Chapter 34
Chapter 34
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 34: Lan Qi’s Pleasant Day
The two of them continued walking up the stairs, unconsciously winding through layer upon layer of long, twisting steps.
After hearing Huperion's words, Lan Qi fell into deep thought.
Right now, because of 【Poet of Great Love】, he was saddled with credit card debt.
That said, no matter how much he spent on this card, it was worth it to him.
But Lan Qi hadn’t forgotten his original goal in coming to the royal capital—to get rich as soon as possible.
If he could become a little stronger and build up some connections, then no matter who the potential enemies threatening his Wilford Merchant Guild were, he wouldn’t have to worry too much.
A judge would use the invincible power of law to judge all.
And if he wanted to gain the favor of powerful factions and strong individuals, aside from becoming a renowned Card Artisan, achieving outstanding results in challenging the Shadow Realm was also a viable path.
As things stood, if he wanted to make quick money in the short term, relying solely on crafting cards would probably wear him out in the card-making workshop.
As for selling paintings... Lan Qi wasn’t sure if openly selling his artwork before he became powerful enough would invite unforeseen troubles.
If his paintings became too valuable while he himself remained weak, it could turn into a terrifying situation—he might attract the attention of some unsavory figures.
So unless he was absolutely desperate for money, he wouldn't easily consider selling paintings. Even if he did, he wouldn't sell them under his real name.
Given all this, his best long-term plan for getting rich was to continue studying card-making while striving to advance in rank and become a high-level Card Artisan.
High-intensity practice in crafting cards could slowly train his mental strength, which in turn would help him break through rank barriers—but it was way too slow.
The fastest way to rank up was also through challenging the Shadow Realm—
Successfully clearing a real Shadow Realm would grant a corresponding rank boost!
That’s why many Card Artisans chose to become “Battlefield Card Artisans” to grind Shadow Realms for rank advancement.
This was a support-type combat profession that evolved from a crafting profession.
Since challengers in the Shadow Realm would take on a completely new identity and situation, they couldn’t bring any items, potions, or tools with them. The only exception was magic cards bound to their soul and stored in their soul space.
Battlefield Card Artisans would carry equipment-card versions of 【Portable Card-Making Toolkits】 into the Shadow Realm. There, they could craft specialized magic cards on the spot for their teammates based on the situation!
In some cases, having a Battlefield Card Artisan on the team even allowed them to extract materials that couldn’t normally be taken out of the Shadow Realm by transforming them into “soul-bound magic cards,” which could then be brought back to reality. This significantly increased the team’s rewards for clearing the realm.
As a result, even though Battlefield Card Artisans were technically freeloaders in combat, many powerful teams were still willing to bring one along for the extra rewards.
Lan Qi definitely had some potential as a Battlefield Card Artisan.
But with his current unstable card-making skills, he was far from qualified to take on that role.
Still, having multiple skills never hurt.
While Lan Qi was lost in thought, Huperion spoke up again beside him:
“If any students achieve particularly outstanding results in the entrance exam, they might be granted an exemption from the Registered Challenger Qualification Exam. If nothing unexpected happens, after school starts, you should receive a notification. Once you complete the necessary procedures, you’ll be able to challenge the real Shadow Realm.”
The structure of the entrance exam itself was similar to the official registration exam.
If a student passed with an exceptionally high score, Icrithe Academy, as a certified partner institution of the association, would apply for an exam exemption on their behalf.
Other new students, on the other hand, would have to spend a lot of time taking the South Continent Shadow Realm Management Association’s Registered Challenger Exam before they could challenge a real Shadow Realm for the first time.
Huperion was certain that with Lan Qi’s level of performance, there was no reason he wouldn’t qualify for the exemption.
As for teammates... Lan Qi didn’t need to worry. Plenty of senior students and teams from various departments would probably approach him on their own.
“Oh, got it! Thanks, Huperion.”
Lan Qi quickly expressed his gratitude.
As expected of a noble from the royal capital.
She even knew things that weren’t detailed in the admissions materials.
“It’s nothing.”
Huperion simply nodded slightly as she looked ahead at the stairs.
Her reminder just now had put Lan Qi in a great mood.
