Lu Mingfei Development Program

Chapter 516 Deal?
César is not the only student who wants to receive the President's Scholarship. Even though most of the students at Marston Royal School of Mechanical Engineering are born into aristocratic families, receiving the President's Scholarship will add a highlight to their resumes.

What's more, it's a mobile armor!

It goes without saying that boys are eager for mobile armor, which has almost changed the world and made the West richer and stronger than ever before. No matter whether they are commoners or nobles, every boy wants to become an armored knight.

The same is true for girls. Their dream lover must be an armored knight, and they also think that their future husband will also be an armored knight. Among them, girls who think they are no worse than boys also have the dream of becoming an armored knight.

Almost all the boys raised their hands, and many of the lively girls also raised their hands. The principal looked at all this with satisfaction. In the entire college, there was probably no teacher whose class had students as active as this one.

However, he did not immediately announce that he would go to the open-air test site for an experiment. He slowly explained that manipulating the armor would cause some injuries to people, ranging from fractures to paralysis.

These are all facts. After all, mobile armor is a military machine. If anyone can control it, wouldn't it make the Minerva mechanism in Florence and the knights of the Western countries look ridiculous?

The former is recognized by the Western world as the best mobile armor development unit, and the latter is the dream place for everyone who wants to become a mobile armor.

As expected, the number of students raising their hands was decreasing. This group of noble nobles hesitated. It would be exciting to be able to control mobile armor, but if the price was to get injured, it would not be worth it.

The President's Scholarship is valuable, but it is just a bonus for them who already have a rich life.

The principal was not surprised by the students' reaction, as this was the effect he wanted. However, there was one person who kept raising his hand, which was not what he expected.

"Cesare... I'm glad you could stay until the end, but you just said that you had your armor maintained last night. Are you okay?" the principal asked Cecil, the only one who still had his hand raised.

As the person who brought these two sets of armor to the academy and also the best mechanic in the academy, he understood how difficult it was to maintain two sets of military armor in one night.

Xizel said calmly, "Please don't worry about me. I feel fine now."

He was not lying. He had been busy all night without rest, but now he felt fine. He was energetic enough to last through another night. Although physical fatigue was inevitable, it was not as severe as he had imagined.

Xizel guessed that this was probably one of the changes brought about by that devilish existence, and he accepted it calmly.

The principal looked around the lecture hall, as if confirming if anyone had raised their hand, before he said, "...Okay, then, let's go to the open-air testing area."

Although today's class was able to continue because of César, his behavior made the principal reluctant to include him in the waiting list for the principal's scholarship. Any educator would regard a student who went to an underground fighting arena to participate in armor fighting as a black spot.

All the people in the lecture hall, including the two mobile armors, were quickly moved to the open-air test field. The Chakravartin armor was fixed on the hanging platform, and the principal's assistant drove the onlookers to the edge of the test field.

What the principal just said about the damage that mobile armor can cause to humans is actually an exaggeration. Although it is military armor, it is a teaching tool after all. The principal has adjusted the output and joints of the armor and found that it is not as terrifying as before.

But even so, this is still a military machine, and no one can guarantee that an accident might occur.

Looking at Xizel, who was already wearing armor and sitting on the armor hanging platform, some students in the field said dissatisfiedly, "Isn't this cheating?"
It was not uncommon for Xizel to engage in armor fighting in the underground fighting arena. The boys laughed at this illegitimate child and said that he would only bring shame to the school, while the girls thought armor fighting was a cool thing, which made the boys hate him even more.

It seems unfair no matter how you look at it to let Xizel, who is familiar with armor and even maintains it himself, get a scholarship candidate status by manipulating the armor.

The boys all looked behind them. The only person they thought could ride in the mobile armor, Byron, one of the leaders of the academy clubs and the president of the Silver Wing Brotherhood, was silent.

The Silver Wing Brotherhood is composed of students who love military affairs. These young men of noble birth are also the ones who most desire to become armored knights in the academy. As one of the best among them, Byron does not hide his enthusiasm for mobile armor.

His relationship with Césaire was somewhat special, and he was originally the one with the greatest hope of establishing a good relationship with the latter - he was pursuing Adele.

However, after Césaire threw the flower basket he had given to Adele out of the window for the umpteenth time, he began to hate Césaire as much as all the boys in the school.

Facing the gazes of his classmates, Byron shrugged his shoulders and said, "The Chakravartin is incomparable to those junk in the underground fighting arena. This is real military armor. If you think you can control the Chakravartin by controlling junk, then you are totally wrong..."

