NOVPUBIn the lingering twilight, rows of red brick buildings bathed in the dusk stood majestically and solemnly, bearing witness to the long history and extraordinary wisdom of the Magic Engineering Academy.
"Asking Professor Bolao for material ratios, before I realized it, the sun was about to set."
Lanci said, holding Boss Cat.
Originally, Lanci had told Boss Cat to go back to the restaurant and rest, but it ended up following him nonetheless.
But thinking about it, it seemed that the Boss Cat Restaurant was close to completely optimizing Boss Cat out, leaving it with nowhere else to go if not with him.
Since their trip to the Northern Continent, the two hadn’t returned to the restaurant much, yet the restaurant continued to operate as usual, and was even thriving.
"Meow."
Boss Cat yawned, as if it had just woken up.
It made its way slowly along the campus paths, riding on the back of Lanci, its most powerful mount.
The stream beside them was clear to the bottom, gently winding its way around, reflecting the fading twilight in the sky and the silhouettes of nearby trees, as if the calmness of the moment was flowing gently with time.
Earlier, while listening to the discussion between Lanci and Professor Bolao, it had fallen asleep in the shadows.
Wherever they looked, a sea of flowers bloomed on the opposite shore, part of the corner of the Alchemy College System Botanical Garden, a place not only for practicing bioengineering but also a meeting point for knowledge and natural beauty.
"Lanci meow, let’s buy some vegetables at the campus center on the way back to school."
Boss Cat gazed at the scenery within the school, its attention gradually focusing as it spoke in a drowsy haze.
"Oh, right."
Lanci replied, slightly changing direction.
With a bit of a detour, they could head to the campus center, where they could find a wide variety of daily necessities and ingredients. Of course, there were also many shops on the first and second floors, including popular dining establishments and chain stores found throughout the Hutton Kingdom.
Having not been back to school for a long time, Lanci forgot that he was in Ichrite and needed to return to the Sage Academy Dormitory Building, not to a palace restaurant.
Unlike Herram, which burst into a blaze of lights at night, and Demon King Castle Necaris, where there was revelry night after night, Ichrite was a very slow-paced city, consistently ranked among the most livable cities in the South Continent.
By five in the evening, many shops would simply close up shop for the day. Even the supermarkets would shut down by half. Working overtime was out of the question – the people of Ichrite valued their lifestyle.
Recently, the newspaper where Senior Sister Lavisseir worked experienced a new incident where an intern worked overtime for an extra fifteen minutes after hours.
As a result, the boss arranged for a whole week of half-hour daily psychological counseling during lunch, explaining to him the hazards of overtime work and its negative consequences.
Because of Ichrite’s excellent civil development and security management, lawyers ended up not having many cases to work on.
"Sigh, my law firm has only had Hyperion as a client since it opened."
Lanci lamented.
Apart from handling the paperwork for Hyperion to inherit the Duke’s title, he hadn’t taken on a single decent case.
"Is it possible that you have to give your opponent a chance to go to court first?"
Boss Cat, silent for a while, asked.
"Like what?"
Lanci didn’t quite understand.
"Like Asksan, he seems a bit perplexed."
Boss Cat gave an example.
"Didn’t he lose the case? The Protoss Supreme Court ruled on it, and I have perused the verdict."
Lanci inquired, puzzled.
"Right, he has no objection."
Boss Cat nodded and sighed.
Communicating with this person can sometimes really be futile.
"I guess I can only take on cases that no one else wants to, but such cases come along maybe once every year or two in Ichrite." 𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑝𝘶𝘣.𝑐𝘰𝘮
He had had such a rare opportunity, yet he had missed it.
From Professor Bolao, he’d learned that recently, Dean Loren had been attending hearings at Old Buri Court every day, and no one dared to defend him, which made Lanci deeply regretful.
If he had another chance, he would certainly act as Loren’s lawyer, providing the Dean with the strongest legal support.
A man and his cat chatted as they walked into the campus center.
After several minutes, they walked back out.
In addition to holding a cat in his left arm, Lanci now also carried a shopping bag in his right hand.
As the sunset’s light filtered through the dense leaves, it laid a pattern of dusky gold upon the stone steps of the Sage Academy Tower Library.
On the side path, only a few figures hurried home through the setting sun while a gentle breeze mingled the blended fragrance of flowers and the ink of ancient books into a unique aroma.
When their gaze landed on the iconic Sage Academy Tower Library, they knew they had stepped into the territory of the Sage Academy.
Last year’s observation of the Original Slabs took place in the library’s first-floor assembly hall that resembled a parliament.
Indeed, he had thought such Stone Slabs were quite impressive, befitting the title of "the strongest epic item to prove the might of the mightiest of the current age."
Half a year had gone by, and things had changed.
As Asksan’s successor, Lanci too would become the new bearer of the [Original Stone Tablet-Sealed].
After finishing up in Shadow World and going to Boss Cat Restaurant today, Lanci had retrieved his [Original Stone Tablet-Sealed] that he had left with Pranay and the others.
As a Sixth-order, he was now able to bind the Stone Slab to himself.
Before they knew it, Lanci and the Cat Boss had arrived at a manor hotel-like majestic red-brick building.
Passing through the revolving glass door of the Sage Academy Dormitory Building, they were greeted by a refreshing scent of lavender, while spirited music floated gently to their ears.
In a corner of the first-floor lobby, sofas and coffee tables were arranged for Sage Academy students to relax at any time.
"Have you heard? A Cardinal Bishop seems to have taken up residence in our Hutton Kingdom and doesn’t want to leave. Sadly, the United Council’s Star-checkerboard also can’t divinate his exact coordinates."
"If he’s a new Bishop of the Rebirth Church, then he’s likely a bearer of the Original Slabs."
"Even if he’s a Cardinal Bishop, he wouldn’t dare to act rashly and reveal his identity within the city’s protective barrier."
"No matter who he is, if he dares to provoke us within Hutton territory, Dean Loren will immediately end his life."
"What if the Cardinal Bishop suddenly swears allegiance to Dean Loren? "
"Hiss—"
As evening fell, there were still students sitting on the sofas, sipping tea or chatting in a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere.
They didn’t pay much attention to the people passing by—both old residents and the arrival of new students were commonplace here.
"Senior Wilford!"
Suddenly, a freshman spotted Lanci and called out.
The first-year students of Sage Academy quickly recognized the student personally taught by Dean Loren.
Even now, there were many enforcement records from the student council about him circulating around the campus.
"Hello, everyone."
Lanci raised his hand and greeted everyone with a smile.
After that, he made inquiries about the students’ learning situations, their views on the new term, and the aspects of the school that needed improvement.
Finally, Lanci bade farewell to the new students, smiling and waving goodbye amidst their farewells.