Since there was a chance he wouldn’t have to take the South Continent’s registration exam, then if things went smoothly, he could complete the paperwork and directly become an Iron-ranked Registered Challenger.
From what Lan Qi had heard back in his hometown on the southern border of Vantina, the South Continent’s association recognized a total of seven challenger ranks.
After each successful clearance, the association would record or promote a challenger based on their contribution. The higher the rank, the greater the benefits, privileges, and status.
The ranks started from the lowest, Iron, followed by Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Magic Crystal, and Hero.
Setting aside the newbie ranks of Iron and Bronze, reaching the third rank, Silver, already meant being a seasoned Shadow Realm veteran and a pillar of those who tackled Shadow Realms.
Those who reached the fourth rank, Gold, enjoyed prestigious social status no matter where they went!
And starting from Platinum, challengers would even be recognized across different continents, earning global prestige as true superpower-level experts.
After going through the entrance exam twice now, Lan Qi had realized he seemed to have decent potential as a Shadow Realm challenger.
He couldn’t wait to start his challenger journey.
“What’s the highest rank students in this school have reached?”
Lan Qi asked curiously.
“If an Icrithe student reaches Gold rank, that’s already quite impressive. As for Platinum... only the fourth-years and the part-time students have reached that level.”
Huperion thought for a moment before answering, sounding somewhat disheartened.
“People at that level really have no reason to stay in the academy anymore. They could leave anytime.”
If she could reach that rank, she wouldn’t need her father’s protection or the Duke family’s status—she wouldn’t fear those who wanted to harm her.
Unfortunately, she didn’t believe she had the talent to reach that step like the few monsters at the top of the academy.
“Part-time students?”
Lan Qi tilted his head in confusion as he looked at Huperion.
He understood what a fourth-year was, but he hadn’t known this academy had “part-time” students.
“Normally, students can apply for graduation in their third year, at which point they receive a substantial amount of challenger points and might get recommended for employment at various associations.”
“But every year, a few exceptionally outstanding students choose to stay and conduct additional research under their preferred senior professors. They might stay in the academy for several more years—these are called ‘fourth-years.’”
“As for ‘part-time students,’ they’re experienced challengers with extensive Shadow Realm records who take classes at our school while working elsewhere. We’re considered ‘full-time’ students.”
Huperion patiently explained to Lan Qi.
Unknowingly, as they chatted, they had reached the final level of the long staircase.
“I see! Thanks for explaining!”
Lan Qi grinned and thanked Huperion, who had answered all his questions without hesitation.
He took a few more steps forward.
What met his eyes was a massive glass curtain wall with intricate carvings, offering a full view of the entire campus—blossoming trees, grand buildings, and lush lawns, everything looked breathtakingly beautiful.
At the floating stairway’s transfer platform ahead, the path split into different directions.
“See you at the start of school, I’m heading over there to meet a friend.”
Lan Qi stopped, pointed toward the terrace, and bid farewell to Huperion.
He was heading to the terrace area connected to the first floor, where his demon mentor, Talia, was waiting for him.
Compared to Talia—who never said more than ten words in a single sentence—having a normal conversation with Huperion was far more comfortable for Lan Qi. As expected, there had to be a reason why a woman in her hundreds still couldn’t get married.
“Goodbye.”
Huperion nodded in response.
With that, their shadows parted, each walking in a different direction.
…
Three days later, in the early morning.
South of the Hedon Kingdom, in the Crein Empire.
Separated by a vast mountain range, transporting large quantities of goods from Hedon Kingdom’s southern border to Crein Empire’s northern border was much more convenient via merchant ships sailing along the eastern sea route.
Many northern cities in Crein Empire were built atop mountainous terrain, where towering structures blended seamlessly with the rolling landscape. Some of these classical buildings stood tall against the sky, surrounded by blue skies and drifting clouds—a truly picturesque sight.
Glanwaverly City, the main city of Crein Empire’s northern border region and one of the most prosperous cities in the north, stood nestled between misty mountains to the north and the endless sea to the east. The docks were bustling year-round.
The city’s upper terrace district, suspended between several intersecting mountain peaks, was filled with dark-gray and off-white classical buildings. The climate was warm and bright, the air carried a blend of floral fragrance and deep, resonant music, and the streets were wide and immaculate. Merchants in luxurious robes, knights, and clerics could be seen everywhere.
