Ronald walked out from the inn all the way, heading directly towards the Nicos National University.

During this process, he couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.

As he gradually distanced himself from Grid, the circumstances of many countries during his voyage also began to change.

For example, Capen has an independent library.

But when it comes to Nicos, libraries became exclusive to the royal family, and beyond that, they could only be found at the university.

This situation might not seem problematic at first glance.

But on closer thought, some subtle differences lie in these details.

...

Ronald was never a slow walker.

According to the route given by the waitress, it only took him half an hour to find his target in Nicklan.

"Nicos National University..."

"This name is simple and straightforward."

Standing at the gate of the academy, Ronald muttered the name written on the door quietly.

If you look closer,

you can also notice that next to the name of the academy, there's a long string of small text, listing the king's name who designed the university and praising him for constructing it.

Looking at the entire academy,

though it's not as grand as the universities in Springs, it covers the size of a residential area. For a country like Nicos, it's entirely sufficient.

"Phew—"

"Let's see if there's anything here that can make me happy."

Muttering softly, Ronald walked into the university with a sense of ceremony. Though this national university had personnel management regulations, they weren't enforced very strictly.

Ronald didn't even have the chance to showcase his spell.

Thanks to his young and handsome appearance, and clearly well-off attire, he entered without being disturbed. He easily asked a student the location of the library and headed towards it unimpeded.

The library at Nicos National University is a standalone building.

After arriving there, Ronald continued without obstruction. He simply used a spell to deal with the administrator's request for a library card and successfully entered the library.

Then—"Ronald, good afternoon."

Before he could walk toward the book collection, a voice stopped him.

He heard the familiar female voice, then turned his head stiffly.

To his surprise, Patricia was sitting at the reading table near the library entrance, smiling at him.

"I heard you sneaked off the ship yourself, so I figured you wouldn't miss the opportunity to come to the library. I waited here for less than half a day, and sure enough, here you are."

"..."

Oh no, I was careless.

Even though meeting Patricia made him happy, Ronald couldn't help but feel regret.

He thought that by leaving things to Costate and handling Luna, there wouldn't be other issues, so he hadn't bothered to use Reconnaissance Magic for convenience in his daily activities.

Who would've thought?

His good friend Patricia had an exact grasp of his habits and came here early to intercept him!

If he could have foreseen this, Ronald would have turned back immediately.

But now that he was already caught, Ronald couldn't show such an attitude towards Patricia no matter what.

So he forced out a smile, and approached the swordswoman:

"Patricia, what a coincidence meeting here..."

"Haha—what coincidence, I told you I was waiting for you." Patricia was amused by Ronald's reaction. But realizing they were in a library, she quickly quieted her voice and got up to meet him.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to drag you back."

"But things aren't easy on Claudia's side. I think you should at least attend tonight's banquet. It's an important introduction with Nicos, not only will many strong people from the fleet attend, but many significant issues will be discussed tonight."

Ronald scratched the back of his head sheepishly:

"I know the importance of attending these social occasions, so before leaving the fleet, didn't I ask Costate to represent me?"

Patricia immediately started persuading Ronald, who was trying to avoid trouble:

"Ronald, there's always a difference between the person and the agent."

"Even if you can ensure Costate's loyalty, it's better not to leave certain special issues entirely to someone else. For example, if someone discusses engagement issues with you, could Costate take your place?"

"..."

Ronald was left speechless by Patricia's words.

Honestly, this was just him trying to sneak away from trouble, with no logical defense to make.

Seeing Ronald's current reaction.

Patricia, already understanding him well, immediately pressed on verbally:

"Ronald, no one can force you to do anything evil."

"Tonight, just attending this one banquet, once the matters are discussed, no one will bother you again. Plus, let me tell you, the royal library of Nicos is much better than the university's. As long as you attend the banquet, they certainly wouldn't refuse an opportunity to befriend an original text holder." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Sometimes, you have to admit.

When dealing with specific people, targeted approaches are effective.

Upon hearing Patricia's earlier statements, Ronald's mind was filled with thoughts of how to dismiss the banquet. But as soon as Patricia mentioned the 'royal library', he was immediately persuaded.

Patricia made a good point!

If just one evening's effort could lead to days of freely enjoying the finest library in the entire state of Nicos, indulging in all kinds of precious books.

In comparison, this effort seemed so worthwhile!

If he dared to think further, maybe he could even borrow a batch of books from the library like he did in Capen.

Wouldn't that be a great thing?

"Patricia, I've figured it out!" Fully understanding, Ronald straightforwardly replied to the swordswoman in front of him, "I will definitely attend tonight's banquet, Nicole Claudia doesn't need to worry!"

"..."

"Pfft—"

Faced with Ronald's speedy change of attitude, Patricia couldn't help but laugh again.

She was a straightforward girl by nature.

Seeing Ronald speak with such determination, it was hard for her to hold back.

"Alright, alright, I know."

"In any case, let's head out now. I'll fill you in about what happened after we landed last night, so you won't be caught off guard."