NOVPUBNight had already fallen, with scattered lights reflecting on the South District of Herram.
As the moonlight was nearly hidden by the grey clouds, the bustling city began to ease into a slower pace.
In this city-state filled with magic and supernatural phenomena, a young man from the Protoss Royal Magic Academy was strolling alone on a deserted road, flanked by gardens and residences, hardly different from residential areas.
At this late hour, almost no students were wandering about.
However, Lanci was an exception.
He had been busy with official duties at the school all day.
After a brief visit to the Endless Library with Zestira in the morning, they returned to the teaching area of the Protoss Royal Academy.
Many teachers had matters to discuss with Lanci; the school had undergone drastic changes, and some implementation and coordination still required someone to make the final decisions or take responsibility.
Luckily, Lanci had plenty of work experience and handled everything smoothly, even without an assistant.
As he approached, a garden finally came into view.
A few lanterns were lit in the garden. Their faint orange glow flickered like tiny dancing flames, bringing a hint of warmth to the dropping temperatures in Herram every night.
The soft white light of the lamps in the corridor provided a sense of warmth and comfort.
Lanci gently pushed open the wrought iron gate. Night dew made the pebbles on the path behind the gate somewhat moist, and one could easily slip if they were not careful.
Upon reaching his unit, he took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack, then entered the living room and kindled the fireplace. The cushions on the sofa seemed to call to him, asking him to sit down and have a good rest.
"Today was another fulfilling day," Lanci sighed.
Looking out of the window, the chilly wind whistled as it swept across the treetops, stirring a rustling sound.
He took a deep breath, immersing himself in the comfort and tranquility that was insulated from the cold outside.
Even in the silence of the night, his mind was still preoccupied.
He had been inquiring about Hyperion, who had disguised herself as "Milian," in the imperial capital of Herram lately, to no avail.
Given the direction she had headed when they separated, she was likely in the Aestheland Kingdom now.
Lanci was content with his life in the Protoss Empire.
On the other hand, Hyperion was in the Aestheland Kingdom, a place whose culture and order felt entirely different from the Protoss Empire.
He wondered if she was doing well.
He needed to work harder. When she came to the Protoss Empire, he must prepare a surprise for her.
Although the first part of her journey may not have been pleasant, Lanci would do his best to fill the second half of her journey with unforgettable memories.
"Time for bed, Lanci," the cat boss emerged from the shadows and hopped onto the sofa, seeing that Lanci hadn’t moved.
Humans need not just good food, but also good sleep, to be healthy and happy.
Gradually, Lanci snapped out of his thoughts, looking back at the cat boss, as if remembering something important.
"Cat boss, I have a gift for you."
"What?"
The little black cat spoke with both curiosity and cautiousness.
It had been worried all the time.
Wherever Lanci went, he took control.
But now it finally understood what Xiu Bao meant by "a dangerous ambition."
Not only that.
Lanci seemed to be planning to finish up the school reform soon and head to the north of the empire to work for the Nirvana Branch.
Unlike the orderly imperial capital of Herram, the northern frontier near the battle lines was a horribly chaotic place.
The Saint of Nirvana there was not to be messed with. He was ruthless, powerful, and even ten Lancis wouldn’t stand a chance against him.
The Bishop of Nirvana, whose whereabouts had been mysterious recently, might also be in the north!
Moreover, there was something foreboding about the north of the empire... even the news was completely blocked...
The cat boss felt fearful.
Fearful in many senses.
Lanci always gambled big, and the cat boss dared not wager on when Lanci would push his luck too far!
"Cat boss, put this on."
Lanci took out the seventh-order pink holy grade spell card [Roar of the Storm Dragon] he got from the Endless Library this morning.
"Meow? Meow?!"
The cat boss seemed to be frozen, stunned on the couch,
"You want... to give it to me?"
It asked, its voice trembling slightly.
"Yes."
Lanci nodded in confirmation.
He chose a high-order card, hoping to use the cat boss’s external card slot.
If he equipped it with equipment cards that increase spirit attributes, he reckoned it could cast a seventh-order spell by exhausting all its mana.
Spirit attributes can enhance mana capacity and mana recovery speed.
Luckily, equipment cards that simply boost spirit aren’t expensive. The wages Lanci had earned from his diligent work lately was enough to buy adequate equipment cards for the cat boss at a big magic tool shop in Herram, the imperial capital.
"You’re not tricking me, meow?"
The cat boss’s speech had significantly sped up, its excitement almost jumping out of its chest.
"Of course not."
Lanci responded with a smile and offered the seventh-order card, which was enveloped by a pink halo, to the cat boss.
"Lanci, you’re the best meow! I’ll always cook for you!"
The cat boss, filled with immense joy, hugged this card and soul bound it.
A seventh-order pink sacred magic card was priceless and unavailable on the market.
Sometimes, the Southern Continent Card Maker Association, a branch of Ichrite, had some general-purpose second and third-order pink sacred cards that were sold for sky-high prices.
Even if the cat boss sold the Boss Cat Restaurant and added up its savings from over the years, it still couldn’t afford it.
Higher-order cards were even more ridiculously priced. It had never even allowed itself to buy a seventh-order blue preciousness magic card.
Now, Lanci had given it a seventh-order sacred card straight away!
Mixing with Lanci, perhaps one day it could be covered with purple and pink cards! A bright future awaited the cat!
"Okay, bind this one too, you can use it temporarily."
After the cat boss bound [Roar of the Storm Dragon], Lanci handed another white ordinary quality card to it.
"What’s this?"
The cat boss took this card with telekinesis magic.
[Fake Stone Tablet-Wind].
It suddenly felt disdain for white ordinary cards.
"What is this card for?"
The cat boss glanced at this incomprehensible first-order white card and couldn’t identify any effects. Even after binding it, it didn’t feel any boosts.
It seemed to be a blank tool card.
"It can add special effects to wind-attribute magic. The [Roar of the Storm Dragon] you’ll cast for me later will be extremely terrifying. It might be able to frighten enemies away directly. Of course, it could also cause an all-out manhunt and large-scale disturbances, so don’t use [Roar of the Storm Dragon] recklessly."
Lanci advised seriously.
"Oh, wow! That’s awesome!"
The cat boss happily accepted this card.
So, this is a skill appearance card.
Lanci always liked to make odd artistic cards. Previously, it had seen the skins Lanci made for the Great Love Poet.
Now it finally knew the use of such cards.
But certainly, Lanci was exaggerating to some extent.
Last time when they used the seventh-order [Sound Sealing Barrier], it only gave a fright to the silver-armored priests, those fifth-order guys.
When face-to-face with seventh or eighth rank experts, a seventh-order magic spell with many special effects wouldn’t intimidate them at all!
However,
As long as it wasn’t involved in causing major troubles with Lanci, it had nothing to worry about.
It would be so happy tonight that it wouldn’t be able to sleep!
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Requesting for votes at the beginning of the month! Poor Xixi is bowing to you all!
