278 The Two Decisions

On the way home, Baiyi was mulling over the type of academic dissertation he should submit. This was really crucial, for he not only had to satisfy the standards of the Sorcerer's Association, but he also had to be outstanding enough to make a name for himself in the academic world. After all, Baiyi wanted to be the principal of an academy; thus, he had to procure some sort of academic outcome to prove his worth.

Logically speaking, it was super easy for the Voidwalkers to produce high-quality dissertations. The Scholar, the Apprentice, the Soul Armature Practitioner, and even the Engineer and the Alchemist were naturals at this. The Artist was also very well-versed with the standards and requirements of the academic world, due to the fabrication skills he had accumulated from years of forgery and plagiarism. With this amount of support behind Baiyi, he could easily procure as many dissertations as he wished.

This posed another question for Baiyi — which made him even more conflicted and hesitant. 'What standard should I produce for my dissertations? Should they be written in a demigod-level? Or should they be legendary-level? These two options had their own pros and cons, of course. The former would definitely come in as a massive surprise for all, rousing all sorts of attention and all types of suspicion; the latter would be just the right amount of neutrality because they would blend in well enough; they would not gain too much criticism from the world, and it would certainly not rouse the level of interest that demigod-level dissertations would in the first place.

The hesitation he experienced was somewhat related to the predicament he was currently in. He wanted a fair reputation in the academic world, but he did not want to reveal too much about himself; finding a balance between both desires was not an easy task indeed.

The Charlatan, however, was ready to offer some insight regarding this dilemma that Baiyi was facing.

"Instead of writing essays of significant depth, why not consider a broader perspective; you don't need to give the impression of a knowledgeable scholar. The persona of an all-knowing and experienced elder suits you better," he suggested.

"There are many things you seek, and this might seem even more mysterious to those who question the meaning behind your actions. The unknown would induce fear, and this might give you momentary peace; but remember, the unknown will attract curiosity as well. You need to come up with a way to deal with this..."

"You really should've accepted that offer from the Royal Academy back then. Although the position could potentially be a hassle, it could serve as a shield from all this suspicion," said the Charlatan.

His words had a fair share of logic to them; it was undeniable that the Charlatan did possess a good understanding of this situation. After all, his experiences were pretty similar to Baiyi's, and they shared a similar sentiment toward having their background completely exposed. When he finally embarked on the correct path, a riches and lavish lifestyle became his for the longest time, yet he ended up in the limitless Void all the same.

This is why Baiyi decided to take the Charlatan's suggestion with a pinch of salt. He did not regret the fact that he rejected the King's offer at all, for his situation was far better than the Charlatan's; in the first place, concealing power was way easier than pretending to have power.

When Baiyi began to brainstorm on a topic for his thesis once again, he still ended up deciding to go with the Charlatan's suggestion: inviting a few seasoned individuals of the academic world to write on formation study, runes, alchemy, engineering, and astrology. Then, he would submit these four theses and his thesis, all of which centered around four major fields. Frankly speaking, topics like alchemy were not compulsory for sorcerers to practice, but they were still popular choices due to their basic, all-encompassing nature. Hence, there will be no issues writing about them.

On another hand, Baiyi was also submitting three individual theses about three different magical techniques for official approval. They were, respectively, Mia's stun grenades, which were so effective when used on the fighting ring back then; the enhanced version of the fire pole technique; and last but not least, a wind-type magic often used in shielding from long-distance arrows, like a miniature form of Claw of Tornarus.

According to the rules set by the Sorcerer's Association, further manipulation and experimentation on patented enchantments could be allowed if they were manipulated in a better, enhanced version of the original patent. The enhanced version could also be rewarded with partial patent rights, or it could be dubbed as a special class of magic. In other words, it was a strategy to encourage creation and individuality.

Obviously, the versions of magic procured by the Walkers were so advanced, they did not even resemble the original version...

Baiyi passed the duty of writing his own thesis to the Scholar and the other Voidwalkers, urging them to tone it down a notch and refrain from going too overboard with it; it just had to fulfill the requirements of a legendary-leveled candidate. Baiyi gathered his students and began to ask about the day's lessons.

"How was the lesson with Professor S today? Were you alright with him?" asked Baiyi. He took down the Scholar-Sharkie who was in the midst of climbing to Mia's head for rest and sent his consciousness back into the Void to write his paper.

"Today, Professor S was unlike the Master Sharkie of last time; he was gentle and patient! But, I still think you are the best, master..." Tisdale gave a brief review.

"But Professor S gave us lesser homework," mumbled Attie at a corner. The little Kitty-cat maid and the little village girl sat in for today's lessons on human culture and geography.

"Oh yes, now that you said it... I caught a glimpse of the questions just now; they don't look too complicated!" Nota the Elf chimed in, speaking extra softly and lowly.

'Tsk... do I give too much homework? They needed to get all these information embedded into their brains, though…' Seeing how the Scholar's performance was a more popular choice, Baiyi could not help but feel a little awkward.

