As the sun sank in the west, the clouds outside the window gradually turned an orange-red hue without anyone noticing, casting a warm, gentle glow across the walls of the room.
Looking at the scenery outside, Lanqi was reminded of his family's Wilfort Chamber of Commerce.
He had initially planned to wax poetic.
On second thought, he decided against it.
The setting sun was infinitely sublime.
It truly was just infinitely sublime.
"Get some good rest," Lanqi said, turning his gaze back toward his father.
In his view, his father could not return to the Creti Empire.
After all, the Blood Clan and the Resurrection Church would likely issue a joint bounty for Lanqi very soon.
Noe, however, clearly had no idea what milestones Lanqi had achieved during this trip to the Shadow World.
Still, it was better to save the good news for his father until later.
Lanqi was a bit worried Noe would be too thrilled to sleep.
Going forward, he would persuade the old man to stay in South Vantina. At the very least, there was a national defense barrier there, and Hans, the old family butler, was formidable.
"All right." Hearing Lanqi's words, Noe knew it was time for his son to leave. "I've decided to stay at the medical center for a few days to get a comprehensive checkup before heading back."
Noe had happened to hear from that young reporter that Lanqi was now a member of the student council and was always doing good deeds in service of the campus.
He also wanted to see how Lanqi usually mediated conflicts and disputes among the students.
If Lanqi had truly learned how to handle interpersonal relationships, Noe could put his mind completely at ease.
Besides, Noe was curious about Lanqi's social circles at school.
Judging by Hyperion's demeanor and upbringing, she undoubtedly came from a fine family, so Noe wasn't worried in the slightest.
It would be wonderful if all of Lanqi's other friends were good classmates like Hyperion.
...
After confirming his father was doing well, Lanqi said his temporary farewell.
The moment he stepped out of the hospital room, Lanqi spotted Hyperion in the corridor, leaning against the wall with her head lowered, clearly weighed down by worry.
"Hyperion...?" Lanqi greeted her softly.
"Hmm?" Hyperion raised her gaze to glance at him, then lowered it again, clearly still extremely embarrassed by what Lanqi's father had said.
"Do you know why my old man said that?" Lanqi tilted his head slightly, studying Hyperion's expression, before asking as if understanding dawned upon him.
"Why...?" she mumbled, head hung low, sneaking a peek at Lanqi.
As expected, in people's eyes, the demon race would always be considered alien freaks. Even the fact that her father had married her mother was an insurmountable hurdle, something to be made into a laughingstock.
"Because you didn't hear what he said afterward," Lanqi said with a smile, imitating Noe's tone. "He said, 'Could this young lady actually be Duke Mikhail's daughter? She's so gentle and kind—there isn't the slightest trace of demon race blood in her!'"
"...There you go again." Hyperion knew that every time Lanqi paraphrased someone else's words, he always gave them his own spin.
"That really was an exact quote this time." Lanqi's emerald-green eyes were pure and innocent.
"..." Hyperion stared at him, falling silent for a moment.
"Then I'll believe you," she finally said.
The only person who would treat the demon race so well was Lanqi.
"Shall we go? Our itinerary for today isn't over yet. Later, I need to take you somewhere—that's the main event of the day." At this point, even Lanqi's expression grew a little solemn.
"Okay." Hyperion was also uneasy. She was finally going to meet Lanqi's teacher—the terrifying, beautiful, and enigmatic Miss Tata.
...
First, Lanqi and Hyperion had dinner together on campus.
Afterward, the two returned to the School of Sages dormitory building.
They sat chatting on the circular wooden bench surrounding a large tree not far outside the dormitory entrance.
Around six o'clock, Vice President Asna, with whom they had arranged to meet, arrived at the dormitories.
Asna looked tired but satisfied, clearly having just finished wrapping up her student council duties.
"Sorry to keep you waiting!"
"Not at all, we're the ones troubling you, Senior Asna."
After exchanging brief greetings, they followed Asna upstairs and down a long corridor until she retrieved a box of handmade pastries from her dorm room.
"This is a fresh batch I made. The left side is matcha cookie flavor, and the right side is mango cheesecake flavor. I wonder which one Miss Tata will like," Asna said, gesturing toward the meticulously packaged paper box in her hands.
"Thank you, Senior Asna."
Lanqi had thought that if he was going to ask Talia for help, it would probably be best to bring a gift.
Ordinary food bought from outside rarely managed to impress Talia.
Asna, on the other hand, was exceptionally skilled in cooking. She frequently made pastries to bring to the student council for them to eat, and all three of them praised her treats endlessly every time.
Lanqi felt Asna's craft would be very much to Talia's liking; he had simply felt too embarrassed before to ask Asna for so many desserts.
Dean Loren had always held a high opinion of Asna. Regrettably, she probably devoted only a tiny fraction of her mind to magic, reserving the rest of her time for her hobbies and managing student council affairs.
Rather than becoming an exceptional mage, she aspired more to be an exceptional chef.
One could only say that Dean Loren had certainly recruited geniuses, but his joyful education philosophy genuinely yielded such results—he never forced students to become something they didn't want to be.
Consequently, Loren had faced considerable criticism from the outside world, and academia widely believed that his management of the School of Sages had grown worse and worse in recent years.
None of that mattered, though.
Lanqi would prove on Dean Loren's behalf that he was an excellent dean!
"If she's a gourmet, please just ask her to give me some feedback," Asna said with a smile.
Back when her cooking was still terrible, the president had told her it was delicious, only for her to discover much later that he had been lying to her.
Ever since, she had cared deeply about receiving evaluations from people with refined palates.
If the Miss Tata Lanqi spoke of enjoyed the pastries she made and offered a few suggestions, she would be delighted.
"No problem!"
Lanqi was certain that when it came to good food, Talia was never one to mince words. As long as her stomach was satisfied, she would definitely offer a critique or two.
...
After bidding farewell to Asna, Lanqi and Hyperion set out on the road toward the school gates.
Streetlights flickered on, giving the ancient architecture a sharper definition and seemingly breathing life into the stone walls and sculptures.
Under the cloak of night, Ikerite Academy felt like a tranquil island, brimming with peace and harmony.
Lanqi and Hyperion strolled along the wide sidewalk, walking under the dim yellow streetlights. Behind them stood the solemn Great Clock Tower, looking even more steadfast and majestic against the night as it receded into the distance.
"Lanqi, is there anything I should keep in mind when I meet Miss Tata?" Hyperion asked, sounding somewhat nervous.
She had long heard that Lanqi's teacher was an exceptionally cold person.
Under her stern supervision, even Lanqi behaved himself.
That was something Hyperion could hardly imagine.
Lanqi always said that if he was a kitten, Tata was a tigress, so it was only natural for him to fear her.
"Hyperion, you just need to remember two things: never lie to her, and never let her know that I told you this," Lanqi said, holding up two fingers.
In truth, he wasn't particularly worried, as Hyperion wouldn't lie to her own allies in the first place.
"Understood." Hyperion nodded earnestly.
Though the Miss Tata described by Lanqi sounded terrifying, since Lanqi said she did not discriminate against the demon race, she shouldn't be a bad person. It was just that Hyperion shouldn't hold out hope for excessive warmth.
Chapter 178