A World Worth Protecting

1

Wang Baole shook his head as he placed the documents down. He returned to the accommodations the school had prepared for him. It was a three-story pavilion built at the edge of a man-made lake. Thick Spirit Qi permeated the air, and the surroundings were quiet and peaceful. Wang Baole sat down at the edge of the lake and began to recall the events of the past day. He sighed.

<em>First, it’s bumping into the giant tree, then it’s an appointment in a school… I’m one of the Hundred Seedlings, the best looking guy in the Federation. I’m aiming for the stars. I shouldn’t be here doing the job of a nanny! </em>Wang Baole sighed with frustration. He was still fretting over his meeting with the giant tree.

The school environment wasn’t bad, but it was still incomparable to being a Pavilion Head in the Ethereal Dao College.

<em>Forget it. Since I’m already here, I might as well put in a bit of effort. Quickly finish the year and have the Sect Lord transfer me back…</em>

At that thought, Wang Baole sighed again. He set aside his anxieties about the giant tree and returned to his pavilion. Sighing once more at the school’s extravagance, he sat down cross-legged and was silent the rest of the night.

The next morning, Wang Baole went to his office. He wasn’t in the mood to handle the various administrative school matters, nor was he in the mood to read through the staff and student records. He snacked on his tidbits while contemplating giving his Numinous Treasures another round of major upgrades.

As he was deep in thought, musing about upgrading his Numinous Treasures and contemplating how to carry out the exercise as well as the cost required for it, he received a notification. The class he was supposed to take over temporarily was about to begin.

<em>I wonder how Zhuo Yifan and Zhao Yameng are doing now. No matter what, they must be having a better time than me. </em>Wang Baole had little interest in the class he was going to teach. However, since he had promised the old dean, he would do it. He grabbed the textbooks for the class and walked to the classroom.

He could hear the loud and noisy chatter in the classroom even before he stepped inside. He pushed the door open and walked in.

It was a relatively small classroom comprised of approximately thirty-odd students. The class was split equally into boys and girls. Students were sitting, standing, and even walking about. There was a slight lull in the class chattering when he came in. The students’ eyes honed in on Wang Baole.

“A new Dharmic Armament teacher?”

“Hmm, he looks familiar.”

“You guys haven’t been keeping up with the news. He’s Wang Baole, one of the Federation’s Hundred Seedlings. He’s the new vice dean!” The thirty-odd male and female students engaged in a hushed, heated discussion. Many seemed to perk up in attention when they found out who Wang Baole was.

Wang Baole assessed the students as they stared at him. He noticed, with some displeasure, that one of the youths was the one who had been posturing yesterday. Fortunately, the female students in the class were rather well-endowed and pleasing to the eye. This helped to improve Wang Baole’s mood.

<em>I should persuade the school to change the uniforms. They’re too big. That’s not helpful to the students’ physical development at all. </em>Wang Baole coughed. Then, he slammed his palm on the desk.

“Let’s begin!”

The students made their way to their desks leisurely. When they looked at Wang Baole, it was more with interest than respect.

Wang Baole couldn’t care less. Him being here as a temporary substitute teacher was simply a gesture on his part.

<em>Let’s get the class over and done with so that I can go back and run through the upgrading and refinement of my Numinous Treasures. </em>Wang Baole retracted his gaze. His heart was simply not in the pseudo-nanny job. He pulled out a bag of chips and started munching in front of the class. As the students stared incredulously at him, he started teaching.

Wang Baole followed whatever was written in the textbook, occasionally throwing in his personal knowledge of Dharmic Armaments. The former was standard information, while the latter was clearly priceless knowledge that encapsulated his understanding of Dharmic Armaments. The students, though, clearly lacked focus and discipline.

Except for a few native Martians who listened attentively to his teachings, the other students from families of the various political forces had initially paid attention at the beginning of class—largely due to an interest in Wang Baole—before they soon lost their interest in the lesson.

Those from the Five Generation Sky Clan all had supercilious looks on their faces, growing increasingly scornful of Wang Baole. There were also those from the Galactic Dusk Sect. The Mystic Luna Realm fiasco had been a great blow to the Galactic Dusk Sect. However, their parents were from the Martian Colony and were barely affected by the affair. Not that it prevented them from displaying the natural coldness and dispassion bred into their bones.

There were also a few students from the Plume Manifestation Connate Sect. The heirs of the disciples from the two main sects could choose their own sect. This was, however, not strictly enforced. Many chose to send their children to a school on Mars to undergo basic cultivation and education.