At that moment, Mia suddenly extended her arm to him and begged.

"Sir Hope.... can you return Sharkie back to me, pretty please? We've had Professor S for the entire day; I never got the chance to hug Sharkie...."

One glance at Mia's face, which was filled with hope, made Baiyi suddenly consider the idea of toying with her a little. He bumped the Hammerhead Shark plush against her face, and as she reached to grab it, he pulled it away from her. Then, he held it over his head and seeing as he was seated, the height that he had raised the Hammerhead Shark to was completely out of Mia's reach.

Little Mia became even more agitated. She stopped reaching up, removed her leather shoes, and clambered onto Baiyi's lap. Her black silk stockings stepped on his armored leg as she reached for the plushie from her new height.

Baiyi instinctively swung the plushie around, to the back of his head, so that she does not take it. Mia had no choice but to lean forward onto him, causing her tiny body to press against his chest plate and her sweet, soft cheeks to brush against his facepiece... only then did she managed to snatch the shark plushie back into her arms.

The little rascal was now closer to him than before, and she had even dared to rub her body against his.

After lowering Mia back to the ground, Baiyi began to announce the two important decisions of the day, whilst toying with the ends of Mia's hair strands.

"First things first: there will be a new tutor from tomorrow onwards. She'll be in charge of History, Culture, Culinary, and other related lessons; she'll also foster your team working capabilities. I hope that you will treat her the same way you treat me."

Mia suddenly turned her head, causing the ends of her hand to slip from the gaps between Baiyi's fingers.

"Is it Sister Aya?" she asked. Mia had spent the previous day playing rather… indecent games with Mordred; however, she vaguely overheard a bit of the conversation that Baiyi and Aya had.

'But… calling her Sister Aya would sound quite inappropriate, wouldn't it?'

"That's right; it's her, indeed. She was a former instructor from the Brotherhood of Fire Wywerns, so you can say that she will be more professional than I am." nodded Baiyi. He reached out, with the intention of giving little Mia's face a little pinch, as if she was a squishy toy. Mia was forced to leave his side, feeling depressed, to escape his clutches, retreating back to Tisdale's side instead.

Baiyi had no choice but to find another means of entertainment; thus, he summoned Attie to his side, instead.

"Mm, the Aya we were referring to is that beautiful dragon-lady we met in Cloud City the other day — yes, the larger one," explained Baiyi, describing Aya to his non-human students.

As his voice faltered, he was greeted by the sight of pure terror from some of his students; the Kitsune, Nota and the four others started having nervous fits, shivering like a sieve in action.

"You don't have to be scared of her; she's nice," added Baiyi, trying his best to reassure his terrified students.

"B-but master, if Sister Aya is our tutor, that means Mordred..." Tisdale followed with another question, with a complicated expression on her face — the same expression on Mia's face.

"She'll most probably be joining us, I think?" answered Baiyi. He felt genuinely confused when he noticed the unnatural expression on their faces. "What's wrong? You've known the pair for quite some time, no? Why don't you seem too happy about this arrangement?"

"Uh...n-nothing..." Tisdale denied any objections raised in her heart, mulling in private, 'I just thought that it seemed a little crowded, with Master being surrounded by so many beautiful girls…'

"This is the first announcement. Now, the second one is: "I say, really, you can stop feeling nervous now, Kitsune; with me around, do you think she'll have the chance to eat you up?" Baiyi reassured the great fox, upon realizing how badly shaken the Kitsune seemed about the arrival of two dragons.

"Sorry, Sir Hope, it is only a natural reaction; if you would just look at how the food chain works..."

The Kitsune replied with his mana-fueled speech bubbles.

"Just don't worry too much about it; you all will be fine after mingling with each other for some time," Baiyi reassured even further. "Now, on to the second announcement: everybody seems to have put significant effort into their lessons, so I was thinking that we should organize an external activity, like an excursion. Take this as a chance to apply whatever you've learned into the real world, and take a break while we're at it, too. As for when... it will happen a few days from now, maybe."

"Eh? We're going on another excursion... again?" Mia's tone was one of reluctance. "Can we... not go? I feel that I haven't really mastered the theory part..." she implored cautiously.

Mia had grown smarter after only the experiences gained from two trips with Baiyi, and now, an excursion was only a pretty name for a full-on adventure. For the first trip, they went to the steppe, and it ended up with a full-frontal ambush by a sea of barbarian cavalries; for the second trip, they visited the realm of Gouve, and the apocalypse almost happened...

"C'mon now; don't be scared!" Baiyi tried to soothe. He shooed Attie away and pulled Little Mia closer to him with a magical force, smoothing her hair as he cooed. "This time, we'll go to a safe place — a very, very harmless one, I guarantee..."

"But... Day of Grace is next month, isn't it?" Laeticia seemed to be unfazed by the topic of another excursion. As a devout believer, she placed all her attention on the upcoming Day of Grace instead.

"Don't worry; we'll be back before the Grace Day," Baiyi lied.