At this moment, inside a four-story building marked Wilford Merchant Guild, behind a door adorned with a plaque reading Chairman’s Office—
A middle-aged man sat in a comfortable chair behind his desk. He adjusted his glasses and began flipping through an issue of The Hedon Times from two days ago.
This was Noé Wilford, chairman of the Wilford Merchant Guild and Lan Qi’s father.
Since the Wilford Merchant Guild held crucial trade channels between the two nations, obtaining newspapers from Hedon Kingdom was not difficult, though occasional shipping delays meant they could arrive two or three days late—or, if an unlucky merchant vessel missed its schedule, even a week later.
“Let’s see what kind of news we’ve got this time.”
Noé leisurely browsed the latest Hedon Kingdom newspaper.
He didn’t read it daily, only picking it up now and then when he had some free time after dealing with business matters.
【A young man from the Holy Church Academy, after being kicked out of his team by his companions, was so enraged that he transformed into a love saint—winning over all of their mothers. When his former teammates, filled with regret, lined up to apologize, he turned around and sent all of their mothers to prison on the grounds that he was underage.】
【A man from the southern Vantina border region, resentful of his boss after excessive overtime, discovered that his employer was allergic to healing potions. He then proceeded to beat his boss with hands coated in healing potion. However, instead of causing an allergic reaction, he only ended up severely injuring his boss. After a month of detention, upon release, the man sued the potion manufacturer for producing counterfeit healing potions—and successfully won a 650-pound compensation from the company.】
As Noé flipped through the pages, he struggled to suppress his laughter, shaking his head all the while.
Hedon Kingdom was truly a land of extraordinary people.
The country frequently had to revise its laws—simply because incidents like these had never been considered before, requiring new legal provisions to address them.
In some cases, The Hedon Times was more entertaining than a joke book.
And so, Noé continued reading, enjoying this rare moment of leisure.
The chairman’s office was adorned with exquisite oil paintings and embroidery, with a plush carpet underfoot. The view from the window overlooked a sea of clouds, making Noé’s short break all the more relaxing.
Soon, his eyes landed on a report about Icrithe Academy in the royal capital.
【A serious accident occurred during the annual entrance exam for Icrithe Magic Academy’s Sage Institute…】
【Examiner Viscount Frat Savinson is no longer in critical condition after receiving emergency treatment.】
【Evidently, artificial Shadow Realms still require significant safety improvements.】
“I wonder which unlucky student managed to nearly kill an examiner. Honestly, whoever raised that kid must have terrible luck.”
Noé let out a schadenfreude-filled chuckle.
At least Lan Qi’s mediocrity had its advantages—he wouldn’t be causing incidents like this.
Cross-border communication spells were expensive, requiring special permits and multiple relay stations to function. Unless there was an emergency, Noé rarely contacted the family estate in southern Vantina.
As for whether Lan Qi passed the entrance exam—there was no need to ask.
Obviously, the kid must have performed disastrously in the Alchemy Institute’s entrance test and returned home with his tail between his legs.
Noé had already instructed Butler Hans to cut off Lan Qi’s financial support once he returned home, forcing the lazy fool to suffer a little.
Next time Noé visited Vantina, he’d see if Lan Qi had made any progress.
He continued reading—this report wasn’t finished yet.
【During the exam, the artificial Shadow Realm’s control terminal also malfunctioned once, possibly due to a candidate’s improper actions. According to an interview with Professor Polao from Icrithe Academy’s Magic Engineering Institute, the emergency repair process has already caused at least 8,000 pounds in damages to the South Kingdom United Currency fund…】
The accompanying photo showed an older magic engineer, dashing yet gritting his teeth in barely suppressed rage.
Even though he was doing his best to appear calm for the camera, the murderous intent in his eyes was unmistakable.
【…This is The Hedon Times reporter Ludwig Hill, bringing you the latest updates.】
Finally, the article ended.
Noé shook his head and closed the newspaper.
“Heh, what a talent—wrecking an exam terminal like that. If Magic Engineering Institute demands compensation, that poor kid’s family is doomed.”
Having finished his dose of The Hedon Times’ daily absurdity, Noé felt utterly satisfied.
Hopefully, the next edition would bring even juicier news.