Next door, in the living room. The night snack is dumplings and chicken soup. Once served, the aroma fills the air, making everyone’s mouth water. Nora Scott sits down nonchalantly, drinks a couple of sips of soup, and then sees Pedro Langley walking out of the study. His features are as picturesque as ever, refined and noble. Yet, as soon as he sees her, he rather inappropriately opens his mouth, "It’s ’next month’ now." She almost flips the bowl of soup in her hand. Nora Scott gives a fake smile, gritting her teeth, "I’m keeping that in mind." She lowers her head to drink the soup, trying to suppress her irritation. "Loxley, do you know much about mechanical boxes?" Jack Carter, who was engrossed in researching Weibo, suddenly blurted out this question unprepared. Nora Scott almost choked on her chicken soup. Pedro Langley, who had just picked up the chopsticks, glanced at Nora Scott suspiciously. Butler Loxley brought over a plate of smashed cucumber, smiling, "I’m not sure about this, but Miss Scott should have more insight." Jack Carter, holding his phone, froze abruptly, his bewildered gaze fell on Nora Scott. Observing quietly for a few seconds, Pedro Langley lifted his eyelids, "What’s up?" "Oh," Jack Carter quickly explained, "A few days ago, God Z did a Weibo lottery, and today they’re sending prizes to the winners in person. One of the prizes is a mechanical box, quite intriguing, and so far, no one has been able to open it. The ’God Z, mechanical box’ topic was just trending on social media." As he said this, Jack Carter instinctively handed over the phone, showing the photos and news to Pedro Langley. Nora Scott kept her focus on the dumplings the whole time, her eyes downcast, stuffing one dumpling after another into her mouth, ignoring their conversation completely. Pedro Langley’s eyes revealed a hint of mischief. A similar style, perhaps a coincidence, now suddenly a mechanical box appears... "Miss Scott, would you like to take a look?" Jack Carter willingly inquired. Nora Scott paused for a moment and replied breezily, "Pictures won’t show the mechanism." "Ah, that’s true." Jack Carter nodded in realization, giving up rather regretfully. Butler Loxley smiled slyly and suddenly asked, "Jack, you just said he sent someone to deliver the prize personally?" Mentioning this, Jack Carter’s disappointment vanished instantly, his eyes lit up, and he began describing the "Zero’s gift delivery" event to Butler Loxley. Even without exaggeration, it sounded somewhat incredible to others. While Jack Carter marveled at God Z’s vast network, even Butler Loxley couldn’t help but nod in agreement. Being able to contact local people at addresses nationwide... that’s not something just anyone can do. Pedro Langley listened to Jack Carter and Butler Loxley’s conversation, occasionally glancing at Nora Scott, who maintained an attitude of "none of my business" the whole time, not uttering a single word, as if the dumplings and chicken soup before her were divine delicacies, and saying even one more word or being slightly distracted would be a sacrilege to the food. Nora Scott felt uncomfortable with him staring and after finishing half a bowl of soup, she finally asked impatiently, "What are you looking at?" "You’re nice to look at." With a faint smile on his lips, Pedro Langley answered calmly. Damn, he made her feel creeped out. Butler Loxley and Jack Carter exchanged glances, and soon, they instinctively lowered their voices in discussion. First Affiliated High School. With the end of the holiday, the campus returned to its usual bustle. Before class hours, the classrooms, corridors, and playground were bustling with noise and liveliness. As soon as Oliver Scott entered the classroom, he was surrounded by his classmates. "Top student, did you receive your prize?" "Did you bring the prize? Show it to us, satisfy our curiosity!" "Did God Z send someone to your house? Did they bring any surprise gifts?" With his fingers hooked around a strap of his backpack, Oliver Scott looked at the noisy classmates, his brows slightly furrowed. "Knock. Knock. Knock." A timely knock on the door interrupted their clamor. Many gazes turned towards the front door, the next moment, all eyes were filled with astonishment, and the classroom noise subsided immediately. A middle-aged man stood at the door, his kindly gaze swept the room, then he smiled and asked, "Is Oliver Scott here?" The classroom fell into silence for a few seconds, you could hear a pin drop. Before Oliver Scott could speak, Steve Singleton grabbed his wrist and raised it eagerly, shouting out loud. The middle-aged man’s gaze fell on Oliver Scott, nodding with a smile, then said, "Come to the office with me." "Pr... Principal, am I seeing things?" "Pinch me, ah, gently—so hard! Hmph, guess it’s not a dream after all?" "School beau, what does the principal want from you? Could it be... Mr. Scott, Sir Scott, Elder Scott, if it’s true, remember to find out who this God Z really is!" The principal disappeared into the doorway. Oliver Scott squeezed out from the crowd, took off his backpack and tossed it on the desk, then amidst many eager discussions, walked out of the classroom with suspicion. ——Zero wouldn’t really have the principal deliver the prize, would they? Upon entering the room, Oliver Scott’s gaze landed on the desk — on it were gift boxes and packages. His eyelids twitched. "Have a seat." The principal smiled, asking naturally, "Would you like something to drink?" Confronted with a principal he had never spoken to privately, Oliver Scott paused, cautiously speaking, "Water?" "No need to be formal," the principal, quite approachable, said, "I have mineral water, boiled water, tea, and soft drinks here." Oliver Scott nodded slightly, unnoticeably saying, "Then I’ll have a soft drink." The principal handed him a bottle of iced tea, letting him take a seat on the sofa. "I heard you plan to lead a team for the East Science Association and Victor Technology’s robotics competition next year?" This unexpected question caused Oliver Scott to pause before responding warily, "Yeah." The principal smiled, "That’s a good thing. If you encounter any difficulties, feel free to let your teachers know; the school will do its utmost to assist you. However, don’t neglect your studies either." The principal started discussing the "robotics competition," leaving Oliver Scott perplexed. Did they call him here just for this? Time ticked by as they talked. Glancing at the time, the principal nodded slightly, "Time for class." Oliver Scott’s confusion intensified, but he could only stand up, going along with it and saying, "Then I’ll head off now." "Wait a moment." The principal stood up, walked over to the desk, picking up the two items Oliver Scott had glanced at numerous times, and leisurely walked over, saying, "Someone entrusted me to pass these two gifts to you." His heart skipped a beat, and Oliver Scott suppressed his surging emotions, feigning calm as he asked, "Who?" The principal interrupted him unhurriedly, "They said no need to ask, as they don’t know the source either." With his path completely blocked, Oliver Scott could only hide all his questions. He thanked the principal and took the prizes before leaving. Two accounts updated their Weibo almost simultaneously. [Singer Clement Winter V]: Thanks to the reincarnation of Lu Ban’s mom opening the mechanical box, inside was surprisingly a rare Barlow bookmark! [Image][Image] [Oliver WO]: Here’s the walkthrough for opening the mechanical box. [Image]
