On a winter morning in Herrom, the chill was biting. The sky remained dim, with only a faint glimmer of dawn gradually tinting the eastern horizon.
At a quiet street corner within the dormitory quarters of the Protos Royal Magic Academy, the front yard of a beige-brick mansion was blanketed in a thin layer of frost and snow.
It seemed a light snowfall had drifted down during the night.
The mansion's windows were slightly misted over, moisture beading where the warm interior met the cold outside air. Through this veil of condensation, one could vaguely make out sparse potted plants dotting the outdoor sills, while crystalline frost clung to the bare branches in the courtyard. Every leaf seemed frozen in time, quietly awaiting the arrival of spring. In this brisk, chilly morning, everything felt profoundly tranquil.
Today was still a workday: Thursday.
The weekend was fast approaching.
Zestira rose early in her bedroom and tidied herself up.
Crossing the living room, she pushed open the mansion door and stepped outside, her face devoid of expression.
She lingered by the entrance, resting one hand lightly against the doorframe. Even from a distance, she could see that the courtyard had practically turned into an animal garden.
Over by the swing beneath the great tree, Lanqi sat feeding the small creatures gathered around him, while the jet-black great fox lay elegantly on the ground, soft and sleek as a sofa.
As he lightly scattered grain across the lawn, where little birds chirped and hopped about foraging for seeds, he turned his head to chat with his new animal companion.
Even from afar, the casual conversation between her teacher and the great fox drifted over on the cold morning air.
"Awoo, awoo."
"You're asking if I know any other great demons?"
"Awoo, awoo."
"What do you mean, *other* great demons? Do you really take me for a great demon?"
"Awoo."
"Don't go revoking my human status. Everyone knows I'm human."
"Awoo, awoo."
"You really care a lot about great demons, don't you...?"
"Awoo."
"Don't get your hopes up. Even if there are other great demons still alive out there, they might just be total embarrassments."
"Awoo, awoo?"
"For example, the kind who looks aloof, dignified, and gorgeous in public, but turns out to be an awkward, gluttonous foodie at home. Once she indulged in the comfort of a gentle nest, she completely gave up on putting in any effort. Does that sound like a great demon to you?"
"Awoo."
The great fox lifted its head and shook it gently.
"Sigh, I'm quite worried about her, honestly. She's long past marriageable age, yet she still goes around calling herself a young human woman. Who knows how much longer she can keep up that persona."
"Awoo."
"Indeed. A disgrace to the demon race, stripped of demon status."
Meanwhile, by the mansion door on the other side.
"..."
Zestira listened in silence. Her eyes gradually narrowed, and she suddenly rubbed them.
"?"
Her vision seemed to have blurred just now. For an instant, she thought she saw a red light glowing above her teacher's head, but it felt like an illusion. When she looked closely, nothing was there.
After a moment of contemplation, she decided to pretend nothing had happened.
Though she had considered asking her knowledgeable teacher what that meant, bringing up something so ominous on a fine early morning was hardly polite.
Zestira still couldn't understand the exact contents of the seamless conversation between her teacher and the great fox.
Even so, she was confident that all these chat records were safely preserved in the creature's simple mind.
Given time, she would surely have a chance to read them.
*Teacher still has a very long life ahead of him; he'll live safe and sound.*
With a slight shake of her head, Zestira walked down the garden path.
By the end of yesterday's Monthly Evaluation Day, Lanqi had accumulated a bounty of over a million credits.
Settled at the standard twenty percent, a total of 249,535 credits had been transferred to Zestira.
Staring at the figure on her wristband, Zestira hadn't known what to say.
It was as though she had toggled cheats on.
She couldn't even begin to imagine what her teacher was like inside a Shadow World.
It turned out that when they had just stepped off the train and walked along the streets of Herrom, his remark—"If you ever find a Shadow World difficult, just bring me along"—really meant he would carry her through at lightning speed.
Even after witnessing her teacher's terrifying capability, she still wished to temper herself in Shadow Worlds on her own, rather than relying entirely on his shelter.
She felt she had learned a great deal from him and gained insight into her own path.
Now, she needed to put it into practice.
Before long, she arrived in front of Lanqi.
"Teacher, are you busy with work today?" Zestira asked.
Her tone remained flat as usual, yet tinged with noticeably more deference and respect.
"Not really. What's the matter?"
Lanqi gave it some thought. He had basically wrapped up all the necessary meetings yesterday.
There wasn't much work left for him at the school. During the final two days he would spend on campus today and tomorrow, he only needed to have another chat with Associate Professor Sido regarding the empire.
"Then we can go claim the bonus reward for the Pink Sacred tier," Zestira said.
Aside from the reward of over two hundred thousand credits, there was something else that ordinarily could not be bought even with credits.
A Pink Sacred-grade item.
In essence, it belonged to the Protos Empire's treasury. Every single piece was cataloged and strictly controlled within the empire, classified as contraband forbidden from private trade.
"All right. The Endless Library should be open by now."
Lanqi packed away the feed and stood up. He had already prepared to set out. The great fox slithered up onto his shoulder like flowing black silk.
The collection was housed in the vault deep within the Endless Library, which was not far from the Protos Royal Magic Academy—just a short walk away.
Zestira nodded.
Beyond needing her wristband to claim the reward, she also wanted to see how her teacher would go about selecting a magic card.
...
Half an hour later.
On this winter weekday in Herrom, the commercial district bustled with its usual vigor. The low temperature did nothing to dampen people's daily routines.
Flanked by towering buildings on both sides of the street, pedestrians walked past in heavy winter coats, their exhaled breaths mingling with the surrounding air to form light wisps of mist.
Amidst the bustling crowd, a young man and the girl accompanying him crossed the street until they arrived before a sprawling plaza.
Situated in the southern part of Herrom, the colossal structure known as the Endless Library was a treasure trove of culture and knowledge for this wondrous city.
Unlike other buildings, this library appeared both ancient and modern, blending Gothic pointed arches, futuristic metallic lines, and rotating, impossible architectural structures, as if standing at the intersection of time and space.
With clear purpose, the two stepped through the enormous bronze entrance doors. Carved across the ceiling were totems of various shapes and creatures of ancient legend. Beyond lay a cavernous hall, in the center of which a massive floating crystal orb displayed shifting text and images.
"Since coming to Herrom, I haven't visited this library yet," Lanqi said with a smile to Zestira, looking toward the navigation hub.
"I get lost every time."
Zestira clearly detested the building.
The library was simply too vast and its interior layout too labyrinthine, making it remarkably easy to lose one's way.
Certain crucial sections were sealed by powerful barriers, inaccessible without permission. This resulted in numerous dead ends, making it difficult to find one's way out of the maze even with a map.
For most citizens and travelers in the Imperial Capital of Herrom, the Endless Library served primarily as an adventurous locale for exploring the unknown and experiencing wonders.
Today, however, they had no need to spend much time wandering inside.
All they had to do was proceed to the automated retrieval room for vault items, where Zestira could use her student wristband to select a Pink Sacred-grade reward from the catalog.
Chapter 297