The Liyue Academy had changed.
What began as a small school with sixty-three students had become one of the busiest places in the city.
Students filled the classrooms from sunrise until late afternoon.
The library had expanded.
The workshops were constantly occupied.
And the teachers had discovered something Noel hadn’t expected.
Their students were becoming better at asking questions than they were at answering them.
Which, according to Noel, was exactly the point.
A Strange Discovery
One morning, Noel entered the mathematics classroom.
The teacher was standing before the students with a complicated diagram.
“Can anyone explain why this pattern continues?”
Several hands went up.
Noel stopped at the doorway.
He hadn’t expected that.
The teacher pointed to Lina.
She stood.
“If the pattern follows the same relationship, the next value should be…”
She wrote the answer on the board.
The teacher nodded.
“Correct.”
Noel smiled.
Lina had changed.
The curious eleven-year-old who once followed him around asking questions was now one of the academy’s most promising students.
After class, Noel approached her.
“You’ve improved.”
Lina smiled.
“I’ve been studying.”
“I noticed.”
She hesitated.
“Lord Noel?”
“Hm?”
“I want to become a scholar.”
Noel nodded.
“Then become one.”
She blinked.
“That’s it?”
“What else would I say?”
Lina laughed.
Noel pointed toward the library.
“Just remember something.”
“What?”
“A scholar doesn’t need to know everything.”
He smiled.
“A scholar needs to know how to find out what they don’t know.”
Lina nodded seriously.
“I’ll remember.”
The First Research Hall
As the number of students increased, the academy needed something new.
A place where scholars could conduct experiments.
So Noel approved construction of a Research Hall.
It contained:
Mathematical instruments
Astronomy equipment
Agricultural observation rooms
Medical study rooms
Engineering workshops
A small chemistry laboratory
A section for studying Geo energy
The last section immediately attracted attention.
Geo Vision holders wanted to understand their abilities.
Could Geo energy be stored?
Could it be used in machines?
Could it strengthen buildings?
Could it be used to improve farming?
Noel refused to provide all the answers.
Instead, he told them: Find the original chapter at g.com.
“Find out.”
The Geo Research Project
Aran became one of the first participants.
He placed his hand against a stone block.
His Geo Vision glowed.
The stone changed.
A student recorded the observation.
“Density increased.”
Another wrote:
“Energy appears to remain within the stone for several minutes.”
Aran looked at them.
“So what does that mean?”
The students looked at each other.
One answered:
“We don’t know yet.”
Aran smiled.
“Good.”
The researchers stared at him.
“Good?”
Aran nodded.
“That means there’s something left to discover.”
Noel, watching from the doorway, smiled.
They’re getting it.
The Academy’s First Graduation
Years passed.
The first group of students eventually completed the academy’s basic curriculum.
There were only twenty-seven of them.
But Noel insisted on holding a ceremony.
The graduates stood in the central hall wearing simple ceremonial robes.
Noel stood before them.
“You came here to learn.”
He looked across the room.
“Now you have another responsibility.”
The students listened carefully.
“Teach.”
A murmur spread through the hall.
“You’ve learned mathematics.”
“History.”
“Philosophy.”
“Medicine.”
“Engineering.”
“But knowledge means very little if you keep it locked inside your own head.”
He smiled.
“Take what you’ve learned and give it to someone else.”
The graduates bowed.
A New Generation
The next morning, those graduates began working throughout Liyue.
Some became teachers.
Some became engineers.
Some joined the medical halls.
Some became government officials.
Others traveled to the growing settlements beyond Liyue.
For the first time, knowledge was spreading outward.
Not because Noel personally taught everyone.
But because Liyue had created teachers who could teach others.
The system appeared.
[First generation of academy graduates produced.]
[Education network established.]
[Knowledge propagation increased.]
[Nation Development: 31%]
[Morax Template Synchronization: 17.2%]
Noel smiled.
“Now we’re getting somewhere.”
A Question About the Future
That evening, Noel stood on the academy’s roof.
Aran joined him.
Noel nodded.
“Too quickly?”
“No.”
Aran looked across the city.
“Where do you think this will end?”
Noel was silent.
He thought about the future.
He knew that one day the world would have great clans.
Then shinobi villages.
Then the Land of Wind.
And someday, Liyue might become its capital.
But right now, nobody knew that future.
Noel looked at the academy.
“Hopefully…”
He smiled.
“…somewhere much bigger than we can imagine.”
Meanwhile, At the Lake
Isobu had become surprisingly popular among the students.
Especially the younger ones.
They often visited his lake to observe him.
One student was taking notes.
“Observation number 184.”
Isobu opened one eye.
What are you writing?
The student froze.
“Y-you can talk?!”
Isobu stared.
Of course I can talk.
The student immediately dropped his notebook.
“THE GUARDIAN BEAST CAN TALK!”
Isobu sighed.
You people are strange.
From across the lake, Noel burst out laughing.
Isobu looked at him.
You knew this would happen.
Noel wiped his eyes.
“I absolutely did.”
The Inscription
Later that night, Noel visited the academy one last time.
He stopped beneath the main entrance.
The inscription remained unchanged:
Knowledge belongs to those who seek it.
Below it was the second line:
Question.
Observe.
Think.
Learn.
Noel looked at it for a long moment.
Then he smiled.
The nation was growing.
Its people were learning.
Its settlements were expanding.
Its first Guardian Beast had found a home.
And the first generation of scholars was beginning to emerge.
Liyue was no longer merely a city built by a Tailed Beast.
It was becoming a civilization.
And far beyond its borders, other human communities were beginning to hear stories about the strange golden ruler in the desert.
A ruler who gave his people water.
A ruler who welcomed travelers.
A ruler whose nation possessed a talking Tailed Beast.
And increasingly…
A ruler who was being called something much greater than Shukaku.
The Geo Archon.
Noel, naturally, still hadn’t officially accepted the title.
Not yet.
To be continued…