When Clemens Ranke saw Swain, his first reaction was surprise.

He listened to the other party's common name and asked in disbelief, "You said your name is Jericho?"

"Exactly, Swain Noe Jerichault, grandson of Winston No. Jerichault, and the contemporary Earl of Midnight. Swain looked at the current mainstay of the Dunndorf School, who looked no older than Headmaster Russell, but whose face was older. His skin was visibly ravaged by the fierce sun, dark and lacklustre, his forehead was full of wrinkles, and a lot of gray hair grew on his head. And when you think of the petite appearance of his daughter Gladys, the professor is almost like his daughter's grandfather.

The professor was keenly aware of the key points in his words. "You say you're a modern-day Earl of Midnight, do you mean that Mr. Jerichault has ......" His eyes opened involuntarily, and Swain could see the light in his eyes.

"Yes, in mid-February. ”

The professor let out a long sigh, and the figure seemed to be decadent all of a sudden, and his back, which was originally straight, was bent down in an instant, as if he had lost his support. "I didn't expect that—Mr. Jericho's age should not be more than seventy by now, and if he is gone so soon, I hope to see him again in my lifetime. ”

"If you wish, I can give you some of my grandfather's research manuscripts, whether as research material or for publication by you, I have no opinion. ”

Swain's sudden kindness to Professor Ranke completely captivated the professor. He looked at Swain with wide eyes and a look of surprise, his voice a little out of tune. "You, are you serious? Mr. Jerichault's manuscript, oh my God, it will be the most valuable gift I have ever received in my life!"

Looking at the professor who was so surprised that he couldn't even stop his tears, Sven just nodded, and didn't say anything to interrupt the professor's excitement.

It took a while for the professor to calm down from the excessive excitement. He asked excitedly, "Did Mr. Jerichault continue his academic studies after returning to his hometown?"

"Midnight Fort is far less prosperous than the imperial capital, although the people of the imperial capital will feel that there is a different scenery when they go to Midnight Fort, but after living there for decades, that kind of boredom always needs some hobbies to fill. In fact, my grandfather has been paying attention to the changes in the academic world over the years, and he has commented and analyzed the articles published in the academic world, and I will hand over these manuscripts to you later. ”

"You are so generous!" Professor Ranke had almost nothing to say about Swain's generosity, he had previously thought that it would be a great loss for Mr. Jerichault to be no longer present in the academic world, but now this grandson of Mr. Jerichault made him feel overjoyed and made up for his regret. His senses for Swain had risen dramatically, and now he was very pleasing to the young gentleman, though little Jericho's expression was always a little uncomfortable.

"Actually, I have read some of the articles you have published over the years, and I can see that you have inherited the ideas of your grandfather, and I also feel great respect for you, so I came to visit you today to fulfill one of my wishes. ”

Although the expressionless expression on Swain's face when he said compliments always made people feel his sincerity, but now Professor Ranke, who was in a very good mood, didn't care at all, he just thought it was Swain's privacy, and didn't mind or ask much. "I'm ashamed to say that. Compared to Mr. Jerichault, my accomplishments are nothing at all. He looked at Swain's eyes full of the love of the elders for the juniors, "Although I am only a teacher, if you need any help in the imperial capital, please let me know, I will do my best to help you!"

"That's really grateful. Swain bowed his head slightly in thanks, "Actually, I'd love to have a chat with you." To tell you the truth, I have also learned some knowledge of historiography under the guidance of my grandfather, and if I can gain something from my conversation with you, it will be your greatest help to me!"

Swain's words made Professor Ranke even more surprised and surprised. He had thought that Swain would give him his grandfather's manuscript because Swain himself had no interest in historiography, so he would be a generous patron, but Swain was a researcher of history himself, and the professor immediately felt that he really had a deep love for scholarship, and at the same time, he was as reluctant as himself to have Mr. Jericht's research dusted. This made the professor think even more highly of the young man, if he had been grateful to Swain before, now he was respectful and like-minded from the bottom of his heart.

"Don't say that, you have been taught by Mr. Jerichoke since you were a child, and you must have a deep foundation in family education, and I dare not compare with Mr. Jerichault. If you'd like, I'd be happy to have a chat with you, and I can also invite a few friends to organize a few academic salons together, what do you think?"

"Thank you for your kindness, but unfortunately, I came to the imperial capital this time because I inherited the Earl of Midnight, and I specially came to accept the canonization of His Majesty the Emperor. The canonization ceremony has been set for the day after tomorrow, and presumably there will not be much time to stay in the imperial capital. Swain said with an unchanging face, although he had only told Principal Russell earlier that he would stay in the imperial capital until the issue of his sister's custody was resolved.

