Chapter 83

Chapter 84: Heaven knows, earth knows, you know, I know…

Qian Qi grinned and rubbed her hands as she said: “Like… a little special privilege.” The smile at the corners of her mouth looked both sleazy and sly.

The principal stared at her: “…”

[Can you control your face a bit? I can tell you’re up to something the second I look at you.]

He leaned back in his chair and asked: “So what kind of privilege do you want?” He was curious how far Qian Qi’s ambitions reached if she dared to ask him for special treatment.

Qian Qi squinted her eyes to slits and rubbed her hands again as she said: “It’s not a hard ask. I don’t know if you’ve heard of this before, Principal… a dual degree?”

The principal blinked. Dual degrees were common in regular universities: a student could study two majors at the same time, and as long as they passed, they would graduate with two diplomas, which helped a lot in job hunting. But Awakener University didn’t have that tradition. Awakeners with two skill lines were rare, usually taught one on one, so a second diploma wasn’t really needed. Besides, except for the Magiplant and Magibeast tracks when entering their research institutes, diplomas didn’t mean much. In most cases, strength was what counted.

He frowned and asked: “So why are you asking about this?”

Qian Qi straightened up and answered seriously: “To study Magibeasts, of course. Look, if I research Magiplants, I also have to research Contract Beasts. Otherwise how could I develop Magiplants that boost a Contract Beast’s power? And if I’m going to study Contract Beasts, I need Magibeast knowledge.”

She lifted her fingers and counted off as she said: “To learn Magibeast knowledge, I have to join the Magibeast Department and study there, and later it would be best to work a few years in the Magibeast Research Institute. If I want into the institute, then I naturally need…”

The principal raised a hand to cut off her spiel as he said: “I get it. I can grant you this as an extra privilege. No problem.”

Qian Qi gave him a knowing look and asked sweetly: “Then about tuition, book fees, dorm costs and all that… could those be waived? And if you could sponsor a little living money too, that would be amazing.”

The principal went silent: “…”

[She still has six million on her, doesn’t she? Why is she pinching pennies like this and not willing to spend even a few tens of thousands?]

He cleared his throat and set a condition as he said: “I can promise all that, but you must take the end of term professional exam this time and place in the top three. Only then can I persuade the Magibeast Department Dean to accept you.”

He wasn’t all powerful. For a dual degree he still had to speak with the Magibeast Department Dean, since that dean, not him, would issue the diploma.

Qian Qi nodded hard and promised: “Don’t worry, Principal. No problem.”

The principal tapped the table and asked: “And the Hemostasis Potion formula?”

Qian Qi lifted her chin and said with full confidence: “Don’t worry. As soon as we sign a contract that confirms I’ll get the Magibeast diploma after I graduate, I’ll send the Hemostasis Potion formula to Dean Li right away.” Then her tone shifted as she added lightly: “But…”

The principal’s eyes narrowed as he asked: “But what?”

Qian Qi dropped her voice and looked solemn as she said: “This deal stays between heaven, earth, you, and me. Dean Li and Su Ang must not know.”

The principal stared at her with suspicion as he asked: “Why?”

Qian Qi waved lazily as she said: “Asking too much won’t help you. Only you and the Magibeast Department Dean need to know about the dual degree. If I learn from Dean Li or Su Ang that you sold me out, the three of you can forget about buying anything from me ever again.”

The principal could only nod as he said: “Fine. I’ll keep it secret.”

Qian Qi smiled with satisfaction, slapped a contract on the desk, and said: “Sign and stamp.”

The principal didn’t rush. He read it carefully, then pointed at a gap as he said: “You only wrote Hemostasis Potion in here. What about Defense Fruit?”

Qian Qi dug at her ear without a trace of panic as she said: “I haven’t figured out how to grow Defense Fruit yet. You and Instructor Mo keep watching my test fields every day. You should know whether I’ve planted any Defense Fruit lately.”

The principal fell silent, a little guilty.

Qian Qi gave him a long, meaningful smile as she said: “But don’t be too sad, Principal. Once I figure it out, maybe I’ll even give it to you for free.”

As for how long that would take, that depended on when Senior Su Ang transferred three hundred million into her account.

[Come on now, what bad thoughts could Little Qian Qi have? I just want one deal to pay me three times, that’s all.]

She tucked the contract away, humming happily, and was about to leave when the principal called after her.

He asked in a casual tone: “Oh, Qian Qi, do you want to come to the Commander Department and test your Psychic Power?”

Qian Qi stopped.

She clutched her head and whispered inwardly: “System, will a Psychic Power test read my memories or expose you?”

The System answered at once: “[…No. Relax and go.]”

Only then did Qian Qi calm down. She was curious about her Psychic Power level. Fuzzy, unseen things always poked at people’s curiosity, and she was no exception. Of course, what she loved most was still money, that little treasure.

Testing Psychic Power required a special simulation pod. Most Awakeners had some Psychic Power, but since Psychic Power level didn’t tie to skill level, people with high Psychic Power might never awaken mental skills. Experts believed Awakener skills and Psychic Power weren’t related.

Qian Qi sat inside the pod and put on a special helmet. Following the instructions, she flipped the switch and felt something touch her temples.

She rubbed her hands, ready to start, when the System slid cheekily up to her face.

The System announced in a flat tone: “Your Psychic Power level is: D.”

Qian Qi froze: “???”

[Are you kidding me?]

It felt like she had prepared fried chicken, beer, and popcorn for a long awaited romance movie, and right before it started, someone told her the male lead dies of cancer at the end. Her chest clenched like a cramp. Rage exploded across her face. She grabbed the System, flung it at the pod wall, and punched it twice.

She yelled through her teeth: “You spoiler fiend!”

The System shot back without mercy: “Ha. You’re not mad at the spoiler. You’re mad because you’re a D rank noob.”

Qian Qi went quiet: “…”

She gave the System a long look, then turned back and started the test anyway. The method was simple: the helmet sent special waves to stimulate the brain to resist, then judged the level from the feedback.

The result was clear. D rank.

The principal looked at the result with some disappointment. In his heart, he had already assumed Qian Qi’s Psychic Power was S rank, a genius with a developed brain domain.

Qian Qi patted his shoulder and tried to comfort him as she said: “Don’t be sad. You may have lost a Psychic Power expert, but you gained a genius student.”

The principal stared: “…”

[Thanks. Not comforting. I know exactly which one is stronger.]