After her shower, Ziye felt as though her entire head had cleared considerably. Counting on her fingers, she realized she had quite a lot to do.

She weighed the priorities: to establish her online shop, she first needed capability; capability required schooling. To take revenge also required capability; capability required schooling.

It seemed she really needed to enroll in school for some proper study!

As for her previous ideas—building mechs and earning money—those were secondary. The government stipend and money earned from homework were enough to cover her basic needs. If she went to school, tuition wouldn't be a worry either; orphans attending school received benefits, with all incidental fees waived.

She pondered this for a long time, then asked Little Sprout, "What do you think?"

Little Sprout shot her a sidelong glance and projected a light screen in front of her: "Kaga is a good place. I've pulled up data for several excellent schools for you."

Such capability!

Ziye stroked its little head with satisfaction, opening her optical computer to examine the school profiles. Little Sprout chirped beside her, "I venture a guess that you have a 71.5% chance of choosing Lings University."

Ziye touched her nose; it had actually calculated correctly. Little Sprout usually spoke casually, but when it offered an answer, it was always derived from incredibly precise calculations, sometimes being more astute than humans.

Lings University wasn't just the best comprehensive university; its Mech Academy ranked first among all universities. More importantly, it was the first school established in the Kaga Galaxy, boasting the richest cultural heritage.

Ziye had always believed that if one was going to do something, one should strive to do it the absolute best—choosing Lings was inevitable.

As for a major, Ziye was slightly conflicted. Lings University’s Mech Design and Command majors were the most popular, followed closely by Armor Fabrication. While these three majors were excellent, she didn't have much interest in them.

Mech Design meant drafting blueprints. Besides understanding mechs, one needed to study art. She possessed no artistic talent whatsoever. Although she was interested in blueprints, she didn't want to spend every day just staring at them.

Better forget it.

Command major? That was completely unrelated; discard.

Armor Fabrication was, to some extent, manufacturing—working from blueprints. She understood structure, armor plating, and was not stumped by engine configurations. If she went there, the breadth of what she could learn would be insufficient.

Then there was the Mech Pilot major...

Looking through the list of majors, there wasn't a single one that appealed to her.

Ziye sighed, about to give up, when her peripheral vision caught three characters tucked away in a corner: Mech Repair Major.

Mech Repair, as the name implied, was fixing mechs.

No need to think further—this was it!

Just as Ziye made her decision, she saw Little Sprout looking at her with curved eyes: "Decided? I just found the required exam subjects and past papers for the Mech Repair Major. How about it? Am I amazing or what!"

Ziye squeezed its chubby little face, delightedly exclaiming, "You know me best, Sprout."

However, when she opened the required exam subjects, her entire posture deflated like a punctured balloon. She slumped onto the desk, covering her head, pretending to be dead.

For the Mech Repair Major, subjects like Hull Reinforcement Theory, Scientific Principles, and Component Modification Techniques seemed normal enough. But why did they require Sociology?

She hadn't even touched the entrance to that subject!

Exams were genuinely taxing.

The written test required four core subjects, totaling twelve designated textbooks. The interview and practical assessments would follow after passing the written exam. There were currently two months until the exam date. Therefore, her most crucial task was to study all twelve required textbooks within two months and successfully pass the written test!

While she was calculating, Little Sprout was already handling the registration on her behalf. It had managed all her identity documents and was very familiar with the process. It finished in a flash, clapped its hands, and dove into its beloved light-net world to roam freely.

Ziye sighed, downloaded the electronic books, and began reading from the start.

Revising for an exam felt like entering an entirely new domain.

Ziye tried to stick to what was familiar, starting with the subjects she liked. She had to admit, the designated textbooks were classics, and reading them was quite absorbing. But studying subjects she disliked was an immense torment. Ziye could barely get through a few pages of the Sociology book before her eyes glazed over, and she nearly collapsed onto the desk, half-asleep.

Unable to bear it any longer, she tossed Sociology aside and woke herself up by looking at Component Modification Techniques.

There were twelve required books, and only two months. She needed to read each book at least twice to fully commit them to memory. That meant she had to get through twelve books in one month, averaging one book every two and a half days.

From then on, Ziye put aside everything except her morning exercises. She stopped visiting the base and abandoned the forums, focusing solely on her studies. Occasionally, when she encountered a problem, she would ask Xing Rui.

Xing Rui was astonished by her transformation. He inwardly thought she must have been moved by his words to attempt testing for university early, and he was ecstatic, answering every question she posed without reservation.

Ziye, meanwhile, was completely unaware that her absence from the forums had thrown the administrators into a panic.

Why?

No one was doing the homework!

Before Meng Ya Ya started taking assignments, there were over three thousand unanswered problems. Although the forum had many users, very few were truly poor; almost no one would answer questions for money. Most only responded to a couple of problems on a sudden whim.

The management was helpless and had to issue internal quotas, requiring every administrator to complete at least three problems weekly—it was a particularly miserable period for them.

