Chapter 258: The Academy’s Mandate

Morning sunlight spilled through the window of the VIP dormitory. Solomon woke up and lazily rubbed his eyes. He sat up on the edge of the mattress and stretched his arms.

"Chat, what time is it?" Solomon asked out of pure habit.

He received no response. He blinked, staring at the empty space above his shoulder, and finally remembered he didn’t have his broadcasting owl.

"Fuck! How many times has it been now? I lost count." He let out a long, frustrated sigh and rubbed his face. "I am losing my mind. Since when did I get so used to that stupid drone hovering around me?"

Usually, the chat would filter out when he went to sleep, and then a dedicated group of viewers would wake him up in the morning by spamming loud, ringing donations. And that constant noise had become his daily alarm clock.

For the first time in a very long while, he had woken up entirely on his own.

He got up and walked into the washroom.

After stripping off his sleepwear, he stood in front of the mirror to inspect his physique. He carefully checked his torso, searching for any physical changes or new glowing markings after consuming the second royal crown gemstone the previous night.

He flexed his muscles, but he couldn’t spot anything unusual or different about his body.

He quickly got dressed in a fresh gray uniform, strapped Eden’s Penance across his back, and headed out for breakfast.

He entered the bustling Iron Hearth Dining Hall and spotted Arthur, Marco, Maximus, and Elizabeth already eating at their usual oak table.

’Looks like they all have become good friends.’ Solomon smiled, crediting himself for their friendship.

Solomon grabbed a loaded plate of food and sat down next to them.

He offered a casual greeting. The boys greeted him back cheerfully, but Elizabeth completely ignored him, keeping her red eyes glued to her bowl of soup and avoiding his gaze.

While they ate, Maximus turned to Solomon. "Your viewers have taken over my live stream. They are constantly commenting and dropping gifts to ask about you."

"They are just like that," Solomon responded, taking a bite of roasted meat.

"Some of your fans migrated to my stream as well," Marco added.

"Mine too," Arthur chimed in, pushing his spectacles up his nose.

Solomon looked directly at the white-haired royal sitting beside him. "I am sure there are plenty of my viewers hiding in Elizabeth’s stream right now too."

Elizabeth kept her mouth shut and refused to respond.

Solomon leaned slightly closer, a devious smirk touching his lips. "They must be the same viewers who gave her that ’specific’ challenge yesterday evening."

Maximus swallowed his food and looked over curiously. "What kind of challenge did they give you, Elizabeth? They always give me challenges to fight dangerous monsters or jump off high ledges, so I usually just ignore them."

"They gave Elizabeth a challenge to ki—"

"It was a challenge to kill some mutated beasts in the forest!" Elizabeth shouted, abruptly cutting Solomon off.

She glared at him as if she wanted to butcher him right there in the dining hall. Solomon simply offered a bright, entirely unapologetic grin in return. He was purposefully teasing her, thoroughly enjoying her panicked reaction.

They resumed eating in comfortable silence. Suddenly, Maximus choked violently on a piece of bread, coughing and pounding his chest.

Solomon casually slid a wooden cup of water across the table. "You should eat slower. There is no need to rush your breakfast."

Maximus chugged the water and gasped for air. He stared at his floating blue interface with wide eyes. "There is a viewer named GoonLord in my chat... he literally just donated a Golden Throne to me! That’s two thousand points!"

"That is great news," Solomon nodded, taking another bite.

"It is not great!" Maximus panicked, pointing at his screen. "It is a live challenge! He gifted the points in advance, which means I am officially locked into completing the task!"

"What is the challenge?" Solomon asked, chewing his food.

Maximus swallowed hard and looked nervously across the table. "The challenge is to get you to feed a bite of food to Princess Elizabeth."

Solomon shrugged. "That is easy."

He used his wooden chopsticks to pick up a massive, perfectly roasted piece of meat. He moved his hand across the table, holding the food directly in front of Elizabeth’s face.

Elizabeth stared at the hovering meat, her red eyes burning with a mixture of intense glare and absolute embarrassment. She refused to open her mouth.

"It is a paid challenge," Solomon reminded her smoothly. "Just like how I helped you complete your ’specific’ challenge yesterday evening, you should help Maximus complete his."

Elizabeth gritted her teeth. She slowly leaned forward and opened her mouth. Solomon fed her the meat, but the bite was too big for her. Her cheeks puffed out comically as she desperately tried to chew the massive portion.

She quickly covered her mouth with both hands, her face flushing a vibrant shade of crimson.

"Did the points clear?" Solomon asked, turning back to the Vanguard student.

Maximus checked his interface. "The points cleared, but my chat is going completely crazy right now. Some of them are sending really weird, degenerate emojis and weird gifs."

Maximus frowned at the scrolling text. "Why does this GoonLord guy always type in all caps?"

"Because his keyboard is broken," Solomon explained casually. "He cannot afford to buy a new one because instead of actually running his weapon shop, he sits on live streams all day wasting his money on stupid challenges."

Maximus continued reading the chat. "GoonLord seems really angry that you insulted him. He is threatening to give me an impossible challenge next to punish you."

"That is your stream, not mine," Solomon responded smoothly, leaning back in his chair. "I do not have to do anything he asks."

Just then, the heavy double doors of the dining hall swung open. Vice Pavilion Leader Xian Xue entered the room, flanked by several blue-robed instructors.

The entire hall instantly went dead silent. The students stared at her, captivated by her elegant, stern beauty.

She briefly glanced at Solomon, let her eyes linger on Elizabeth sitting right beside him, and then turned her attention to the massive crowd of disciples.

"An instructor will now read a list of specific names," Xian Xue announced, her voice echoing clearly across the hall. "If you hear your name, you are to stand up immediately. This list was drafted and sent directly from the Live Streaming Academy administration. They have issued a strict, overriding executive order to recall every single royal and noble student back to the main academy grounds for their own safety."

She paused, ensuring the gravity of the situation was understood. "Unlike previous safety advisories, this is a mandatory, compulsory evacuation order. You must leave the Martial World immediately, even if you wish to stay."

An instructor stepped forward, unrolled a long parchment, and began reading the names aloud.

Marco’s name was called. Arthur’s name echoed through the hall. Maximus’s name came next. A few other prominent nobles were listed, followed quickly by Elizabeth’s name. Several more aristocratic disciples were called.

Then, the list ended with a final name.

"Solomon."

Solomon froze in his chair. He looked up at the faculty with a profound expression of confusion. "There has to be a mistake on that list. I am neither a noble nor a royal. I am a commoner."

Xian Xue looked directly at him, her expression perfectly neutral. "This official list was transmitted directly from the academy administration. There is no error."

She turned back to the rest of the silent dining hall. "The dimensional portal gates will open at the sect entrance within the hour. Everyone whose name was called must head to their dormitories, pack their belongings, and prepare to depart immediately."