I became the King of Ryukyu

Zheng Yi continued his tactical lean back.

Rio Aragaki pointed to a thumb-sized scar on her left arm, which resembled a blooming early cherry blossom: "Look, when I was little, it was an animal doctor who gave me the smallpox vaccine."

"That would probably be practicing medicine without a license, and you're only 23 or 24, Supervisor?" Zheng Yi said helplessly. "Even if you're a botany teacher, you should know that smallpox was eradicated long ago, and vaccines stopped being produced forty years ago."

"Oh dear, I've been seen through." Rio Aragaki covered her mouth, her laughter as clear as a musical instrument. "As expected of a genius from Kumejima, Zheng Yi."

"Eh? Has the name change letter arrived yet, Supervisor Aragaki?" Zheng Yi noticed the change in her address.

"Okay."

Perhaps because it felt cold to the touch, and didn't seem like she had a fever, Rio Aragaki withdrew her hand, rummaged through her lesson plan folder for a while, and handed over a new student ID.

"Put it away, Zheng Yi."

Fortunately, there weren't many students in the classroom at that time. Otherwise, being patted on the head by the popular female supervisor and given something that looked like a bank card might have caused quite a stir with the rumors.

That would be too troublesome.

Five minutes later, the students began to arrive.

Just a second before the school bell rang, I rushed over like a whiz and sat in the middle seat of the third row that the girls had reserved for me.

Zheng Yi is also someone who values ​​learning.

The back row by the window, the hometown of the king.

That was Yuichi Miyagi's catchphrase. Zheng Yi didn't have that guy's athletic talent. Before he even developed in elementary school, he often got lapped by girls when running. The only way for him to succeed was to study hard.

Arriving at the classroom early meant securing the front row, allowing him to glance at her from the front and back.

I, like Koyuki, was wearing a plaid dress with a mix of pale yellow and white, and wearing dowdy black-rimmed glasses that completely covered my dark circles and most of my fair and cute little face.

She was frantically rummaging through her shoulder bag for her stationery when the sea breeze blew through the window, ruffling the pages of her book, which she quickly tried to hold back.

"Yuki-kun, arrive earlier next time."

"I'm sorry, Supervisor Aragaki!"

"Ah, don't worry about it, we're not in high school anymore." Rio Aragaki smiled and bent down to pick up the eraser that had been blown away.

The lecture began, and the large classroom was already packed.

The University of the Ryukyu is not a top-tier university, but veterinary medicine is its flagship program, naturally due to the abundance of animal resources in the Ryukyu region.

Rio Aragaki is both the supervisor of Zheng Yi's class and the teacher of the botany course.

"Monocotyledons have parallel veins, while dicotyledons have reticulate branching; plants have their own innate patterns, just like the inalienable nature of humans..."

Although his mind was full of thoughts about games, the muscle memory from more than ten years of hard study still allowed Zheng Yi to maintain a serious listening posture, and he even took a lot of notes.

By the time get out of class ended, my notebook was filled with two pages of notes.

He left his seat and walked toward Rio Aragaki, who was surrounded by students.

……

I criticized Japan's incompetent civil service system once again.

If they had used the funds they would have used to create a local election idol support app to create an anti-fraud app, perhaps they wouldn't have gotten involved with this shady game.

Paying tribute? How could an ordinary man like myself possibly do that?

The game also doesn't specify what offerings are required, which is somewhat reminiscent of the saying "If the punishment is unknown, then the power is unpredictable."

Of course, crisis is always accompanied by opportunity.

Zheng Yi consistently received an A+ in his "History of China" course during high school.

He was well aware that the tributary system was the highest form of alliance.

Small countries, especially close vassal states like Korea and Ryukyu, generally did not need to offer particularly valuable gifts when paying tribute to the Celestial Empire, and often received decent returns in return.

Historically, the King of Chuzan, of Ryukyu, was even reprimanded in writing by the imperial court for his frequent tribute missions.

Therefore, there must be great potential in the matter of paying tribute.

The problem is that even the least expensive gift is beyond his current savings of over 100,000 yen.

Zheng Yi didn't even dare to imagine what would happen if he just threw together some shoddy stuff and angered the upper class; at least the game's disclaimer looked scary enough.

