Traveling through the second dimension, the joy system encourages me to laugh heartily!

"Woooo..."

Alice's confidence vanished instantly when lectured by her most trusted grandfather.

Tears welled in her bright red eyes, and her face flushed crimson, as if she had suffered a great injustice. She looked at her grandfather, then at Chen Ming, and finally, as if she had made up her mind, slowly walked towards Chen Ming.

At this moment, Alice, like a helpless fawn, staggered to Chen Ming, lowered her head, and timidly said, "Please...please, Lord Infinity...please teach me magic..."

At that moment, the arrogant and domineering little tyrant of the past vanished, replaced by a shy and sincere little girl. This transformation greatly pleased Chen Ming—indeed, Alice's fierce personality was still developing; with careful guidance, she could still be a worthy wife in the future…

Chapter 256: The Importance of Knowledge

Chen Ming was satisfied, but Shaoluosi was not.

The burly lord, his brow furrowed and arms crossed, suddenly roared:

Is this the attitude you should use when asking someone for a favor?

The sound was deafening, causing the decorations in the reception room to tremble slightly.

"Waaah..."

Upon hearing this, Alice's face immediately fell, and tears of grievance welled up in her eyes.

Surprisingly, she didn't give up. Instead, she suddenly grabbed the long red hair from the roots. Her movements were practiced and swift, clearly not the first time she had done this.

Next, she tied two braids on the side of her head, creating quick double ponytails. The bright red hair moved nimbly between her fingers, and she quickly completed this adorable hairstyle.

Then, in this state, she winked cutely at Chen Ming, trying to show her greatest charm.

"Please...please teach Alice to learn magic, meow☆" she said in a deliberately sweet voice, adding a playful meow at the end of the sentence.

“I don’t need to take cultural courses, meow☆” she added, clearly wanting to avoid those tedious studies.

"Just teach me magic, meow☆" The last sentence was almost said in a coquettish tone, and coupled with her winking gesture, it was indeed quite cute.

Alice mimicked the cat-eared girl's tone and made her request.

Chen Ming had anticipated this—because, as far as he knew, in Shaoluos's teachings to his granddaughter, the proper way to ask for favors was to imitate animal-eared girls. The two braids beside her head were meant to imitate drooping animal ears.

This educational approach is somewhat eccentric, but given Sauros's personality, it's not entirely surprising.

Although it's quite outrageous, there's no need for Alice to change it, since Chen Ming likes it quite a bit too.

Looking into Alice's expectant red eyes and her deliberately cute expression, he couldn't help but feel that this girl truly possessed a unique charm.

"Wow~ Little Alice is so cute, you think so too, right, Master Infinite?"

When Sauros saw his granddaughter imitating a cat-eared girl, his stern expression vanished, and he was so happy that his face broke into a wide grin.

The rugged lord looked like an ordinary grandfather watching his granddaughter perform, his eyes filled with pride and affection.

"The master is very fond of the beastmen!"

Seeing this, the butler, worried that Chen Ming might misunderstand, provided timely information.

Actually, Chen Ming knew this without him having to explain.

Moreover, many of the maids in this lord's mansion are real animal-eared girls, so you can easily guess the lord's preferences.

From the butler to the maids, everyone seemed to have gotten used to the master's special fondness for animal-eared girls.

Just then, Philip, who had gone to the neighboring territory to negotiate the lease of the land, returned.

As Alice's father, he walked into the reception room, looking travel-worn, and the first thing he saw was his daughter's twin-tail hairstyle. His first words upon entering were:

"Alice, you should twist your waist more and strike a cuter and sexier pose."

His tone carried a professional, instructive quality, as if he were teaching some important skill.

The reason is simple: all the men in the Boreas family, including Alice's father, are kemonomimi (animal-eared girls) lovers.

This family's love for animal-eared girls seems to be ingrained, becoming part of their family tradition. Although Philip appears much more refined than Sauros, he has completely inherited his father's preference in this regard.

Knowing the plot well, Chen Ming wasn't surprised. He simply smiled and gently stroked Alice's head: "Very good. Since you asked me personally, I will agree to be your magic teacher."

Alice looked up, her eyes sparkling with surprise. She hadn't expected this powerful, infinite being to agree to her request so easily. She instantly forgot her earlier fear and shame, and a radiant smile bloomed on her face. That smile was as dazzling as the sun, making one almost forget her usual willfulness and rudeness.

And so, Chen Ming became Alice Boreas's magic teacher.

……

A month passed after Chen Ming became a magic teacher.

During this time, he would come to [Roya City] three times a week specifically to teach Alice magic. However, the teaching process did not go as smoothly as expected.