There were cries of surprise from the crowd, and the Chakravartin put on his armor and stood up holding the handrail of the suspension frame.

The principal was a little surprised. What Byron wanted to say was actually what he wanted to say. The armor in the underground fighting arena was not only tattered, but also simple to control. After all, the armor fighters could replace the new ones very quickly, and the newcomers could go on the field after a short training.

Military armor is different. Knights must undergo long-term training before they can drive such a big thing on the battlefield.

The principal thought that Xizel would struggle in the armor for a while, and then give up in disappointment after finding that he couldn't control it. At that time, he would also let the student who wanted to be awarded a scholarship candidate come up, let him control the armor, and legitimately grant him the scholarship.

"Just standing up is not enough." The person next to him said softly.

The principal was stunned for a moment, then turned his head to look and saw that the popular teacher in the academy, Poincare, was standing next to him.

He is the Dean of Academic Affairs of the academy, responsible for managing students. Because of his good looks and good upbringing, he is very popular among girls, and boys also feel a lot of pressure in front of his proud swordsmanship.

He was also the first teacher in the academy that Xizel... or should I say, Lu Mingfei saw last night. He was responsible for collecting the students' tuition fees. At the same time, he was also the first teacher to know that Xizel was fighting in the underground fighting arena.

But he knew much more than the teachers and students in the school.

Poincare knew very well what Césaire did in the fighting arena yesterday, because he and the person in charge there came from the same place, the Inquisition in Florence. Ye Suli of Zhongshan State was right. The city of Marston had long been under the control of the Papal States.

The colonel told Poincare everything that Cesare had done, including why he gave up on the field for unknown reasons and how he had used some unknown means to make the nearly scrapped Foxhound burst out with performance comparable to that of military armor.

The major also showed him the remains of the foxhound, and just as he said, it was completely scrapped and not even worth recycling as scrap metal.

Whether it was because he was a member of the Inquisition, one of the most violent institutions in the Papal States, or because he was one of Cesare's theoretical teachers, Poincare would not give up the opportunity to observe closely.

In particular, César was from Florence, but there was nothing on his black file. Such a file showed that he was once one of the targets of the Inquisition.

Césaire was also a little surprised. In his impression, Poincare was not a teacher who liked to get involved in other teachers' fields. If anything, he would occasionally fill in for the swordsmanship teachers, and mechanics had nothing to do with him anyway.

"Just follow me, Cesare," Poincare said patiently.

He walked in a straight line in the test field and asked the Chakravartin to do the same. Caesar did it, and then he took out a cork ball and asked Caesar to kick and catch it. Finally, he took out an apple and asked Caesar to try to block it...

Xizel did everything he was told. There was silence outside the test site. No one could believe that a big guy like the Chakravartin could perform such delicate movements.

Panting, Xizel was about to take back his words. The devil-like guy was right. His physical fitness was indeed too poor. The armor of the Chakravartin had very high physical requirements, which was different from what he had controlled in the past. After doing this set of movements, he felt very tired. "Did I pass the test?" Xizel asked the principal.

He was a little uneasy because Dean Poincare always had a smile on his face. He looked like he was there to help him, and his tests would undoubtedly leave a deep impression on all the students in the school.

They might still hate him as much as they did in the past, but before they could say those sarcastic words, they would have to consider his performance today. However, Dean Poincare kept smiling, as if this "test" against him was not over yet.

Sure enough, someone outside the testing area spoke up: "Isn't it a bit unfair to decide like this?"

Everyone looked back, even the principal, and saw Byron, who he wanted to be a candidate for the scholarship, unbuttoning his coat and standing up.

"Mobile armor is a weapon, born to fight. Just doing a few movements can be considered controlling it. The armored knights would probably laugh if they knew it." Byron said. His upper body was as strong as a leopard. Compared with the thin César, he seemed to be the armored knight.

In fact, he was not an active knight in the Lionheart Knights of the New Roman Empire. However, as an apprentice knight, he had completed basic armor training. When he got his diploma from the Royal Mechanical College of Marston, he would join them and become a real armored knight.

The President's Scholarship was not necessary for Byron, but it would make his resume more outstanding. The point was that he had had enough of César, and he was not the only student in this academy who could operate armor.

"I want to challenge César to a martial arts show." Byron made a request to the principal.

In the military exercise, knights familiar with mobile armor wrestle each other during practice. This is almost the same as a real battle, except that the weapons used are not lethal.

Before the principal could say anything, Provost Poincare spoke first: "It's really good to perform martial arts. Non-lethal weapons are used, which is very suitable for boys to wrestle."

