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As dusk fell, the capital of Palante, Helsaraym, was softly illuminated by the dim anti-aircraft lights, and the people on the streets moved with the urgent air of wartime.
The silhouette of the Council building stood out even more prominently against the night sky, like a lighthouse nearing extinction.
Behind one brightly lit window of the high-rise buildings, Lanci’s solemn face was seen meticulously at work, discussing matters with his secretary.
The secretary, who had originally been full of awe and slightly restrained, gradually began to relax his tense posture and close the distance between them due to Lanci’s speech.
Outside of the Shadow World.
It was just past eight in the morning at Ichrite Academy.
The Jera Memorial Square with its outdoor giant screen and surrounding steps basked in the radiant sunlight.
However, unlike usual, the number of students watching the screen was significantly higher than normal, and a cacophony of chatter and discussion was incessant.
"Seventh-order Shadow World?"
The image had flashed by just moments ago, undoubtedly indicating the opening of a Shadow World with a lofty seventh-order ranking.
Such a high-level Shadow World was seldom seen by them.
Even the senior students might not be able to break through to the seventh order, let alone encounter a Shadow World of this level.
"How exactly did Lanci get into a seventh-order Shadow World? Did he find a seventh-order team to join?"
Having not seen Lanci for a semester, the students of Sage Academy had started to miss the joy he brought to everyone; no one expected his return to make such a big splash.
"My God, does Dean Loren know that he has gone to a seventh-order Shadow World?"
Right now, what they feared the most was Dean Loren’s reaction.
Under normal circumstances, Sage Academy would have already begun its meeting.
But Loren currently being away, it would probably take some time before he learned the news.
It was unclear whom Loren was meeting now, but if he were to find out that Lanci had ventured into the seventh-order Shadow World with Hyperion, he would undoubtedly rush back to Ichrite at the first opportunity.
It was well known that failure in a seventh-order Shadow World could lead to unimaginable natural disasters.
The Shadow World, like a double-edged sword, would periodically open, with an endless number of worlds; timelines and worldviews could vary, some easy and simple, others exceedingly dangerous. They could appear without warning at fixed or random entrances in this world, as projections of historical fragments or otherworldly histories. If left unattended, a Shadow World would automatically close after a certain period, causing calamities to consume the present world.
Clearing a Shadow World yielded substantial rewards, while failure led to natural disasters in some part of the world.
The higher the order of the Shadow World, the more exponential the reward or catastrophe would be.
Therefore, every nation was putting forth their utmost effort to cultivate talents adept at conquering Shadow Worlds, and that was part of Ichrite Academy’s mission.
If a student’s excessive mistakes lead to an incident that caused a large-scale disaster in the real world, Ichrite Academy would be held primarily responsible!
Given the participants were Lanci and Hyperion, Loren would undoubtedly be the primary person responsible.
"Originally, with the issue of Senior Asina, it’s said that led by Duke Gareth, many high-ranking individuals in the kingdom have been using this as a pretext to impeach Dean Loren. Outside of the Hutton Kingdom, there have always been voices fanning the flames, wishing neither too much limelight for Loren nor continued resource and association support for Ichrite Academy."
Many students of Ichrite Academy were analyzing the situation.
Looking at it this way, at this critical juncture, for Lanci to make such a lethal move to enter a seventh-order Shadow World, if Dean Loren wasn’t sabotaging himself, then he must be making a bold strategic play.
"Thinking positively, there’s much more room for maneuvering in the seventh-order Shadow World — with greater freedom in duration and maps, and countless historical figures to encounter. As Dean Loren’s secret weapon, maybe everything is within his calculations."
Although most of the onlookers in front of the screen expressed concern, there were still students who had witnessed Lanci’s previous ventures into the Shadow Worlds choosing to believe before doubting.
"But... the theme of this time..."
Such words made many eyes turn back towards the screen, their voices becoming hesitant.
After half a year without seeing Lanci, he seemed quite inexperienced with challenges in the Shadow World, and in such a pressing situation, he inexplicably started to chat with his secretary about many topics unrelated to the war, visibly causing the secretary’s expression to change – it was unclear what Lanci was up to or what new skill this could be.