Alice quickly became a child who refused to attend classes.

Although Chen Ming is a magic teacher, theoretically he only needs to teach magic, but in reality, to chant magic incantations, one must first be literate!

Magical spells are composed of specific words and grammar; without understanding these fundamentals, it is impossible to cast powerful magic.

Chen Ming himself had firsthand experience with this—he spent two and a half years learning the language of the gods in order to master divine magic. The complex and obscure characters and tedious grammatical rules had given him a lot of headaches. But he persevered because he knew it was an essential path to mastering great power.

Although Alice's magical talent makes it impossible for her to become a Saint-level mage, there is indeed no need for her to learn foreign languages ​​such as Celestial and Elven languages.

However, the most basic ability to read and write the common language of humans is still necessary.

Unfortunately, Alice clearly didn't have that kind of patience.

Whenever Chen Ming tried to teach her to read, she would show obvious impatience. She would pout, squirm, and look around, clearly having no interest in this "boring" content.

"Why do we have to learn all this?!"

Alice often complained, "I just want to learn magic that can defeat the enemy with a 'boom'!" She made exaggerated gestures, her eyes gleaming with a desire for power, but she was unwilling to put in the corresponding effort.

Gradually, Alice would always try her best to avoid cultural classes.

She would either run around like the wind or hide in some corner of the castle, playing a game of hide-and-seek that she thought no one could find.

Only when sword training and magic lessons were about to begin would this red-haired girl appear from some corner, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Although Alice can only write her own name in a crooked and illiterate way, she can still forcefully cast some simple, basic spells by imitating the pronunciation.

Chen Ming could understand this situation—his English grades were very poor, but after listening to some simple English songs for a long time, he could hum along even if he didn't understand the meaning of the lyrics.

Because of this, Alice did not lose interest in magic despite being illiterate. Instead, she memorized spells as if they were lyrics, mastering some simple, basic magic through rote memorization.

Chen Ming still clearly remembers the scene when she successfully cast the fireball spell for the first time.

As the blazing flame leaped from her palm, Alice's face lit up with an incredibly radiant smile. She danced with excitement, her red hair blazing like fire in the flames.

However, the next moment, a flying spark ignited the curtains in the room, and the fire spread rapidly.

"One day, I will also unleash a fire phoenix just like Lord Infinity!"

Bathed in the light of the rapidly burning curtains, Alice proclaimed this, her small face, flushed red by the firelight, filled with anticipation and confidence.

Of course, Chen Ming immediately extinguished the fire and strictly stipulated that Alice could only use fire magic when he was present, in order to prevent it from causing a larger fire.

Looking at Alice's satisfied expression illuminated by the firelight from the burning curtains, Chen Ming couldn't help but wonder if the child was a potential arsonist.

But there is no denying that her passion for magic is real and intense.

Chen Ming originally thought that after this incident, Alice would understand the importance of studying academic subjects—after all, rote memorization would only be twice as inefficient, while memorizing after understanding the meaning of the words could be twice as efficient.

However, things didn't go as planned; Alice's aversion to academic subjects remained unchanged.

When Chen Ming tried again to persuade her to learn to read and write, Alice ran away once more.

Frankly speaking, with Chen Ming's abilities, catching this mischievous little girl would be a piece of cake.

But his main purpose was not only to impart magical knowledge, but more importantly, to cultivate feelings and establish a deep emotional connection with this little girl.

Therefore, he did not forcibly drag her back to the classroom. Instead, he played hide-and-seek with Alice, and only began to search for her slowly after she had run far away and hidden herself.

When Ren Chenming finally found Alice in the haystack in the stable, she was lying on her back, her little belly exposed, fast asleep.

The soft, rhythmic breathing of Alice, "whoosh whoosh," filled the air. In her quiet state, her sleeping face was as pure as an angel's.

But hidden beneath this tranquil exterior lies a fierce and unruly soul.

If Chen Ming hadn't been so powerful that he could easily suppress Alice's willful and capricious behavior, this little girl probably wouldn't have behaved so "well-behavedly."

Looking back on her past learning experiences, many tutors have suffered greatly—some were beaten to the point of vomiting blood by this little girl, while others tried to fight fire with fire and teach Alice a lesson in return. However, one tutor was ambushed by Alice with a wooden sword in the middle of the night while he was sleeping, suffering serious injuries that would take several months to heal and forcing him to resign.

Of all the teachers, only King Kyrianu of the Sword successfully countered her night raid.

Now, Chen Ming's name has been added to this list.

Seeing Alice curled up asleep in the haystack of the stable, Chen Ming naturally couldn't let her continue sleeping.

