The next morning, Xie Shian packed his textbooks and prepared to head to class.
His schedule indicated that his first class was Tea Culture. As Xie Shian walked downstairs, he noticed quite a few people bustling about the first-floor dining area, seemingly busy preparing breakfast.
The aroma of baked bread and cake drifted over. Glancing into the dining room, Xie Shian spotted his fox-like neighbor alongside several others hard at work in the kitchen.
By the dining table, the fox-like neighbor lowered his head to adjust the placement of the dinnerware, looking up just in time to spot Xie Shian on the stairs.
“Good morning,” the fox-like neighbor greeted him with an elegant bow. “Freshly baked bread. Would you like to try some?”
Returning the bow, Xie Shian walked over to the dining table to find several meticulously plated dessert cupcakes and freshly baked loaves of bread neatly arranged.
The fox-like neighbor placed a plate of bread in front of Xie Shian, explaining, “We have a dessert exam this morning, so we’re using the kitchen to practice ahead of time. It might be a bit noisy.”
The bread on the plate had already been considerately sliced into bite-sized portions, accompanied by matching spreads. Picking up his knife and fork, Xie Shian remarked, “A dessert class? I saw it as an option when choosing my courses yesterday, but the class was full so I couldn’t select it.”
“The dessert class has always been popular; you can take it next semester,” the fox-like neighbor said, sitting down nearby with a soft sigh. “I’ve been quite busy lately and haven’t had much time to practice, so I’m not sure how the exam will go.”
Another boy passing by the dining area chimed in, “Don’t listen to Xia Zuo’s nonsense. His grades are the best among us.”
Looking at his fox-like neighbor beside him, Xie Shian finally learned that his name was Xia Zuo.
“I only managed to get first place last time because of luck. If I don’t practice, my ranking will drop,” Xia Zuo said with a hint of worry.
Xie Shian offered words of comfort: “I think it tastes great, you’ll definitely score high.”
“Thank you,” Xia Zuo smiled, tilting his head toward Xie Shian. “We’re planning to check out the workshop after our exam. Want to join us this afternoon? It’ll come in handy for the banquet the day after tomorrow.”
Checking his schedule, Xie Shian replied, “My classes are fully booked this afternoon, so I probably won’t be able to make it.”
When he first arrived at school, Steward Owen had mentioned the weekly school banquets. However, the school had already provided him with plenty of formal wear and accessories, which was more than enough.
Suddenly remembering something, Xie Shian quickly asked, “Right, if you get points deducted from your conduct score, is there any way to earn them back?”
Remembering yesterday’s incident, Xie Shian put on a serious expression and explained, “I didn’t wear my gloves properly yesterday and got points deducted by a senior. I saw on the forum that having too many points deducted can lead to expulsion.”
“That must have been a senior from the Inspection Department. As long as you avoid seniors wearing red formal wear, you’ll be fine,” Xia Zuo said, well-accustomed to the presence of the Inspection Department and speaking from experience. “Losing two points is no big deal; you can log volunteer hours to offset the deduction.”
Xie Shian mentally took note of this. After finishing his bread breakfast, he headed off to class.
The Tea Culture class was held at the North District Palace, which wasn’t too far from the dormitory villa area—a simple stroll through a garden would get him there. As Xie Shian walked along the garden path, he searched the forum for volunteer work guidelines and successfully found an informational post.
The school offered various volunteer projects, such as campus volunteering or specimen collecting. Accumulating ten hours of volunteer service could erase one point-deduction record.
Reviewing his schedule again, Xie Shian planned to carve out some free time over the weekend to do volunteer work. Before he knew it, he had walked through the garden, looked up, and arrived at the North District Palace.
It was a white-walled structure featuring a ring of stone-pillared corridors wrapped in overgrown green vines. Walking through the palace archway, the first thing Xie Shian noticed in the central plaza garden was a giant stone snake sculpture.