"Well, that's a pity. The professor's face also showed regret, he really wanted to have a good chat with this young man, maybe he would be another academic Jericho in the future.

"I came here today to meet you, and I also came with my sister Sophia, who has been a student of this school since today. ”

"Oh, really? I didn't think that Mr. Jericht's granddaughter would be in our school, and maybe I'd teach her again. ”

"Actually, maybe you've already taught Miss Jerichault. My other sister, Victoria, who has always lived in the imperial capital, went to school at this Astrad I School. Swain suddenly changed his words, "I'm sorry I told you something superfluous. It's a rare opportunity to meet you today, so let's talk about some academic things, it's still early. ”

"Ah, okay. What do you want to talk about?" was a little too late to react to Sven's sudden change of subject, but the professor could at least hear Sven stop. But why mention his other sister, do you want me to pay more attention and take care of it?

"How about your History of the Frankenian Peoples? I am interested in the historical materials you have collected on the twenty-third Count of Glamorgan. ”

"Oh, that's what you say. Speaking of his masterpiece, Professor Ranke also had a smug look on his face, "Actually, I was able to collect these historical materials thanks to a colleague of mine, who teaches biology at another school." According to him, his family is a descendant of the twenty-third generation of the family of the Earl of Glamorgan, and some of the material left over from that time has been preserved. Thanks to his generosity, I was able to see these precious historical materials, and when I saw them, I was absolutely certain that they were indeed handed down from the time of Astrad I. ”

"Luckily, the information and archives about the twenty-third Earl of Glamorgan, the legendary Mad Earl, have disappeared with the fire of Glamorgan, and the life of that Earl has disappeared into the mists of history. The information you get is invaluable. ”

"That's true. The professor nodded, though Swain's compliments were not in a fluctuating tone, "Sometimes I myself feel as if I have been favored by the heavens, and I am so lucky to have obtained the materials of the twenty-third Earl of Glamorgan, which have been almost completely lost, and now I have received a gift from you, I can't tell whether this is a historical mission entrusted to me by the Lord in the dark." ”

"Everyone has their own historical mission and social role to play. However, such a mission is not simply said to conform to the destiny of heaven. Self-effort is also necessary, and the mission of history requires sufficient talent and ability to accomplish it, and those who have no ability will only make things worse. ”

Professor Ranke looked at the young man with some surprise, he didn't expect Swain to say such a seemingly sophisticated thing at such an age. Sure enough, it's a character that Mr. Jericho has cultivated since he was a child. While admiring in his heart the good education of his predecessors for the offspring, the professor also faintly felt a little strange, what Sven said just now always made him feel that there was something in the words, but he couldn't understand what it meant.

However, Professor Ranke understood his weight and did not ask too much, continuing with the previous topic. "Ever since the mad count dragged himself, his own realm, and his people into the abyss of his madness, the Franconians have completely disappeared from history. I visited the eastern provinces of what is now the Franknian Empire, and tried to find some remnants of the Franconians, but found nothing. This has made me wonder for many years, how can a nation disappear completely from history like this, without even a trace of blood left. Although there are indeed many remains of the Franconians today, the people with this national identity no longer exist in this world, and the distinctive protruding jaws of the Franconians can only be seen in some paintings left over from the previous era. ”

"Do you have any recent research on this subject?" Swain seemed genuinely interested in the Franconian, though it was completely unrecognizable from his face.

"Actually, I was recently working on a paper on the disappearance of this nation. According to the historical information I have obtained, His Majesty Astrad I sent troops to seize the Franconian Empire for the twenty-third Count of Glamorgan, who had the right to inherit the Franconian Empire, but during the war he constantly accepted the surrender of the unlawful Franknian lords, demanded their allegiance to himself and the Frankenian Emperor, and slaughtered the Franconians, and finally fell into the hands of the mad count Very few Imperial territories, and even the emperor only gave him the title of King of Franconia, and snatched the crown from the Franconians, and let the Pope put it on his head, and the United Kingdom of Deherbas became the Celestial Empire, and the title of Emperor of Franconia was lost forever.

