The conversation with redith and Charlotte lingered in Eli's mind for days. The fact that she said it out loud, just like that, also confird what she felt towards Leon.
If it was before Leon went to his mission, Eli could always argue that her interest towards Leon was only due to her dependence on him as a co parent.
However, she didn't have any alibi now.
More than six months apart, but Eli could feel her heart yearning for his presence day by day.
Eli could still rember that before, Leon's presence was one that she would prefer to avoid at all cost.
But how ironic! Leon was the one she longed desperately to see now!
Eli knew in her heart that what she desired for was more than just his presence, but a committed relationship with him and him alone.
However… would Leon still feel the sa? What if the ti they were apart caused him to realize that he was not really in love with her at all?
What now?
"Guuuuuu!" Eli felt Little Han snuggle on her shoulders as she was rocking him to sleep, which jolted her awake from her daze.
'Whatever it would be, I just have to be ready. I will just leave it to the Great Father to decide if we are really ant to be. Besides, he would still be Little Han's father and I would still be Little Han's mum.'
After pondering for so long, Eli entrusted her and Leon's relationship to the Great One's hands.
Before she settled the matters of heart, she had to settle the matters at hand first.
After putting Little Han to his afternoon nap, she continued working on the files at her study table.
It was the files she requested from Zeke - the institute's curriculum, the research team's papers and the summary of academic records of the mbers of the branch.
It would take a few weeks for Eli to read through these files if she didn't know how to speed read.
Luckily, it was the skill she was best at, as she always needed this to scan through the reports of her juniors back in her previous life.
As she read through the files, Eli felt seriously helpless.
There were only minor problems with the curriculum and it could be addressed through adding additional subjects that could fill the gap.
However, the major problem was on their papers. It needs a major revamp!
Eli found out that their research topics do not coincide with the researchers area of expertise. Their papers were only based on the area they were currently interested in.
As such, their talents and abilities were not optimized even if they spend their entire lifeti researching.
What's more, if they see that the research wasn't fruitful, they would just drop the research and jump to another one.
The next problem she had was that the faculty mbers actually did not point out the problem from their topics.
Back in the modern world, before a group of students start working all out for their research papers, they would go through a process called title defense.
In this process, the teacher and the students would spend ti scrutinizing the research proposal, assessing if the topic was actually relevant in the present and the future days to co. They have to determine if the study was worth giving their precious ti.
However, in the Magical Research Branch, this process was not stringent.
As long as the researchers explain their goals for their proposal, it would be approved for further study. As such, the cases of dropped research was surprisingly nurous.
Eli deduced that this was the main reason why it was so hard for the research branch to create new inventions after so many years of efforts.
Deeply thinking, she continued to scribble in her main file and listed down her proposal and analysis for the team.
In just a few monts, she was completely imrsed in her writing. She took her role seriously, not only for Little Han but for the research branch.
Although it may look like they were fickle minded due to the number of dropped research topics they had in the record, Eli knew how heart broken these people would be while deciding to abandon their research.
During the initial stage, they have high hopes that their research would one day be successful.
They spent so many sleepless nights, drank gallons of tea and coffee to make themselves awake, forgot their families and practically neglected their health just to see their research succeed, only to find out that it was all fruitless effort.
All was in vain because everything was wrong.
How heartbroken could they be?
Eli rembered her classmates before, they cried in despair when they failed their final defense and marked their papers as rejected.
What more of these true researchers?
Eli decided to implent the policies she experienced in the acade to organize the way the research teams select and proceed to their topics.
After two weeks of working up until night ti, Eli completely finished her proposal for the enhancent of the curriculum and the research branch.
Travelling towards the Farauld Magic Institute, while leaving Little Han and the rest to Aquila's care, Eli looked forward to explaining her proposals to the deans, Grandpa Ben and Uncle Bramwell.
As she was eting the higher ups of the institute, she proceeded directly to the main hall of the institute instead of the secluded Magical Research Branch.
Getting off the carriage, she was welcod by countless unusual stares and murmurs from the students lurking nearby.
"The tyrant inventor is back.."
"Shh.. aren't you afraid that she will hear you!"