Strictly speaking, it was a massive python, its body over a meter wide coiled around the base with its head raised toward the sky.
Given that the Ater Empire’s faith was closely tied to serpents, Luoxi Academy was filled with sculptures of snakes.
With over half an hour remaining before class, Xie Shian followed the guidance of his wristband system to find Professor Arnold’s office to register his student information.
The door was open. Xie Shian knocked and gently asked, “Excuse me, is Professor Arnold in?”
Only two people were inside the office. A black-haired man dressed in deep-blue formal wear sat at a desk by the window, writing something down, while another person was organizing items behind a bookshelves, their build obscured.
Xie Shian spoke up: “I’m a transfer student who arrived yesterday and signed up for the Tea Culture elective. I need to register my information.”
Behind the desk, the man laid down his fountain pen and slowly closed his book.
“Good day, student Xie Shian.” Professor Arnold was quite young, wearing gold-rimmed glasses that gave him a warm and elegant demeanor.
Having known from the course roster that a transfer student would be joining, Professor Arnold wasn’t surprised by Xie Shian’s arrival.
The registration process was straightforward. Xie Shian walked over to the desk, signed his name on the student roster, and collected a few tea bags from Professor Arnold.
“First-year courses are all foundational, but since you transferred mid-term and missed the first two months, you’ll need some basic makeup materials.” Professor Arnold led Xie Shian over to a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf. “These notes were left behind by senior students; feel free to take a few back to look over.”
The office housed several rows of bookshelves. The first row held student notes and exemplary assignments, with names inscribed on the spines.
Scanning the unfamiliar names, Xie Shian was about to casually pick one when a particular notebook caught his eye in the corner.
The cover of this notebook was silvery-white, appearing to be blended with gemstone fragments that caught and reflected light with a glittering, luxurious sheen.
Most importantly, there was a signature on the spine of the notebook—
Bai Lin.
Staring at the signature on the spine, Xie Shian asked, “Professor Arnold, was this notebook also left behind by a senior?”
“That is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s notebook.” Professor Arnold smiled as memories seemed to surface. “I tutored His Highness for a period of time; he is the most brilliant student I have ever taught.”
Mentioning the Crown Prince filled Professor Arnold’s tone with pride, clearly very satisfied with his former student.
Xie Shian’s expression turned serious as well. “Can I borrow this notebook to refer to for my studies?”
“Of course.” Professor Arnold didn’t mind; the notes were placed on the bookshelf precisely to facilitate mutual learning among students.
Receiving a definitive confirmation, Xie Shian carefully pulled out the silver-covered notebook, feeling its heavy weight in his hands.
Aside from the notes, Professor Arnold also instructed Xie Shian to select a set of teaware.
“In addition to textbook material, classes occasionally take the form of tea parties, requiring you to bring your own dedicated teaware.” Professor Arnold tapped the desk lightly, causing a light screen to pop up. “Since this is your first time attending class, you can customize a set to your liking.”
Leaning in, Xie Shian saw customization options for teaware on the screen, including shapes, heights, and numerous complex settings.
Professor Arnold advised helpfully, “If you’re unsure how to choose, you can refer to the classic teaware from the Hraes region. It’s the most versatile and universal style, suitable for most occasions.”
Searching around the surrounding area for something he couldn’t immediately find, Professor Arnold turned and asked toward the bookshelf, “Si Xiu, have you seen the Hraes classic set?”
Deep within the bookshelves, the long-haired boy who had been quietly organizing books finally raised his head and replied unhurriedly, “Second row of the display cabinet.”
Finding the cup in the display cabinet, Professor Arnold returned to the desk and introduced, “This model is one of the classic Hraes cup styles. Its main feature is the shimmering color-shift effect on the cup body, which reflects specific spectral light under illumination. The platinum-gold tone is highly recommended.”
