Principles? What Principles?

Outside the villa...

Lewis was sitting cross legged on the grassy plain in front of the villa and looking blankly over the horizon.

Derek saw him from afar then approached him and sat beside him. He then heard Lewis was muttering something under his breath over and over again.

Lewis muttered, "I'm a failure, failure, failure..."

Derek suddenly said, "Failure? Pfft... that university must be too stupid, you, o captain, my captain[1]?!"

Lewis answered weakly at Derek, "I'm not dead yet for you to say that."

Derek coughed: "Oh, ehem, it mustn't be that bad of a result right? I mean, I know how powerful you are."

Lewis: "Yeah."

Derek laughed: "Haha, that's my captain, though I wonder what grade did they give to you? C-? B+? C-?"

Lewis: "It's... uhm..."

Derek: "Say it, I won't tell anybody."

Lewis: "SS+"

Derek: "Haha, don't worry better luck... Wait what?!"

Derek was dumbfounded, he has already researched how Qian University grades their newly incoming students.

"When we were being tested, my opponent was the remnant soul of the Deep Ocean Imperial Kraken, remember that kraken we roasted to eat? It still remembers me up until now.", Lewis said grievously.

Meanwhile, Derek was looking out onto the horizon, currently thinking that should he commit suicide or not. He himself wants to learn in school, more likely to a famous university.

Lewis was speechless: "Did this man forgot again that I could read minds?"

Actually, Lewis could easily earn money for a living and not go to school, however, when he has appeared in this world, the One-Thousand Holy Virtues has already seeped into his mind, now he mostly abides into it.

Nevertheless, he's a man, or in other words, a kid with basic principles.

"So, what are you going to do about it?", asked Derek.

"Well, I'm still going to school.", Lewis answered weakly.

"All right, do you want something to eat?", Derek asked.

Lewis' eyes lit up and immediately replied, "How about a baguette? I saw one in a store earlier!"

"Ehh... alright.", Derek replied.

Lewis guided Derek towards the harbor where the bakery was, on the port, they saw a group navy gunners lined up on a dock while holding their flintlocks and orb rifles marching towards a ship, and a troop of guards wearing thick armor and holding halberds are marching in orderly fashion behind them.

They caught the attention of the crowd in the harbor.

"A famous pirate must have been captured."

"Yeah, but who is it?"

"I don't know, any guesses?"

Some people amongst the crowd whispered at each other who was the pirate that has been caught.

Then, on the deck of the royal navy ship, a man tied in sealing chains was brought out and was escorted down the ship.

"Boors? It's actually Boors?"

"Huh, the pirate with a first rate man o' war?"

"Looks like it."

While Derek was watching Boors being taken away, Lewis was already planning to make a sandwich out of the baguette and what should it's contents.

"Derek, can you just give me money to buy the baguette, because you seem 'very busy'?", asked Lewis.

"Yeah, here.", Derek gave two copper coins to Lewis and the latter left the area and Derek to find the bakery.

After which, Lewis found the bakery and saw the only baguette through the window and entered the store.

Inside the store were multitudes of bread in different shapes and sizes. Normal breads, croissants, chocolate flavored bread, strawberry flavored bread, poisonberry flavored bread, water bread and bread within a bread and many more.

Lewis approached the baguette, which was neat the window, but before he even got close to it, somebody else snatched it away.

Lewis looked towards to the one who snatched the baguette from him, it was none other than Di Yi!

"This girl, again?", Lewis had an urge to beat this annoying woman up over and over again, in fact, in his mind, she already died millions of times, the only thing holding him back from doing it was his principles and the probability that the baguette might be destroyed. However, facing people other than Derek, he wouldn't show any trace of emotion.

"You seem interested in this baguette?", Di Yi smiled towards Lewis.

Lewis didn't reply, he then turned around and approached the door of the store, having the intention of leaving.

Before he touched the door, he heard Di Yi's voice.

"Want this baguette? Come with me first!", Di Yi said.

Lewis didn't say anything and kept approaching the door.

Lewis thought, "Pfft, I might like baguette, but I'm never that stupid to follow anyone's instructions because of it."

Lewis touched the door, but he then heard Di Yi's voice again.

"Come with me and I'll give you 5 baguettes.", said Di Yi.

Lewis didn't listen and step out one foot out of the door, however, this time he was hesitating.

"How about 50 baguettes?", said Di Yi again.

As the daughter of the owner of Di Family Merchant Association, it wasn't hard for Di Yi to pull out 50 baguettes.

Lewis thought, "Alright you win!"

***

Meanwhile, after Lewis left Derek, the latter also left the port's vicinity after eyeing Boors.

"There should be a bank somewhere here.", Derek said in his mind.

Hong Harbor is a prosperous location in the Qing Province as the Xia Ochlocracy was on the south of the said province, in addition, the said harbor is already in a scale of a city!

Derek is currently locating a bank in the city which the crew of the ship has investigated that has the lowest interest rates of lending money and also a very trustworthy location to deposit money.

Few minutes later, he stumbled upon the bank which was named, 'Fang's Heavens Bank'. The building looks like the common traditional banks in the empire.

Derek thought: "Why does that sign feels familiar?"

He entered the establishment, the interior of the bank was only mediocre, making one think this isn't a bank, though it already has captured the locals' trust.

The next second he stepped foot in the bank, a man was running towards the exit, as if his life is about to end.

"And don't come back here if you're not doing to repay your debt!", shouted a handsome fair-skinned youth.

"Oh, that's the bank owner?", thought Derek, he already saw the reports of the crew that the boss of the bank looks like a handsome youth.

Derek then realized he was the only person left in the building.

"Oh, hello? Do you need any help?", asked the youth.

"Oh, nothing...", answered Derek.

"You seem to wonder why is that man running away from here, hais, he didn't pay his debt in time! It's annoying that some people who lends money from the bank has no discipline whatsoever.", explained the youth as if he's seeing what Derek's thinking.

"Umm, then why'd you let him go? He didn't pay his debt yet, right?", asked Derek.

"Don't worry, I made him right a promissory note, so it won't be a bother anymore, say, do you want to lend too?", the youth smiled, though the smile seems a little bit... bashful.

"Uhh, no thanks! I'm just here to deposit to the bank, but I'm just new here.", said Derek as he took a step back.

"Well, here's a jade slip, write how much gold coins would you store, or probably even spirit stones.", said the young man.

"Ehh... alright, may I ask what is your name?", Derek asked as he wrote telepathically on the jade slip.

"My surname is Meng.", answered the young man.

Derek: "..."

Derek thought as he subconsciously patted his pockets, "Holy... I better move quick!"