It wasn't until her arrival—when Meng Ya Ya's engagement sparked a trend of solving homework on the forum—that the number of unanswered problems plummeted. The administrators saw this as an excellent start and eagerly seized the momentum to encourage participation. They never expected Meng Ya Ya to suddenly go offline.

Those who wanted to flirt with Meng Ya Ya, and those who had a sudden urge to tackle homework problems, all stopped working.

The forum leader, helpless, had to mobilize the administrators to do homework again. A diligent student like Chun Niu could easily handle a few problems, but someone like Cang Yun Lang, who felt faint just looking at a problem, was nearly driven to vomit.

Having tasted the bitter consequences, the administrators finally understood one principle: no matter how detached from reality they aimed to be, they desperately needed some way to contact Meng Ya Ya—an email address, an instant messaging app, even SuperChat wouldn't be an issue. The key was being able to call her back to the forum.

For a full seven days, Ziye was deaf to the outside world, focused solely on her exam books.

However, cramming inevitably had aftereffects. Forcing such a large volume of theoretical knowledge into her brain in a short time, even with her good digestion capacity, was overwhelming. Unfortunately, Sociology was the thickest and most extensive of the twelve required texts, taking at least three days to finish. She didn't want to read it, but Little Sprout wouldn't let her go, even reading the textbook content aloud by her ear while she slept, causing her head to throb violently at the mere mention of the words "Sociology."

In stark contrast to her misery, Little Sprout was having a wonderful time, thriving in the light-net world. It would occasionally burst with news: "Hee hee, Tang Wen has accepted Lings University's invitation to become a guest professor!"

Ziye paid it no mind, continuing her studies.

Little Sprout rolled around on the desk boredly, then added, "The leader of the Angel Legion is on Star Domain TV! Look, he's much more handsome than he was in Silver Sigil!"

Ziye still ignored it.

It puffed out its cheeks in dissatisfaction, then lumbered over to Ziye’s back to take a nap.

Ziye had been wrestling with the agonizing Sociology text. She wanted to find Little Sprout, but it was nowhere to be seen. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and secretly logged onto the forum looking for comfort.

Chun Niu and Xing Bao were both offline. She saw Cang Yun Lang idling in the Elementary Group channel—the only person she knew there. Casting caution aside, she entered the channel and mumbled dully, "Cang Yun Lang..."

Her voice was weak and wavering, sounding as if she didn't have long to live.

Cang Yun Lang was startled. She had vanished for seven whole days, and now her voice sounded like a wandering ghost. Had something happened? He asked with concern, "What’s wrong? Sis, if you need any help, just ask."

Finally, someone to vent to! Ziye was so moved she almost cried, pitifully asking, "Have you studied Sociology?"

The question was somewhat unexpected. Cang Yun Lang raised an eyebrow in surprise: "I have. Bro graduated from university years ago. If it’s for study purposes, ask Chun Niu; he’s more familiar with it."

Ziye responded with a disappointed "Oh" and fell silent.

Cang Yun Lang rarely had a chance to talk to her alone and, afraid she might silently log off without warning, quickly asked, "Why haven't you been on the forum lately?"

Ziye replied gloomily, "It's all because of that cursed Sociology! I read the textbook cover to cover, listened to the recording once, and yet everything went in one ear and out the other. Except for the words 'Sociology,' I haven't retained a single thing."

Cang Yun Lang burst into loud laughter: "You're in a worse state than I was back then. Sociology is mandatory for all majors. How about I teach you a few cheating methods? I don't know much else, but when it comes to cheating, Bro is an expert."

Cang Yun Lang constantly called himself "Bro," which made Ziye feel quite speechless.

The Mobile Forum had enough eccentrics. Xing Bao called everyone "Sis," and he called everyone "Bro"—they were quite the pair. Ziye smirked maliciously for a moment, then reluctantly said, "Besides shady tricks, is there anything else?"

"Yes, wait a moment." Cang Yun Lang had Chun Niu’s contact information and immediately pulled him onto the forum. "Niu Niu is here, ask him. He's a top student; he definitely knows the answer."

As if to confirm his words, Chun Niu appeared right after he finished speaking. After hearing Ziye's troubles, he didn't offer immediate advice but asked, "Are you preparing for the November exam?"

Ziye uttered a soft "Mm," thinking, how perceptive.

She didn't realize that outside of the general university entrance exams, there were no other major tests scheduled for that month.

Chun Niu then asked, "Which school and major are you aiming for?"

Ziye hesitated, not answering immediately.

Chun Niu understood her concern and offered his own credentials first: "I am at Lings University, Mech Design major, first year. If you trust me, just tell me your intended major, and I can help you find a good mentor."

Ziye had heard Xing Rui mention his school and major, but she hesitated to reveal her plans with Cang Yun Lang present. Now, hearing Chun Niu speak so frankly, she felt Cang Yun Lang was likely trustworthy too, so she stated clearly, "I want to study Mech Repair."

"Huh?" Chun Niu hadn't spoken, but Cang Yun Lang exclaimed, "Of all the majors you could pick, you choose the absolute niche among the niche?" (To be continued)