No one at Azaenn Castle ever knew mathematics.
The only variable was Ove, so now everyone assumed that Ove had taught Lin Ke about mathematics.
They certainly didn’t know that Ove himself wasn’t particularly skilled in mathematics.
At this moment, Lin Ke was trying to prevent his math problem from spreading, which would attract a bunch of mathematicians to investigate, causing trouble.
Perhaps after Garoce returns in a while, Lin Ke could consider doing this to attract talent.
At this moment, he was biding his time.
While writing, Lin Ke replaced numbers, letters, symbols, and terminology with Naseng’s language.
He had already memorized these conversions, so he wrote the problem quickly.
But it still took nearly five minutes.
During his writing, the surrounding nobles weren’t idly watching; instead, they chatted freely.
Most of the topics revolved around Lin Ke’s wisdom and the plant fiber paper.
Lin Ke’s wisdom was self-evident, envied by the surrounding nobles.
After all, at the same age, these nobles might still be busy exploring physiological mysteries or the mysteries of maids, definitely not the mysteries of mathematics.
A few nobles discussed Princess Rica and Ove, and even fewer were curious about what would happen to Azanen after Garoce’s death.
After the incident where Ove almost destroyed Parrot City was reported, news of Garoce’s mishap also spread.
This made the nobles have crooked thoughts.
However, seeing such an intelligent and potential heir like Lin Ke, combined with Ove’s strength, calmed the nobles considerably.
Now, the nobles were thinking of befriending Lin Ke and, incidentally, getting acquainted with Princess Rica, as it was indeed rare for such a princess to visit the countryside.
"Finished," Lin Ke stood up from his chair, stretching his limbs.
The surrounding people immediately focused their gaze on him.
They wanted to see if this young rural nobleman had the capability to defeat a Tier 3 [Mathematician] in a duel with his identity as a Tier 2 [Scholar].
"Hmm, it seems that Mr. Little Lin Ke is quite confident."
"Goddess of Wealth above, what has Mr. Lin Ke written?"
"Ahem, I bet the Goddess of Wealth definitely can’t understand this; she was just a pitiful creature who gained divinity after being favored."
"Nonsense! At least she’s a super pitiful creature with a big and round figure and a thin waist!"
"Oh? Have you seen? Andrew’s Leg, would you like to have a word with this gentleman over here..."
"Okay, you two! The topic strayed too far!"
The nobles’ conversation veered towards indescribable directions, but luckily, Lin Ke’s problem regained their attention.
The surrounding nobles curiously scrutinized the finished product in Lin Ke’s hand. Lin Ke also raised the paper for others to see, primarily for Laplace.
"What is this even about..."
"Hmm, I can read this common tongue, I just need to figure out whatever it is."
"I agree, this sentence means exactly that, indeed."
"Nonsense, you know what each word means, but do you know what it means when put together?"
"A bit difficult, by the name of my family, this problem is truly challenging... "
The nobles whispered among themselves, and suddenly, for the first time, they recognized this young rural nobleman as extraordinary.
Or rather, the heir of the rural noble was extraordinary.
In their view, Azanen was originally located in the southernmost part of the Black and White Kingdom, known only for two things.
One was Gula cows from Gula Ranch, the other was the parrot phenomenon occurring in Parrot City every few years.
However, Gula cows were mostly just regional specialties famous within the province and rarely known outside, just like Parrot City.
This resulted in the area being considered a remote countryside; many nobles didn’t even know which noble territory was in the southernmost part of the Black and White Kingdom.
They usually considered the Lava Swamp as the Black and White Kingdom’s territory, which was the land of the Lady of Tides, the real frontier.
Even the people who came to celebrate were mostly there because they heard of a powerful figure above Level 15, mainly coming for networking or gathering information.
And now, undeniably, Lin Ke had been remembered by them.
This was an intelligent little noble heir with potentially good lineage.
Of course, Laplace didn’t think so.
As he watched, the formula above his head glowed brighter, his pupils in his eyes turning more white, almost like glass beads!
"No... no... this... this is the field only my teacher can study!" Laplace raised his head in shock, stumbled over, gently took the paper from Lin Ke’s hand, and looked at Lin Ke in disbelief, "You... you can solve this?"
He couldn’t quite believe it.
This type of problem he had only seen in his household Level 10 teacher’s notes, even one of the teacher’s skill slots was constructed using such mathematics.
That skill, once released, caused a strong mental shock that ordinary [Scholar] class professionals couldn’t withstand, even some higher-ranked [Warrior] classes could not.
A powerful mathematical skill!
Even his mentor had once been praised by [Mathematician] Juli River as a "smart little fellow", which his teacher always took pride in.
And such a skill was entirely his teacher’s unique skill, destined to be passed down only to him in the future.
Now, right here in front of him, this tiny rural noble heir had written out such a problem?!
"Does your teacher study analytic geometry? How far has he progressed?" Lin Ke seemed uninterested in the little student before him, more curious about Laplace’s teacher.
"I... I don’t know..." As he saw Lin Ke’s expression, Laplace understood.
It was a mix of disdain and scorn, or rather it was indifference, with a hint of curiosity and interest.
Indifference towards Laplace, curiosity towards his teacher.
Like the fishermen’s disregard for little shrimps, and interest in tuna.
He immediately realized that Lin Ke, or perhaps the Ove behind Lin Ke, had a mathematical level far exceeding his and his teacher’s.
Only then could he ask questions like "How far has he researched?"
With this in mind, Laplace bit his lip, "I concede... can you tell me how to solve it?"
The nobles’ sense of honor would not allow him to deny his defeat in front of such a crowd. The gambling rules earlier stated that solving the problem required presenting a solution.
Now, he most hoped that Lin Ke wouldn’t be able to solve the problem either, that Lin Ke had simply found the problem in Ove’s research.
If that were the case, he could prove that Lin Ke wasn’t as excellent as Laplace imagined, at least salvaging a bit of his dignity.
Unfortunately, Lin Ke nodded in agreement, "This problem is quite simple..."
He began explaining, simultaneously writing on a paper beside him.
The people around craned their necks to watch, but, unable to understand, they withdrew their heads.
And Lin Ke, after finishing the explanation, did nothing extra, just waited for Laplace to contemplate, as the formula above Laplace’s head flickered.
Occasionally, Laplace would ask questions, and Lin Ke would answer, as he didn’t want to offend a Marquis’s son just because of Rica, especially considering it looked like that Marquis only had one son.
But through this incident, Lin Ke realized something.
The superiority of his past life wasn’t only in nine years of compulsory education but also in a focused education system and knowledge sharing.
Unlike now, where Laplace’s teacher is merely studying middle school mathematics without exploring more advanced directions.
Lack of direction is the most frightening.
"I... I truly lost..."
Ultimately, Laplace uttered these words with a completely dejected expression.
No matter how major a noble, a minor still reflects emotions on their face.
But just as he withdrew his skill, he suddenly froze, then closed his eyes in a daze.
"This is... receiving feedback?" Count Giant Sword, the strongest here, exclaimed aloud.
Laplace, because of Lin Ke’s teaching, received feedback?
Thus, a commotion ensued.