Chapter 41: The Paldea Four Titans, Part Three

"Ah?" De Shu let out a soft exclamation, then turned his gaze to Yeci. Receiving her smiling confirmation, he felt instantly embarrassed, stammering for a long while before finally saying to Luo Mu, "My apologies." De Shu then lowered his head, sat down, and spoke no more.

After sitting, De Shu felt he had been far too careless today, having carelessly lost face in front of the principal.

But he dared not vent his resentment toward Luo Mu; if the claim that the other party was a Champion-level Trainer was true, causing trouble now would be like picking a fight in a cesspit.

Not all Trainers are as easygoing as Principal Yeci.

"I'm sorry, Teacher Luo Mu. I intended to announce your identity to all the returning teachers and staff at the upcoming faculty meeting, but I didn't expect the Dean of Academic Affairs to be so impatient."

Although Mu Fei's tone held an apology, it lacked excessive caution; after all, the strongest Champion-level Trainer was the academy's principal, and Zhu Zi Academy was also the world's oldest academy.

As the principal of this school, his interaction with Luo Mu naturally did not resemble the Dean of Academic Affairs cowering like a quail.

Luo Mu shook his head and said, "It's fine; I don't mind such small matters."

Mu Fei's impression of Luo Mu improved further; strong yet not arrogant, Principal Yeci's judgment was indeed good: "Then, let us discuss your future treatment and the main teaching content."

The discussion and exchange were brief; essentially, Mu Fei spoke while Luo Mu listened, with Yeci occasionally adding a few words.

The Dean of Academic Affairs, De Shu, remained silent throughout, speaking only a few words when Mu Fei or Yeci mentioned him.

In the end, the matters of treatment and specific teaching responsibilities were all settled.

Historically, probation periods for teachers at Zhu Zi Academy lasted three months, but this time Mu Fei took the initiative to shorten the probation to one month, during which Luo Mu's salary would be 50,000 League Coins.

After one month of regularization, the salary would be raised to 80,000 League Coins.

As a Battle Studies teacher hired by Zhu Zi Academy, Luo Mu's specific teaching responsibility was to cultivate students' interest in Pokémon battles and guide them accordingly.

Another point worth mentioning is that, aside from courses necessary for learning basic knowledge, most courses offered by Zhu Zi Academy were chosen autonomously by students based on their interests.

Therefore, two classes per week truly meant only two classes, with no additional teaching tasks.

Furthermore, Zhu Zi Academy granted four holiday cycles annually: Spring Break, Summer Break, Autumn Break, and Winter Break; each holiday lasted at least one month, and teachers' salaries continued uninterrupted during the holidays.

With such conditions, one could not be blamed for calling it the ultimate fantasy of a corporate slave.

Filling out the contract, stamping the seal; the entire process flowed smoothly like a cloud.

With the matter settled, Yeci stood up satisfied and smiled: "Since the matter is settled, I shall depart first; there are still many matters at the academy... and within the League that require my attention."

Having spoken, Yeci waved her hand, made a "Good luck" gesture with her lips toward Luo Mu, and made a graceful exit.

After Yeci left, Mu Fei sighed: "The Principal must manage affairs up and down the League, occasionally making time to assess Gym Leaders' strength; the number of times she returns to the academy in a year can be counted on one hand."

"Even when I usually report academy matters, most communication with her is done over the phone."

Luo Mu nodded slightly and said, "Precisely because of this, the Paldea League presents a trend of prosperity no less than other Leagues."

Mu Fei stood up and said: "Time is nearly up; let's go. We still have a faculty meeting to attend, where we must properly introduce you to everyone to avoid another incident like the Dean of Academic Affairs."

De Shu's mind was filled with thoughts of messing up in front of the Principal; hearing Mu Fei's implied meaning, he couldn't help but frown and draw out his voice: "Principal..."

After the faculty meeting concluded, it was already noon; most students had returned to campus, and the entire playground was packed with people.

Then, the classic scene from the games, the opening ceremony held on the playground, slowly unfolded.

Mu Fei, wearing Zhu Zi Academy's distinctive uniform, stood on the high platform; neatly flanking him on his left and right were teachers from various subjects, while the center of the playground gathered a large crowd of students, ranging from children under ten to uncles and aunts in their fifties and sixties, all wearing Zhu Zi Academy uniforms and waiting for Principal Mu Fei's speech.

This was also a feature of Zhu Zi Academy: accepting students of all ages, believing they all possessed the qualification to seek knowledge.

Standing at the edge of the teachers' formation below the high platform, Luo Mu could feel that besides some colleagues stealing glances at him due to Principal Mu Fei's introduction just now, many students below also focused their gaze on him from time to time.

To them, this new teacher might be quite unfamiliar.

While Principal Mu Fei delivered a passionate speech, Luo Mu, dedicated to earning money by slacking off, let his gaze wander among the students, planning to observe and see if any familiar faces were present.

The last row... that tall, beautiful girl should be the future Team Star leader, Arven, right?

And in the class where Arven was located, the dark-skinned girl not far from her should be Tian Zhong.

After meeting Penny previously, Luo Mu no longer relied solely on impressions from the game to recognize people, choosing instead to make reasonable deductions based on characteristics; although their appearances would change somewhat in the future, some traces were still visible now.

Figures like Penny, Arven, Ortega, and Mei Mei Luoke were also scattered among different classes.

Team Star was spawned by the bullying incidents within this campus, but how severe the bullying actually was, he still had no concrete concept.

Shifting to a teacher's mindset, Luo Mu pondered for a moment and decided to pay slightly more attention to these matters subsequently.

Then... were the Paldea protagonists of roughly the same age.

Following a slightly burning gaze, Luo Mu quickly spotted Hearing Hearing Nimo.

She stood in the first row, wearing the standard Zhu Zi Academy uniform, her hair tied up into a beautiful high ponytail; except for her still very Bai Xi skin, she was almost a miniature version of Senior Hearing Nimo from the game.

Then there was Penny; it had been over a week since they met, and he didn't know if she had reconciled with her parents; Luo Mu planned to find her after the dismissal to probe indirectly.

His gaze continued to wander; at the far right of the formation, Luo Mu spotted Peony, wearing thick round glasses, carrying a cute Eevee backpack, and looking somewhat like a tomboy in the unisex Zhu Zi Academy uniform.

Excluding the protagonist whose existence was unknown, the third of the Paldea Four Titans, all gathered at Zhu Zi Academy.