Chapter 81: The Headmaster’s Invitation
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Ye Chong exited the modification workshop, and immediately saw a middle-aged man standing beside Yang An. Ye Chong couldn’t help but wear a guarded expression. Little did he know that the outside world was already stirred up by his appearance! The entirety of Blue Ocean Academy’s students knew that, as was tradition, a talent like him would be invited to join the Academy! Everyone was interested in knowing whether their beloved headmaster was up to the task!
Ye Chong’s performance earlier exceeded even the average teacher’s. The students of Blue Ocean Academy were all of the arrogant and egotistical sort, but when faced with someone truly capable, they would have genuine respect for the person.
Ye Chong had impressed this cohort with his remarkable skills!
He knew right away that the unfamiliar middle-aged man before him had waited on him for quite some time. His big belly coupled with a formal outfit made him look like an extraordinary person. However, that was not Ye Chong’s first impression! The man’s hands were flabby and smooth, showing no signs of training. His body shape was thoroughly imbalanced, with deplorable physical abilities. Ye Chong was certain that he could defeat the man within two seconds. The man’s eyes were calm, seemingly without hostility.
Ye Chong completed his mental assessment of the man almost instantly.
It was after that that Ye Chong noticed other particulars, such as the lack of any facial hair and the man’s graceful demeanour. He kept a smile on his face, giving the impression of a gentle and amiable person. Ye Chong did not loosen up despite of those facts. Yang An seemed to be extra courteous before the middle-aged man.
Ye Chong looked at the other party coldly, unwilling to make first contact.
The middle-aged man laughed and offered his hand, "How do you do, I’m Blue Ocean Academy’s headmaster, Lan Youming, a pleasure to meet you!"
Ye Chong stared at the headmaster’s right hand guardedly. "What’s with the hand?" Ye Chong stared back at Headmaster Lan, fully alert!
Shang could not bear it any longer, and spoke inside Ye Chong’s mind. "Idiot, that’s etiquette! Don’t you know etiquette? Heavens, what has Mu been teaching you all this while? Does he intend for you to be a wild animal? Poor Ye!"
"Etiquette?" Ye Chong asked in his mind, thoroughly confused. "That’s way too dangerous, what if the enemy suddenly attacked?"
Shang spoke with great frustration, "Heavens, Ye, you have to change your mindset. They’re humans, not wild beasts! Humans wouldn’t attack each other for no reason! Hmm, quick, shake his hand, if you ignore someone who’s offered their hand, it’s an extremely rude behaviour."
"Hmm, right, that’s it, just shake gently. If you want to express good will, just apply a little more force. Heavens! Ye, he’s not a wild animal! How can you be use so much force on him?" Shang was exasperated.
Headmaster Lan dreadfully howled as Ye Chong’s hand clamped tightly on his right hand like a pair of pincers. He could even hear bones softly cracking from his right hand, and felt that he could faint at any moment! Upon hearing Shang’s words, Ye Chong retracted his right hand, swift as lightning. Headmaster Lan could no longer stand the pain, as he cradled his right hand and panted heavily, and lost his initial composure.
Ye Chong defended himself, aggrieved at the encounter. "I wasn’t holding him too tight!"
Shang gave a helpless assessment of the situation, "You are inhuman!"
Yang An stared stupefied at the scene before him, his mind stalled completely!
Ye Chong and Yang An both watched as Headmaster Lan jumped around in pain. Ye Chong was surprised - while Headmaster Lan was plump, his current series of actions showed unusual agility.
"You should apologize now, since your mistake has led to another person’s being harmed. That’s right, you should apologize now!"
"Apologize? My mistake? But I didn’t do anything wrong!" Ye Chong was at a loss, and added, "He seemed to be too weak, and his retaliation skills are absurd!" Ye Chong provided his professional opinion.
Shang felt like jumping off a cliff. "No matter what, you should apologize first!"
Ye Chong was alright with that. "If you insist, then sure!" Ye Chong usually obeyed Mu’s requests; Shang’s, however, were only agreed to when he thought they were not too extraordinary. For Ye Chong, Shang was far worse than Mu’s reasoning!
However, an apology did not seem to cost him much!
Ye Chong apologized to Headmaster Lan without his heart into it. "I’m very sorry, I did not expect you to be so weak, my apologies!" Ye Chong’s ridiculous apology did not sound like one at all.
"You call that an apology?" Shang asked.
"Of course!" Ye Chong was certain of it.
"I think it sounds more like a victor’s speech!" Shang countered.
"Mm, what’s the difference?" Ye Chong said, after a moment’s thought.
Shang stopped speaking and raised his white flag!
From the side, Yang An saw a bruise forming on Headmaster Lan’s hand, and could not suppress the chill from within him. He decided then and there to never have any physical contact with Ye Chong.
Headmaster Lan seemed to finally feel better, and even managed to force a smile. "It’s no problem, no problem at all, who’d imagine Mr Ye here to be so strong! As expected, Mr Ye is blessed with great raw talent. To have such high achievements at such a young age, how impressive!"
