Chapter 133: Agreement
So when the principal saw that another outstanding figure like Nan Yu had emerged from the academy, there was no way he would simply let him go again, even if Nan Yu himself had no desire to stay.
Moreover, the principal had privately gathered information about the other military academies. Although none of them could yet compare to the Royal Military Academy, they were steadily closing the gap. If, during his tenure as principal, the academy's strength declined and its ranking fell, wouldn't he go down in history in disgrace?
After all, every principal of the Royal Military Academy was recorded in the school's history. Even now, he could look up every principal from the very first one to his predecessor, along with the contributions each had made, the academy's strength during their terms, and countless other records.
When he had first become principal, he had been incredibly proud. Becoming the principal of the number one academy in the entire Empire was naturally something to boast about.
But as time passed, he gradually began to feel overwhelmed.
The Royal Military Academy's reputation was simply too great. Every filthy hand wanted a piece of it. Just look at the incident where someone bribed an employee in the archives department to tamper with students' records.
He admitted there had been a lapse in the academy's management.
But he dared to guarantee that if it had been any other academy, no one would have gone to such lengths [N O V E L I G H T] to bribe people just to alter student records.
Seeing that Nan Yu remained completely unmoved, the principal immediately realized that playing the victim wasn't going to work.
So he thought of another solution.
One that benefited both sides.
One that could even be called perfect.
"Student Nan Yu, I understand what you're thinking. You believe that your current strength is already sufficient to graduate—far beyond the graduation requirements, in fact. Isn't that right?"
Nan Yu frowned slightly.
"Principal, forgive my bluntness, but it isn't something I believe. It's simply the truth. Do you honestly think there's still any point in me remaining at the academy?"
"I don't want a comfortable campus life. I just want to join a legion as soon as possible and contribute something to this country—to my Empire—because I have the ability to do so."
"If my strength were ordinary, I would never make such a request. I'd only be getting in the way if I went. So, Principal, I believe you understand my reasoning."
The principal let out a deep sigh.
"You're right. I do understand. And staying by Marshal Yu's side would also be much safer for you. Especially now..."
Most people knew nothing about Nan Yu's kidnapping.
But as the principal of the Royal Military Academy, he did.
He also understood that only by remaining beside Yu Lanfeng could Nan Yu's safety truly be guaranteed.
After all, no one knew how many people were secretly coveting someone like Nan Yu.
The principal cleared his throat.
"Oh, right. There's actually another solution. Would you hear me out?"
Nan Yu restrained the sharpness in his tone.
"I'm sorry. I got a little emotional just now. Since you want to explain it, of course I'll listen. After all... you're my elder. Perhaps you've thought of a better solution."
The principal's expression softened.
"This method has actually never been used before, because there has never been a situation like yours."
In the past, either the academy produced outstanding talents in abundance, or even exceptionally gifted students had no desire to graduate early because they could still learn much more while remaining at school.
"But I think this method is perfectly suited to your current circumstances. Yours is a special case."
Nan Yu nodded.
"Please go ahead, Principal. I'll consider it carefully."
The principal smiled.
"My proposal is this. I can approve your leaving the academy now. You would only need to return once a year during the annual advancement examinations to participate in the assessment."
"That way, you'd only have to come back once a year."
"It wouldn't take much of your time. Besides, Marshal Yu himself returns at least two or three times every year. During the rest of the time, you could accompany the legion wherever it goes without having to graduate early."
Nan Yu's eyes widened.
"I know that's an excellent solution. I've actually thought about it before. But Principal, have you forgotten? The academy regulations specifically state that enrolled students are not allowed to remain away from campus for extended periods."
"The intention of that rule is obvious. Students who aren't strong enough stay at the academy and continue studying. Those who are strong enough graduate early. If you make an exception for me as principal, won't countless others submit the same application afterward?"
The principal curled his lips into a confident smile.
"That's easy."
"I'll simply add qualification standards to the application."
"For Mental Power Users, the qualification standard will be roughly equivalent to yours."
"For Ability Users, the qualification standard will be roughly equivalent to what Marshal Yu achieved when he graduated early."
"What do you think of those two standards?"
Nan Yu blinked.
He suddenly felt that the principal was actually quite clever.
"In that case, I don't have any objections. But I'll still need to discuss it with my bro... my brothers, my father, and Marshal Yu."
He had almost called Yu Lanfeng "Brother" right in front of the principal.
That was the private way they addressed each other.
He definitely couldn't let it slip.
Besides, the principal didn't seem to know about his relationship with Yu Lanfeng.
Then again, that made sense.
Their relationship still hadn't been made public.
Not long ago, he had only just dissolved his engagement after Bai Zhouyun had been court-martialed and later escaped from prison, becoming a wanted fugitive.
