Lanqi Said Good Deeds Bring Good Rewards

"What... what do you want me to do?" Phoenix stared at Lanqi, his voice trembling as he asked. Since there was still a chance, he would fight for it with everything he had, if only for his younger sister, Phyllis. "First, let me be clear with you: you colluded with the Resurrection Church, attempted murder, and tried to cause a major disaster. Spending years behind bars is inevitable. But if you plead guilty actively and maintain good conduct, you can atone through service and strive for a reduced sentence... When the time comes, just tell them in prison that you want to see me, and I will personally represent you in court." Lanqi laid out Phoenix's minimum sentence in plain, matter-of-fact terms. If you committed a crime, you had to serve your time; that had nothing to do with whether he was willing to throw in his lot with Lanqi. "As for your sister, if she truly is innocent, after a rigorous screening by the Church of the Goddess of Fate, she can seek shelter under High Priest Loren. I will have her transfer here to Ikerite Academy so you won't have any lingering worries. Naturally, your sister will also receive Dean Loren's special attention and protection." "..." Listening to Lanqi's words, Phoenix pressed his lips tightly together and clenched his fists. The plan Lanqi proposed was undoubtedly the best possible outcome for the two of them under the current circumstances. Compared to the horrors the Poet of Great Love had described earlier, Phoenix could not imagine Lanqi being any more merciful. Between High Priest Loren and the Bishop of Destruction, Ivanos, any sane person knew who was more trustworthy. Yet Phoenix still worried. Once he was locked away as a major felon, his sister would face gossip and censure at Ikerite Academy, leading a miserable existence. The mere thought filled him with deep, agonizing guilt. "Everything I just said is standard procedure. As long as you don't deceive Dean Loren and sincerely confess and repent, it will all happen." Lanqi had not finished; he continued speaking to Phoenix. Ivanos's tastes were quite twisted. Lanqi knew that if this attack had truly succeeded, Phoenix's sister would most likely have been taken in and protected by the kindhearted Loren after being screened in the Hutton royal capital. However, having a brother who was an evil cultist, a murderer, and a terrorist—one who had slaughtered School of Sages students and innocent civilians—would permanently brand Phyllis with a scarlet letter. Left all alone in Ikerite, she would never be able to hold her head high, destined for a joyless life endured under relentless malice and blame. Perhaps that was one of the small endings Ivanos had hoped for. Lanqi did not agree with it; he favored happy endings for all. Therefore, he would not let Ivanos get even a shred of what he wanted. "Phoenix, please rest assured. Whatever your crimes may be, I promise you that your sister will not suffer any unfair treatment at Ikerite Academy. Our school—will—never—tolerate—bullying—of—any—kind." Lanqi spoke with absolute gravity. "...!!" Hearing Lanqi's words, Phoenix snapped his head up in shock, a faint glimmer returning to his eyes. Normally, even if such a promise—sounding much like empty talk from an administrator—had come from Loren himself, Phoenix would not have been able to set aside his worries for his sister. After all, no one could guarantee that other students would not torment her in secret; some prejudice, born of malice deep within people's hearts, could never be erased. Yet receiving this promise from the person before him... That was truly beyond doubt. Because no student foolish enough to do something Lanqi deemed "incorrect," "unfriendly," or "in need of correction" would ever dare. Though his love was chaotic and twisted, it embraced all things. Even an outcast rejected by human society, an aberration marked for eradication, could find sanctuary under him. He treated them all as equals. At that moment, in Phoenix's eyes, the warm lamplight illuminated Lanqi's figure with a radiant glow. It was as if he stood on a sacred far shore, extending an olive branch across the abyss. Phoenix could not find words to describe what an immense gift of rebirth this was. He had longed for it in his dreams: how desperately he had wished that he and his sister could sever all ties with the Resurrection Church, and that she could live free from danger. Yet he had never dared to dwell on it, let alone dream of it, considering it an extravagant hope that such a day would ever come. He had grown numb, almost giving up on the thought entirely. What he had believed he could never have again was now an opportunity laid out right before his eyes. Phoenix finally realized what that burning heat