The Lord Demon King is Unfathomable!

Chapter 1222 363: The First Lesson Called "Science

Prince Colin moved into his luxurious suite, and Barrett, who had been busy all day, returned to his student dormitory.

He felt extremely unlucky.

A huge opportunity had fallen right in front of him, but he missed it. If he had put aside his pride and thickened his skin to get closer to Prince Colin, it would have been worth it.

People have probably forgotten about him by now.

The dormitory for preparatory students is a standard eight-person room with bunk beds.

The classmates living there come from all corners of the world, some from neighboring Rhode Kingdom, like him, and others as far as Seldo Port in the New Continent.

The environment here is very crowded, but it also has a lively "everyday feel"; even with the door closed, one can hear the noise from the neighboring dormitory and smell the scent of porridge and cigars.

Did that guy in the cafeteria not eat enough?

And cigars...

What do these guys take the Academic State for!

Barrett grumbled inwardly, considering offering some advice but unsure whom to approach, so he steeled himself and opened the thick "Magic Basic Theory," temporarily pouring his unspent energy into the ocean of knowledge.

This book is said to be a necessary path to become a Sage—

He thirstily absorbed each and every elemental symbol, yet somehow, when these symbols entered his mind, they turned not into a Sage but into a professor or assistant, and occasionally into a silver coin or a pair of pale thighs, or perhaps a shovel for digging dirt.

After swimming in a torturous ocean for an unknown time, he finally raised his head in despair, pushing down the upright textbook.

It's too difficult!

He thought that after becoming a preparatory student, the path ahead would be smooth, but instead, he found himself standing beneath another High Tower, at a new starting line, continuing to run.

Perhaps things would improve after becoming an assistant.

As he was daydreaming, a classmate from Seldo Port suddenly opened his luggage and handed out candy to the dorm mates.

It was a kind of dark candy, common in the New Continent, initially bitter but with a long-lasting sweet aftertaste when savored... much like the adventures of the past year.

Barrett took a bite, slowly tasting it, finding he was addicted to its sweetness but too embarrassed to ask for another piece.

He thought this stuff must be expensive?

Unable to hold back, he asked.

"...I don't understand, your family is so wealthy, why do you come to this harsh place to suffer?"

It's a bit rude to inquire about a stranger's family background, but for a blacksmith's son, it's quite common.

He is straightforward by nature, as Finic and Leo know.

The young man with the seemingly good family background paused, then smiled gently without taking offense, speaking in a chatty tone to the other curious dorm mates.

"Being rich... isn't something remarkable in the Empire. My father is an ordinary citizen; he was a shoemaker originally, then opened his own workshop, and later a factory with the money he saved."

"Then what happened?" a freckled-faced young man poked his head down from the upper bunk, curious.

He hasn't been to the New Continent but heard it's rich with gold, where even a pig thrown there would root out a pile of gold coins.

"Then... Hell's flames reached there, burning our family's assets to ashes. His lifelong efforts turned into nothing, and the Empire didn't compensate him; instead, the original materials meant for that place were redirected to a place called Withered Wood Port, supposedly by General Hamoldon, though I'm not too certain."

The young man shrugged.

Although the story behind is quite tragic, his expression was carefree, seemingly unaffected by this monumental loss.

Barrett widened his eyes, feeling deeply sorry for him, unable to resist saying.

"Saint Sis above... those demons are too wicked."

"Yes, but cursing them is useless, isn't it?"

The well-off young man nodded, then smiled and said.

"Luckily, our family still has some savings, and my dad invested in some properties at Duke of Castellion's port, so we all moved there and became residents. And just at that time, due to an accident, I fell from the roof. I should've broken a leg, but a stream of air caught my body right before hitting the ground... Thanks to Saint Sis and my enlightened father, he immediately decided to send me to the Academic State for advanced studies."

"But you could've lived comfortably in the Empire, right?" The freckled-faced young man couldn't help but say, "If I had some money, I'd never come here to learn this stuff."

Mortal lifespan is limited after all, even a Upper Extraordinary cannot be immortal, just living longer.

Pursuing a breakthrough in Soul Level involves more of enduring this life to earn rewards for the next.

For instance, a soul of Bronze Level, even if reincarnating into a "home of chives," would have many options.

If reaching Silver Level, one could aspire to become a Knight Master or Master Mage, or fall into the path of adventurers, or become affluent offspring.

However, people's sorrows do not correlate; the young man with a good family background shook his head upon hearing this.

"Having some money... how much counts as rich? Perhaps like you said, I could live my comfortable life in the Empire, but who can guarantee where I'll reincarnate next life. I want to climb higher, whether for my family or for myself."