Because of this unfair treatment, the Mad Earl fell into a low point in his life while reaching the peak of his life. Because the original non-Franconian lords of the Franknian Empire were in the midst of the weakness of the empire and wantonly expelled and persecuted the Franconians, he accepted all the Franconians into his territory, but the Franconians hated him for the war he brought and for himself. The Frankenians believed that it was their new king who had betrayed the empire and sold its glory to the Cyruls, leaving the Frankinians with nothing but unbridled misery and despair. They refused to recognize the Mad Count as king, and gave him the nickname Mad Count, much to the pain of the Mad Count himself. On the one hand, he was always looked down upon by the Cyliones, and the emperor was always concerned about the territory of Glamorgan, and on the other hand, his countrymen completely distrusted him, and even hated him. Squeezed by such pressure on both sides, the Mad Earl finally went really crazy. The information I have received about the final outcome of the Mad Count is a mythical record that the Mad Count no longer trusts anyone, that he indulges in the study of black magic all day long, and that in the end, he learns an evil spell of immortality under the guidance of a mysterious and evil wizard, and at the cost of everything he has, all he can get is endless life, and all his possessions, prestige, including his family and territory, are consumed by this spell. The mad earl, who felt that the whole world had betrayed him, unleashed this spell without hesitation.

At this point, the account is interrupted, and no one knows what happened on that day at Glamorgan. The Empire sent troops to blockade the Glamorgan as soon as they discovered that there was a fire in Glamorgan, but the fire lasted far longer than they had imagined. When the fire was finally extinguished, the reports from the territory of the former Franconian Empire had also reached Germany, and all the Franconians disappeared without a trace, followed by the great plague that affected the whole empire, in a series of catastrophes, the newly established empire was almost in a situation of imminent collapse, and Astrad I, who single-handedly established the empire and became the first emperor of the empire, was also forced to stop when he took the first step of expansion because of this ensuing disaster, and throughout his life, the empire did not gain a new territory, and the emperor also died with regrets。

Although current research suggests that the Great Plague caused the extinction of the Franconians, such an explanation is far-fetched. Why did the Frankrians who lived on a continent and in a country not go extinct, but the Frankinians disappeared completely? Both the official records of the empire and the information I have obtained show that the disappearance of the Frankinians preceded the Great Plague, so it is impossible to say that the extinction of the Frankinians was caused by the Great Plague, or that the relationship should be reversed, and it was the disappearance of the Frankinians that caused the greatest and most terrible plague in history.

I will elaborate on all these information and doubts in the new paper, but unfortunately, this paper cannot give a convincing explanation. I have had some conjectures, but there is no evidence, so I will publish this paper as a hypothesis. ”

After listening to the professor's long lecture, Sven did not feel bored, and listened attentively.

"Do you think it was the Empire that created the illusion that it was the Empire that exterminated the Franconians, but put the blame on the Mad Count. ”

Swain's bold conjecture made the professor smile bitterly. "How dare you say it, don't let the emperor know about your conjecture. Aren't you afraid of asking for trouble?"

"This is just speculation, and the Empire also recognizes academic freedom. ”

The professor sighed and said earnestly, "I can understand the rich imagination of young people and their eagerness to make achievements, but it is better to be cautious. You don't have to dwell on the problems of the Franconians, the long history has given us endless wealth, don't you?"

Swain was silent for a moment, but it was better to say, "Thank you for your kindness, I will remember your suggestion." If you have the chance, I hope you can introduce me to the person who provided you with this information. ”

"Of course, I'd love to. ”

The professor heard that Swain was about to leave, and sure enough, Swain quickly stood up and shook the professor's hand goodbye.

After Swain's departure, the professor wondered why the young man cared so much about the Franconians, and if he remembered correctly, Mr. Jerichault had never studied this aspect of the matter.

Sven, who had already left, of course, couldn't give the professor an answer. He had previously learned Sophia's dormitory number from Principal Russell, and although he didn't know the directions to the campus, he walked confidently alone without asking anyone for directions.

He followed the signs and walked all the way to the hill behind the school. Located on the western outskirts of the empire, on the northern side of the hill, Astrad I College was once planted with cherry blossoms on the back hill, and now it is in bloom, and Swain can see from afar that many people are gathering to enjoy the flowers.

Interestingly, the girls' dormitory is also arranged near this cherry blossom forest, which can be regarded as a kind of mutual foil.

Fortunately, today is the first day of school, and the students' families are allowed to enter the school dormitory, otherwise it would be difficult for Swain to enter the girls' dormitory.

However, as he walked to the rococo-style apartment of the girls' dormitory, which was comfortable and intimate, like an aristocratic mansion, he saw a very glaring appearance in the crowd of flowers.

"That's ...... Manfred Schneider of Lesson 13?"