rising in his chest was. It was like a fire that had smoldered endlessly, suddenly bursting into a brilliant, blazing crimson. If he had to find a comparison, it was as though his faith had been ignited. He could hand over everything, worry about nothing, and simply sleep in peace—free of unease, free of fear, never again having to shudder and weep in the dark or wake up gasping from nightmares of losing all he held dear. Even if it meant truly placing his life in the hands of this protector, he did so with wholehearted devotion. "Mr. Lanqi, I..." Phoenix began, his voice trembling. Amid a surge of joy that felt intense enough to tear his chest open, he cried out the truest words of his heart: "I swear my loyalty to you!" "Very good." Lanqi nodded in satisfaction. He had recruited another outstanding prospective student. As a headmaster, it was his duty and obligation to rescue more young men and women who had strayed from the path. For this upcoming journey to the Resurrection Church on the Northern Continent, he was determined to recruit even more students for his inaugural class. He could not allow this wicked church to ruin any more young lives! Justice was firmly on his side! "Now then, keep the contents of our conversation entirely between us. Don't tell anyone, not even Loren. Understood?" "Of course. I have only crossed paths with you once, and you merely happened to capture me." Phoenix nodded. "..." Beside Lanqi, Hyperion stole a sideways glance at him. She suspected that Lanqi's goals for this journey to the Northern Continent had just multiplied... ... A few hours later, the rain was tapering off, though the sky remained overcast and gray, offering no sunset glow. Talia's wooden attic looked exceptionally charming in rainy weather. The patter of raindrops blended with the tranquility of the wooden space, every falling drop lending an easy rhythm to the room. One could feel the cadence of the rain and the steady breathing of nature. The glass skylight set into the ceiling of planks and sloped beams, washed clean by the downpour, had become a vast, transparent canvas. Tiny raindrops tapped softly against the glass, gathering, trickling down, and parting ways, reflecting the dark sky like an ever-shifting watercolor painting. The fine wood grain along the walls seemed deeper and richer beneath the warm lighting. Together with the cozy decor and furnishings, accompanied by the murmur of rain, it felt as though one's soul were wrapped in a warm blanket. At that moment, the wooden attic felt like a tiny world cut off from everything outside, where only the sound of rain tapping against the skylight remained, inviting one to immerse themselves in a fleeting spell of peace and harmony. Talia had been called downstairs again to help out as the storefront mascot. Lanqi and Hyperion, meanwhile, stayed in her home. Besides Talia's reclining chair, two more chairs now sat inside the room. One belonged to Lanqi, and the other to Hyperion. Ever since Hyperion had arrived, Talia seemed to have tacitly accepted Lanqi's presence in her home as well. "Another encrypted copy of [Proof of Resurrection - Destruction] acquired, plus two of the Bishop of Destruction's spells, [Grand Puppet Theater] and [Spark of Destruction]. Truly, good deeds bring good rewards." Lanqi examined the magic cards in his hand, genuinely surprised by this unexpected windfall. All of them had come from Phoenix. Phoenix was currently locked in the storeroom. Come tomorrow morning, once Dean Loren returned to the academy, Phoenix could be handed over directly to him, preventing any complications. Rather than letting his cards be confiscated by the Hutton Kingdom, Phoenix had chosen to surrender them all to Lanqi. Unbinding those two Pink Sacred cards had consumed a considerable amount of expensive materials and time. Furthermore, severing the soul-bind had not only left Phoenix in an extremely weakened state, but it had also rendered several of his card slots unusable for a long time to come. Such was the price of unbinding Pink Sacred magic cards. Although the Bishop of Destruction, Ivanos, was the bearer of the [Original Slate - Fire] and an emblem of calamity and incinerating ruin, it was pure coincidence that Lanqi happened to be a card maker with a fair degree of expertise in fire. "These two cards are far too dangerous. I need to keep them safe." Aside from handing the [Proof of Resurrection - Destruction] over to Hyperion, Lanqi kept the other two Pink Sacred cards, [Grand Puppet Theater] and [Spark of Destruction], for himself, as manipulating masses of civilians and self-destructing were hardly suitable for Hyperion. "..." Hyperion couldn't shake the feeling that leaving those two cards in Lanqi's hands was hardly a comforting thought either.