The Lord Demon King is Unfathomable!

Chapter 1276 - 376: Functional!_4

"Hello everyone, my name is Ophelia Castellion, and from today, I am both your classmate and your future colleague."

"To be honest, this is my first time coming to such a distant place, and it's also the first time I've seen such heavy snow and such tall towers... I'm absolutely amazed, I never imagined the world outside the Holy City could be so vast, and I certainly didn't expect to encounter such talented individuals in this unfamiliar land."

"I hope that we will not only be apprentices who study and work together but can also become good friends... Please do guide me in the future."

The laboratory burst into applause again, and the final round of clapping was much louder than before, a heartfelt gesture from everyone present.

For a Duke's daughter to display such an approachable side really surprised the Luo De people present.

Let alone a Duke.

In their hometown, even a Baron wouldn't spare them a glance.

Having done all this, Ophelia snuck a glance at Prince Colin at her side. When she saw the surprise in his eyes, her lips couldn't help but curl up slightly.

Go for it—

Ophelia!

Baron Cosia even swallowed Lizardman dung to survive, so what's the big deal about getting along with classmates for you?

She didn't realize Prince Colin's mischievous intentions, instead taking it as his first test for her.

Clearly, he wanted to see if she was qualified to be his assistant.

So right now, there's no doubt that what she needs to do is get along well with her future "colleagues," at least not the way she was pampered at the Royal Art Academy.

Luo Yan could never guess what exactly spurred this young lady on.

But to be honest, he was quite surprised; it seemed that in three months, this Duchess had indeed undergone a lot of changes.

This was a good thing, after all.

Anyway, he made a two-pronged approach: if he couldn't make Miss Ophelia give up, he'd find a way to keep her here.

As long as he didn't let her go with him to the Campbell Duchy.

Luo Yan gave Ophelia an approving nod, and after she finished her greetings with the classmates, he briefly explained some matters about the laboratory.

"You don't need to report here every day. For now, focus mainly on your classes."

"Besides, you're three months behind the other apprentices. I don't know your foundation, but if you're completely unfamiliar with magic, you'll likely have your hands full."

"You will help me, won't you?" Ophelia blinked her clear eyes and looked at him expectantly.

Luo Yan nodded gentlemanly.

"Of course, if there's anything you don't understand, you can always ask me."

The laboratory was bustling and lively again.

Almost everyone was enthusiastically discussing the Duchess who had come from afar, speculating why she was here.

Ophelia's story quickly became the focal point of conversation in the laboratory, and unlike typical nobles, Ophelia herself was happy to see people discussing her.

Of course, it could also be because she saw it as some kind of "test."

Finally, considering how approachable this noblewoman was, a bold apprentice mustered the courage to ask.

"Miss Castellion... may I ask why you came to the Academic State?"

"Well..."

Ophelia discreetly glanced in Prince Colin's direction, watching his profile as he was intently studying the magic books, and smiled, winking gently.

"It's a secret."

That bright smile instantly reddened the face of the awkward young man. He quickly bowed and thanked her, then turned and fled back into the chattering crowd.

In this rapidly harmonious atmosphere, only Ilana seemed somewhat absent-minded.

She wasn't interested in the lab gossip, rather she wanted to bring her notes to consult the Master on several occasions, but couldn't find the opportunity.

And now, with Master Colin already engrossed in the magic books, she wasn't sure whether she should interrupt.

Her gaze kept darting towards Colin, hoping to make eye contact with him. Incidentally, that intense gaze was noticed by the pleased Ophelia.

Although, from Ilana's perspective, it was a perfectly normal, knowledge-seeking look, to those less knowledgeable, it carried a different connotation.

The particularly cold and beautiful face only added a layer of instinctive wariness to Ophelia's suspicions.

This one couldn't possibly be...

Surely not?

He is her mentor, after all.

Thinking this, Ophelia seemed to forget that she herself had just become Colin's apprentice.

Sitting behind the desk, Luo Yan finally noticed Ilana's hesitant gaze.

Actually, he had noticed it long ago but preferred not to meddle in the apprentices' own research, so he pretended not to see.

Yet, since those two beams of gaze kept scanning him like radar, he eventually couldn't sit still anymore, so he closed the magic book in his hand and walked over to the workstation.

"You seem to be troubled by an unsolvable problem. Can you tell me what it is?"

Hearing the Master's voice, Ilana abruptly looked up, a flicker of disturbance crossed her face at being interrupted, but mostly she was delighted at finally having the opportunity.

She shyly handed her notes over, pointing to a page filled with what to others looked like hieroglyphics of calculations, softly speaking.

"I, I did encounter a perplexing issue... Master. I was thinking, since there's a way to solve for the extremities of a function, is there a more straightforward approach to solve for the extremities of a 'function of a function'?"

Perhaps worried that Prince Colin might not take this awkward and seemingly redundant question seriously, she added in a small voice.

"Maybe you think my idea is a bit odd, but my intuition tells me... if this problem is solved, it might help with Mr. James Walli's unfinished subject."

It's more than just intuition; she also employed rational judgment.

James Walli was trying to design a system to analyze Magic Power with definite numbers, but he lacked the mathematical language to describe this process.

Luo Yan took the notes, his gaze settling on those calculations, and a hint of genuine surprise flashed in his eyes.

He didn't expect Ilana's learning speed to be so fast.

He had just explained the basic concepts of calculus in class, yet she not only completely grasped the content, she also extrapolated and delved into a field far more intricate and profound than calculus, which he hadn't even begun to teach!

This girl... she just might be a genius.

Looks like he hit the jackpot!

"Redundant? Ilana, there are no 'redundant' things in this world, only mediocrities who can't unearth the value behind mundane things."

A faint, barely noticeable delight flickered in Luo Yan's eyes as he placed the notebook back on the table and praised Ilana, who stood with an innocent look.

"The question you raised is excellent. Solving for the extremum of a function of a function is precisely another important branch of Advanced Mathematics."

"I call it— 'Functional'!"