The moment he crossed the threshold at the dormitory entrance, every living creature outside turned their heads, blue light glowing in their eyes, and fixed their gazes upon Karen.
Karen felt no fear. He allowed the invisible force surging like a tide to push him outward bit by bit. As he was pushed back, he made a point of turning around to look at the dormitory building shrouded in a blue halo.
Was this a barrier of the Spear of Eternity?
No, this had already surpassed the level of a mere barrier; it belonged to the realm of a domain.
Within this domain, Michios could dominate almost everything. This was an ability belonging to the divine—only the rarest, most powerful, and perfectly intact divine artifacts could retain a fragment of such power.
All divine artifacts yearned for a single thing: the return of their former masters. Only then could they regain their freedom and reclaim their former glory.
Michios was certainly looking forward to the return of the God of Eternity as well.
His shift in attitude toward Karen had begun when he caught sight of the hunger addiction deep within Karen's soul, yet it was by no means fawning. It resembled more of an amused, detached mindset—someone watching a spectacle unfold.
He said that if Karen could find him in the future, he would be willing to help.
So, could Karen's growth bring him visible benefits?
And did this benefit apply to him alone, or to an entire group?
He must know the inside story behind the end of the previous era, and perhaps even why the gods had not appeared in this era.
Every word and gesture from Michios since his appearance resurfaced in Karen's mind as Karen attempted to deduce valuable information from them.
Setting aside any idealized preconceptions, an artifact spirit that had been sealed away for ages was not much different from the Children of God Neo often talked about—at times, they were as naive as kindergarten children.
They were not good at disguises. Or rather, the disguises they considered clever were nothing more than a joke before a professional with extensive investigative experience.
"My growth benefits them?"
"Whose interests will be harmed by my growth?"
"Is it only when that person's interests are harmed that they can benefit?"
Karen felt he had caught a glimpse of the truth behind this thread.
In the next moment, his conscious presence was "expelled" from that place, returning in full to reality.
The experiences of the past half-day felt like a dream.
Yet the call from Teacher Hiderode beside him snapped Karen back to alertness in an instant.
"Karen, Karen, are you alright?"
Karen opened his eyes, mastering his emotions and micro-expressions in an instant. Raising a hand to rub his forehead, he said, "Teacher, just now I seemed to hear the sound of the door opening, just as you described, and I heard the screams you mentioned too."
"And then?" Hiderode pressed.
"Then I tried to focus and listen more carefully to catch it, but it was like I dozed off for a moment. My head is still a little dizzy right now."
"Ah." Hiderode sighed. "You shouldn't force yourself, Karen. It could cause damage to your mind or even your soul."
"I was just very curious about this dorm. I really wanted to see what kind of situation the four people who lived here back then were in, and I wanted to know more about them."
"That's natural. Their identities certainly pique the curiosity of those of us who came later, but you shouldn't be so reckless."
"I understand, Teacher. I was overconfident. I won't do it again."
"Mm. As long as you're fine. Let's head back. I think you need to rest, so why don't you skip this afternoon's class?"
"I plan to head back to the guesthouse. Tomorrow I have to report to the investigation team, so I'll just have to find time to make up the class hours later."
"There's no need to worry about that. There'll be plenty of time and opportunities in the future."
Hiderode led Karen out of the room, and the two then left the dormitory building.
After passing through that uninhabited zone, the two returned to the living quarters. Below the faculty apartment building, Hiderode asked, "Karen, why don't you rest at my place?"
"I won't trouble you, Teacher. After all, the Regional Chief might come home, so it might not be convenient. Thank you for your kindness, Teacher. Please go up and rest; I'll head back to the guesthouse."
"All right. I'll prepare some notes and articles for you, and I'll give them to you once you're done with the investigation team and back for classes."
"Thank you so much, Teacher."
After parting ways with Karen, Hiderode went upstairs, unlocked the door, and entered the apartment.
Gaspol was not home, so he was the only one there. He stepped into his study and turned on the light.
Soon, the rug before the desk levitated, revealing the array patterns beneath. As the array activated, a dark figure slowly emerged from within.
"Ahhh..." The shadow let out an exceptionally lazy yawn, as if interrupted from an afternoon nap. "Hiderode, I received a notification here that you took a screened target to that dormitory building. Well? What's the result?"
The person asking sounded perfunctory, as if they had already anticipated the outcome and were merely going through the motions.
Hiderode replied, "No result."
"Sigh, I knew it. Tell me, when will this ever end?"
"That, I wouldn't know. After all, before you and me, countless generations of investigators have already come and gone. Perhaps we are only serving as a bridge. The person that noble existence seeks might only appear under the watch of our successors, or even our successors' successors."
