In the afternoon.
At Ikerite Academy, standing near the edge of the School of Magic Engineering, was one of its iconic landmarks—the Old Liberal Arts Building.
This classical red-brick structure, adorned with carved reliefs, had once been the workshop hall where magic artificers let their imaginations run wild a century ago. Renovated decades later, it had become a public building where the School of Magic Engineering offered technical support to students from other departments.
The first floor served as the Public Magic Engineering Service Center.
The second floor housed the Novel Magic Engineering Innovation Workshop, overseen by Professor Borao, a leading researcher in the School of Magic Engineering.
The third floor belonged to the Student Management Committee.
In previous terms, Lanqi had spent most of his days in the third-floor student council room. From now on, however, he would be studying and working on the second floor every day.
Inside Professor Borao’s research workshop on the second floor, the soft whir of machinery and the steady, focused hum of magic engineering automatons filled the air.
Naturally, Professor Borao now had two additional students.
"Professor Borao, by the way, did you get everything arranged for Dean Loren?"
Lanqi walked up to a wide workbench, placed a translucent blue schematic into the scanner on Professor Borao’s desk, and asked.
Merely standing before the workbench brought a distinct scent of magic potions mingled with machine oil. A mechanical arm powered by magic stones was assembling an intricate-looking apparatus with pinpoint precision, while a nearby black crystal screen scrolled through lines of complex calculation formulas alongside the freshly recorded blueprint.
Although Lanqi was far less gifted in magic engineering than Lanfu and Professor Borao, the professor had discovered that he was quite decent at drafting blueprints.
Thus, the division of labor between his two apprentices had become crystal clear.
"All done. Whatever happens next is none of my business," Professor Borao said, shaking his head.
It was his official disclaimer.
Having said that, he adjusted his magic engineering spectacles and returned to inspecting the delicate miniature components resting beside the schematic.
Following Lanqi's plan, Borao had given Loren an invisible magic earpiece dubbed the "Love Drillmaster," claiming it was an intelligent dating guide newly developed by the School of Magic Engineering.
Under normal circumstances, it could offer Loren suggestions and guidance whenever he felt at a loss. At critical moments, it would not only help him plan dates in advance, but could also coach him through every situation that might arise during the date itself.
Loren had instantly felt as though he had found a lifesaver. His date with Juliana was set for the day after tomorrow, far too late for last-minute cramming, so the all-capable Professor Borao providing him with a new gadget was nothing short of a godsend.
In truth, however...
The other end of the Love Drillmaster was connected to Lanqi via communication magic.
When the date arrived, Lanqi would provide real-time coaching, staying on the line to instruct him step-by-step on how to handle the Immortal Sword Saint Juliana.
"Rest assured, Professor Borao. This plan is completely foolproof. I guarantee nothing will go wrong," Lanqi said with utter confidence.
"..."
Watching Lanqi's earnest, dutiful expression, Borao gave a tentative nod.
It was just a date, after all. How much could possibly go wrong?
"Well then, Professor Borao, I'll be taking off for today," Lanqi said, checking the time.
Their lab had no rigid schedule; as long as the day's tasks were completed ahead of time, one was free to leave.
"See you tomorrow, Lanqi."
Professor Borao knew Lanqi wanted to drop by the student council. Last year, he had often run into Lanqi coming down the stairs from the third-floor council room.
Before Lanqi could finish putting away his tools at his station, he turned around and saw the Poet of Great Love walking over.
"Professor Borao, is it like this?"
Dressed in a first-year uniform, Lanfu carried a magic engineering component over to them and asked the professor.
Borao took the component, inspected it through his spectacles, nodded, and began explaining what to do next.
Lanqi was in no hurry and listened from the side.
After all, learning a little extra never hurt.
Ever since coming to the lab, the Poet of Great Love had developed an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Without needing any prompting from Professor Borao, she bustled about with boundless energy, proving far more diligent than Lanqi. Of course, her activities drained Lanqi's mana.
Without any need for supervision, she arrived and left on schedule every day, showing not the slightest urge to skip class—every bit as diligent and self-disciplined as Hyperion.
When she finally finished handing in her work and carried a new schematic back toward her station, Lanqi walked alongside her toward the lab exit.
"Don't fold your skirt up like that. It should reach your knees. The student handbook includes an etiquette guide for proper attire," Lanqi said after a moment of thought, offering a reminder.
The uniform style he had selected for the Poet of Great Love was supposed to reach the knees, but she had taken it upon herself to hem it shorter, exposing her thighs.
"Bleh!"
The Poet of Great Love stuck her tongue out and pulled down an eyelid at Lanqi, then paid him no further mind and skipped off toward her lab bench.
"Sigh."
Lanqi knew she would never listen to him on minor things like this.
While not strictly mandatory, the academy advised students to dress properly and maintain decorum. Lanqi was also concerned that if Talia saw the Poet of Great Love dressed this way, she would suspect he had deliberately designed it as a miniskirt because he liked ogling her thighs.
Then again, even if Talia did find out, it was no big deal. It wasn't as if Talia herself were being asked to wear it.
Thinking this over, Lanqi finished tidying his station, pushed his chair under the desk, and left the lab alone, stepping into the corridor.
As the campus's final rays of evening light faded, his footsteps echoed through the quiet air. He followed the winding staircase up to the third-floor hallway.
The familiar third floor greeted him with a wide corridor gilded in the sunset's afterglow.
From the high ceiling hung several exquisite chandeliers whose gentle radiance bathed every corner, illuminating brownish-red carved wooden walls traced with gilded motifs.
"Once all my civil commissions are done, I suppose I'll be living an ordinary, peaceful life like this every day," Lanqi murmured as he walked down the long corridor toward the student council room, gazing out at the campus bathed in the crimson light of dusk.
Out of the four Shadow Worlds of the Blood Moon Ruined World series, three had already passed before he knew it. Among the civil commissions and academic projects remaining on his plate, all that was left was the research trip to the Creti Empire.
His retirement goal was drawing closer and closer.
With that in mind, Lanqi arrived before the crimson double doors.
For more than a year now, he hadn't seen Senior Luvishir in the student council room.
Hyperion had likely returned to the academy around noon, but classes had probably ended by now.
In the once-lively student council room, perhaps only the president still sat in the office chair day after day.
Lanqi knocked on the door in the twilight, the sound resonating softly in the quiet room.
"Come in."
From within came that ever-gentle, steady male voice.
Sure enough, the president was always there.
Chapter 617