Don't confiscate my identity as a human race

One by one, the red brick buildings, towering and solemn, represented the ancient engineering and wisdom of the Magic Engineering College.

The two walked along the road within the school.

By the side of the road, a clear stream meandered, reflecting the vibrant green branches and leaves of the trees. In this early morning, it was exceptionally tranquil. Further away, the flower field on the other side was a part of the Alchemy College's botanical garden system, as well as a teaching and research base for biological engineering.

Through this tree-shaded path, they could reach the precinct of the Sage Academy.

"If you want to challenge the Shadow World as soon as possible, you might need to consider joining a team. For instance, doing some research and getting to know about them. Choosing a suitable team will bring you many benefits and help."

Vivian thought about it, and in the end, decided not to scold Lanci, but to instruct him properly.

Since Lanci had humbly asked her about the difficulty of the Third-order Shadow World, he wasn't an impulsive idiot.

He was just a little too confident for his talent.

For young people, this was normal.

Moreover, even if Vivian were to verbally attack Lanci, he would undoubtedly maintain his gentle demeanor.

What Vivian least wanted to do was hurt a good-hearted person like him, as blaming such a person would only leave her feeling guilty.

"..."

Lanci fell silent for a moment at Vivian's words.

After passing the exam last time, Lanci had an interview with Hyperion on the steps of the Learning and Education Building. He also inquired and understood a few things about the academy's Shadow World Challenge.

Indeed, there were several teams in this academy that were recognized and widely known among students as the strongest.

Some of them had been formed in recent years.

There were also teams that had been established decades ago—the teams had gone through several changes in leadership, yet they continued to use the same team name passed down from their predecessors.

These teams were known as the strongest, not only because they had Gold-level experienced leaders, but also because some of the long-established teams included Platinum-level "fourth year students" or "regulars".

Although these top-notch Platinum-level players were often just figureheads, they neither interfered with the team leaders' decision-making nor teamed up with other students.

However, their occasional pointers were invaluable help for newcomers!

Moreover.

Every Platinum-level player was a part of a top-tier "Association Registered Permanent Team".

If one was fortunate enough to catch their eye, they might have the chance to join a team at the top of the South Continent once they had sufficient strength!

This would be a shortcut to reach the Platinum Level.

However, these weren't things Lanci needed to worry about for the time being.

He still had a long way to go to reach the Copper Level or the Silver Level.

Today, Lanci had received a notice from the South Continent's Shadow World Management Association. The school had submitted all the necessary documents for his "examination exemption registration". He only needed to complete the final steps at the Association to become an Iron-level Registered Challenger.

"Well, I'm not sure what kind of team I would fit into."

Lanci finally responded.

He had almost no contacts in Royal Capital, and much of what he knew now was thanks to the kind explanation from Hyperion and Vivian.

"Don't worry, after the school starts, there will be many channels to get information from, and teams may also take the initiative to approach you," Vivian remarked nonchalantly.

To say that Vivian held no envy for Lanci's top placement would be a lie.

Initially, she thought she was a strong contender for the top rank in the Sage Academy.

She didn't expect the cumulative score in the end to be significantly increased by the boy before her.

Over the years, freshmen who had outstanding performance in the entrance examination would always be sought after by numerous teams.

She added, "Although your strength is still unknown to all the senior students, just by virtue of your top-ranking performance at the Sage Academy, people would want to recruit you."

Lanci's performance in the third round of entrance examination was personally sealed by Dean Loren, and even Vivian couldn't find out any news about it.

Therefore, many still doubted Lanci's abilities—

That he and Hyperion simply happened to meet Examiner Felat when he suffered a sudden stroke, thereby lucking into passing the third round of examination.

The Sage Academy's official channels did not comment on this, and the bigwigs behind Examiner Felat, regardless of what they might know, remained completely silent about the examination situation.

"Is that so?"

Lanci hadn't expected that he was likely to be proactively recruited after school started.

However, making choices about the team, as well as declining others' kind invitations, was going to be a painful task.

Lanci had no idea which team would suit him best or if there were any better options.

