Chapter 94: Clash of Educational Concepts

After obtaining the letter of introduction he wanted, Luo De didn't wait for Duoli and directly left the Meditation Garden.

As he expected.

Duoli indeed didn't follow up.

"How do you know she doesn't have to follow you?"

On the way, Ka Wei occasionally looked back toward the direction of the Meditation Garden, his eyes full of confusion.

Earlier, when Luo De was about to leave without waiting for Duoli, he had specifically asked whether they should wait for Duoli.

Luo De only replied with: "Wait for yourself if you want to wait."

Ka Wei, who was very confident in his own abilities, immediately shut his mouth and followed Luo De, looking back every three steps.

After leaving the Meditation Garden for a while.

Seeing that Luo De and Dixiya were indifferent to Duoli not following them.

Ka Wei, who had been completely confused, suddenly understood.

This isn't Luo De not bringing Duoli.

Clearly, Duoli doesn't need Luo De!!

After realizing this, his gaze toward Luo De changed.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Luo De, who was lighting a fire, glanced at Ka Wei and, regarding his earlier question, first countered: "You should know Duoli's identity, right?"

"Huh?"

"What other identity does she have? Isn't she just a wealthy merchant?"

Ka Wei slightly frowned, pondering whether Duoli had any hidden identity.

Before he could figure it out, Luo De added: "Isn't that enough?"

"Ah?"

Ka Wei blinked, a bit not understanding.

Then.

Then Luo De asked again: "Duoli is the wealthiest merchant in Xu Mi Cheng, right?"

"Yeah, I know that."

"Then it's simple: you know how many people, openly and covertly, covet her wealth? Do you think someone like her would go out and entrust all her safety to me and Dixiya?"

"Uh, that seems right too."

"Take out the 'seems', the fact is exactly that."

Luo De, peeling the tree frogs he had just caught, continued with Ka Wei: "Such a big merchant values her life far more than we small fry; you think she's following us to deliberately cause trouble for me or for you? Unfortunately, she might just be finding it fun, wanting to deliberately tease us."

This speech left Ka Wei speechless.

Being truly at a loss for words, he could only go aside to help gather firewood.

He had just walked away.

Nadixa's voice then sounded in Luo De's mind: "Is this what you call human nature?"

Luo De, already accustomed to her way of speaking, showed no unusual expression, and continued with the same hand movements: "That might be so; you've had too little contact with humans, and relying only on Kaiselin's body and the Void, many things are truly hard to understand."

"Give a simple example: what do you think Duoli would say if she met you in person?"

This is a question Luo De knows the answer to; now we just see how Nadixa will answer.

On the other end.

After a brief thought, Nadixa quickly gave her answer: "She would probably say, 'Please, Dendro Archon, bless her to earn more Mora in the future.'"

"Wrong!"

As expected, the guess was wrong.

Luo De hehehed, shook his finger, then immediately threaded the cleaned tree frogs onto a branch, finished preparing them, and then gave the correct answer: "She would ask you, 'Does the Pure Good Palace sell? How much Mora?'"

"."

Nadixa fell silent.

"Don't believe it?"

"Anyway, Duoli will also come to A Ru Cun in a couple days; if not, I'll help you ask then?"

Luo De, standing from a god's-eye view, was full of confidence.

In contrast to him.

Nadixa, who indeed had little confidence in this, hesitated a bit and said: "Okay, fine."

After all the tree frogs were seasoned and placed on the fire.

Seeing Nadixa hadn't cut off the connection, Luo De, as if suddenly remembering, impulsively asked: "You haven't really been to the desert, have you?"

"Yeah."

"People over there in the desert don't use Void Terminals, so I hardly get a chance to observe them."

Nadixa openly admitted this.

"In other words."

"Your consciousness can only spread to places with Dendro Archon power or similar?"

Luo De roughly understood, and without waiting for Nadixa's answer, he continued: "If I bring this leaf to the deep desert, can your consciousness follow?"

When giving this leaf, Nadixa said her consciousness and power could extend from Xu Mi Cheng to cover A Ru Cun, but beyond that she was powerless.

However, Luo De thought of something: Nadixa seemed to have once transmitted her consciousness to an unknown island thousands of kilometers away.

If that's really the case.

Then does that mean the leaf's range limitation isn't due to Nadixa's insufficient power, but because the leaf itself can't withstand it?

Nadixa quickly gave an answer to this question.

My consciousness can go there, but I may not be able to communicate with you anytime like now, and my power cannot be transmitted either, unless you can obtain something related to a deity; otherwise, relying solely on this ordinary leaf cannot carry my power.

That's exactly how it is.

Luo De thought for a moment and said: "If I bring a Void Terminal then, I suppose these problems wouldn't exist, right?"

Hmm, theoretically that's the case.

I understand; after I finish the Academy's examination, I'll first go to the desert for a trip, and then you can come with me to see it.

Okay.

Nadixa agreed to this matter.

Three days later.

Luo De and the others finally returned to A Ru Cun.

Even before entering the village, just seeing the outline of the village outside, Ka Wei became excited, constantly pulling Luo De to take him to find the house where his father once lived.

Don't rush first.

That house has someone specifically guarding it in the village; if you go there rashly without explaining the situation, you might get beaten.

With Luo De's strength, Ka Wei could never pull him.

Then Luo De placed a hand on Ka Wei's shoulder and, without further ado, dragged him toward his own home.

Regarding Luo De and Dixiya's return.

To say who is the happiest.

That naturally is Ke Lai.

However, as soon as they met, before she could even unwrap the gift, she began to vent her grievances to Luo De and Dixiya.

The core content is that A De Ba Yi is simply too strict!

Not letting her eat candy is bad enough, but every day she also has to write many characters, read many books, even using the playtime that Luo De previously set aside for studying!