Although the weather in the territory of Fituia was relatively warm, the stables were well-ventilated, and cool breezes occasionally blew in through the windows, making one worry that the child might catch a cold.

He carefully pulled up the hem of Alice's rolled-up dress to cover her exposed belly, his movements as gentle as if he were handling a precious piece of porcelain.

"Alice, it's time for a very interesting cultural lesson!"

Chen Ming called out softly, his voice tinged with a mixture of helplessness and indulgence, "Are you slacking off and sleeping again? If you don't study hard, you won't be able to learn the amazing magic!"

Seeing the little girl merely smack her lips, turn over, and continue sleeping, Chen Ming couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle. He leaned down, whispered in Alice's ear, and deliberately lowered his voice, saying, "This is the final warning! If you wake up now, I'm going to tickle you!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Alice seemed to sense danger in her dream. Her small body trembled slightly, but she still did not wake up.

Looking at her peaceful sleeping face, Chen Ming couldn't help but sigh, "Oh dear, there's nothing I can do about it, sleepy Alice."

As he spoke, his fingers gently reached towards Alice's waist and began to scratch it softly.

"Hahaha~~~"

A burst of silvery laughter suddenly echoed through the stable, and Alice jumped up like a startled kitten, all sleepiness gone. She twisted her body to avoid Chen Ming's "attacks" while laughing uncontrollably, tears even welling up in her eyes.

"Stop, stop! I'm awake! I'm really awake!"

Alice begged for mercy breathlessly, her face flushed, whether from just waking up or from laughing too hard, it was hard to tell.

Chen Ming then stopped, smiling as he looked at the lively student: "Now that you're awake, go back to class. Kyrie Irvine is still waiting in the study."

Thus, the little game of "hide-and-seek" ended in the teacher's victory, and Alice was reluctantly led back to the study in the castle by Chen Ming's hand.

This study was specially prepared for teaching; it is spacious and bright, and the bookshelves are filled with various books.

As Alice's bodyguard and swordsmanship teacher, Kyrie Irvine also gained the right to audit her academic classes.

Unlike Alice, this orc sword king was extremely serious about his studies.

When Chen Ming brought Alice back to the study, Kyrie Irwin was sitting at her desk, intently practicing writing the common language of humans. Her fingers, accustomed to holding a longsword, seemed somewhat awkward when holding a quill pen, but she still carefully traced each stroke.

Seeing that Chen Ming had once again caught the escaped Alice, Kyrie put down his pen, a look of worry appearing in his beastly eyes.

She genuinely cared about Alice, so she kept thinking about how to persuade the willful Alice to study hard.

During the break between classes, Kyrie Irvine, who had been deep in thought for a long time, suddenly began to tell Alice about his past:

"I used to think that all you needed was a sword."

Alice, who had been idly fiddling with her quill, looked up when she heard Kyrie Irvine's words. Chen Ming also looked curiously at the orc swordswoman, quietly waiting for her to continue.

Kyrie Irvine's gaze became distant, as if he had traveled through time and returned to his youthful and impetuous days.

She recounted her past as a mischievous child and the mentor who accepted and taught her. After becoming an adventurer and gaining companions for the first time—after this long preface, Gilead finally revealed her true colors and began to tell the story of her hardships due to her illiteracy.

"During my time as an adventurer, everything was handled by other people."

Kyrie Irvine's voice was calm, but his eyes flickered with complex emotions. "The buying and selling of equipment, food, consumables, and daily necessities; contracts, maps, signs; how much a full jug of water weighs; how to keep a fire going; and the problem of not being able to wield a sword with my left hand because I was holding a torch, etc... I only realized how important this knowledge was after I was separated from my companions."

Chapter 257: Gilead's Teachings

Chen Ming listened attentively, knowing that Kyrie Irwin was a member of the famous S-class adventure team "Black Wolf Fang".

This team consists of Elven swordsmen Elina Lige, Paul, and Kyrianu; warrior Tarhand; healer Senis; and rogue Keith. In terms of class composition, it's a fairly balanced team.

"In short, knowledge is power, and academic subjects are very important, so I'm studying very hard right now..."

Kyriano added, "By the way, the term 'thief' seems to be a general term for miscellaneous personnel. They handle everything from picking locks, finding traps, setting up tents to negotiating deals with merchants, and these jobs are usually filled by literate, quick-witted, and agile individuals. Many 'thieves' come from merchant backgrounds."

"At least calling that kind of person 'logistics manager' sounds better, doesn't it..." Alice couldn't help but interject, her little face showing a puzzled expression.

Kyrie Irvine scoffed, “That guy steals team funds to gamble all the time; calling him a thief is enough.”

"Gambling? If you get caught, won't other people chop off your hands?"