Lanqi: Hello

Outside Jera Square, the lights along the streets flared to life row by row like a river of flowing radiance. In the distance rose Ikerite's iconic skyline, its towering structures standing all the more magnificent against the night sky. Yet standing on the street, Talia clenched her fists, seething in secret. "Damn it. Why did it have to be opened by humans?" A Demon Realm Shadow World from an unknown era of history was bound to hold knowledge of immense value to her. Yet this Shadow World would only broadcast rotating highlights; it was impossible to watch the whole thing on the campus's public magic screen. The complete, detailed intelligence would only be preserved in the challengers' Shadow World Recording Program. It seemed that for today, all she could do was linger here and watch as much as she could. Just as this thought crossed Talia's mind, her brow furrowed. For she realized that the challenger inside this Shadow World was none other than that ungodly student of hers! "That fellow..." Although Talia could not fathom why such an underworldly creature would take the form of a Radiant Demon rather than an Abyssal Demon, she felt nothing but sheer delight. Lanqi was like a mysterious merchant, about to restock brand-new goods for her. And anything in Lanqi's hands was something she might be able to trade for! Such as all the information recorded in Lanqi's Shadow World Recording Program. Talia truly felt that Lanqi brought her what she wanted every time, almost like a lucky star. If not for her persistent suspicion that the brat was always concocting damnable thoughts in his head, she might have treated him a little nicer on ordinary days. The very next instant, however... When Talia saw the Poet of Great Love on the screen, sporting a face identical to her own, her expression collapsed, morphing into a look that wanted nothing more than to murder Lanqi. She immediately spun on her heel and strode away, taking a vicious bite of cheesecake with her head down, terrified that the Ikerite Academy students around her might notice the resemblance between herself and that cursed summon. That fellow truly deserved to die after all. ... The corridors of the Demon Academy looked equally classical and ornate. Dimly lit and heavy with the scent of ancient wood, they seemed imbued with magic from the depths of time. The far end of the passageway appeared perpetually swallowed by darkness, steeped in unfathomable mystery. The dark marble floor was inlaid with gold patterns and lined down the middle with a carpet bearing sinister floral motifs. On the walls, bizarre portraits and mirrors appeared every few paces, as though keeping watch over the students in the hall. Along this corridor, several demon students rushed past, their expressions either panic-stricken or grave. Their footsteps echoed through the empty hall, shattering the original silence like an overture to flight and pursuit. Fleeing at full speed, they looked even more terrified beneath the dim lights, as if having just escaped some unspeakable nightmare. Though their destination was not immediately clear, their frantic demeanor showed they wanted nothing more than to get as far from that insane exam hall as possible! Yet behind these figures blended two demons whose expressions were far less flustered, completely unnoticed by the students ahead. Since Lanqi and Hyperion were not yet certain of the Demon Academy's rules, neither dared to rashly attack other demon students. They both agreed that forcefully capturing a student for interrogation carried risks. In this corridor, the sensation of being watched by portraits and mirrors was thoroughly chilling, and there was no telling whether it might trigger some hidden mechanism. The best strategy, therefore, was to follow this group of more capable students for now, discover the current optimal survival approach, and wait for a good opportunity to win someone over through virtue alone without resorting to violence. "..." Hyperion glanced sideways at Lanqi. Reaching out, she handed over the heavy coins she had just scavenged from the corpses. She trusted that having Lanqi—with all his cunning tricks—manage the team's finances was the right call, and besides, the spoils were credited to him in the first place. Lanqi said nothing, merely nodding as he accepted the mysterious coins. Although being near Lanqi gave Hyperion a sense of security—as if the safest place in this academy was right by his side—her feelings at the moment were exceedingly complicated. She wanted to ask him something, yet hesitated over whether to speak. Originally, she had only worried that their friendship would end if Lanqi discovered her demon bloodline. Now, however, she was