Xie Shian nodded, feeling like he understood and yet didn’t quite understand at the same time.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed from outside the corridor before stopping at the office door with a hasty knock. “Professor Arnold, an issue has come up at the tea garden. You need to come take a look.”
It was an upperclassman at the door, looking somewhat anxious.
Glancing between the student at the door and Xie Shian beside him, Professor Arnold set down his teacup and said, “Apologies, something has come up temporarily.”
He then addressed the other person in the office: “Si Xiu, could you help show the new student around while I head to the tea garden?”
Behind the bookshelf, Si Xiu placed the last book back into its spot and replied, “Certainly.”
Professor Arnold hurried away, leaving only the two students in the room.
The office grew quiet. Standing honestly in place, Xie Shian caught sight of Senior Si Xiu and politely greeted him, “Good morning, Senior Si Xiu.”
Adjusting his gloves as he walked over, Si Xiu’s gaze fell upon Xie Shian and he noted, “The top button of your shirt is undone.”
Looking down, Xie Shian discovered that the uppermost button indeed came loose—he must have unbuttoned it while eating bread in the dining hall that morning and forgotten to fasten it back up.
Quickly fastening the button, Xie Shian hurriedly asked, “Does this count as a point deduction?”
“Just a reminder,” Si Xiu replied evenly, walking over to the desk to pick up a teacup. “I’m not on duty today, so no points will be deducted.”
Only then did Xie Shian notice that Senior Si Xiu was wearing standard black daily formal wear today, different from the red uniform he wore yesterday.
“The Hraes classic shimmering craftsmanship conforms better to most people’s usage habits; other parameters can be fine-tuned based on the classic model.” Holding the teacup, Si Xiu demonstrated the action. “For instance, the handle position on the cup body shouldn’t be too high or too low.”
Leaning closer to observe Si Xiu’s grip on the teacup, Xie Shian caught a clear view of concentric circles of pale golden, shimmering light across the cup’s surface, owing to their close proximity.
Suddenly, a breeze drifted in through the window, carrying the courtyard’s floral scent indoors.
Xie Shian caught the floral fragrance once more, intermingled with a faint, clean woody scent.
“With the Hraes classic shimmering technique, as long as there is light, there will be a sheen.” Si Xiu returned the teacup to the tray. “You can try out the feel for yourself first.”
Setting his borrowed notebook aside to clear his hands, Xie Shian picked up the teacup from the tray.
However, perhaps because he was wearing gloves and the cup was quite small, he couldn’t really discern whether the feel was good or bad, prompting him to say, “Seems alright, I’ll just go with this one.”
Placing the cup back, Xie Shian stepped up to the light screen to check the teaware customization options.
Standing right beside him with his gaze falling on the desk, Si Xiu looked at the silver-covered notebook resting there and spoke up: “If you’re looking at notes, you might want to look at someone else’s.”
“Huh?” Xie Shian paused slightly, turning his head in mild confusion.
“Professor Arnold served as a tutor in the imperial palace five years ago. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was quite young back then, so some of the notes contain content that isn’t entirely accurate.” Si Xiu’s voice was steady and unhurried, delivered as a matter-of-fact statement.
“Some trendy tea culture from five years ago is now outdated.” Turning toward the bookshelf, Si Xiu paused for a moment before retrieving a black-covered notebook from the shelves. “This notebook is more suitable. Ellis was an exemplary student in the Tea Culture course.”
The notebook Si Xiu held featured a black cover, bearing the signature “Ellis”.
Xie Shian had already finished submitting his teaware customization options on the light screen. Closing out the interface, he picked up the silver-covered notebook beside him and said earnestly, “It’s fine, I think this one is great.”
Just as Si Xiu seemed about to say something further, he heard Xie Shian’s next sentence—
“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is my idol. I admire him deeply.”
Xie Shian’s tone was exceptionally sincere, his hands holding the Crown Prince’s notebook as if cradling a rare and peerless treasure.
“It is my absolute honor to be able to borrow His Royal Highness’s notes.”