"Indeed, that's the most helpless part of it. All right, Hiderode, what's the name of the student you screened this time? I'll draft an investigation report for him and see if he can be recommended to other departments. Any young man whose spiritual aptitude can pass the screening is bound to be outstanding. Plenty of departments are scrambling for such talent."
"His name is Masethes Kunowa, from the Loriel Region, currently studying in the Department of Priesthood, student ID 4550812."
"Got it, I've noted it down. That'll be all then. Goodbye, Hiderode."
"Goodbye, my Lord."
The array ceased operation, and the shadow vanished.
Hiderode let out a sigh, picked up the thermos on the desk, and prepared to head to the kitchen for hot water. Opening the study door, his pupils shrank instantly—for Karen was standing right outside.
*Clatter!*
The thermos crashed to the floor.
"Uh... ugh... Scared the life out of me... scared the life out of me..."
Hiderode grabbed the doorframe with one hand to keep his balance and clutched his chest with the other.
Karen took out his class schedule, held it out before Hiderode, and smiled. "My oversight, Teacher. I forgot something. I haven't had you sign off on my morning class hours yet."
Hiderode shot Karen an exasperated glare, took the schedule and a pen, and swiftly signed his name.
"You told me you weren't very interested in arrays, but in fact, from what I've observed, your understanding of them is very deep. To think you could breach the security array of the faculty apartments and slip in this fast."
The keys used to open doors here were not meant for mechanical locks, but rather to deactivate the security array on each room.
Karen replied, "I wasn't lying to you, Teacher. Compared to other areas, the energy I dedicate to arrays is genuinely rather modest."
Handing the schedule back to Karen, Hiderode asked, "If I had just spoken your name, would you have killed me?"
"You are my teacher. I respect you greatly."
Karen bent down, picked up the dropped thermos, and walked into the kitchen to fill it with water.
Hiderode followed him out and said, "The Head of the Law Enforcement Department of the Whip of Order in the Yorktown Region—no, the man about to become the Regional Chief of the Yorktown Region—how could he be brushed off so easily, right?"
Karen shook his head, dropped in some tea leaves, poured the hot water, and handed the thermos to Hiderode, replying, "I never expected to deceive you, nor did you expect to..."
"No, I think I did deceive you." Hiderode shrugged. "When I opened the study door and got startled, that wasn't an act."
Karen made neither confirmation nor denial.
Hiderode continued, "I'm just an old university professor. People like me practically have the word 'naive' engraved on our foreheads."
Karen asked, "Why?"
"Why what?"
"If you are naive, why?"
"You want to ask why I covered for you?" Hiderode blew across the rim of the cup and took a sip of tea. "Why wouldn't I cover for you? What benefit would I get from reporting you?"
"None at all?"
"Maybe there is, maybe there isn't. People have been running this project for who knows how many generations; nobody can say for sure what the reward for completing it even is. As for the extra monthly stipend, it really isn't much—it doesn't even come close to what I make chasing after high-level trends and catching a frisbee with one of my articles. I'm old. The only person worth fretting over is my granddaughter, and she married a Child of God. Heh, I truly have no attachments or lingering burdens left. Ah, right. Are you wondering if I knew you were here in advance and deliberately covered for you? Are you thinking about staging an accidental death for me? Complete with a 'handwritten suicide note'?"
Karen smiled faintly. "The note would say that seeing your granddaughter married, your life's wish was fulfilled, completely content. Then it would express longing and love for your ex-wife, reminisce about the past, and finally choose to end your own life."
"Oh no, damn it, you can't do that!" Hiderode barked directly. "I went through hell to rid myself of her! I certainly don't want future students who slept through my lectures visiting my grave and reciting some tragic, masochistic romance before my headstone! I'd be so furious I'd use 'Awakening' to revive myself! Besides, I can give you a reason that will convince you I'll genuinely keep your secret—not some excuse about admiring you, seeing potential in your future, or enjoying our chat."
"Go ahead, Teacher. I'm listening."
Hiderode raised his thermos, leaned close to Karen's ear, and grinned. "Should I wash your ears first?"
Karen: "..."
"The person who oversaw this project before me was my wife's father—my father-in-law. For generations, their family held posts in the university, and for generations, they ran this project on the side. So if I hadn't taken it over, my wife would have had to. Back then, I felt it was a responsibility I should shoulder as her husband, so I took over my father-in-law's post to replace him in screening male students with exceptional spiritual aptitude from the student body and taking them to that dormitory building for tests. Now, I'm divorced. Karen, is that reason good enough?"
"It is."
Chapter 736