CHAPTER 229: CHAPTER 204: THE EYE-CATCHING NEWSPAPER!

The servants cleared the crowd, allowing Laplace to enter the paper store.

Inside wasn’t as noisy as outside. Although there were many people, the structure was extremely spacious, and people spoke quietly without disturbing others.

This shop was built by Laplace using his pocket money to hire an architect. After all, it belonged to his teacher and Princess Rica, so he put his heart into it, and his father supported him as well.

Seeing how quiet it was, Laplace nodded in satisfaction, explained his purpose to the store manager, and instructed to have the paper delivered to the castle before he prepared to leave.

At this moment, the tall, thin, and rather shrewd store manager quietly called out to Laplace:

"Wait, wait! Young Master Laplace, His Highness Lin Ke has awakened!"

His Highness Lin Ke has awakened!

Awakened!

Laplace’s pupils suddenly shrank upon hearing this and he exclaimed, "Andrew’s Leg!"

His voice was so loud, it drew dissatisfied looks from many people, but upon seeing it was Laplace, they quickly turned their heads back.

This was the Ice Giant City of the Marquis of Ice.

At this moment, Laplace was overjoyed, pulling the store manager and running outside. Once out, he impatiently asked, "Lin Ke... Has Teacher Lin Ke finally awakened?!"

The manager bowed slightly, "Yes, young master, our His Highness Lin Ke has awakened, and even sent you a message. However, the message was delayed by a year due to my subordinates’ incompetence, I have already..."

"Alright, alright, stop with the useless talk! Where’s my letter? Give it to me quickly!" Laplace was too excited to listen to more.

The store manager hurriedly took out a rolled-up piece of plant fiber paper from his wallet and handed it to Laplace.

Laplace snatched it eagerly yet gently opened it, afraid of damaging the paper.

On the paper, penned in the elegant script of the Naseng universal language, was a line: Laplace, my friend, do you still remember the charge beside the great swamp? Yes, I am awake, and everything is fine.

It was a safety letter Lin Ke initially sent to the Marquis of Giant Sword, Count Akel, and others, also given to Laplace.

As Laplace read, suddenly, tears fell down like raindrops.

Since childhood, his father, the noble-charactered, pure-hearted Marquis of Ice, who never took a second wife and had no illegitimate children, taught him.

Nobility, is noble because of noble character, virtues, and thoughts, not arrogance, greed, or stupidity.

He always acted under the influence of the Marquis of Ice, but inevitably, he still developed a prideful disposition.

Until he met Lin Ke.

To him, Lin Ke was a true noble!

He did not despise or scorn servants and commoners for their low status; it was a true inner kindness toward servants.

Laplace could see that.

Some people pretend to be kind, but Lin Ke often showed kindness through unintentional actions and behaviors.

Simultaneously, Lin Ke did not feel inferior or fawn because of power, money, or lineage.

Whether facing the wealthy Princess Rica or the immensely powerful Eldest Prince, Lin Ke never bent his knee.

At the same time, Lin Ke possessed an incredibly wise mind.

During those months, Laplace felt cleansed by Lin Ke, just like when he was baptized by the Elemental Power of the Five-Colored Dragon Mother in the abyss.

Even deeper!

He was affected, influenced by Lin Ke.

It was then he knew what his father meant by the noble nature of the most ancient aristocrats from the mythological and ancient times.

So, when he fled Azanen to continue the Ice Clan’s lineage, he was filled with reluctance and guilt.

He wanted to be like Lin Ke’s followers, chasing after Lin Ke’s shadow, wielding his sword towards invincible entities and shouting "Charge."

This guilt and discontent did not fade with time but rather intensified.

When he leveled up due to Lin Ke’s earlier teachings, when he was genuinely recognized by the people for his good deeds, when he was praised for his noble character and brilliant talent...

His guilt and discontent deepened even more.

So he could only turn guilt and discontent into motivation and frantically learn everything about mathematics.

This was why, at merely fourteen years old, he became the most brilliant mathematical prodigy in the Gula Kingdom, a Level 10 Mathematician.

But he knew the source of it all.

He also knew the true mathematical nova he couldn’t bear to face.

"Young master, young master, why are you crying!" The servant saw his young master suddenly in tears, grabbed the tall, thin store manager nearby: "What did you do to make our young master cry? Speak! What did you do!"

"Alright, Lin Leiba, it’s not the manager’s fault, let him go." Laplace took out a silk handkerchief to wipe his tears, dismissed his butler, and then asked the store manager, "Is Teacher Lin Ke currently in Azanen?"

"Yes, our Highness is in Azanen." The manager, looking at Laplace, didn’t know what to say, feeling at a loss, he could only say, "Young master, His Highness Lin Ke recently came up with something called a ’newspaper’, do you want a copy? It’s just three copper coins."

"I’ll take ten thousand copies." Laplace said, wiping his tears and waving his hand: "Put the bill on my family’s account."

In his view, anything of Lin Ke’s must be supported, and he figured his father wouldn’t refuse either.

The store manager was stunned.

"What else does my teacher have? I’ll buy it all, make it up to ten thousand gold coins’ worth, I’ll use this month’s pocket money to celebrate my teacher’s awakening." Laplace asked again.

"It’s not... young master, why don’t you take a look at this newspaper first." The store manager swiftly returned to the shop, then brought out a square piece of paper slightly smaller than a standard piece of Azanen Paper and handed it to Laplace.

Laplace took it, instantly captivated by the cover of the paper.

"New Decree Promulgated in Azanen Territory: Taxes Changed from Arbitrary to Fourteen Fixed!"

Below was a series of words detailing the gist of this new decree in the Azanen Domain.

An entire page was mostly about the situation in Azanen Domain.

Laplace, originally concerned about Azanen’s situation, of course, read it carefully and quickly.

Could "newspapers" be specifically about Azanen’s affairs? Only the local lords of Azanen would care about that, Laplace thought with some confusion.

He looked at a smaller frame below, and it read:

"New Memory Stone From the Divine Hall of Wealth’s Great Priest Xiangnai Now Available! Priced at Just Five Gold Coins!"

Andrew’s Leg!

Xiangnai’s Memory Stone?!

Laplace felt his body reacting.