beginning to fear whether Lanqi, upon learning she truly belonged to the demon race, would turn into a demon hunter and torture her just like the students and proctors back in that exam hall. "Lanqi, what do you think of demons?" As they ran, Hyperion finally lowered her voice and asked probingly. Lanqi blinked in slight surprise at her words. "They live a long time. Even when they're hundreds of years old and getting on in years, they still look like young maidens." Lanqi couldn't help but chuckle as he replied. If Hyperion wanted to ask about this, he was wide awake. He had long wanted to speak freely on the subject, but nobody had ever brought it up with him. So Hyperion was interested in demons too! "..." Hyperion felt somewhat offended by Lanqi's words. Although she was genuinely in her teens, as a half-demon her lifespan was definitely longer than a human's, meaning Lanqi's comment would wound her a century from now. Wait, why was his focus so bizarre? "Then if you ran into a demon in the mortal realm, would you treat them like you did back there?" Hyperion pressed, still feeling somewhat uneasy. Lanqi simply looked at her in silence. At this moment, silence spoke louder than words. "Do you think I'm the god of longevity eating arsenic—tired of living?" "..." "Setting aside whether provoking the demon race is dangerous, there might be good ones among them too. Hyperion, you shouldn't discriminate against demons," Lanqi advised earnestly. "...I see." Hyperion froze in surprise upon hearing this, then lowered her head and pursed her lips, speaking softly. For some reason, the heavy stone that had been weighing on her heart seemed to vanish completely into thin air thanks to Lanqi's earnest words. She had never imagined that one day, someone would tell her "not to discriminate against demons." Even though Lanqi's words carried the aura of a saint, Hyperion firmly believed he wasn't some sanctimonious hypocrite. He was a true saint. Because he genuinely treated everyone with absolute impartiality—not just toward demons; when torturing humans, he was just as merciless. ... A mere dozens of seconds passed. Among the demon students fleeing down the corridor, some continued running as if searching for something, while others chose a classroom again and bolted inside regardless of the risks. From the looks of it, the corridor was a horrifying place whose danger was no less than that of the classrooms; otherwise, these students wouldn't be so eager to find a class to attend. "It's about time we found a chance to make a move." If possible, Lanqi did not want to randomly enter another classroom and waste time dealing with mechanisms. The urgent priority was to gather intel on the Demon Academy. Only by understanding the rules could they act boldly, perhaps even find a way to speedrun the place and track down the "Ancient Demon Magic for Modifying Hairstyles" he wanted to learn. Hyperion naturally understood Lanqi's intent. Up ahead, only a single student remained. It seemed they could have a nice chat with him. She picked up her pace, silently dashing forward to seize that lucky student. "What the f—!" Seized by the shoulder, the demon with green scales on his neck spun back viciously, raising a hand to shove Hyperion away. However. The moment his pupils focused and he clearly saw Proctor Lanqi standing right behind Hyperion... Fear straight from the soul surged over the green-scaled demon like a tidal wave. His hand froze in midair, motionless, as if he had nowhere to put it. "Oh my..." Seeing the green-scaled demon, Lanqi's lips parted in mild surprise. As luck would have it, the one they caught was none other than the demon examinee Lanqi had previously targeted with Basic Etiquette—the one terrified out of his wits by the dragon demon and owl demon for dozens of seconds, who had somehow managed to escape with his life right under their noses! What an extraordinary twist of fate. Looking at him, Lanqi couldn't help letting a faint smile touch his lips. Even before Lanqi uttered a single word, the green-scaled demon student was already trembling from head to toe. Lanqi: "Hello." It was just a simple greeting. Yet to the demon, it sounded like a summons from the depths of hell; he felt as though his ancestors were calling him for a family reunion. "Classmate, what's your name?" With his hands behind his back, still carrying the demeanor of a proctor, Lanqi walked up beside the green-scaled demon student and asked with a smile. "Ba... Bachel..." Trembling, the green-scaled demon student with slitted serpent eyes obeyed his survival instincts and answered. His skin had turned deathly pale from terror, and his legs grew so weak that he seemed ready to drop to his knees at any moment.