The principal wanted to refuse, thinking that it would be too much to test the armor by performing martial arts. But Poincare whispered something in his ear, and he hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

Poincaré said this was a good opportunity to kick Cesare off the scholarship list, and he didn't want to give the scholarship to this disobedient child.

Xizel's heart sank; the thing he was most worried about happened.

They didn't seem to ask him what he meant, because they all knew he couldn't refuse. He had to have the President's Scholarship, which was almost a universal job application letter. With it, he could have a stable career as a mechanic.

That devil-like guy had not returned since he left his body last night. Xizel had never placed his hopes on that unknown existence. He was willing to fight for what he could touch and see.

Byron had already put on his Vajra Warrior uniform and threw the cork stick he used for martial arts at César. The force was so great that César, who caught it, bumped into the suspension frame behind him, but he managed to stand.

"You should know that I have consumed a lot of physical strength. It is unfair to me now." Xizel said softly. Physical strength once again became his biggest weakness.

Byron replied: "Physical fitness is also part of the test. For a guy like you who is exhausted after just a few moves, it's better to leave the field early."

Physical fitness is indeed one of the indicators of becoming a knight. Although the mobile armor is assisted by an exoskeleton, it still requires a lot of physical strength to control such a large object.

These armors were modeled after the Seraphs, but there was no way to copy the neural link technology. And it was the latter that César was good at.

Without saying anything, César stood up with the support of a martial arts stick. Byron and the King Kong warrior he controlled could not be confused with the dragon slayer and his controller in the underground fighting arena. The military profession was also the specialty of the apprentice knight, but it was not comparable to the eliminated armor and enthusiasts.

A lot of people gathered outside the venue unknowingly. Girls who were not interested in armor originally also came to the vicinity of the test site, holding umbrellas, walking barefoot in the water, looking over here.

The martial arts performance of the college club leaders Byron and Cesar was definitely more lively than the school celebration. The boys cheered for Byron, and they were fed up with Cesar. The only one who cheered for Cesar was probably Minai.

César was relieved that Adele didn't come. If his sister were there, he would be distracted.

Let's just finish the battle that should have been fought yesterday today, César said to himself. He raised the cork stick to block the gun flower from Byron, who was skillfully wielding the stick, which was a compulsory course when becoming an apprentice knight.

César had never experienced a martial arts rehearsal, and when he wore armor for the first time, he almost killed his opponent. No one told him how this kind of martial arts rehearsal, which allows novices to get familiar with armor, is conducted.

The experience of the underground fighting arena could not be used here either, as the martial arts had its own rules, and if he violently stopped the King Kong Warrior and damaged a mobile armor, it would be enough for the principal who disliked him to expel him.

The Vajra Warrior used a wooden stick to hit the calf of the Wheel King skillfully, and Xizel lay on his back in the water. The water almost covered the ankles of ordinary people, so he couldn't stand up immediately.

There were cheers from the sidelines, from the boys rooting for Byron; they were very happy to see Cesar make a fool of himself.

With a deep sigh, the purple in Xizel's eyes flowed. He hated this feeling, the feeling that the whole world was against him.

There were actually five scholarship candidates, and after he took one, there were four left, and the others were fighting for the remaining four. But they didn't, they just didn't want him to get a spot.

"You know what? You can't take away things that don't belong to you." Byron didn't chase after him, but came to César and said.

This move, which did not take advantage of anyone's misfortune, won him more applause, and the girls who had been secretly cheering for César turned to him.

Xizel had a blank expression on his face, and tried to stand up from the water. But suddenly, the Chakravartin stopped moving, and his energy was exhausted. He understood why Byron did not pursue him, because when he fell just now, he broke the Chakravartin's energy pack.

The red crystal flowed into the water, as bright red as blood. Xizel was completely stunned. How could the armor made of high-grade alloy be destroyed so easily? Especially the armor protecting the energy pack, which was the most important part of the armor.

But it just broke, destroyed by such a small fall.

It was as if God was saying that he was craving something that didn't belong to him and was unwilling to let him stand up.

"...Destiny?" Xizel's voice sounded bitter.

Last night, that devil-like existence had shown him how to fight against fate. After that devil-like existence left, fate came to him again, breaking his legs and trying to make him kneel forever.

However, he still refused to give in, even though so many people were pressing on his neck and forcing him to accept his fate!
"Deal?" A voice sounded faintly in his heart.

Xizel was stunned for a moment, he recognized that this was the voice of the devil-like existence. Then, he saw the appearance of the devil for the first time. How to say it... It was very similar to him, but also completely different.

Maybe it is true as the devil said, they are really like brothers.

(End of this chapter)