Just a few steps away, Lanqi found the dormitory labeled 101 along the hallway next to the lobby bathed in the evening glow.
Inserting the key into the lock, a crisp click echoed as the heavy door and its barrier opened together, revealing the familiar view of the entryway.
"Meow, meow, meow! You haven't been back in a month and a half, yet it's still this clean?" Boss Cat looked around in surprise.
The lingering rays of the sunset filtered through gaps in the curtains onto various pieces of brown wooden furniture, lending the entire interior a soft, warm ambiance.
"You can request dorm maintenance from the Student Service Center. When students enter higher-tier Shadow Worlds, it's common to be gone for anywhere from a month to several months, so the academy regularly sends service staff to help clean the dorms."
Lanqi hung his coat on the entryway coat rack, walked down the short corridor, and returned to the most spacious living room.
It was practically like a hotel suite, and most upperclassmen made such arrangements before heading into a Shadow World.
He switched on the lights and drew the curtains. The throw pillows and blankets arranged on the sofa glowed with warm hues, while a vintage floor lamp stood quietly beside them.
Before long, Lanqi instructed Boss Cat to activate [Sound-Sealing Barrier] and turned on all the magic apparatuses in the workshop that blocked external detection.
"Meow, meow, meow... Could it be?"
Boss Cat looked up from the floor, gazing at Lanqi.
In this dim, isolated room, Lanqi slowly retrieved a delicate, compact stone relief tablet from his pocket.
Its surface was carved with intricate ancient runes, gleaming as if perpetually imbued with the luster of the divine era. It instantly illuminated the surrounding space, casting every detail bathed in its radiance crisply onto the dark walls.
Lanqi gazed at the divine artifact in his hand.
[Original Slate - Seal]
[Category: Equipment Card]
[Rarity: Orange Epic]
[Tier: 5]
[Passive Effect: The Original Slate cannot be destroyed. Only living beings of the mortal realm can soul-bind it, with a maximum of one slate bound per person. Comprehensively enhances all Seal-attribute magic, martial arts, equipment, and summons. The slate unbinds upon the death of the soul-bound holder.]
[Remarks: Fate is tightly bound, yet the soul can save all things.]
Previously, being only Tier 4, he hadn't been able to bind a Tier 5 Original Slate.
Binding this slate also came with a corresponding drawback: the moment he used any Seal-attribute item or spell, it would trigger the same visual effects associated with Askesan's [Original Slate - Seal]. This was why new holders of an Original Slate were usually discovered by the world in short order.
While he could have considered binding it later, if it wasn't soul-bound and stored in his soul space, it had to be kept physically in the mortal realm.
Storing it at Boss Cat Restaurant had made Pranay and the others rather restricted just trying to guard the treasure.
With his departure for the Creti Empire imminent, Lanqi saw no reason to hold back any longer. He was fully prepared to become the slate's holder.
Just as he always did, he lightly touched the magic card, establishing a soul connection. Amidst the glow, the slate seemed to carry secrets tens of millions of years old, dazzling yet veiled, beginning a direct dialogue with the observer's soul.
The profound runes held within the slate possessed a texture that felt almost tangible, every mark looking as though carved and sculpted by the hands of a god.
The primordial power and the mana in Lanqi's body continuously intertwined and resonated, as if recognizing each other's existence.
Boss Cat stared at Lanqi's face, illuminated by the slate. The blooming radiance and mana swept across the entire room, making the hem of Lanqi's clothes and his hair flutter softly.
The light flowed endlessly, projecting the intertwined trajectories of time and space, as if witnessing countless histories and accumulating boundless power in a single instant.
When the contract finally concluded, the light gradually dimmed.
And now, all of it was gathered in Lanqi's hands, waiting for the next miracle to unfold.
Lanqi let out a breath and put away his [Original Slate - Seal].
After a quick check, he discovered that [Wonderful Notes], [Radiant Virtue], and [Nuclear Fusion Wolf] had all received massive multiplier enhancements.
Immediately, accompanied by a wafting fragrance, a figure condensed out of thin air beside Lanqi like a fairy of flowers, formed purely from mana.
"Why?! Why was every single one of your other epic summons buffed except for me?!"
The Poet of Great Love stomped her feet in sheer indignation.
Connected to Lanqi's soul, she had clearly felt herself become a master of the slate the moment Lanqi soul-bound [Original Slate - Seal].
Yet she hadn't received the slightest buff herself!