If news of his relationship with Yu Lanfeng surfaced so soon afterward, who knew what kind of problems it might cause?
It would be better to wait until he had joined the legion.
Once everyone believed he had spent at least a year working alongside Yu Lanfeng, that would be the right time to reveal their relationship.
Of course...
The people who needed to know already knew.
But making it public would have to wait.
The principal nodded repeatedly.
"That's only natural. I've already had people begin drafting the detailed qualification standards. The results should be ready very soon. Once the application is approved, everything will be settled."
Nan Yu stood up.
"Principal, in that case, I'll head back first. I need to discuss this with them. I promise I'll give you a definite answer tomorrow."
The principal smiled warmly.
"Good, good, good. Student Nan Yu, take care."
He even stood up and personally escorted Nan Yu to the office door.
Nan Yu couldn't help feeling surprised.
Just to keep his name associated with the academy, the principal was actually lowering himself this much?
"Thank you, Principal. I'll be going now."
The principal watched Nan Yu disappear into the distance.
Only then did the smile fade from his face.
Returning to his office and closing the door, he immediately contacted someone.
As soon as the call connected, he asked,
"How are those qualification standards I told you to draft coming along? They'll officially be needed tomorrow!"
"Principal, we're still drafting them. Marshal Yu's assessment records from when he applied to skip grades and graduate early are perfectly preserved, so we only need to lower the Ability User standard slightly from his level. But for Nan Yu, we only have the results from his previous advancement examination. We're not sure whether those can still be used."
"Send them to me."
Very quickly, the principal received Nan Yu's latest assessment data.
After reading it, he drew in a sharp breath.
"If the Mental Power User standard is based on Nan Yu's results... I honestly don't think a single person would ever qualify."
"Principal, these standards are meant to discourage other students from applying in the first place. So even if they're set a little higher, that's perfectly fine."
The principal thought about it and nodded.
"You're right."
"In that case, draft them according to those standards first. We'll discuss any further adjustments later... No, forget that. Hurry up. As soon as the finished version is ready, bring it to me immediately."
"Yes, Principal. We'll finish it as quickly as possible."
After ending the call, the principal paced back and forth around his office.
Finally, he decided to visit the students whose records had previously been tampered with.
There was no point worrying any further.
He needed something else to distract himself from his anxiety.
After leaving the academy, Nan Yu returned to the hovercraft.
As soon as he stepped aboard, he was surprised to see Yu Lanfeng.
"Huh? Why are you here? Wasn't Yang Zhou sitting here earlier?"
Had he remembered wrong?
He clearly recalled picking Yang Zhou up halfway through the trip. How had the person inside become Yu Lanfeng after he spent a little while inside the academy?
"Yang Zhou has already been sent home," Yu Lanfeng replied. "Come sit down."
Nan Yu nodded.
"I knew something felt off. No wonder. But why are you here? Weren't you busy?"
"I have business at the palace. You'll be coming with me."
Nan Yu paused.
"Why would I go? If you're going there, it must be for official business."
Yu Lanfeng looked straight at him.
"It is."
"My sister wants to meet you properly."
Nan Yu blinked.
"Didn't we already meet before?"
"Those were only casual meetings."
"What I mean is..."
"She wants to meet you formally."
Nan Yu understood immediately.
The Empress wanted to formally meet him as Yu Lanfeng's partner.
The last time they had met, he had still been engaged to Bai Zhouyun, so certain topics couldn't be brought up without causing misunderstandings.
Now things were different.
After thinking for a moment, Nan Yu nodded.
"All right. Then let's go together. But... am I really going dressed like this? Maybe I should go home and change first."
"I brought something for you."
Yu Lanfeng took out a set of clothes from his spatial button.
They weren't ceremonial attire, but they were suitable for a fairly formal occasion.
Once Nan Yu changed into them, his entire appearance became far more refined.
Only then did Yu Lanfeng truly realize just how handsome Nan Yu really was.
Combined with those clothes, he looked even more captivating.
Yu Lanfeng narrowed his eyes slightly, pulled him over, and had him sit beside him.
"We're leaving now. At this speed, the hovercraft will reach the palace in about half an hour."
After sitting down, Nan Yu finally calmed himself.
Only then did he remember his conversation with the principal.
Since they had time, he briefly explained everything.
"Brother, what do you think of this idea? If it's workable, I don't actually want to keep opposing the principal. I honestly think it would be a good solution if it succeeds."
Yu Lanfeng considered it.
"I don't see any problems with it."
"It sounds perfectly reasonable."
"Actually... the academy should have introduced this kind of application system long ago."
"Many things gradually change as society develops. No matter how prestigious the Royal Military Academy is, its rules also need to evolve with the times. Only then can the academy better adapt to modern reality."
