Chapter 355
Chapter 355
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 355 – Lan Qi Is Getting More and More Unrestrained
The two continued along the corridor, their figures gradually fading into the shadows at the far end, leaving only scattered patches of light falling on the empty passageway.
Eventually, they reached the ground level, and under the watchful eyes of the prison guards, they stepped out of the Kingston City Prison together.
Beyond the layers of fortress-like gray stone walls, the cityscape of Kingston stretched out before them, picturesque and serene.
It was now just past one in the afternoon. The sun hung high in the sky, shedding a warm and gentle light. The sky itself was a pale blend of blue and white—clean and bright, with that distinctive clarity unique to spring in the Snowfield.
It had been nearly a month since they had last set foot in Kingston. The familiarity and comfort of the place once again surrounded them, and their steps grew lighter.
In this snowy province, apart from the harsh, snowbound roads, Kingston City was always where they stayed the longest—and it was the most peaceful.
“I think you really are quite a good headmaster.”
Sid thought for a moment before speaking.
After all, he had produced a good student like Shaya, and he could also handle a bad one like Anello.
“Oh? You understand that much?”
Lan Qi’s eyes lit up.
“Of course.”
Sid grinned smugly.
They were heading back to the Kingston lord’s manor to rest for the night. Tomorrow, they would continue south, heading toward Box Mountain Province—the northern transportation hub of the Protos Empire—before finally taking the magitek rail back to the imperial capital, Helrom.
The last time they had stayed in Kingston, they had been housed at Viscount Levin Kingston’s manor, and once again, he had prepared rooms for them.
As the two walked down the streets, their eyes occasionally met mid-conversation.
The Cat Boss, listening to Lan Qi and Sid chatting as casually as ever, grew anxious. It lifted its head from Sid’s arms, a worried expression in its feline eyes.
“There’s still the blockade at Box Mountain Province, meow. How are you planning to get Sid back through that?”
It looked at Sid, then at Lan Qi, and asked the question aloud.
It had already overheard them discussing in the inn that once they reached Box Mountain, no matter what disguise Sigrid used, the seal-masters stationed there would immediately sense the cursed sigil’s power within her.
The Great Deacons of Annihilation were all concentrated in Box Mountain Province—definitely not an obstacle that Lan Qi could brute-force his way through with only the strength of the Snowfield Province.
But Sigrid now seemed utterly carefree, in full “pet the cat, eat food, wait for things to work out” mode!
“Relax. Leave it to me.”
Lan Qi glanced at the Cat Boss and replied calmly.
“I just need to make a card. Once it’s ready, we can set off.”
The viscount’s manor had a room suitable for card-making, with all the necessary tools readily available. It had been a while since he last did this—time to return to his old trade.
No matter what, he had to get Sigrid back to Helrom as soon as possible.
First, he had an upcoming interview at the Helrom Broadcasting Corporation—an important live broadcast that he, as a proper headmaster, couldn’t simply skip.
Second, Sigrid’s bishop election was imminent. If she, as the Cardinal of Heaven breaker, could win, she would become the sole decision-maker for the Resurrection Church within the Protos Empire. From then on, the church in the entire empire would be under the joint control of just the two of them.
“Then I want to watch you make the card. But if someone is nearby, will it affect you?”
Sid perked up immediately.
She had nothing else to do now and had long been curious about the Son of Annihilation’s “magitek artisan” profession. This was the perfect chance to see it for herself.
“No problem. In fact, I do better when I can feel someone’s gaze while working.”
Although his trusty assistant, the Great Poet, wasn’t here, the card he needed to make wasn’t particularly difficult—he could handle it easily.
Besides, if there happened to be a mature woman watching him while he worked, perhaps his success rate would improve even more.
“…Just now—did you think something very impolite?”
Sid looked up, scrutinizing Lan Qi’s expression, her tone full of suspicion.
“Absolutely not. Only respect.”
Lan Qi answered with complete sincerity.
“Reeeally?”
Sid’s voice stretched out accusingly.
“I really do respect you.”
Lan Qi looked at her with an expression of innocent sincerity.
“…”
“Forget it. Whether I was at my peak or now, when I’m this weakened, your attitude toward me hasn’t changed. I suppose that counts as being consistent. You get a free pass this time—no loss of favorability points.”
Sid sighed, closed her eyes, and waved her hand dismissively.
“Speaking of which, what’s even the point of favorability anymore?”
Lan Qi thought about it. So long as it didn’t drop so low that Sid left the party, it didn’t seem to make much difference.
“…Sid is even willing to die with you, you know. Having a girl like that by your side—don’t you feel moved?”
Sid, after a brief pause for thought, spoke like a young girl telling a fairy tale, describing how they had faced the Son of Annihilation together that morning in the Snowfield.
“…”
Lan Qi stared at Sid, at a loss for words.
This boss wasn’t even pretending to sweet-talk him anymore.
Seeing Lan Qi’s helpless expression, Sid laughed again.
“You have to keep working hard, Saint Son.”
Sid gave him a satisfied pat on the back, her expression bright and cheerful.
Even without her power, she didn’t seem to worry about the future at all.
With their steps, the familiar manor gradually came into view.
The tall, imposing building seemed to greet them, its red brick walls and tiled roofs standing out vividly.
At the front gate, the uniformed guards spotted the two of them and immediately opened the doors, saluting them with the utmost respect.
The courtyard looked the same as ever—flowers, greenery, and the fountain glittered in the sunlight. Every few steps came the sound of snow crunching and melting beneath their feet. The frost on the rooftops had grown damp, no longer hard and brittle, gleaming like crystal in the sun.
All the while, the Cat Boss listened to their conversation, its brows furrowing ever more tightly.
Spending over two months alone with Lan Qi in the northern continent had made it fully aware of something: Lan Qi possessed a terrifying kind of ambition—one so intense that even he himself didn’t seem to notice it.
Sometimes he was gentle, almost like a housewife, full of maternal fussing. Combine that with his bizarre talents, and he became a dangerous cocktail of contradictions.
Talia seemed instinctively resistant to this poison, always drawing a clear line between herself and Lan Qi.
Hupe could stay clear-headed in its presence and suppress its toxicity.
But Sid… Sid had the monstrous capacity to drink this poison with no limit whatsoever.
Not only did she indulge Lan Qi, she fueled his darker impulses, and Lan Qi, in turn, felt satisfied by her recognition—taking Sid, this “female version of himself,” as a mirror and thinking, Well, if she’s normal, then I must be too.
The Cat Boss thought this through and found it deeply unsettling.
Most youthful romance stories were supposed to be about a boy meeting a girl, and the two healing and redeeming each other.
Other couples soared like birds into the sky.
These two? They were like a drill meeting an energy source—digging deeper and deeper into hell.
Weird. Way too weird… The Cat Boss gave them another wary glance.