Upon entering the Shadow World, people will receive an unpredictable new identity to act out a segment of history.
Sometimes the new identity might closely match one’s own professional skills, while other times it might be particularly problematic, requiring special experience to navigate the position.
The higher the position, the more demanding the required skills and the more arduous the mission.
It was their first time seeing someone have such terrible luck right from the opening of the Shadow World – becoming a prime minister at the end of his rope!
Generally, anyone who received such an identity was pretty much facing game over from the start.
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Capital of Hutton, Ekrite.
Not far from the City Hall, the Duke’s Mansion of Duke Gareth, complementing the family’s heritage and power.
The air was filled with a faint fragrance emanating from a row of potted plants near the reception room window.
Deep blue tapestries hung on the walls, depicting the Gareth family crest that symbolized the fusion of power, commerce, and culture.
Two middle-aged men dressed in luxurious attire sat comfortably on sofas, separated by a low coffee table inlaid with rubies, discussing recent important matters of the kingdom.
Suddenly, as if something occurred to him, Marquis Gasigus, one of the visitors, spoke up.
"Duke Gareth, leave Loren to me. Although he’s been quite popular recently, that doesn’t cover up his decline in educational affairs," the Marquis leaned forward slightly, ready to take the lead, and promised Duke Gareth.
Giving up on Asina was absurd enough to make even the King himself lament, and it’s clear that Loren has compromised himself this time.
"..."
Duke Gareth scrutinized Marquis Gasigus and gave a slight nod.
He looked out of the window, his thoughts drifting, making it difficult for Gasigus to guess the Duke’s pleasure or displeasure.
Not long after.
Footsteps echoed in the mansion, and an attendant with the precision and grace of a secretary entered the reception room.
The attendant approached Duke Gareth, bowed slightly, and spoke in a volume only they could hear.
Listening, the expression on Duke Gareth’s face, so far unchanging, began to show a hint of surprise.
Until the attendant left.
Duke Gareth silently repeated Loren’s name, clenching his fist.
"Loren… Have you been too indulgent with your students? Are you now about to taste the bitter fruits of your actions?" he murmured, as if he had finally found an opportunity to settle new grudges and old scores.
"Hahaha."
Marquis Gasigus, on the other side, couldn’t help but laugh mockingly upon hearing Duke Gareth’s remark.
Loren was too humorous.
He had originally worried that Asina’s issue alone would not be sufficient to indict Loren. But now, even without the opposition kicking a man when he’s down, the kingdom of Hutton would not withstand the pressure from the South Continental Kingdom Union Council and the Shadow World Management Association.
If a Seventh-order Shadow World failed and triggered a natural disaster, it would have a detrimental impact on the international reputation of both the Hutton Kingdom and Ichrite Academy!
"Lanci, is he the student always found with Duke Migaya’s daughter?" Duke Gareth asked.
He knew little about the freshman squabbles at Ichrite Academy, only vaguely hearing that there seemed to be a Sage Academy freshman named Lanci who defeated the Goddess of Destruction, allowing Loren to find another young genius after Asina.
His impression of this young man named Lanci was that he fawned over Duke Migaya’s young lady, appearing as if he wanted to retire at twenty and live off a woman.
"That’s the one," declared Marquis Gasigus, slapping the armrest and revealing a gleeful smile,
"This simplifies things. Regardless of how the Kingdom Joint Council and international community pressure us in the coming days, we just need to push Loren forward, fully support him—that fellow won’t shy away from responsibility."
When the tide wasn’t in Loren’s favor, there was no need to openly offend him. They could act behind the scenes. At this time, they could masquerade as supporters of Loren, attracting all the negativity they could.
For a while to come, Loren would probably not be able to discern who genuinely wanted to help him and who was trying to pull him under.
As the saying goes, ’fortune helps the fortunate, doom awaits the forsaken.’ They wouldn’t need to lift a finger, as various forces would naturally suppress Loren, and the narrative would turn to Loren being an extremely reckless and failed dean!
A Seventh-order Shadow World, starting with a hellish scenario; even if Loren’s students were against all odds, they wouldn’t be able to help their teacher reverse the public opinion this time.
If Loren, who doesn’t understand politics, what sort of prime minister would that kid Lanci be?
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