After waiting silently for a while, the students who had been asking questions of Aragaki Rio finally dispersed, including myself, Koyuki.

There was a half-hour break between the two large classes, during which she had to rush to the dock to see if she could find some fresh and cheap ingredients.

Looking at that hurried figure, Zheng Yi felt rather sorry for him.

Perhaps after I am crowned king, I can bestow upon her the title of Earl of Glamorgan.

"Jung Eui-jun, is something the matter?"

"Director Aragaki, I'm sorry to take up a little of your time."

Many students choose botany as an elective, but only a small portion of the students in the class are referred to as Supervisor Aragaki.

Rio Aragaki walked ahead, greeted by students and teachers from all grades along the way.

She always responded with a smile.

Soon, we arrived at a botanical garden filled with tropical atmosphere.

She found two full water jugs, gave one to Zheng Yi, and then began watering the seedlings of some kind of plant.

"Is it about the work-study position?" she asked.

"Yes." Zheng Yi nodded.

Although I am confident that I will receive the highest level scholarship, that's something for the end of the semester.

Wanting to make some quick money in the short term, Zheng Yi could only think of ways to take on an extra job.

If all else fails, they'll have to go to Tokyo to try and recruit the Chariot Giantess and perform a performance art piece similar to Shang Yang's for the Angels of the Upper Kingdom.

Of course, the success rate of such a thing is probably no more than one in ten thousand.

Without much hesitation, Rio Aragaki seemed to have already prepared her response:

"How about being a librarian? There's plenty of quiet time to study, it should suit you."

"Are there any jobs with higher pay?" Zheng Yi thought for a moment, and to avoid being too subtle, added, "The more money I earn, the better, even if it affects my studies a little, I don't care."

Rio Aragaki turned her head in surprise.

She thought she already knew this handsome boy well; he was hardworking, ambitious, had no extravagant hobbies, and prioritized his studies above all else.

I didn't expect him to be so short of money right now?

As she placed the kettle on the trellis for the vines to climb, Rio Aragaki pressed her fingers to her temples, looking conflicted.

"There is a scholarship that can earn money, with a payout of one million yen at the end of the month, but..."

"No problem!" Zheng Yi swung the kettle vigorously, "Please recommend me!"

[You diligently cultivate vegetables to conceal your inner desires, while Liu Bei, the Left General of the Han Dynasty, laments that you are fellow sufferers in this world.]

You have received a handmade straw mat.

Zheng Yi was slightly stunned when he saw the message that suddenly appeared in front of him.

Liu Bei, the Left General of the Han Dynasty?

Handmade straw mat?

Open the game inventory, and there lies a simple but finely crafted straw mat.

Xuande Gong's hands are truly skillful!

Zheng Yi felt a pang of emotion, but not much joy.

If he could, he would prefer the wealth of Xuande Gong's third brother.

"Even if it means sacrificing one's looks? If it were Zheng Yi, he could easily earn 100 million yen."

A head wearing a sun hat peeked out from behind the vines, looking extremely amused.

"Huh?" Zheng Yi almost dropped the watering can in his hand.

"Ms. Harumi was joking; I was referring to legitimate jobs registered with the Student Affairs Department. Also, Aiko, what are you doing here?"

"Huh? What are you saying? Isn't the Airi hybrid grape a project we've been working on together?"

Harumi Aiko waved her hand dismissively, "Speaking of which, the super popular handsome guy in the Animal Medicine (1) class, such a handsome boy associating with donkeys and pigs, don't you think it's a complete waste of talent, just like you, a great beauty who deals with plants?"

"Dolphins, pandas, cats, and dogs are all animals too," Zheng Yi protested, raising his hand.

"Back then, Rio also said she wanted to cultivate the most beautiful Taiwan cherry blossom in the world, but in the end, she still ended up growing grapes with me."

"Aiko!" Rio Aragaki said irritably, pulling a vine to cover her face again.

"Alright, I won't disturb your heart-to-heart talk anymore. I'm going to check if the low-carbon sweet potatoes are ripe yet."

Harumi Aiko's voice came from the other end of the pergola, "My weight-loss meals all depend on this!"