back for a rewrite, he didn't want to scrutinize the new work of these two individuals any further.
So be it.