"Look on the bright side. No matter how much mana you use, it won't trigger the special effects, so I can summon you whenever I want," Lanqi said, spreading his hands.
The Poet of Great Love only knew two spells: one that made flowers bloom rapidly, and her demonic voice.
Blooming was just a flashy Wood magic that came with [Hymn of Compassion], while her mental-attribute demonic voice was effectively her innate demon race magic.
"Curse you! Aaaah!!" the Poet of Great Love cried out in frustration.
"By the way, starting tomorrow, you won't need to be unsummoned during the day at school. Here are your new identification documents. Remember to accompany me to the laboratory on time every day, and don't talk recklessly. Professor Borao will equip you with a new translation magic apparatus, allowing you to produce sound through it using your mind."
Lanqi paid no heed to the Poet of Great Love's impotent fury. In any case, this was the ground floor, and the walls had excellent soundproofing, so no matter how hard she stomped, it wouldn't disturb the neighbors.
He took a box from a shopping bag on the sofa and handed it to her. Inside were her student ID and a first-year uniform.
"Eh? That's allowed?"
Her attention was instantly drawn to the new clothes.
"As long as you don't break the academy rules."
Lanqi handed her things over.
The Poet of Great Love's belongings had been piling up, and Lanqi had already cleared out several cabinets in the card-making workshop for her. Since she constantly crafted cards there, it had practically become her private room.
Now that Lanqi had reached Tier 6, continuously summoning the Tier 1 Poet of Great Love consumed hardly any mana. As long as he didn't send her too far away, didn't let her enter combat, and she didn't abuse her demonic voice or blooming magic, simply maintaining an ordinary summoned state depleted mana barely faster than his natural regeneration rate, allowing him to keep her summoned for extended periods.
"Yay!"
The Poet of Great Love raised both arms high and spun in circles, cheering.
Her earlier grievances had vanished into thin air.
"Here, take this."
Lanqi tossed the slate to her.
Catching it steadily with both hands, the Poet of Great Love stared at the slate, her eyes sparkling.
Previously, in its unbound state, it couldn't be unsealed very far. Now that Lanqi was soul-bound to it, it was as if she were bound to it as well, allowing her to manipulate and study it at will.
Without a word to Lanqi, she dashed into the card-making workshop, shut the door, and began her research.
"Right, about the research report on [Original Slate - Seal]..." Lanqi started to say.
"I'll write it for you!" came her crisp, brisk voice from inside the workshop.
Lanqi looked at the workshop door and shook his head. He brewed a cup of linden tea, walked back to the sofa, and sat down.
"Sometimes I really feel the Poet of Great Love is quite useful. Diligent and thrifty," Lanqi remarked, leaning back against the sofa and taking a sip from his teacup.
"Meow, meow..."
Boss Cat couldn't tell if there was any hidden meaning behind his words, but it had a distinct feeling that Lanqi wasn't actually thinking of the Poet of Great Love when he said that.
Before Lanqi could finish his tea, the workshop door swung open, and the Poet of Great Love came running out.
"How do I look in my new clothes?"
She had already changed into the first-year uniform.
Her aquamarine eyes were clear and spirited, and she wore a smug expression, looking eager for Lanqi's praise.
The off-white coat of her new outfit featured the golden insignia of the Hutton Kingdom and the crest of the School of Magic Engineering. Underneath was a slim-fitting black dress shirt with a necktie and bow, while a short skirt draped over her snow-pure, porcelain skin.
Ikerite Academy actually had many uniform styles that could be mixed and matched or custom-tailored at the Student Service Center. As a result, virtually no two students wore the exact same uniform, yet anyone could tell at a glance that they belonged to Ikerite Academy, while distinguishing their department and year from the colors and patterns.
The Poet of Great Love had great confidence in Lanqi's fashion sense and design abilities, so she hadn't made any special requests, leaving Lanqi to finalize everything while she simply wore it.
"Pfft..."
Lanqi snorted with laughter and hurriedly covered his mouth.
"Is it really that funny?"
The Poet of Great Love looked perplexed.
She didn't think Lanqi was being rude; at the very least, she could clearly sense that he wasn't mocking her.
"It's nothing. My eyes played a trick on me—for a second, I thought Tata was wearing a school uniform," Lanqi said, regaining his composure and shaking his head.
Thank goodness it wasn't Tata.
If Tata had truly put on this outfit, Lanqi worried he wouldn't have been able to keep from laughing out loud, which would have earned him an immediate death threat on the spot.
Chapter 614