Nan Yu smiled.
"So... does that mean I've actually done something good?"
"However," Yu Lanfeng continued, "the qualification standards the principal mentioned are simply too high. I doubt anyone will meet them within the next one or two hundred years."
Nan Yu burst into laughter.
"That's true..."
After all, a Mid-Tier Mental Power User with mental strength like Nan Yu's practically didn't exist.
Nan Yu had reached this level only because he had been reborn.
He possessed every possible advantage.
No other Mental Power User could surpass him.
As for High-Tier Mental Power Users, they never stayed at the academy anyway.
The Empire took them away directly and placed them under secret protection.
They enjoyed freedom.
Yet at the same time, they had none.
After becoming a High-Tier Mental Power User in his previous life, Nan Yu had essentially lived under the Empire's supervision.
Most of the time, he simply followed the Empire's assignments—traveling wherever they ordered him to remove Mental Contamination or provide support.
Of course, he had always retained the right to refuse.
Back then, however, he had rejected countless missions that required leaving the Capital Star because he wanted to stay beside Bai Zhouyun.
He accepted only commissions within the Capital Star.
Ordinarily, there would have been nothing wrong with that.
He could even have become even more famous.
But at the time, he was constantly removing Bai Zhouyun's Mental Contamination so that Bai Zhouyun could steadily advance from Mid-Tier to High-Tier.
As a result, whenever the Empire assigned him a commission, he was already exhausted.
If he had still possessed the Nianshen Grass, things would never have become so difficult.
But he had already given it to Yun Feiyu.
He had asked Yun Feiyu to return it several times.
Every single time, Bai Zhouyun had stopped him.
As a result, although he accepted only Capital Star commissions, he still handled them terribly.
Out of nearly thirty commissions altogether...
Only ten succeeded.
Every single one of the rest failed.
The reason was simple.
His mental power wasn't sufficient.
After all, every person who managed to accumulate enough contribution points for a High-Tier Mental Power User to personally treat them had devoted unimaginable time and effort.
Back then, Nan Yu had already felt somewhat guilty.
But as Bai Zhouyun continued growing stronger, he pushed that guilt aside.
And in the end, those choices indirectly caused no one to help him when Bai Zhouyun and the others hunted him down.
Some people had even secretly assisted Bai Zhouyun in tracking him.
Was this what people meant by bringing disaster upon oneself?
Yu Lanfeng gently pulled him into his arms.
"What are you thinking about? You were spacing out."
Nan Yu finally came back to himself.
"Hm? What? Did you say something?"
"I said that when we meet my sister later, if she refuses to let you go, remember to call for me."
"I'll rescue you."
Nan Yu laughed.
"Isn't that a bit exaggerated?"
She was the Empress, after all.
How could she possibly behave like that?
Wasn't she supposed to be dignified, noble, and elegant?
Had he simply been ignorant all this time?
Then again...
Yu Lanfeng had mentioned more than once that the Empress was rather... unconventional.
But from everything Nan Yu had previously known, she had always seemed like someone with an overwhelmingly regal aura.
Soon, however, he recalled meeting her on the way to the Imperial Library.
Back then...
She had indeed seemed a little...
Lively?
While Nan Yu was lost in thought, the hovercraft had already reached the palace gates.
Because Yu Lanfeng was aboard, they were waved through without any inspection.
Watching the guards open the gates so readily, Nan Yu couldn't help sighing inwardly.
Sometimes...
Status really was a wonderful thing.
Once inside the palace grounds, the hovercraft slowed considerably.
There was a designated area for landing hovercraft.
After parking there, the two of them walked side by side.
Yu Lanfeng naturally took Nan Yu's hand.
Nan Yu, however, became nervous.
"Didn't we agree not to make our relationship public yet? Even though we're inside the palace, there are people everywhere. What if someone secretly takes photos or videos and uploads them?"
Who knew whether that would cause trouble for him...
Or for Yu Lanfeng.
"It's fine."
"This is the palace."
"No one here would dare take photos casually."
"And even if someone did..."
"It would be a trivial matter for me to deal with."
Nan Yu suddenly remembered something.
Many news media and online media platforms across the StarNet had received investment from Yu Lanfeng.
Naturally...
There was no need for them to worry about public opinion.
Nan Yu suddenly felt rather foolish for worrying in the first place.
As expected...
A big shot was still a big shot.
Honestly, between the two of them...
He was definitely the one who had gotten the better deal by ending up with Yu Lanfeng.
Led by Yu Lanfeng, they turned through several corridors before arriving at what looked like a garden.
"My sister designed this garden herself."
"Whenever she has free time, she likes coming here."
"So she chose to meet us here this time."
