In the lingering glow of dusk, rows of red-brick buildings bathed in twilight stood majestic and dignified, bearing witness to the School of Magic Engineering's long history and extraordinary wisdom.
"After consulting Professor Borao about material ratios, the sun went down before I even realized it," Lanqi said, cradling Boss Cat in his arms.
Originally, Lanqi had told Boss Cat to rest once they returned to the shop, but it had ended up clinging to him again anyway.
Come to think of it, though, Boss Cat Restaurant seemed to have practically optimized Boss Cat out of the picture. If it didn't tag along with him, it had nowhere else to go.
Ever since their trip to the Northern Continent, neither of them had spent much time at the restaurant, yet it continued running as usual—thriving even more, in fact.
"Meow-aah." Boss Cat yawned, as if just waking up.
Riding atop its strongest mount, Lanqi, it ambled slowly along the campus path.
The brook nearby was crystal clear, gently winding along to reflect the shifting sunset glow on the horizon and the silhouettes of adjacent trees, the tranquility of the moment seeming to drift softly with the passage of time.
Earlier, listening to the discussion between Lanqi and Professor Borao, it had fallen asleep in the shadows.
As far as the eye could see, the sea of blooming flowers across the bank formed a corner of the School of Alchemy's botanical garden system—not only a training ground for bioengineering, but also a meeting place of knowledge and natural beauty.
"Lanqi-meow, let's stop by the campus center on the way back to buy some groceries," Boss Cat said blearily, its gaze slowly coming into focus as it took in the campus scenery.
"Oh, right," Lanqi replied, altering his course slightly.
With just a bit more walking, they could head to the campus center, where every daily necessity and grocery item imaginable was available. Naturally, the first and second floors were also packed with shops, including well-regarded eateries and chain stores found throughout the Hutton Kingdom.
Having been away from the academy for so long, he had almost forgotten this was Ikerite, and that he was heading back to the School of Sages dormitory building rather than the palace dining hall.
Unlike Herrom, which blazed with lights the moment night fell, or Nekalis in the Demon King's Castle, where festivities rang out every evening, Ikerite moved at a remarkably relaxed pace, consistently ranking near the top of the Southern Continent's most livable cities year after year.
By five in the evening, many shops simply closed up and called it a day. Even supermarkets shut half their doors. Overtime was out of the question—the laid-back folks of Ikerite had lives to live.
Not long ago, a newly hired intern at Senior Luvishir's newspaper office stayed fifteen minutes late after work.
In response, the boss scheduled him for a full week of psychological counseling—half an hour every day at noon—to educate him on the hazards and adverse effects of working overtime.
Because Ikerite's civil society and public order were so well maintained, lawyers ironically couldn't find many cases to take.
"Sigh, ever since my law firm opened, Hyperion has been my only client," Lanqi lamented.
Aside from helping Hyperion process paperwork for inheriting her dukedom, he hadn't landed a single proper case.
"Is it possible," Boss Cat asked after a long silence, "that you need to give your opponents a chance to actually reach the courthouse first?"
"Such as?" Lanqi didn't quite understand.
"Such as Askesan. He probably feels a bit baffled," Boss Cat offered as an example.
"Didn't he lose the lawsuit? The Protos Supreme Court handed down the verdict, and I even reviewed the judgment myself," Lanqi asked, puzzled.
"Right, he has no objections," Boss Cat nodded with a sigh.
Sometimes, there really was no getting through to this guy.
"I suppose I'll only ever get the cases no one else wants to touch, but in Ikerite, you won't see one of those in a year or two."
When one finally came along, he had ended up missing it.
Hearing from Professor Borao that Dean Loren had been attending hearings at the Old Bailey Court every day recently with no one daring to defend him had filled Lanqi with immense guilt.
If the chance ever arose again, he would certainly serve as Loren's lawyer and provide Dean Loren with the most formidable legal support possible.
Chatting back and forth, man and cat entered the campus center.
A few minutes later, they emerged. In addition to cradling the cat in his left arm, Lanqi now held a paper shopping bag in his right hand.
As the rays of the setting sun filtered through dense leaves, a pattern of evening gold spread across the stone steps of the School of Sages' Ancient Tower Library.
Along the adjacent path, only a few figures heading home hurried past in the twilight. A gentle breeze brushed by, carrying a distinct scent born from the blend of floral fragrance and the ink of ancient books.
The moment their eyes fell upon that iconic Ancient Tower Library, they knew they had entered the territory of the School of Sages.
Last year's viewing of the Original Slate had taken place right in that parliament-like hall on the library's ground floor.
Back then, he had truly felt the slate was absurdly formidable, living up to its reputation as the ultimate epic equipment dubbed "proof of the world's strongest."
More than half a year had passed, and the world had shifted.
As Askesan's successor, Lanqi was also poised to become the new wielder of the [Original Slate - Seal].
Earlier today, after finishing the Shadow World and heading to Boss Cat Restaurant, Lanqi had retrieved the [Original Slate - Seal] he had left with Pranay and the others.
At Tier 6, he was finally able to bind the slate.
Before he knew it, Lanqi and Boss Cat had arrived in front of a majestic red-brick building resembling an estate hotel.
Stepping through the revolving glass doors of the School of Sages dormitory building, he was greeted by a fresh scent of lavender, accompanied by cheerful music floating softly by his ears.
In a corner of the ground floor lobby sat sofas and coffee tables, available for School of Sages students to rest and linger at any time.
"Have you heard? Word is there's a Cardinal lingering in our Hutton Kingdom who refuses to leave. Too bad even the United Council's Star-Grid Chessboard can't divine his exact coordinates."
"Since he's a new bishop of the Resurrection Church, he's most likely a wielder of an Original Slate."
"Even a Cardinal wouldn't dare act rashly within the city defense barrier and expose his identity."
"No matter who he is, if he dares cause trouble in Hutton, Dean Loren will put an end to his life in no time."
"What if the Cardinal suddenly pledges loyalty to Dean Loren?"
"Hiss—"
In the evening, students were still seated on the sofas drinking tea and conversing, the atmosphere relaxed and pleasant.
They paid little mind to the people walking past—senior residents living here and incoming freshmen were an everyday sight.
"Senior Wilfort!"
Suddenly, a freshman spotted Lanqi and called out.
The first-years of the School of Sages quickly recognized this student personally taught by Dean Loren.
Even now, quite a few records of his disciplinary enforcement for the student council circulated across the entire campus.
"Hello, everyone," Lanqi greeted them with a smile, raising a hand.
He proceeded to ask after their studies, their thoughts on the new semester, and any areas where they felt the academy needed improvement.
In the end, Lanqi bade farewell to the new students, waving and smiling as they saw him off.
Chapter 613