"Yeah! Keep your mouth shut if you don't want to be sent to the temple for punishnt!"
The students discussed in a hushed manner as they observed Eli entering the main hall.
Although intrigued by the disparity of the ti when she first entered through the main hall and now, Eli decided to keep her head up with her imposing business woman aura and proceeded to the designated eting room.
Not minding the discussions around, she took out her papers before entering the eting room.
Waiting inside were the three deans, all with troubled faces, and Uncle Bramwell with a dark expression. The other faculty mbers were also in the room with terrified and downcast faces.
Eli was taken aback, she was supposed to only et the three deans, Uncle Bramwell and Grandpa Ben today, but why are the teachers also around?
"Greetings Vice Chairman, Greetings Esteed Deans and fellow teachers!" Eli, although puzzled, still cordially greeted the people inside, to which they all responded with a polite nod.
"Did the institute run into a big trouble? Why is everyone in a bad mood?" To break the ice, Eli decided to address the tension at hand.
"Sigh…" The three deans all simultaneously let out helpless sighs upon hearing Eli ask the question.
"Well, it indeed was a trouble. There was a rumour spreading around the campus saying that you are a tyrant and caused the research team to be exiled in the temple for a month." Seeing that the three deans do not know how to explain the matter, Bramwell straightforwardly explained.
"It's a rumour about ?" Eli was slightly taken aback.
She did expect that the sudden departure of the research team to the temple would cause a huge commotion in the campus. But she was caught off guard to know that she was the rumored culprit of the event.
"Lady Eli, we apologize, we tried our best to resolve these rumours in the past week however, we weren't able to get a hold of what really happened." Zeke also further explained.
"We also tried to trace who was the source of the rumor, but it was a bit tricky because the rumour spread in the canteen from the students.
As such, the students can no longer identify to whom they had first heard the speculations."
"We sincerely apologize!" The deans bowed their heads in distress. The faculty mbers followed too.
The deans, as part of the higher ups, all knew what really happened that led to the punishnt.
Although Eli played a big role, she was not the one who suggested the temple exile. It was a unanimous decision of the deans and approved by the vice chairman and the headmaster.
While the deans were busy explaining the matter to Eli, on the teacher's side, Alicia couldn't help but sneak a mocking smile towards the scene she was witnessing.
She was curious what Eli's reaction would be, so she wiped the smile off her face before raising her head with an expression filled with worry towards Eli.
But Eli's face remained unchanged, her business woman deanor dominated her countenance.
After assessing the situation, Eli replied, "Do not bother tracing the source of the rumours, the students of the institute were already brilliant to start with. With just a few hints or clues it was a no-brainer for them to co up with such a conclusion."
"Besides, the rumor will automatically die down unless it was intentionally done." Eli coldly added, sweeping a glance towards everyone in the room.
If it was just a rumour because of an innocent speculation, it will soon die down especially when the researchers co back from their service.
But, if the rumours show no signs of declining and intensified even after the return of the researchers, then it was certain that soone was bent on giving her a hard ti.
Alicia's heart skipped a beat when she heard Eli's words. Although she was sure that there was no way the students would be courageous enough to sell her out, she still couldn't help but be frightened by how sharp Eli's intuition is.
"But.. your reputation.." Bramwell protested unwillingly.
He knew that Eli joined the institute to build a na for herself. If her reputation was destroyed with these rumors then it would completely defeat her purpose!
"Vice Chairman, do not worry…" Eli gently replied, looking at her Uncle Bramwell with assurance.
"I am an inventor right? Did I get my renown because of my character? NO!" This ti, her gentle deanor was changed into a sassy one.
"As an inventor, my magnanimity could never be manifested through my pleasing personality nor a prim attitude!"
She sat straight and confident as she delivered the next statent to the crowd of educators with great conviction.
"My benevolence could only be displayed through the impact created by my inventions!"
"So why would I, Eli, the inventor, be afraid of people ruining my reputation through soiling my character?" She squinted her eyes as she said in a dangerous and provoking tone.
"If they have the ability and the brains, let them try ruining my reputation through dissing my inventions instead!"
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