A message popped up on his watch. Clayton flicked his hand, and a hologram appeared. The message was from his father. "Good job, Clayton, you made House Antigonus proud If you need anything or have any kind of request, don't hesitate and make Antigonus proud." Apparently the video of him and Cynthia went viral, and it also reached his dad. Clayton's followers also skyrocketed to 3 million without having much content on his page.
Clayton's relation with his dad was good, not very bad or not really great. But hey, they understand each other well; even though he was very timid, his dad always supported him. The only flaw his dad has is that he likes Antigonus's name very much. Apparently we were also a fallen noble family and hit pretty hard, but my dad alone built it up again from the ground. His business acumen is really terrifying. Even though we're not noble now, we control a large amount of trade and resources in the world. In every industry you name, you will find some of our relations there. Anyways, the value of nobility is declining day by day; even top dukes now want to form relations with us.
Clayton heaved a sigh. " What a hectic day." In one day I am in a totally different yet the same world, and I don't even know what I want. I can live my life in luxury while relying on my family name, freeloading on them, but I am also feeling excited. I want to do something; I want to grow Antigonus's house, keep my family safe, and, mainly, I need to figure out who I am. Am I even human now? Will I ever know myself?
Clayton finally had a sleep after coming to this world. The next morning the alarm went off. Clayton's body was lean and very frail, so he started exercising like in his former life. Then he took a shower and put on his new uniform, which was basically a green blazer and pants with a white shirt and shiny green tie. There was an emblem of a spade on his blazer pocket, which signified class A. There were 4 classes in Vyrith: Spades for A, Hearts for B, Diamonds for C, and Clubs for D.
Each class has 52 people, and my rank was A 52, at the bottom of spades. My low rank was only due to performance anxiety in novel; after the so-called kind protagonist helped me, I quickly rose up in ranks and entered the top 10, which means I have talent; I just need to put it to good use with my knowledge of the world, and through that I can rise in this world. The more I grow, the more power I have, which means I will know more, and this can be my initial step to figure out myself.
Clayton just walked out of his apartment and walked a few steps, and suddenly he heard a familiar voice. "Hey, Antigonus, let's walk together. The first class is Introduction, which is mandatory for everyone." Clayton turned behind to see Lily walking near him. The academy had main subjects, some optional subjects, and then a few electives.
This troublemaker, no way we met accidentally; she was waiting for me just like yesterday when she bumped into Cynthia intentionally. I brainstormed yesterday, but I couldn't remember anyone named Lily in the novel, and the way she acts, she sure will be an important person. But what did I change? Just my existence changed course without doing anything. The basic rule of the butterfly effect is that it happens, so my existence already altered the course of the novel. After reading tons of novels, I know that I cannot solely rely on my knowledge of novels because my existence changed it. My every move needs to be calculated.
Clayton said, Sure, as a fake smile appeared on his face. The kind of smile that people in sales used to have. They were walking down the hallway as Lilly blurted, "I heard there are tensions going on between the Augustus empire. You should know something. Spill some tea."
Yeah, the political situation in this world is messed up. In short, there is total batshit chaos beneath the calm surface; every empire, association, or union—no one is safe from politics. And there is a villainous secret organization with dubious motives, like every other novel. Then there are people who want to conquer the damn world, like our protagonist. But she is not supposed to know this; everything should be calm on the surface. Except for some major players, no one knows the true condition. Just who is she?
"Oh, nothing is happening, just some fake rumors people talk about in bars. You know people just need a topic to chatter," Clayton tried to shrug it off.
"Yeah, just like yesterday, your video with Cynthia went viral. You are trending," Lily smiled as she said. They navigated the bustling corridors, students rushing past. Everyone seemed so busy and lost in their group.
I don't want any more eyeballs on me right now. Things are just skipping out of control. Clayton thought as they both reached their first class 5 minutes before.
But just then, Lily bumped into another boy. No, this can't be happening. I will kill her. Just let me kill this little schemer. The boy she bumped into was the last main character