NOVPUBThe morning light poured in from the glass skylight above, lingering on wooden beams and bookshelves.
Sitting opposite Talia on a stool across from her lounge chair, Lanci chatted with her.
"So, the reason you came to see me today has to do with the Shadow World."
Talia asked without a hint of question in her tone.
"Help me take a look at this material."
Lanci took a pale blue, gradually shaded gemstone out of his pocket and spread it out in the palm of his hand.
The polyhedral gem burst into brilliance in the dawn light, its color deepening from the center to the edge, shimmering like the shallows of the ocean.
"..."
Talia glanced at Lanci, put down the little fox in her hands, and gently took the [Calila’s Shadow Weave Record] from Lanci.
Clasping the cool, faceted gemstone in her hand, she closed her eyes. She didn’t look at it but sensed its magic power.
"Is this... the magic power of the Great Demon Clan’s Calila?"
Talia muttered to herself, puzzled.
Back when the Demon Tribe Kingdom still existed, the trial of Fallen Wonderland had been a challenge of the Great Demon Clan, which Talia had also attempted.
Now, truly feeling Calila’s magic power, she was very familiar with it, even somewhat affectionate, as if it resonated with her.
The last time she felt this way was when she received the Hutton family’s treasure, the [Poem of Pity].
"Yes, in the Shadow World this time, Hugh and I met Calila from the ancient Demon World, struck up a bond with her, and the final reward from the Shadow World turned out to be a treasure from Calila…"
Lanci briefly recounted the events in the Shadow World to Talia.
"Speaking of which, do you have a [Fallen Mark]?"
It was Lanci’s closing question.
"I don’t, but at the time, before the collapse of the Demon Tribe Kingdom, the trial of Fallen Wonderland wasn’t difficult for me; it was just very time-consuming, so I opted for other emotional challenges."
Talia shook her head slightly.
There wasn’t much trauma in her heart, so the effect of Fallen Wonderland on her wasn’t significant; she could break free as long as she found a flaw.
"Oh!"
Lanci understood, realizing that to complete the trial of Fallen Wonderland, one couldn’t eat before finishing the one hundred and thirty-one steps, which to Talia would have been tantamount to torture; no wonder she was reluctant to face that trial.
"What kind of torture is that?"
Talia’s voice suddenly snapped Lanci back to reality.
He shuddered and immediately refocused his mind.
"Anyway, you just shouldn’t try the Fallen Wonderland. Even Hugh thought in the beginning that he could make it through that magic barrier, but he ultimately couldn’t break free from it."
Lanci said.
"Indeed."
Talia nodded.
She could imagine the kind of dream Hugh would encounter and knew how difficult it was for Hugh to leave such dreams.
However, she now constantly felt as if she was in the magic of Fallen Wonderland in her own reality.
A year ago, she was a vagrant, dining under the open sky and barely scraping by, her meals worse than those of a night owl.
Later, with ample money, a Hutton Kingdom citizenship, a comfortable home, she began living an easy life. Suddenly, her niece was sent to stay with her, she made friends in the city, and later, even an old friend from a century ago was brought over from the Northern Continent.
Such an absurd sequence of events had all occurred within the span of a year.
Sometimes she questioned whether she had fallen into the Gentle Wonderland herself.
If Lanci granted her one or two more wishes, she might genuinely become immune to the temptations of Fallen Wonderland because reality and dream would become indistinguishable; she would have no reason to indulge in fantasies.
Thinking this way, she felt she owed Lanci words of gratitude but didn’t know how to express them.
"So, you want me to help you with card making?"
Talia returned the gem to Lanci.
When Lanci approached her with such a puzzling high-quality material, she pretty much knew what he wanted from her.
Then as now, it was same when they first crafted the [Poem of Pity] together at the Nanwantina Border.
"Yes, that’s right."
Lanci confirmed.
"I can."
Talia looked down at the fox rolling on the ground and agreed to his request with ease.
Just like last time.
And she knew Lanci planned to visit the Cerryti Empire and that he needed more reliable strength before that.
