The hint at Krell’s daydreaming attitude was utterly blatant. Around him, a group of people laughed wantonly, forgetting that they too had just been full of longing.
"Hahaha, there are really people like this."
"We’ll call him the drear ’Mr. Krell’ from now on."
On this side, Krell listened closely from beginning to end, knowing they sent Derek to lead the charge in an attempt to find an opportunity to undermine his authority, which ultimately concerned everyone’s future academic scores.
Although his face was livid, he couldn’t refute, because what they said was true.
Now Aiven also understood where Krell’s unnatural expression ca from when ntioning the "Shadow Library" back then.
Aiven was sowhat worried about Krell; he knew that even though Krell said not to get his hopes up, his obsession with collecting mysterious items clearly showed that the "Shadow Library" was also his obsession.
Bang——
"What’s so funny? Mysterious knowledge not only represents power but also ans danger. If I were the manager of the Shadow Library, I would also set restrictions, letting those who are temporarily not ready stay outside, rather than letting dangerous knowledge proliferate and lead to disaster.
The Library Managent Office is in the clock tower; if it’s really a bad joke, what reason does the school have to cooperate with its performance?
What qualification does soone who doesn’t dare to try himself, relying only on hearsay, have to laugh at a warrior who fails again and again yet continues to fight?!"
Aiven stood up, sweeping his gaze over the Kelsen faction who were still wantonly laughing. His not-so-tall figure had an inexplicable oppressive aura. Behind him, more than a dozen mbers of Krell’s faction also stood up simultaneously.
"Kelsen, is it interesting to make your underlings play those minor tricks all day? If you want academic points, earn them yourself with your skills. Belittling others won’t make you any more noble. If you dare, solve the conflict with a sword in the dueling field, I’m ready to accompany you anyti!"
None, including the loudest laughing Derek and his "master" Kelsen, dared to et Aiven’s gaze, all moving their eyes aside.
Because Aiven’s achievent in defeating Wack Wells before school started had already spread. Most people present, in facing Aiven, not to ntion one-on-one, even in two or three people together, had no confidence in winning.
Moreover, several of them were the defeated subordinates of Wack Wells on that day, what courage could they speak of?
The scene was montarily silent, Krell looked at Aiven thankfully, subtly tugging on his sleeve, not wanting him to offend others while sticking up for him.
Derek, fierce in appearance but cowardly at heart:
"Aiven Galliot, you.....!"
Bang——
The main doors of the hall suddenly swung open.
The direct instructor of the short training class, Paul, rushed in aggressively, relaxing a bit upon seeing Aiven there, and imdiately grabbed Aiven to take him out.
"Aiven, co with quickly, soone from the Church has co and asked specifically to see you."
...
Aiven did not expect that those arriving earlier than the Kingdom dical Society were the guests from the New Inn Cathedral of the Black Iron Cross Church.
"Student Aiven, this is Dean Randolph from the Goddess Sanctuary, who ca specifically to see you at the academy."
Following Paul into the academy’s external reception room, Aiven saw an elderly man with white hair wearing a black clerical robe, accompanied by a school official.
"Greetings, Your Excellency the Dean!"
In this world where gods objectively exist, clergy hold the figurative thickest thigh in the world, and their status is vaguely above secular officials. Aiven, too, couldn’t help following suit, greeting the elder first.
"Hello, my child." The elderly but spirit-strong dean warmly embraced Aiven without beating around the bush, directly stating his purpose.
"Following the Goddess’s will..."
"..."
"May the Goddess’s glory be with you!"
Together with the school official and instructor, Aiven saw off the elder dean. Under the envious eyes of the two beside him, he looked down at the "Iron Cross dal" issued by the church and pinned on his chest, blessed by the Goddess.
Because Aiven had never been a devout believer, it was only upon seeing the church visitors today that he belatedly realized. Among the many divine positions held by the Black Iron Cross Church’s "Queen and Goddess of Navigation," there’s the domain of "Navigation."
Thanks to the "Navigation" divine position, in addition to long-term devout followers, any invention, creation, or daily activity beneficial to navigation can enhance the Goddess’s power. Bluntly speaking, aside from the life-concerning open-sea sailors, "Queen and Goddess of Navigation" is the greatest beneficiary of Aiven’s invention.
As soon as Aiven’s solution was announced, the high-ranking mbers of the Black Iron Cross Church received divine revelation, hearing the Goddess’s pleased response.
Even though the local Bishop regarded Aiven as at most a nominal believer, the due rewards were indispensable, and the Goddess’s decisions were beyond question.
After all, decades ago, when the Hilus Kingdom’s first battleship was launched, even the chief designer, an "Eternal Fla" believer, received the Goddess’s blessing, let alone Aiven, a nominal believer.
The "Iron Cross dal" has no rank yet signifies that its holder’s contributions to the church have been noted and acknowledged by the church. Unless committing major blasphemy, one can generally expect church protection as situations warrant.
Moreover, recipients of the dal are generally regarded within the church as equivalent to dean-level positions. Although there are no corresponding rights, the status is the sa.
Especially in the Tulip Alliance nations sharing the sa faith, besides the "inherently noble" nobility, whether military or clerical personnel, are very popular, also being the first choice for reputable noble maidens unable to marry into noble families of equal rank.
Aiven didn’t care much for these conveniences. What he valued more was the dal itself. Blessed by the Goddess, the nature of the dal has changed, becoming a valuable extraordinary object.
Spiritual sensing told Aiven its real effect was to "protect sailors who wear it from the sea’s harm."
Thanks to the Goddess’s true god status, theoretically, even if moving beyond the goddess’s stronghold of faith, to places outside the Black Sea, it could still function.
Even if the two beside him didn’t know the dal’s specific effects, its symbolic significance alone was enough to evoke envy.
Understanding the entire process, the two now imagined Aiven’s grand future and expressed goodwill. The official said he would apply for a scholarship for Aiven, while the direct instructor indicated that Aiven’s schedule could be at his discretion, as long as he ensured passing the tests, he wouldn’t interfere much.
Though in their positions, they didn’t need to appease any student, instinctively befriending every rising star is an inherent nature of the academy’s officials, which could also be considered an investnt in the future.
On the other side.
The small hall still hadn’t dispersed.
"Co quickly, everyone, look!" A trainee waved a newspaper, running into the small hall.
"What’s going on, rushing around?"
The newly arrived trainee started reading out loud from the newspaper.
"Our reporter had an exclusive interview with Mr. Duncan Douglas, President of the Phaletis Kingdom’s Royal dical Society, who confird that Major Aiven Galliot of the Kingdom Navy has published a pioneering grand prevention plan.
This plan has brought good news to the deep-sea sailors long plagued by scurvy, tackling a problem that has troubled seafarers for over a hundred years...
Major Aiven Galliot was praised by President Duncan as ’the pioneer of the greatest discovery in the past decade’.....
The Church publicly called him ’Favored by the Goddess’..."
The Navy Departnt called him ’the model of the Kingdom’s soldiers’..."
"Aiven Galliot?"
"Pioneering? Great?"
"Goddess? Favored? Model?"
The group looked at each other.
Especially the Kelsen faction trainees who were just planning to find a chance to teach that "disrespectful person" a lesson, vividly demonstrated what it ans to ’lower their flags and stow away their drums’...
This news was reported to the Kingdom and the Church before the dical Society’s letter to Aiven, and in just a few days, nearly simultaneously with the letter to Aiven, it made it to the main section of the official newspaper (without ntioning the specific prevention thod).
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