Ye Chong stared at Headmaster Lan silently, making Headmaster Lan feel a little awkward.
Shang could not stand the situation and offered, "Ye, when someone is done speaking, it is best if you can return the courtesy, or the conversation will become very awkward!"
Ye Chong replied point-blank, "But his words all seemed meaningless!"
"Er … Just ignore me!" Shang returned to his space.
Headmaster Lan seemed to realise that Ye Chong was not suited for this kind of conversation, and immediately switched his tact. "Mr Ye, I’d like to invite you to become a teacher at our Blue Ocean Academy! What do you say?"
Standing at the side, Yang An stared with bulging eyes, gaping at the two! "Sir, are you sure? Blue Ocean Academy’s teacher?" Ye Chong may not understand, but Yang An, who had grown up in Blue Ocean, knew that all teachers of Blue Ocean Academy are prestigious in the eyes of Blue Ocean citizens, and that Blue Ocean Academy was a possible gateway for one to enter upper class society. As for the academy’s teachers, they were already members of the upper class society. The Blue Ocean Academy’s teachers have all made their name, and the only teacher in the academy below the age of thirty was Rui Su. At least Rui Su was twenty five, but Ye Chong was only twenty! For someone at his age, even if he was a student in the Blue Ocean Academy, he could only be one of the lower level students.
"Being a teacher? That’s ludicrous!" Yang An thought as he looked at Ye Chong oddly, "This guy’s a monster!"
Headmaster Lan explained his decision, "Mr Ye’s missile shaped mech has a body structure that improves aerodynamic flow, and expressed Mr Ye’s great understanding of the physics involved. All the teachers in our academy felt that you are capable enough to work as a teacher of the academy. Besides, I have asked for advice from the twelve judges, and they unanimously agreed that Mr.Ye is absolutely qualified for the job. Moreover, Mr Ye’s exceptional modification skills, comparable to the work of expert mod technicians, are something we greatly appreciate! Of course, before Mr Ye began working for us, we’d still like to conduct a necessary test for Mr Ye. However, this is only one of the standard procedures, I believe, with Mr Ye’s abilities, this test should not be a problem!"
Yang An stared in a daze at Ye Chong, desperately trying to understand the situation. He had been guarding outside ever since Ye Chong entered the workshop, and did not have time to watch the competition’s live broadcast. Hence, he was completely ignorant of Ye Chong’s stirring actions. He was already baffled when the headmaster had asked all sorts of things about Ye Chong! He did not imagine that the truth to be something like this!
"Of course, Mr Ye, please do not worry about your terms of employment. Compared to other first class academies in the five main galaxies, the terms of employment in our academy is definitely first class! Not only will we offer a high salary, we will also provide full support for Mr Ye’s research projects! Besides, our academy is home to many great instructors, if Mr Ye would join us, you’ll find that the academic atmosphere here is excellent, the teachers exchange ideas amongst themselves frequently. I believe this would be beneficial push for Mr Ye’s future advancement!
"Should Mr Ye have any requests, please let us know, we’ll do our best to sort things out for you! We, the Blue Ocean Academy, sincerely invite you to join us!"
Ye Chong was not really listening to Headmaster Lan’s words, since he was speaking to Shang.
Shang had popped out again when Headmaster Lan offered a job for Ye Chong. The mech was very excited. "Hey, Ye, just say yes! Blue Ocean Academy’s teachers are all treated well!" Shang clicked his tongue, "In comes the money when you join the Blue Ocean Academy! I can’t believe even someone of your standard would be scouted by the Blue Ocean Academy … That’s gold zuan for us!"
Ye Chong disagreed. "Nope, I’m leaving, who’s going to make the noodles for Grandpa Qian’s shop?"
Shang gave that a thought. "That’s true! But if you join the Blue Ocean Academy, your monthly salary is definitely way more than when working at Grandpa Qian’s shop! You can allocate a portion of the money for Grandpa Qian, so he can enjoy his later years and does not need to work anymore!"
Ye Chong felt otherwise. "While I may not understand it, but I know Grandpa Qian does not think of money as his highest priority! It’s not a problem about money!"
"Mm, a problem with the noodles then, right, doesn’t Grandpa Qian have an automatic noodle making machine?" Shang asked.
"He does! But the noodles coming out that machine are gross!" Ye Chong replied.
Shang grew excited as he spoke, "So, if we can improve the automatic noodle making machine, er, maybe with some modifications, and take into account the various factors involved when you make the noodles yourself, I’m sure the machine can churn out noodles that taste as good as the ones you make!"
Ye Chong pondered over it, thought it feasible, and grew excited too. "You’re right, Shang, that’s a wonderful idea! We have to try it out when we get back!" Ye Chong felt like leaving for home right then.
"But, Ye, we don’t have any equipment, or materials, all these costs zuan! Without these things, we’ll never be able to complete the task." Shang spoke as if afflicted.
Ye Chong was also vexed. "Yeah! That’s a real problem, and I don’t think those things come cheap!"
"Hmm, that’s true, however, it’s not that there’s nothing we can do about it!" Shang replied in a queer tone.