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A few steps away, Lanci found dorm number 101 along the corridor next to the grand hall bathed in the glow of the sunset.
Inserting the key into the lock, a clear unlocking sound followed, and as the thick door and barrier opened, the familiar scenery of the entrance came into view.
"Meow meow meow, you haven’t been back for a month and a half, and the place is still this clean?"
Cat Boss looked around in surprise.
The remnants of the sunset through the gaps in the curtains cast a soft, warm light on the various brown, wooden furniture, making the whole interior space feel gentle and cozy.
"You can apply for dormitory maintenance services at the student service center. It’s common for students to go to higher-level Shadow Worlds for a month to several months, and the school will regularly send service personnel to help clean the dormitories."
Lanci hung his coat on a rack in the entrance hall and walked through the corridor back to the most spacious living room.
In fact, it was not much different from a hotel suite; most upperclassmen would arrange for this service before going to the Shadow World.
He turned on the light, drew the curtains, and the cushions and blankets spread over the sofa revealed warm hues, beside which a retro floor lamp stood quietly.
Soon, Lanci had Cat Boss activate the [Sound Sealing Barrier], and turned on all the magic devices in the workshop that blocked detection.
"Meow meow meow, could it be?"
Cat Boss looked up from the ground, staring at Lanci.
In this isolated, dimly lit room, Lanci slowly took out a finely detailed and small stone carving floatboard from his pocket.
Its surface was engraved with intricate ancient spell text, as if constantly radiating the luminosity of the Divine Era, instantly lighting up the surrounding space and casting all the illuminated details clearly on the dark walls.
Lanci gazed at the divine object in his hands.
[Original Stone Tablet- Sealed]
[Category: Equipment Card]
[Grade: Orange Epic]
[Rank: 5]
[Passive Effect: Original Slabs cannot be destroyed, only beings of the current world can perform Soul Binding with a maximum of one slab. Enhances all Seal Attribute Magic, Martial Skills, Equipment, and Summons. If the binder dies, the slab will become unbound.]
[Note: Destiny is tightly bound, yet the spirit can save all things.]
Previously he was only Fourth-Order, so he couldn’t bind to a Fifth-order Original Slab.
Binding himself to this slab also came with a corresponding price, which was that whenever he used Sealing System items and spells, he would trigger the same special effect as Asksan had with the [Original Stone Tablet- Sealed]. This is also why the new owners of the Original Slabs tend to become well known quickly.
While he could consider binding later, if he did not perform Soul Binding and store it in his Soul Space, it would have to be stored externally.
Always leaving it in the Boss Cat Restaurant for safekeeping meant that Pranay and the others became less free to help him watch over the treasure.
With a trip to the Cerryti Empire coming up, Lanci wasn’t planning on holding back anymore and was ready to become the bearer of the slab.
Like always, he lightly touched the Magic Card and established a soul connection. Amidst the glow, the slab, bearing secrets of a thousand years, dazzling and covert, began a direct dialogue with the observer’s spirit.
The profound curses contained within the slab felt almost tangible to the touch, with every line as though sculpted by divine hands.
The Force of the Primal within the slab resonated inexorably with the Magic Power emanating from Lanci, as if recognizing each other’s existence.
Cat Boss watched as the light from the slab illuminated Lanci’s cheeks, the radiance and Magic Power sweeping through the room, causing Lanci’s clothes and hair to flutter gently.
The light flowed ceaselessly, reflecting the intertwined trajectories of time and space, as if in a moment, witnessing countless histories and accumulating endless power.
Not until the contract had ended did the glow slowly fade.
And now, all of this was condensed in Lanci’s hands, waiting for the next miracle to happen.
Lanci exhaled, putting away his [Original Stone Tablet- Sealed].
After a brief confirmation, he found that [Wonderful Note], [Shining Virtue], and [Nuclear Fusion Wolf] had all received significant rate enhancements.
Suddenly, accompanied by the fragrance, a figure conjured out of Magic Power materialized next to Lanci, like a Celestial Spirit emerging from a flower.
"Why, apart from me, have all your other Epic Summons been enhanced!"
The Great Love Poet was hopping mad.
She was linked to Lanci’s soul, and the moment he bound his soul to the [Original Stone Tablet- Sealed], she also clearly felt that she became a controller of the slab.
But she herself did not receive the slightest enhancement!
