Chapter 234
Chapter 234
Chapter 234
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 234 – Lan Qi Wants to Keep a Little Suspense for Loren
The dean’s office of the Sage Court at Ikerite Academy.
The dark gray walls and elegant black wooden furniture gave off a restrained and profound atmosphere. Along the wall stood a row of bookshelves filled with a spatially layered effect, holding all kinds of classic works on Magitek, as well as academic reports and research journals.
A small meeting area was arranged in one corner of the office: a round low conference table with a few comfortable chairs, usually for brief meetings or informal exchanges with students and faculty.
The windows were large and bright, overlooking the beautiful campus scenery, especially the Sage Court’s garden and the distant Ancient Tower Library. Natural light poured in, making the room feel spacious and open.
Loren sat behind his broad wooden desk, fully focused on the documents in his hands.
The turbulent semester had finally ended.
As dean, only a few final administrative matters remained.
Seeing Lan Qi’s grade sheet full of “absent” marks and Huperion’s nearly perfect scores, Loren felt a knot in his throat. How on earth had these two ended up together?
Previously, back in the royal capital, almost everyone thought that Huperion, the duke’s daughter, was far inferior to her father, Duke Migaya, and hadn’t inherited his talent. But now, from Loren’s perspective, that wasn’t the case at all—her talent was astonishing, enough to rein in Lan Qi.
He couldn’t imagine what kind of chaos the Sage Court would have fallen into if not for her distracting Lan Qi.
Thinking of Lan Qi, then remembering the few students of the Yaloran Kingdom still lying in the hospital, and recalling Juliana’s order to “wait,” Loren’s head throbbed with pain.
Suddenly—
The doorbell rang.
“Come in.”
Loren returned to himself, eyes fixed on the door.
The office door slowly opened.
Two students walked in, carrying documents.
Today, they were dressed in casual clothes, looking relaxed and at ease.
“Lan Qi, Huperion—do you two have plans for the holiday?”
Loren’s gaze first noticed the file in Lan Qi’s hands—it looked like an application form.
“Yes. All the other formalities have been done at the student service center. Only your approval is left,” Lan Qi replied.
“Let me see your materials.”
Loren accepted the folder Lan Qi handed over and began carefully reading.
“‘Seeking the Tablet Holders,’ hm… I’m glad to see you so invested.”
Although Lan Qi and Huperion hadn’t chosen one of the Sage Court’s most conventional graduation projects, but instead a joint project shared with the Magitek Institute, Loren wasn’t surprised to see Lan Qi pick this one.
Because the Sage Court and the Magitek Institute shared a required course—General Studies of the Magic Lineage—students of the Sage Court who had Magitek ability could choose such a project. Sometimes, Magitek Institute students who chose it would also bring along a Sage Court student to act as protection and complete it together.
This task could consume long travel times, and the attitudes of those being sought were unpredictable, so its difficulty was hard to assess.
There were no restrictions on which powerhouse to seek out; the evaluation depended solely on the results and report submitted afterward.
Lan Qi was an outstanding Magitek craftsman. Broadening his horizons was only natural.
“Lan Qi, Huperion, this project is not only part of our academy but also tied to agreements with the Mage Tower Association. Once signed, whatever results you submit upon return will be published by the Mage Tower. Are you aware of this?”
Loren lifted his gaze slightly as he asked.
Many years ago, seeking the Tablet Holders had begun as a voluntary endeavor among outstanding Magitek Institute students in the southern continent. Over time, it developed into an official graduation project option. Eventually, the Mage Tower Association unified the process into an established convention.
The optimal choice was to seek out a powerhouse in allied nations of the southern continent—there was almost no risk of refusal, though the tasks given might be difficult, but safety was very high.
A step harder would be traveling to powerful but non-allied nations—such as the distant Canberra Kingdom, or by sea to the southern Kreyth Empire. There, simply meeting a powerhouse was difficult, and even if one did, they might not acknowledge the students.
The most dangerous option was the northern continent, a land isolated from the south for years, where one could try seeking leaders of major factions. There, no southern rules applied—if you lacked strength, you could be killed at any time.
Aside from the five bishops of the north, and the tablets held by elves, demons, beast folk, dragons, and spirit folk, the only known human-held tablets with real possibility of being sought were:
The Church of the Goddess of Fate’s [Primordial Tablet – Healing]
The [Primordial Tablet – Undead] and [Primordial Tablet – Light] held by the great southern empire, the Protos Empire.
Whichever tablet was ultimately found, the results would be reviewed and recognized by the Mage Tower. Students who made significant academic contributions could even be commended publicly by Mage Tower branches across the southern continent.
Lan Qi had made a splash over the last three months, but only within Ikerite and the Hedon Kingdom’s capital. Across the entire southern continent, except for a few individuals who noticed him, he had no real fame.
If he could accomplish something through this project, he might gain international academic reputation, which would aid his evaluation for platinum-level certification.
Only by becoming an official platinum-level cardmaker could Lan Qi claim to have a name across this vast continent.
“No problem. To contribute to the development of Magitek is our duty,” Lan Qi answered seriously.
Loren nodded at that. Anything that could help the Hedon Kingdom gain a new platinum-level cardmaker, he would support wholeheartedly.
“Leaving today? Won’t you rest for a couple days first?”
He looked at Lan Qi and Huperion.
“Yes, we’ve already bought tickets,” Huperion replied, noticing the rare smile on Loren’s face. Clearly, though his words sounded like concern, inwardly he was probably eager for Lan Qi to leave quickly and give the academy some peace.
“Time is tight. Just the trip north and back will take more than two months,” Lan Qi said earnestly, reluctant to leave Ikerite Academy.
“The northern continent, hm… good, good,” Loren muttered as he filled out the application form.
“Oh, right.”
After signing, Loren put down his pen and looked at Lan Qi with interest.
“Which powerhouse do you intend to visit?”
Hearing that Lan Qi would be gone from the Hedon Kingdom for a while lifted his mood greatly. If he had to describe it, it was like feeling as though the grand capital festival was tomorrow.
Since the northern continent was their destination, it couldn’t be Juliana—that was a massive relief.
Lan Qi and Huperion exchanged a look.
Sometimes silence spoke louder than words.
Huperion’s head ached. Supporting Lan Qi was really exhausting.
“I’d rather not say for now. Let me give you a surprise when I return, Dean.”
Lan Qi thought for a moment and then answered Loren.
(End of this chapter)