This is really exhausting!!

Moreover, she has to cook for A De Ba Yi, whose hands are inconvenient.

What's even more infuriating is.

That guy actually said his own cooking is terrible!!!

Looking at Ke Lai, who looked wronged to the point of almost dropping tiny pearls, and then looking at A De Ba Yi, who was still stubbornly saying, "Just tell me if your grades have improved or not."

Luo De rubbed Ke Lai's head and smiled: "Don't worry, watch me teach him a lesson."

Mm-hmm.

In Ke Lai's expectant gaze, Luo De threw a piece of paper at A De Ba Yi, then pulled her away to open the gift.

Huh?

While unwrapping the gift, Ke Lai would glance at Luo De, then glance at A De Ba Yi, who was completely absorbed in that paper over there.

Not quite as imagined,

although she hadn't originally thought Luo De would use violent means to discipline A De Ba Yi.

but he only threw a sheet of paper over, and judging by the appearance, A De Ba Yi seemed still deeply engaged in it.

This?

What is he doing?

Never mind him, come, look at this.

Luo De smiled narrowly as he opened the gift he had prepared for Ke Lai.

Besides a set of shiny accessories and a few new outfits, there were also two brand-new sets of Mondstadt fairy tale books.

These fairy tale books are quite hard to buy.

Under the Academy's control, even locally printed books from Sumeru are unavailable, let alone the fairy tale books produced by Mondstadt thousands of miles away.

For this set of fairy tale books.

Luo De, however, ended up owing Duo Li an additional sum of money.

At first he only prepared those accessories that Dixiya helped pick out, but after thinking it over, since they weren't things he chose himself, even if they felt like something was still missing.

After pondering left and right.

Ultimately, following Nadixa's suggestion, he found Duo Li and ordered this set of fairy tale books.

Moreover, to wait for this set of books to clear inspection safely.

He also deliberately stayed an extra day at Kawanyi.

For Ke Lai, who is still at the stage of learning characters, this kind of book with simple text and a picture style leaning toward cartoons is obviously more suitable for her to read.

Just then.

A De Ba Yi, who had been immersed for a long time, suddenly lunged forward in a leap, grabbing Luo De's clothes and shouting impatiently: "What's next? The next part?! Hurry up and let me see!!"

No.

Luo De gave a strange laugh, exerted a little force, and shoved A De Ba Yi away to a distance from himself.

Wait.

When Ke Lai says she's no longer angry at you, I'll let you see the rest.

As soon as the words fell.

A De Ba Yi, who always presented himself with an arrogant scholar's attitude, without the slightest hesitation, immediately grabbed Ke Lai and said in a coaxing tone: "Good Ke Lai, don't be angry anymore; from now on I won't force you to read books at midnight, won't make you write a wrong character a hundred times, and won't say your cooking is bad; ah, good, don't be angry, don't be angry, please forgive me this time, okay?"

This stark contrast from his usual demeanor left the previously resentful Ke Lai utterly taken aback, her pleading gaze immediately turning to Luo De.

What are you looking at me for? Say whatever you think.

The choice is in your hands.

Luo De seemed like someone who enjoys watching a lively scene and doesn't mind making a big deal, still there fanning the flames.

"That"

Ke Lai hesitated a moment, then approached A De Ba Yi's pitiful face and pleading expression, and glanced at his hands wearing protective gear; regardless of any dissatisfaction with his previous strict education, she softened and said, "Well... I, I forgive you."

Hearing "I forgive you" reach A De Ba Yi's ears, it was as if he had heard celestial music; he thanked him and hurriedly lunged toward Luo De, urging him to quickly hand over the subsequent experimental notes.

As for that.

Although Luo De kept his promise and brought out the subsequent experimental report.

But his complexion had sunk considerably compared to before, and he coldly warned A De Ba Yi: "Don't bring your Academy habits to Ke Lai; it's inappropriate, understand?"

Upon saying that.

Even though he was eager to obtain the experimental report personally crafted by Nadixa, A De Ba Yi straightened his back and spoke righteously: "Back when I was at the Academy, that's how I learned."

"I don't care how you learned!"

"The Knowledge School even requires every young person to master twenty languages upon graduation; you love imposing your study habits on others, so why don't I get you a tutor from the Knowledge School and you learn their twenty languages?"

"Oh, there's also a readily available Marvelous School scholar."

"Why don't you learn the way he did back then?"

Luo De had no intention of letting him off just because A De Ba Yi's face grew uglier, and continued to scold him without mercy: "I know you look down on my way of teaching children, always thinking you're a professional scholar, definitely more professional than me, someone who entered the field midway."

"But do you still remember Ke Lai's condition?"

"With her body and several years of blank period, do you think she can endure your cramming-style teaching?"

"Yes, your starting point is good."

"You want Ke Lai to catch up with her peers quickly, thinking that in just a year or two she can match those children who received a good education in the rainforest region; oh, you probably also think that once her studies catch up, you'll send her to the Academy to study, not wanting her to spend her whole life in this barren desert."

"That's kind of you."

"But no matter how kind, you still need to assess the actual situation before acting."

"If I hadn't returned early, have you considered that under this pressure of yours, Ke Lai might be unable to bear the burden, causing the Archon remnants in her body to go berserk, breaking the seal Saino painstakingly set up, resulting in irreversible consequences?"

"After these words, not only was A De Ba Yi left speechless, but the room that had become lively due to Luo De and Dixiya's return also fell silent in an instant."

"Everyone was watching Luo De and A De Ba Yi argue over differing educational philosophies, while also pondering Luo De's final added remark: 'Education must be tailored to the individual; merely applying constant pressure will only backfire.'"

(End of chapter)