"Additionally, I’ll be heading to Poseen Kingdom in the middle of this month to purchase some materials, but for high-grade materials I might still need your help with identification and selection,"
Lanci continued.
"Do you wish for me to accompany you?"
Talia asked.
"Yes, I am on an official dispatch, and the Southern Continent Card Maker Association will cover all the assistant’s travel and accommodation expenses. You will also gain the title of Examiner Assistant and enjoy high privileges for shopping and sightseeing at the Poseen Kingdom branch of the association,"
Lanci nodded.
Moreover, Professor Bolao had reminded him that recently the Southern Continent was not very peaceful and that it would be wise to hire a strong bodyguard.
"So that’s it."
She had long heard of the unique cuisine of Poseen Kingdom but given its distance compared to domestic travel, she also had to protect Hyperion and had no plans for traveling.
"Are you going to bring Pranay and the others?"
"I was thinking of asking them to watch over the house."
Since the Wilfords had moved to Ichrite, and their new residence was not far from Ichrite Academy, after the recent Nanwantina raid, Lanci had asked Pranay and the others to check on the Wilford’s house security often. The Blood Clan was probably aware of the association between Hyperion and the Wilford family by now.
Originally, Lanci thought of taking Pranay and the others with him, letting Talia watch over the house, as Talia was already familiar with the Wilfords, and staying at their house would not make her uncomfortable.
But now that he needed to take Talia, he could only have Pranay and the others stand guard at home.
Looking at it this way, it was still safest to leave Hyperion at the Ichrite headquarters—it would not be wise to take her out of the country for an adventure.
"I understand,"
Talia grasped Lanci’s intentions. If it was just the two of them going on a quick trip, they were not likely to attract the Rebirth Church or the Blood Clan, and safety would be more than assured since the Rebirth Church’s enmity was mostly centered on Hyperion.
"How much is the card crafting commission this time?"
After some thought, Lanci finally asked.
Last time it was a seventy-five thousand pound mortgage over ten years, and he had only managed to pay off about the interest, still owing Talia over seventy thousand pounds.
But last time was for a First-order card, and this time Lanci hoped to create a Sixth-order card, which meant the price would definitely change exponentially.
He was prepared for Talia’s astronomical demand.
"You help me find my sister, and that will be the payment,"
Talia replied calmly.
"Uh, but I was already planning to help Hyperion find Miss Isatia," 𝘯𝑜𝑣𝑝𝑢𝘣.𝑐𝑜𝑚
Lanci did not expect Talia to make such a simple request this time.
He did not want to take advantage of Talia; a written contract between them was more reassuring.
"I know, but that’s the only wish I have. As long as you can help me find my sister, I will make this card for you, and I can keep on making cards for you in the future,"
Talia said.
She was now very confident in Lanci’s "civil service ability," as mentioned by Asina. No matter how absurd the task of finding someone was, he generally managed to fulfill it.
"Uh..."
Lanci was momentarily stunned.
He hadn’t expected this indifferent Princess of the Demon Clan to become so understanding.
The game of false favorability would prompt him every time, but when asked directly, the person had no idea what the rewards were.
The game of true favorability never prompted him whether favorability changed after she brought gifts, but it seemed that it indeed increased a little each time, from initially being indifferent towards him to being willing to invite him for meals, to allowing him to stay at her house, and now even agreeing to help him with card making.
"Don’t get too excited yet. Collaborative card crafting is not that easy. Last time our steps were completely separate, each doing our own thing. To collaborate like the Great Love Poet and craft high-grade cards requires a lot of practice,"
Talia reminded him, her tone calm and steady.
Their pacing was inherently inconsistent, and Talia always felt that Lanci treated card making like a game.
It was fortunate that Lanci was trained by her personally, so at least compared to a stranger cardmaker, they understood each other’s crafting habits well.
"No problem, but I still have some things to take care of in the next few days. Once I’m done, I’ll come to you for practice!"
Lanci answered with a smile, standing up to head back to Ichrite Academy.
In the next few days, he still had to consult Professor Bolao, help the guild leader solve problems, and even sort out a date for Dean Loren.
Once everything at Ichrite Academy was settled, he could then devote himself entirely to card making!