"Look on the bright side, using Magic Power won’t trigger any special effects on you, so I can summon you whenever I want," Lanci said, spreading his hands.
The Great Love Poet could perform only two spells: one for making flowers bloom swiftly, innate Blossoming Magic from the [Poem of Pity], and her Demon Sound, which was essentially her Innate Magic of the Demon Race.
"Damn it! Ahhh!!"
```
The Great Love Poet shouted reluctantly.
"Right, starting from tomorrow, during the day at school, you won’t need to dismiss the summon. These are your new IDs. Remember to go to the laboratory on time every day with me, and don’t talk at will. Professor Bolao will equip you with a new translation Magic Device, which allows you to speak through it with your thoughts."
Lanci paid no attention to the Great Love Poet’s helpless fury. After all, this was the first floor, and the walls were soundproofed well enough that no amount of stomping on the floor would disturb the neighbors.
He took a box out of a shopping bag on the couch and handed it to the Great Love Poet. Inside were the Great Love Poet’s student ID and freshman uniform.
"Eh? Can I really do that?"
The Great Love Poet’s attention instantly zeroed in on the new clothes.
"As long as you don’t break the school rules, you’ll be fine."
Lanci handed her things to her.
The Great Love Poet’s belongings were increasing in number, and Lanci had also cleared out several cabinets for her in the workshop.
Because the Great Love Poet always made cards there, the place had almost become her private room.
Now a Sixth-order Lanci was continuously summoning the First-order Great Love Poet without much mana consumption—as long as he didn’t send her too far away, kept her out of combat, and she didn’t misuse her Demon Sound or Blossoming Magic, and merely maintained the ordinary state of summoning, mana consumption was only slightly faster than natural recovery, allowing for long-term summoning.
"Yay!"
The Great Love Poet cheered, arms raised high as she spun around in place.
Any previous grievances had vanished like smoke.
"Here, take this."
Lanci tossed an Original Stone Tablet to the Great Love Poet.
The Great Love Poet caught it steadily with both hands, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at it.
Before it was Soul Bound, she couldn’t unseal it much, but now that Lanci had bound his soul to it, it was as if she had bound hers too. She could manipulate it at will with just her willpower and study it.
Without saying anything to Lanci, the Great Love Poet ran into the Cardmaking Workshop and closed the door, beginning her research.
"By the way, about the research report on the [Original Slabstone-Sealing]..."
Lanci hadn’t finished speaking.
"I’ll write it for you."
The short and decisive voice of the Great Love Poet came from inside the workshop.
Lanci looked toward the door of the workshop, shook his head, and went back to the couch with a cup of linden tea he had brewed.
"Sometimes, I think the Great Love Poet is quite useful, hardworking and thrifty," he said, leaning back on the couch, taking a sip of tea, and sighing.
"Meow meow..."
Cat Boss didn’t understand if Lanci meant something else, but it always felt Lancaster wasn’t really talking about the Great Love Poet when he said that.
Before Lanci could finish enjoying his tea, the workshop door opened, and the Great Love Poet ran out again.
"How do I look in my new clothes?"
She had already changed into the freshman uniform.
Her sapphire-like eyes were clear and lively, and her proud expression seemed to anticipate Lanci’s praise.
The new uniform the Great Love Poet had put on featured an off-white coat with the golden emblem of Hutton Kingdom and the crest of the Magic Engineering College, a fitted black shirt underneath with a tie and bow at the collar, and a relatively short skirt that covered her snow-pure, fair skin.
The uniforms at Ichrite Academy actually came in many different styles, which could be freely mixed and matched and custom-tailored at the student service center. This meant there were hardly any two students with identical uniforms, yet one could still tell they belonged to Ichrite Academy and distinguish their college and grade by the colors and decorations.
The Great Love Poet had great faith in Lanci’s fashion sense and design ability, so she made no specific requests and let Lanci make all the decisions; her job was simply to wear it.
"Pfft..."
Lanci couldn’t help but laugh and quickly covered his mouth.
"Is it really that funny?"
The Great Love Poet looked puzzled.
She felt Lanci wasn’t being impolite; at least there was no mockery in his laughter, she was sure of that.
"It’s nothing. I mistook you for Tata in a uniform," said Lanci, adjusting his expression and shaking his head.
Well, at least it wasn’t Tata.
If Tata had actually worn that outfit, Lanci worried that he might not have been able to hold back his laughter and end up being theatened on the spot.