So, he would need to devote some time to understand more.

"You don't like the feeling of being popular?"

Vivian watched Lanci's confused, curious look with intrigue.

She wasn't sure why Lanci didn't seem particularly joyful, but rather disconcerted.

"Doesn't being admired and expected of by strangers only put more pressure on you?"

Lanci chuckled modestly, turning his head to look at Vivian.

Although Vivian's interpretation of his thoughts was slightly off-mark.

But Lanci easily figured out what Vivian was thinking about.

"...Indeed."

After a brief silence, Vivian agreed with a nod.

"Just like being a princess, carrying the hopes of many, it must be exhausting, isn't it?"

Lanci's demeanor was steady, his voice gentle.

"Ah... it is exhausting."

Vivian sighed.

Even though as a member of the royal family, bearing many responsibilities, she shouldn't endorse such self-centered thoughts like Lanci's, but deep down she indeed felt the same.

She simply wanted to lie down on the grass and take a nap, rather than trying hard every day to portray an image of a dignified and elegant princess.

Wait.

Vivian quickly caught herself.

She was supposed to be asking Lanci a question, how did it suddenly turn into a deep conversation about life?

The more they talked, the more she felt the urge to vent her inner desires.

This guy, Lanci, spoke so naturally, but his words acted like a whispering demon, unknowingly evoking in her a deep-seated sense of laziness.

Vivian quickly shook her head, stopping herself from continuing down this irrelevant topic with Lanci.

"Lanci, if you don't have any specific plans, you could consider joining my team. I can recommend you. Our team mainly consists of students from Sage Academy and Magic Engineering College. If you ever need to commission a card, it's very convenient. Plus, there's a man in our team who is a platinum level Magic Artisan, and he's the most skilled mechanic in the fourth-year class of the Magic Engineering College."

Vivian had already secured her team. Having grown up in the Royal Capital, she, occupying high ranks, naturally had many connections.

She also believed that this team was attractive enough and that she was not just randomly recommending it to Lanci.

Being one of the strongest teams at the academy, the most significant feature of her team was its extremely well-coordinated logistics.

For instance, if you wanted to commission an excellent cardmaker from the Cardmaker's Association, you'd often face challenges such as stepping on a landmine, exorbitant fees, long queue times, or even direct rejection.

Conversely, dealing with team members often resulted in easier negotiations, and you could even make friends with cardmakers.

"Does the Magic Engineering College have a combat profession?"

Lanci asked, surprised.

Obviously, his interest was not in the team itself.

This response somewhat frustrated Vivian, who rightly believed her description was attractive enough.

Lanci probably didn't understand the value of making friends with the promising cardmakers at the Magic Engineering College!

It seemed that this young man from the borderlands was greatly lacking in his understanding of the Shadow World.

Vivian sighed helplessly and explained to Lanci:

"Magic Artisans from the Magic Engineering College who can go to the Shadow World aren't necessarily Battlefield Card Makers. The real powerhouses among Magic Artisans are no worse than the students from the Second Institute of Law Knights when it comes to fighting."

"Don't underestimate the Alchemy College either. Some of their troublesome characters can cause serious problems."

As if recalling something unpleasant, Vivian hastily added a comment.

"Hm?"

Lanci voiced his confusion.

He knew the Alchemy College mostly had scholars, medics, pharmacists, and alchemists who favored research, but according to Vivian, there must be a few who excelled in combat.

But what could be defined as a big troublemaker?

Vivian shook her head with a pained expression, speaking as though she was the one suffering:

"The information science major at the Alchemy College, I don't know who started it, but in recent years it has gradually leaned towards the direction of unscrupulous journalists... The 'Hutton Times' was initially issued by the Alchemy College, now it's getting bigger and stronger. If you offend them, you will likely be slandered relentlessly."

Vivian, being the center of attention as a princess, was constantly in fear of being potentially caught off-guard and facing scandal.

"Hiss—"

Lanci drew in a sharp breath.

He felt that compared to joining a team, he was more interested in joining the newspaper.

In a society governed by law, isn't controlling public opinion far more formidable than fighting?!