“Ah… finally finished…”
Wendy put down his pen and let out a long sigh as he looked at the thick stack of manuscripts before him.
The outline of On War, sprawling over twenty thousand words, was finally complete.
From the essential definition of war to the specific application of strategy, and then to an in-depth analysis of the psychological states of both friend and foe, each chapter referenced the historical background of this world as much as possible for examples.
Xi Ya walked over, her voice soft.
“Unprecedented… clarity.”
Wendy rubbed his slightly sore wrist.
“I feel like my thoughts have been completely organized. Many concepts that were vague before are now exceptionally sharp.”
He looked up at the pink-haired girl who had accompanied him for the entire three days, his eyes full of gratitude.
“Thanks to you, Xi Ya. Without your care—”
“It’s your own talent and hard work.”
Xi Ya gently shook her head and placed the honey water beside his hand.
“I only did something insignificant.”
Wendy picked up the cup and took a sip of the sweet honey water.
He suddenly noticed Xi Ya looking at him with a peculiar expression.
That look… it felt familiar somehow.
“Xi Ya?”
“Ah, sorry.”
The pink-haired administrator blinked and returned to her usual gentle demeanor.
“I just felt that your current state is more… mature than three days ago.”
She was right.
Wendy could feel the change in himself.
Before, even though his mind was filled with all kinds of knowledge from Earth, there had always been a sense of alienation as an “outsider.”
Now, those theories were no longer cold text but had become part of his thinking, perfectly integrated with the history and culture of this world.
This feeling… was a bit addictive.
The oak door was roughly pushed open again, and Instructor Tracey stormed in.
“Wendy! I heard from Xi Ya that you’re done? Let me see it quick!”
Her eyes were so bright they could blind someone, completely displaying a hungry expression of “show me my eternal masterpiece now!”
Wendy rolled his eyes but still handed her the manuscript.
Tracey couldn’t wait to flip open the first page, and her eyes instantly went wide.
“War is the continuation of politics… this… this definition…”
She continued flipping, and the further she read, the redder her face became, and her breathing grew rapid.
“…My God! This is simply… The real victory lies in subduing the enemy without fighting… Oh my father, Wendy, how did you come up with this?”
After reading the first few chapters, Tracey was trembling all over.
“Thirteen Methods to Destroy the Enemy’s Will to Fight… This isn’t just an outline! This… is the bible of military theory!!”
She lifted her head abruptly, a fanatical flame burning in her eyes.
“Wendy Black! Do you know that once this work is published, it will completely rewrite the war patterns of the entire continent! You will become… a military titan remembered for eternity!”
Wendy was infected by her excitement, and a feeling of achievement surged in his heart.
Even if these ideas originated from another world, being able to personally develop them on this land and even win the favor of Dean Beota made this journey worthwhile.
“Instructor, you flatter me. These are just some shallow opinions of mine—”
“Shallow?”
Tracey’s voice suddenly shot up an octave.
“The garbage I’ve been locked in my room writing for decades isn’t even worthy of being a footnote to this work of yours!”
She carefully hugged the manuscript to her chest, her precious expression as if holding her own newborn child.
“From today onward, you are my one and only personal disciple, Tracey Morgana! All resources of the academy will be open to you!”
Just as Wendy was about to refuse, indicating that the Dean was already ahead of her, Xi Ya suddenly coughed lightly.
“Instructor Tracey, I understand your excitement. But Student Wendy has been working continuously for three days. What he needs most now is rest, not more academic burden.”
Tracey snapped back to reality, noticing Wendy’s overly pale face, and quickly restrained her excited expression.
“Right, right, right. You’re absolutely right. Wendy, get some good rest first. If you need anything, just say the word.”
She reluctantly touched the cover of the manuscript once more before turning back three times and finally leaving the reading room.
As soon as the door closed, Xi Ya walked over to Wendy.
Her pale white fingers gently touched his forehead.
“A bit feverish. As expected, overexertion of the brain.”
That slightly cool, soft touch was like a summer night breeze, involuntarily relaxing Wendy’s tense nerves.
He obediently closed his eyes.
“Student Wendy, do you feel… different from before?”
“Huh?”
Wendy opened his eyes.
“What do you mean?”
Xi Ya’s voice was very soft, carrying a hypnotic magnetism.
“For example, regarding the concept of ‘control’, do you now have a deeper understanding? Your way of thinking, your views on things…”
Wendy was stunned.
Indeed, when he was writing the chapter on “psychological warfare,” he had an exceptionally clear cognition of how to manipulate people’s hearts, how to use fear and desire to achieve goals.
As those theories flowed from his pen, they even brought him a strange pleasure.
“Seems… a little.”
“That’s right.”
Xi Ya smiled.
Under the setting sun, that smile was so beautiful it seemed unreal.
“A true wise man must learn… to control everything.”
And just as the atmosphere between them grew increasingly intimate, on the bell tower across from the library…
Astreia and Laxana were holding a magic telescope, watching every scene in the reading room.
They saw Instructor Tracey praising Wendy endlessly.
They saw Wendy looking high-spirited and eloquent.
However, when they saw that, while Tracey turned around to get water, Wendy naturally turned his head and gave Xi Ya a smile full of gratitude and dependence…
Alarms blared in both their hearts.
That was not a smile between friends.
It was the unreserved trust of a student toward their most beloved mentor.
It was the devotion of a lost lamb who had found their spiritual归宿.
It was over.
Astreia and Laxana exchanged a glance, seeing the same shock and panic in each other’s eyes.
They had not only lost the chance to physically approach Wendy.
Now, they were losing his heart, his thoughts, everything!
That pink-haired fox, in a way they could neither understand nor resist, was fundamentally reshaping Wendy from the inside out into the shape she wanted!
“We can’t wait any longer.”
Astreia put down the telescope, her voice resolute.
Laxana bit her lip and nodded heavily.
“Tonight, we have to take him back.”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.