Chapter 236
Chapter 236
Chapter 236
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 236: Lan Qi’s Racial Affinity
It was a December afternoon, and the bell of Ikerite Academy struck three o’clock.
Frey’s dormitory carried the air of a detective’s office.
On the deep-brown walls hung newspaper clippings of past cases he had solved and old maps. His desk was cluttered with files and memos, a microscope, several alchemical reagent jars, and an open geography magazine.
Beside the desk, a low rack was filled with newspapers, manuscripts, magnifying glasses, fingerprint powder, and some magical tools whose purpose wasn’t immediately clear.
Two leather sofas sat quietly near the fireplace for visitors—or for Frey himself to use.
As the echoes of the ancient bell tower reverberated, both Lan Qi and Frey glanced toward the window.
Thanks to the prestige Frey had accumulated in the student council over the past few months, this once-obscure detective agency now occasionally received commissions.
But Frey’s way of handling cases was unlike that of ordinary detectives. Those who hired him had to face the risk of outcomes that differed from their expectations, and since his fees were proportional to his abilities, few would ask for his help unless absolutely necessary.
Now that the holidays had begun, the agency had completely shut down.
On the low table in front of Frey sat a newspaper and two cups of black tea.
But this wasn’t a business meeting—only a temporary farewell with Lan Qi.
Since Huperion had moved into the Cat Boss restaurant, Lan Qi and Frey had spent a lot of time together. Lan Qi wasn’t just Frey’s legal advisor—sometimes, he was also a capable assistant in Frey’s detective work.
“Lan Qi, your level is forty-six,” Frey said, holding up a dark gray crystal, peering at Lan Qi through its glow.
“I see.”
Lan Qi found it reasonable. After the last Shadow World, he had advanced from the third tier to the fourth. He had already felt that he wasn’t at the initial stages of Tier Four, but rather close to breaking through to Tier Five.
“What about you, Frey?”
“Fifty-four.”
Frey answered plainly.
In recent months, based on a theory Lan Qi had casually proposed in idle conversation, the Alchemy Department and Magic Engineering Department had jointly developed the [Level Appraisal Technique]. It was now spreading rapidly throughout the southern continent.
The spell’s construction was simple; most of the work lay in establishing a theoretical framework and converting measurements into values. It quickly became widespread, with spell, card, and magical device versions of the technique appearing—and even spreading north through Shadow World challengers.
In the coming months, it might spark an explosive wave of popularity.
The research team credited Lan Qi Wilfort as the first to propose the theory. If the study succeeded within a year or two, Lan Qi could gain considerable academic recognition—even without participating further.
That said, the appraisal spell didn’t work on true powerhouses.
Experts usually concealed themselves. For example, to anyone’s eyes, Dean Loren looked like Tier One—or even zero. But in reality, he was Tier Eight.
“From what I heard from the Alchemy Department,” Frey added, “Dean Loren’s level was measured at eighty-seven during their trials.”
“No wonder he’s ridiculously strong…”
At Lan Qi and Frey’s current levels, it was still possible to defeat an opponent a few tiers higher with talent, special mechanisms, or counter-strategies. But starting from the late Sixth Tier—around level sixty-nine—every level represented enormous growth. The gap created by raw attributes became increasingly difficult to overcome with tactics alone.
Across both continents, there were fewer than ten Ninth-Tier powerhouses combined. Loren being hailed as Hedon Kingdom’s guardian was no exaggeration.
The two chatted idly.
Now that the academy was on holiday, the campus was much quieter, free of student council duties. It almost felt like the boredom of retirement.
“What a pity,” Frey sighed, leaning back on the sofa. “I can’t go with you guys to the Northern Continent.”
He had heard that Protos Empire’s underground casinos were formidable.
But for the next three months, he would be under the constant watch of Dean Sfentos. Escaping from Ikerite was impossible. If he did manage to slip away, that would itself count as cultivation progress.
“Frey, we might be gone longer this time,” Lan Qi said, glancingat the calendar, his tone certain. “If you get the chance to enter the Shadow World alone during the holidays, don’t wait for us. We might not return until next semester.”
Now in mid-December, there was a real chance they wouldn’t be back until April or May next year.
Frey had already reached Silver rank, and could challenge the true Shadow World solo if necessary.
For someone like Frey—a “numbers freak”—his level was especially critical. Every tier meant a fundamental leap in combat power.
The first Blood Moon Catastrophe had spawned a vampire baron, the second a viscount or even an earl. The next one would likely feature a vampire marquis.
The three of them together would probably be unable to challenge it. Each needed to grow stronger on their own.
Sometimes, when the power gap was too large, no amount of strategy mattered. Even if they cleared all the mechanics, a party wipe was inevitable.
“No problem. But you and Huperion should be cautious when heading north,” Frey warned, glancing at the international section of the newspaper. “I’ve heard that the Dimensional Bishop is being hunted by the Destruction Bishop, and their battle route is shifting north.”
Two moving natural disasters—nothing mortals could withstand.
“Don’t worry. Huperion and I will first head south, creating the illusion that we’re traveling that way. Then, midway, we’ll switch to completely new disguises and move north. By then, no one will recognize us.”
Lan Qi’s [Transmutation: Demon] came from the Horning Empire’s ancient experiments, later perfected with human magical theory. The [Transmutation: Human] was reverse-engineered by demons using that spell as a model. Both could evade almost all current detection methods.
Talia had even customized directional transformation cards for Lan Qi and Huperion, allowing them to disguise as specific human identities without risk of exposure.
“This spell will be especially useful up north,” Lan Qi said. “In the Protos Empire, humans are the least likely to get entangled in racial conflicts.”
“Mm.”
Frey nodded. He had heard Lan Qi explain Loren’s warnings about northern culture.
“But there’s one thing…” Frey added, his voice thoughtful. “I think I can be certain of it.”
“What is it?”
“If the Northern Continent has people like me—wolf-blooded returnees who awakened ancestral bloodlines—they won’t be hostile to you.”
“Why?”
Even Lan Qi couldn’t quite understand Frey’s conclusion.
“It’s hard to explain. Just like vampires are instinctively afraid of you… wolves, by contrast, would be naturally drawn to you.”
Frey crossed his arms, still puzzled by his own intuition.
“Alright then. If I encounter wolves in trouble, I’ll try treating them as friends first, and help them when I can.”
Lan Qi glanced at the clock, then stood up, took his coat from the door, draped it over his shoulders, and waved goodbye.
It was time.
He only needed to head to the Cat Boss restaurant, meet up with Huperion, and they could set off.