Chapter 228
Chapter 228
Chapter 228
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 228 – Lan Qi is Now a Man of Considerable Worth
A month slipped by quietly.
On a winter morning, the campus of Ikerite was covered with a thin layer of frost. Bare branches trembled in the biting wind, and the botanical gardens gave off a crisp, refreshing chill.
Massive clouds roamed across the sky, with only faint streaks of blue peeking through the cracks.
Students bundled in heavy coats hurried past, steaming cups of coffee or tea in hand. Their breath puffed out in small white clouds that faded into the cold air.
“Little Hupe, making her entrance.”
With a faint smile, Huperion stepped out from the main building of the Sage Academy.
Having just finished the final exam of the term, the winter holiday officially began.
The moment she walked out, she spotted Talia waiting for her at a distant bench on campus.
Talia rubbed her hands together now and then, taking in deep breaths of cold air that carried winter’s peculiar sharp clarity.
On the wooden bench beside her sat two boxes of packed cakes. It seemed that if she hadn’t been waiting for Huperion, she would have already eaten both by herself.
Seeing Talia fidget and restrain herself from afar, Huperion couldn’t help but laugh.
She really wished she could use all the Duke family’s money just to feed Talia well every day, to let her eat to her heart’s content and live happily.
Now, Huperion was living at Talia’s house. Talia hadn’t driven her out and still taught her magic daily.
So, after the two-week protection period they had originally agreed on, they tacitly continued living together. Every morning and evening greetings carried on as usual, nothing had changed.
But soon Huperion would be going to the Northern Continent, which meant she’d be apart from Talia for quite some time.
Lan Qi’s planned project was finally about to begin.
After she and Lan Qi filed the project report with Dean Loren, if they weren’t back before the new semester started, they could still request an extension.
As for the long three-and-a-half-month winter vacation ahead—Frey, who was at the Knight Academy, didn’t have the “Search for the Tablet Bearer” project, and thus couldn’t qualify for extra leave beyond the winter break. Dean Sphintos of the Knight Academy had forbidden Frey from wandering, demanding that he stay put during the holidays for training. The dean himself, now on break, would personally instruct him.
So, Lan Qi and Huperion had no choice but to part ways with Frey for now.
Still, Huperion thought, with Frey’s monstrous talent, a few months apart would probably mean he’d come back even stronger.
She quickened her pace and ran up to Talia.
“Talia, I’m on break now.”
“Mhm.”
Talia stood up, took Huperion’s hand, and started walking toward the Cat Boss Restaurant on the east side of campus.
“Why doesn’t Lan Qi need to take exams?”
After a few steps through the frigid campus, Talia couldn’t hold back her question.
“He… deals with all sorts of campus disputes every day. He’s got more than enough credits… and even made some money…”
Huperion shook her head, her sigh turning into a thin mist.
This semester, Lan Qi skipped all exams except General Studies in Magical Lineage.
With the massive credits he’d earned from the Shadow Worlds of Tier 4 and Tier 5, along with credits from his intensive work with the student council, Lan Qi’s total was more than enough to cover all required courses—and even left him with surplus.
After the Shadow World incident Banquet of the Cathedral Villains, both Huperion and Lan Qi were promoted to registered Silver Challengers under the South Continent Shadow World Management Association. Moreover, for killing the Saintess of Destruction, they received a hefty bounty of 4,500 pounds.
Huperion hadn’t taken any of the reward—she let Lan Qi and Frey split it instead.
“All mine.”
Talia said it as a matter of course.
Lan Qi still owed her a huge sum. Until it was repaid, his property, in her eyes, was hers.
“Oh right—there’s still about half a year left before he has to pay you over 8,000 pounds according to the contract.”
Huperion had heard that Lan Qi owed Talia a lot of money and also knew they had a rather peculiar history together even before she herself met Talia.
It was hard to imagine how two people with such opposite personalities managed to get along, instead of Lan Qi annoying Talia the moment they met and getting punished for it.
“Lan Qi still has a long way to go.”
Huperion sighed.
On the surface, he looked like a rich man—but in truth, he was a man deep in debt.
Still, Lan Qi now had a definite market value.
Although Huperion didn’t know how much her own bounty in the Resurrection Church was, she knew that the Southern Continent’s branch had already made Lan Qi’s bounty public—
The Bishop of Destruction had set it at 10,000 pounds.
The Bishop of Decay offered 16,000 pounds for Lan Qi, but only if he was captured alive.
Meanwhile, the Bishop of Dimensions announced that if Lan Qi killed the Son of Destruction as well—just to satisfy his compulsions—he would donate 20,000 pounds to Ikerite Academy as charity funds.
The news reported that not long ago, the Bishop of Destruction had fought the Bishop of Dimensions. The latter was now half-dead, fleeing for his life in disgrace.
“Now that you both have holidays, the Dean of Sage Academy should finally get some peace.”
Talia remarked.
At first, she never imagined there would be a Tablet Bearer living in this city, much less one willing to work at the academy. During the academic exchange closing event—the team battle—held at Ikerite, she had spotted Dean Loren sitting in the referee’s chair from afar.
Even at a distance, she could sense how terrifying that man was.
But why was it, according to Huperion, that their dean was always so easily unsettled by Lan Qi?
Talia couldn’t understand. If it were her, she would have long used some kind of forceful means to “correct” Lan Qi.
“…”
Huperion fell silent, choking up.
That day’s match was between Ikerite Academy and Yaloran Royal Academy. The final score was 5–0. She remembered seeing Loren weeping in his seat, utterly broken. In that moment, she swore that if there was ever a next time, she would stop Lan Qi.
As for Knight-Captain Juliana—her coming was already a certainty.
Nearly half of Yaloran’s exchange team never made it back.
Especially those last five fighters—not only did they need months of treatment at Ikerite for physical injuries, but their psychological and mental scars might last a lifetime.
Yet, because of Phoenix’s capture and the subsequent chaos from the battle between the Bishop of Destruction and the Bishop of Dimensions, the Resurrection Church’s activity in Yaloran had surged. Knight-Captain Juliana couldn’t abandon her post there.
But she had already said that once the issue was resolved, she would personally come to Ikerite to find Loren—and told him to wait.
Upon hearing this news, Senior Sister Lu Weixier of the student council was so excited that she popped open a champagne bottle on the spot. Their newspaper club’s performance for next year was now guaranteed.
(End of Chapter)