Chapter 7: Enrollment

Over the past half month, his efforts to change others’ stereotypical impressions had clearly worked, successfully improving relationships within the mansion.

All the maids had developed a favorable impression of him and gradually became friendlier, no longer speaking with hesitation or fear.

For example, when they learned he was about to depart for the royal capital, many maids who previously had no connection with him voluntarily wanted to see him off—also hoping to get their hands on those two gold coins.

Well, it probably wasn’t just about the coins!

In short, by relying on his unique personal charm, he had conquered the entire mansion.

This was his first milestone achievement in this new world.

Of course, that was just prelude; the journey ahead would be entirely up to Ailandon himself.

Although there was about a week before the school term began, he left early to account for possible travel mishaps, unfamiliar routes, or train arrival delays.

According to his plan, upon arriving at the royal capital, he would:

• Rest for two days.
• Get to know the basics of the capital of Wenton.
• See if he could encounter anyone familiar.

For example, the princess of the Wenton Empire, a “defeated CG holder”—Isabella, the first princess of the fallen Lovrefay Kingdom.

As the first defeated CG holder, Isabella had attracted a huge number of players willing to pay money for her outstanding CG, generating massive revenue.

He remembered that his own sales performance had soared during that time.

It was fair to say that she had earned a lot of money for him, a former marketing strategist.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her his “own daughter.”

Standing on the platform, Ailandon recalled some familiar figures, his expression oddly reflective.

His smile remained calm, as if reminiscing about old friends he hadn’t seen in years.

If only he could “gain a few influence points” from the Fate Roulette system through the Wenton Empire princess… that would be even better.

“Alend, calculate the time. She should have departed by now,” he muttered to himself, thinking about the villainous female lead who had instructed him just days ago.

Before reaching the platform, he had fantasized about the chance of encountering her in person—a bizarre, unexpected meeting at the same station.

He had even prepared a reason to strike up conversation, hoping to catch her off guard.

Her reaction would be interesting, he thought.

But fantasies remained fantasies.

As soon as he stepped onto the platform, he knew it wouldn’t happen.

His thoughts wandered, trying to add some entertainment to the dull wait.

At that moment, in the distance, the faint silhouette of a train engine appeared, accompanied by a series of whistle blasts.

With the increasing roar and vibrations along the tracks, the train gradually took its place at the platform.

As it came to a complete stop, the crowd fell silent, as if paying respect to the steel giant.

Ailandon finally confirmed his position, lined up, and found his seat.

He leaned against the window, supporting his head with one hand, muttering:

“Decided. No matter what, the princess’s defeated CG must not appear.”

At that moment, the deep-brown steel giant roared along the tracks, the friction of wheels masking Ailandon’s thoughts.

The unfamiliar scenery flew past as usual.

During this leisurely journey, most of the time Ailandon was thinking about the Fate Roulette mechanism.

It wasn’t until the old train seat made his back ache that he realized an entire day had passed.

After a full day of travel, it was nearly noon the next day.

The scenery outside gradually changed from fields to skyscrapers of steel and concrete.

Ailandon’s gaze shifted from the window.

The train slowly arrived at the station.

He retrieved his luggage, didn’t hesitate, and walked toward the exit.

As soon as he stepped outside, the various buildings and towering structures of the Wenton Empire’s capital came into view.

Marble buildings and the sound of horse hooves intertwined.

He found a carriage, specifying that he wanted to go to the Imperial Academy.

The coachman invited him aboard warmly.

The horse’s hooves trampled along the cobblestone road, taking him to the Wenton Imperial Academy.

Ailandon remembered the upcoming test and felt a little overwhelmed.

Although he had the aid of the “Ability Glasses,” he couldn’t be sure that no one at the vast academy would notice.

He had already prepared to rely solely on his own abilities if needed.

The carriage silently entered the core area of the capital, the noise and bustle of the city gradually filling his senses.

Finally, after a series of turns, the carriage arrived near the academy.

By academy rules, outsiders are not allowed to enter the core area.

Ailandon had to get off and walk to the main entrance on his own.

A massive complex lay before him, with numerous buildings for magical research or technomagic devices, unlike anything he had seen before.

After multiple inquiries, he learned that new students needed to complete registration at the New Student Services office.

Following directions, he entered the side door to the office.

At the front desk, friendly staff in academy attire greeted him.

A staff member from admissions, wearing a professional smile and holding a familiar registration booklet, asked:

“Are you here to register?”

Ailandon smiled slightly, his golden hair gleaming under the magical lamps.

“Yes, I’d like to register for the Technomancy Department.”

“You can complete the registration here.”

His extraordinary aura clearly impressed the staff member, who nodded with a smile.

Under their guidance, Ailandon quickly completed the basic registration.

Unlike mages, who could be ranked directly through magic aptitude tests, Technomancy students also needed to undergo a basic technomagic test to qualify for further exams.

This was his next goal.

Walking through the layered corridors, Ailandon arrived at a door labeled “Technomancy Department.”

Before entering, he heard an angry voice inside, apparently frustrated by the previous examinee’s test.

“Seriously, anyone dares to apply to our Technomancy Department these days? With this level of knowledge, they should go home and study for a hundred years.”

A calm, steady male voice followed:

“Mr. Fuko, please remain calm. I mean, such a terrible paper should just be thrown away; no need to torture ourselves.”

Ailandon knocked lightly on the door.

After receiving permission, he opened it.

Inside was a brown-haired professor with a slightly annoyed expression and an assistant grading papers.

“Here for the Technomancy Department?”

Professor Fuko suppressed his temper, forcing a smile at the newcomer to appear polite.

He had to stay calm and not give a bad impression to the new student—next might be a rare talent.

This wasn’t uncommon in previous years, though usually the talents were from other departments.

Luck is unpredictable, and perhaps this year the Technomancy Department’s luck had arrived.

“Yes,” Ailandon nodded, handing over the registration form completed at the front desk.

The assistant carefully reviewed the information, found no issues, and nodded to Professor Fuko, then led Ailandon to the testing equipment.

His job was to assist students with basic attribute tests.

Though, as professional teachers, they could sense that Ailandon’s aura was not strong.

But since he had come, the formalities had to be followed.

Soon, the test results came out.

As they expected, Ailandon did not have strong magic or physical ability; his only notable trait was decent mental strength.

For them, this was not surprising—students entering the Technomancy Department usually did not have very high stats; high-stat students typically went to the Sage or Knight Departments.

Those entering Technomancy usually valued the knowledge weighting of the department.

The previous frustration had been caused by the prior examinee, who had decent magical talent but still applied to Technomancy, making them mistakenly think the student genuinely loved the subject—only to be a disappointment.

The technomagic test results were underwhelming.

This person knew almost nothing about technomagic basics.

Even on a full 100-point test, he could not answer the simplest questions.

No matter how desperate they were for talent, the department had principles—they would not accept such students.

Presumably, that examinee had transferred to the Sage Department or elsewhere.

They could only hope Ailandon would surprise them in the upcoming tests.

After signing a series of anti-cheating agreements, the assistant led Ailandon into a sealed room.

He checked Ailandon thoroughly, and the room’s unique inspection system found no cheating devices related to magic.

He handed Ailandon the technomagic test.

The assistant sat idly, watching him, unsure what he was thinking.

It was the first time he had supervised a student individually.

Ailandon felt some pressure, but not too much.

During this time, he confirmed one thing:

The Ability Glasses truly could not be detected by any special inspection methods.