The posturing youth and his posse were from the Trilunaris Corporation. They seemed to have fallen into the habit of idleness and indolence. They kept talking in hushed tones to one another, engaging in the occasional bragging.

In the span of a lesson, Wang Baole went through five bags of snacks. He wiped his mouth and was about to leave, wanting to head back and run through the upgrades for his Numinous Treasures. However, as he was about to step out of the classroom, one of the students stood up and shouted. It was the youth with the posturing antics, the one who had made such a deep impression on Wang Baole.

“Teacher, please wait!”

He hurried towards Wang Baole with his minions following closely behind. He stood in front of Wang Baole and blocked the latter’s path to the door.

Wang Baole paused in his steps and raised his eyebrow. His mood hadn’t taken a turn for the better since he had arrived on Mars. He glared at the person who dared stand in his way. He was about to speak when the youth smiled lightly and put on an appearance of maturity and experience. He cupped his fists towards Wang Baole and said casually.

“Teacher, I heard that the puppets you make are ultra-realistic. They’re famous throughout the Federation. Are they for sale?”

The other students immediately raised their heads curiously and looked at Wang Baole. A few who seemed to have heard of his puppets had a look of interest on their faces.

Wang Baole was caught by surprise. He didn’t expect the youth to ask about his puppets. Pleasure surged within him as he wondered if his puppets had indeed become so well-known. Still, he kept a poker-faced expression.

“You have a sharp eye for a kid. However, those things aren’t good for health. Don’t obsess over puppets. They’re not toys. You can get one when you become an adult!” Wang Baole glanced at the youth before dishing out a few words of reprimand and continuing on his way.

The youth panicked at Wang Baole’s indifference and shouted hurriedly.

“Teacher, I’m already an adult. My dad just bought me a hotel on Mars as a coming-of-age present. It’s located right in front of the Fire Spirit Academy. It’s a great spot. I’ll exchange that for one of your puppets!”

“What?” Wang Baole paused in his tracks. He turned back and stared at the youth with shock in his wide eyes.

“A hotel for a puppet?”

“That’s right, teacher. Are you going to do it or not?” The youth jerked his chin up proudly. He had a look that proclaimed loudly about how rich and grown-up he was.

Wang Baole sucked in a breath of air. Regardless of the other’s family background, he still found the entire thing incredulous. He couldn’t help but think that maybe the people of the Trilunaris Corporation had all become idiots from the sheer wealth they possessed. He couldn’t control his curiosity, and he asked.

“Why? There are many people who make puppets. Why are you buying them from me?”

Upon hearing the question, the youth raised his chin higher and said arrogantly.

“Jin Duoming has your puppets by his side. I saw them when I returned to Earth a while back, and he kept showing them off in front of me. I won’t take this lying down. I want one too. I want the exact same female puppet!”

Wang Baole gave the smug youth before him a deep, meaningful look. He had an odd expression on his face. If he were this kid’s father, he would smack him to hell and back. The kid was an absolute disaster.

<em>Seems like the people from the Trilunaris Corporation aren’t normal. They’re all prodigal sons and daughters… Jin Duoming used a Dharmic Armament to exchange for a fragment, and this kid is exchanging his hotel for a puppet… </em>Wang Baole sighed. He seemed to keep running into ultra-rich folks. He felt more and more resigned to his fate. His destiny seemed to be providing more ways for these rich people to spend their money.

<em>If that’s the case, I shouldn’t go against what fate has presented before me. </em>At that thought, Wang Baole took in a deep breath. A bright smile appeared on his face, and he patted the youth on the shoulder.

“Kid, you have a bright future!” Wang Baole pulled out the puppet he was asking for immediately, and they completed the transaction. Wang Baole walked out of the classroom happily with the transfer deed in his hands. Inside the classroom, the youth also stared happily at his puppet, his eyes glowing with excitement and pleasure.

When Wang Baole reached his office, he stopped, suddenly, a few steps before the door. He smacked his forehead.

<em>That’s not right. My intentions are to be transferred out. Why did I start a business on Mars… </em>He had mixed feelings at that juncture. He wouldn’t be able to move the hotel when he left, and it would be a waste to sell it off as well. He had done some research on Mars before he had arrived. Property on Mars was precious and worth a great deal of money.

<em>Forget it, let’s not think too much about it now. This is still considered a terrific start on Mars. </em>Wang Baole’s mood improved visibly. He hummed as he pushed open the door to his office. The Dao Mountain Mist Academy didn’t seem as bad as he had initially thought it to be.

<em>Should I make a few more puppets to stand around in class and help with future lessons? </em>Wang Baole was tempted to do that. It seemed like a good path to riches and wealth.

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