And so, bathed in the artificial sunlight, the syringe plunger moved steadily. In the Executioner's hands, the massive cylinder was like a high-powered blood pump. Count Palocas's world darkened degree by degree, until at last he could utter only hysterical shrieks of despair.
The beams of light refracted through the stained-glass windows slowly dissipated as Lanqi gently raised his hand, recalling [Radiant Virtue].
The brilliant glare was instantly swallowed by the endless night.
By now, the syringe in the Executioner's grasp could barely draw any more blood, and Count Palocas's agonizing wails had ceased entirely.
The chapel once again returned to its warm, brightly lit banquet ambiance.
"Looks like he's all better," Lanqi murmured to himself.
"..."
Hyperion didn't dare respond. She stole a glance at the husk of Count Palocas on the floor, hastily averted her eyes, and silently chanted prayers for forgiveness in her heart.
She only hoped that Lanqi would stick to being a proper headmaster in the future and never, under any circumstances, venture into the medical field.
Otherwise, if he ever opened a First Affiliated Hospital of Purgatory Corridor Academy, the world was going to be in catastrophic trouble.
"Ah... my blood..."
Count Palocas's skin had turned even paler, his body shriveled like a drained raisin. Any other creature would have long become a corpse.
Yet chillingly, this mummy-like vampire was still trembling all over, weakly raising a trembling hand as though trying to break free and flee.
...
Ikerite Academy.
As the blinding white light across the giant open-air screen faded, a visible picture was finally restored.
Beneath the high vaulted ceiling, the stained-glass windows no longer reflected a single sliver of sunlight. In its place was the endless night sky, dotted with dazzling stars like a pitch-black canopy encrusted with jewels.
The ancient chapel stood like an altar perched on the border between light and dark—mysterious and ruthless.
The air was thick with the stench of blood and terror mingled with burning candlelight. The stone flags below were stained a vivid crimson, reflecting the candlelight like rolling lava.
On the floor, the desiccated Count Palocas trembled and struggled.
Several figures circled around the Count. Under the firelight, nonchalant smiles played on their twisted, eerie faces, casting long shadows that flickered and danced wildly.
"..."
The entire square fell dead silent, the air freezing over in an instant.
On the stone steps directly facing the giant screen, the seated students were struck completely dumb.
It felt as if they were witnessing an ancient ritual from some dark myth, while the challengers standing in the light had turned into the wicked villains presiding over or spectating it.
"Are they fighting a Count, or are they founding the Resurrection Church...?"
At this midnight hour, even through a screen, the autumn night wind seemed to sweep across Jera Memorial Square in chilly gusts, sending shivers down everyone's spines.
"Don't talk nonsense!"
Yet someone's aura stood in stark contrast to the grim atmosphere.
"Headmaster Lan is merely demonstrating the dangers and consequences of staying up late, advising all our young friends to maintain a healthy sleep schedule!"
A petite reporter with light blue hair was snapping photos of the screen with her camera, explaining with a beaming smile to everyone around her. Her posture made it look as though she was preparing to give Lanqi's exploits front-page coverage:
"'A paragon descended from the heavens, a true role model among mortals—this Lanqi radiates pure positive energy!'"
"..."
The surrounding students listened to her, not daring to utter a word.
She seemed like a genuine fan of Lanqi, yet also suspicious enough to be a hater, or perhaps she was roleplaying ironically, though the possibility of her just being a troll stirring up chaos for kicks couldn't be ruled out either.
While taking photos, the little reporter even pulled out a photograph of Lanqi.
It looked as if she were warding off evil spirits.
Or perhaps proving she wasn't a troll, but a true fan.
This only made the onlookers feel that her allegiances were hopelessly convoluted!
...
Meanwhile, in the ground-floor chapel of Lichtenstein Castle.
Everyone was now facing a new dilemma.
"Mr. Lanqi, what do we do next?"
The Paladin and the male guard held Count Palocas down like two unyielding boulders.
Even without the sun shining down on him, Count Palocas, drained of all his blood, was even weaker than when they had first pinned him.
Lanqi examined Count Palocas's condition, his expression gradually turning somewhat concerned.
"During tomorrow's live broadcast, looking like this could easily terrify ordinary residents, the elderly, and children passing through Ikerite Academy. Our Civilized Role Models Squad's livestreams have always prioritized being suitable for all ages. We need to touch up the Count a bit next, so he carries a more artistic and cultural flair."
Hearing this, the others nodded.
It seemed Lanqi's condition wasn't completely hopeless after all; at least he knew that Count Palocas in this state might frighten normal folks.
And so, Lanqi led everyone back to the long banquet table.
Leaving only the Paladin and the male guard to pin Count Palocas, he had the rest take their seats.
"After consulting the literature, I discovered that the Blood Clan greatly enjoy sealing themselves in coffins to sleep during the day. I have always respected the cultures of other races and peoples, so once we give him some presentable makeup, we shall prepare a coffin for him as well," Lanqi continued enthusiastically.
With that, he took a diagram from his pocket and laid it on the long table for everyone to see.
It was the handout he had prepared earlier at the writing desk.
Everyone stood up, focusing their gazes on the paper spread across the table.
On it, a step-by-step process was detailed with text and diagrams:
[1. Washing and Purification: First, cleanse and purify the body, typically using a blood pressure resuscitator and alcohol.]
[2. Evisceration: Incise the left side of the corpse, then remove the heart, lungs, liver, stomach, and intestines.]
[3. Desiccation: After evisceration, the corpse is packed with alkaline salts for drying and disinfection.]
[4. Washing and Anointing: The corpse is washed and rubbed with ointments to prevent the skin from becoming overly brittle or dry.]
[5. Stuffing and Reshaping: Stuff the corpse with linen strips, straw, or sand to give it a lifelike fullness. The face may also be molded or coated with a layer of protective paste.]
[6. Bandaging: Finally, the corpse is tightly wrapped in layers of linen strips, usually treated with resin to serve as an adhesive.]
[7. Placement and Inscription: Once bandaging is complete, the mummy is placed inside an ornately decorated coffin, upon which depictions of deities, hieroglyphs, and magical incantations with sealing properties are painted.]
"Let's use this procedure to give Count Palocas a magnificent send-off. At least for the next four days, we won't have to worry about him crawling out of the earth," Lanqi explained to everyone with a bright smile, looking as though he couldn't wait to embark on a wondrous journey exploring ancient Egyptian culture.
The skills and knowledge most needed in the mummification process were anatomy, medicine, and art, which he believed made for an all-ages popularization of art and culture.
In truth, Lanqi was rather hoping they might capture footage of a mummy crawling out of its coffin; that would prove the sci-fi movies he used to watch back home weren't made up, and mummies really could come back to life.
"..."
The chapel fell dead silent.
Even though all the other challengers understood Lanqi's tutorial and knew it would indeed be effective, the sheer shock of it was a bit too much for them to process.
Lanqi... seemed to be using a very new kind of sealing art.
Whether on the level of human morality, art, or the cognitive limits of this era, Lanqi was simply too far ahead of his time.
Chapter 155