From sailboats to star destroyers (Source: Web)

Chapter 54 'The Apprentice' by Shirley Gerry

As dawn broke, the sea breeze, carrying its distinctive salty and briny scent, pushed open the oak window and flooded into Miao Meng's second-floor bedroom.

"Young master, wake up." The maids, who had been prepared, filed in one after another, holding washbasins and clothes and lining up beside him.

"No need, you can just leave your things there. Go on out, I'm not comfortable with people around."

Miao Meng declined the new maid's offer to help him change, and deftly put on his dark blue, almost black velvet coat himself.

After hearing his order, the maids did not resist and obediently bowed their heads and retreated, leaving behind only the miscellaneous items they were carrying.

The habits cultivated in modern times made Miao Meng very uncomfortable with the life of a medieval nobleman. Although he already knew that there were maids, he still couldn't accept having someone watching him when he woke up.

When we arrived at this estate in Baisha Bay yesterday, it was still early, but it took much longer than expected to assemble the entire set of prefabricated house components. In the end, we had to rest in the main wooden house that served as the facade.

At this moment, he stood on the edge of the narrow balcony, his gaze passing over the recently transplanted, still somewhat sparse lawns and shrubs in the manor, and looking into the distance.

At the edge of the horizon lies a stretch of white sand beach called White Sand Bay, shimmering with tiny golden rays under the rising sun.

This long, narrow coastline is the core symbol of his nominal territory.

However, in the medieval continent of Galtiland, beaches were not a remarkable resource, unlike in the modern world where they could be easily transformed into popular holiday destinations.

In addition, the local fishing villagers are known for their fierce and rugged character, many of whom have ancient Gut ancestry, and have always been distant and indifferent to the authority of the nobility.

Furthermore, due to its remote location, meager output, and frequent pirate attacks, it was considered by successive lords to be a "chicken rib" land that was neither worth eating nor worth discarding.

The sea breeze brushed against his cheeks, bringing a touch of coolness. Miao Meng exhaled softly, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the cold wooden edge of the window frame.

"Hmm, how many months? I've only been on Zongwang for a short time, and I never expected to have reached this level. It feels like a dream."

He stretched his shoulders and neck slightly, suppressing this unfamiliar feeling, and began to organize his tasks for the day.

The first priority, of course, is to continue with the interior renovation of that modern house.

Yesterday's assembly only set up the framework; the more intricate water pipe laying, electrical connections, and installation of internal facilities still require his personal attention.

It wasn't that he wanted to do everything himself; in reality, his servants were completely ignorant of the structure and principles of modern architecture. Forcing them to handle the work resulted in the project not being completed on time.

In the afternoon, the manor welcomed the expected visitors.

Although Earl Grey himself did not come, he sent his trusted steward, along with his little granddaughter, Shirley Grey, who had golden hair and eyes and a small red antler-shaped battle mark on her forehead.

This was a very formal gesture, conveying the Earl's continued attention and a certain tentative goodwill.

As for the other local nobles and merchants who came after hearing the news, they were equally eager to see the novel alchemical items and exotic goods brought by the Black Knight.

However, the rules of the nobility were strict, and they had to wait for the count's messenger to visit first, and it would be at least two or three days before it was their turn to come.

Shirley's arrival brought a touch of vibrancy to the somewhat deserted manor.

She showed little interest in the flowerbeds still under planning and the bare lawns, but her gaze was firmly drawn to the modern house with its distinctive style.

The pristine white walls, the enormous glass windows, the peculiar metal components... all of this held an indescribable magic for a girl born in the Middle Ages.

Miao Meng had already clearly rejected Count Gerry's previous, overt and covert, marriage proposals.

However, the Earl was clearly adept at compromise. When the marriage alliance failed, he settled for second best, proposing that Sherry become Miao Meng's apprentice to learn alchemy.

What appears to be an academic pursuit is in fact a stronger emotional bond, a political stance that binds the interests of both parties more deeply.

For Miao Meng, who intends to establish a foothold and seek development in Baisha Bay and even Kingsby, this kind of bond based on "teacher-student relationship" is almost impossible to refuse outright.

Moreover, the Earl had already paid a substantial apprenticeship gift in advance—that precious soul crystal, which has now transformed into the soul weapon "Sands of Time" around Miao Meng's neck.

The old adage "He who takes a man's gift is bound to be obliging" is perfectly exemplified here, making a firm refusal impossible.

"One more student is one more. Completely rejecting any emotional commitment is impossible, but having more students is better than having more fiancées."

Before leaving Kingsby, in order to temporarily appease the young and curious apprentice, Miao Meng casually compiled a few pages of introductory problems covering basic arithmetic and geometry, requiring Shirley to understand them thoroughly rather than memorize them by rote.

These problems were only at a junior high school level in his eyes, but in the medieval world where the mathematical system was still in its infancy, their difficulty was enough to make even the best scholars scratch their heads.

Shirley arrived early today to report to her teacher on her homework progress, hoping to gain permission to further study alchemy.

Shirley replied to Miao Meng with a hint of pride: "The mathematical knowledge left by the teacher is too profound. Fortunately, my grandfather gathered several well-known scholars, otherwise I would not have been able to solve it at all."

Miao Meng had no objection to this; his requirement at the time was understanding, not memorization.

At this moment, he needed to verify the results himself, so he temporarily created a test paper of similar difficulty.

Shirley took the quill pen, her young face filled with seriousness, and began to concentrate on the calculations on the parchment.

Miao silently observed whether she could flexibly apply logic and methods, rather than rigidly applying solutions from memory.

After the test, he carefully reviewed it and confirmed that Shirley had indeed grasped the core mathematical concepts. He then nodded slightly: "Her foundation is decent; she has officially entered the field."

Upon receiving the teacher's approval, Shirley's eyes instantly lit up with a bright light, her excitement overflowing.

She immediately transformed into a curious child, pointing at the modern house outside the window and asking a series of questions:

"Teacher! What are those white walls made of? They're so smooth and shiny! Are those transparent 'crystals' windows? And what about those strangely shaped metal pipes...?"

A barrage of questions came out like a machine gun, as annoying as a constantly chirping sparrow.

Miao Meng raised his hand, making a gesture for silence, and calmly stated the sect's first rule: "Listen more, observe more, and speak less."

These six simple words temporarily stifled the girl's thirst for knowledge. He then took out a thick book from his personal equipment—"An Introduction to Basic Mathematics and the Principles of Matter."

The book's pages were pristine, and its binding exquisite. It was a complete knowledge book that he had obtained from the Investigation Bureau and translated into Galtilan Common Language through the power of the Internet.

He handed the book to Shirley: "This is what you will be studying next. The book will answer any questions you may have, and it will also inspire you to ask new questions."

Then, he pointed to a computer terminal that had already been assembled and whose screen was lit up, and which was already in teen mode to prevent Shirley from looking at other things.

"The courses in this 'Knowledge Treasure Box' will guide you step by step. After completing each chapter, there are exercises to test your understanding."

Before he finished speaking, several equally thick exercise books silently appeared in the corner of the desk.

By placing his eager-to-learn apprentice in front of computer screens and books, Miao Meng was finally able to focus on his core tasks.