Nan Yu felt a little nervous.
Following Yu Lanfeng at an unhurried pace, they walked for about a minute before spotting a wooden pavilion ahead.
Bamboo curtains surrounded it on every side.
The entire place looked...
Ancient.
The more Nan Yu looked at it, the more he liked it.
This old-fashioned aesthetic had a calming effect.
"What do you think?" Nan Yu asked.
"About what?" Yu Lanfeng replied.
"I mean this place."
Yu Lanfeng thought for a moment before frowning slightly.
Memories surfaced of being bullied by his older sister throughout his childhood.
And all the pranks she had played on him here.
"It's all right, I guess."
Nan Yu blinked.
Apparently his partner wasn't very fond of this style.
Well, never mind.
He didn't like it that much either.
Neither of them realized that they had been talking about completely different things.
Soon enough, though, they had no time to think about that.
As they entered the pavilion, they saw the Empress sitting upright inside.
Seeing that she was dressed even more formally than he was, Nan Yu suddenly had no idea how he should react.
Fortunately...
Yu Lanfeng stepped forward.
"Big Sister, what's with all this?"
The Empress had been sitting there with her eyes closed.
Upon hearing his question, she immediately opened them wide and shot him a fierce glare.
Ignoring him completely, her expression instantly softened into a warm smile the moment she looked at Nan Yu.
She beckoned to him.
Nan Yu could only steel himself and walk over.
Taking his hand, the Empress beamed.
"I knew you two would become family sooner or later."
"See?"
"Wasn't I right?"
Nan Yu honestly didn't know how to respond.
But the Empress needed no encouragement whatsoever.
She immediately launched into an endless stream of stories exposing Yu Lanfeng's embarrassing past.
"Oh, do you know? When I first told my little brother that you were wonderful and that he should hurry up and pursue you, he acted all righteous and insisted he'd never do such a thing."
"Half the time he was completely unmotivated."
"Honestly, sometimes I really felt like smacking him."
"Don't you agree?"
"A wonderful child like you is impossible to find even with a lantern, yet he kept finding fault with this and that!"
Nan Yu glanced at Yu Lanfeng in surprise but remained silent.
The Empress continued enthusiastically.
"At first, you two weren't familiar with each other yet, so I could overlook his attitude."
"But after you participated in that classified mission with him and came back..."
"It was obvious he'd started developing feelings."
"Yet he still insisted on keeping up appearances and refused to make the first move."
"If I hadn't noticed and started helping him come up with ideas, he'd probably have missed his chance with you for the rest of his life."
"My dear child, someone like him really isn't all that reliable."
"His memory is terrible."
"When it comes to anything about you, I have to repeat myself several times before he actually remembers."
Nan Yu looked at Yu Lanfeng again.
"Is that really true?"
Personally, Nan Yu was more inclined to believe that Yu Lanfeng simply couldn't be bothered listening to the Empress back then.
She mistook his indifference for not hearing her, so she kept repeating herself over and over.
Perhaps...
That had even become one of the reasons Yu Lanfeng gradually fell for him.
Yu Lanfeng finally interrupted.
"That's enough."
"I didn't bring him here so you could criticize me right in front of him."
"I brought him here so you could formally meet him."
"And have dinner together."
The Empress twitched the corner of her mouth.
"Why are you in such a hurry?"
"The Emperor hasn't arrived yet."
"We're waiting to eat together."
The moment those words were spoken, both Nan Yu and Yu Lanfeng frowned slightly.
"Why is he coming too?" Yu Lanfeng asked.
"I thought it was only supposed to be you."
What Yu Lanfeng meant wasn't that the Emperor wasn't welcome.
Rather...
Hadn't the Emperor always maintained an ambiguous attitude toward the Bai family?
Now that Nan Yu had become his partner immediately after everything that happened with the Bai family...
Wouldn't the Emperor feel uncomfortable about it?
The Empress seemed to read his thoughts.
"He doesn't mind at all."
"To be honest, no one in the entire Empire hates prohibited drugs more than he does."
"This time, the Bai family brought everything upon themselves."
"They completely exhausted the last of his patience and restraint toward their family."
"Actually, Bai Zhouyun was originally supposed to be executed."
"It was only because Old Master Bai called in old favors that the Emperor spared his life."
"But who would have expected Bai Zhouyun to escape from prison afterward and disappear?"
"A warrant has already been issued."
"And so far, there hasn't been a single useful lead."
Yu Lanfeng asked,
"So... he won't oppose my relationship with Nan Yu?"
"Who would oppose it?"
"He's completely supportive now."
"It's nothing like before, when I kept asking him to help and he ignored me."
"The moment he heard that you two were already together, he immediately said he wanted to come have dinner with you both."