The walls of the experimental workshop in the Old Liberal Arts Building were painted a steady, muted dark gray. Professor Borao sat upright behind his wide, antique desk, briefly looking over the documents in his hand.
Talia had already finished filling out her registration form.
In the blank for age, she had written twenty-five. When Lanqi had leaned over to peek earlier, even though he hadn't said a single word, she had felt an overwhelming urge to choke him to death.
That guy's gaze practically carried cinematic subtext!
"No problem. You should be able to depart sometime this week. Just pack your bags over the next couple of days and plan your travel itinerary."
Professor Borao placed the documents into a cabinet as he spoke.
"Professor, the two of us are going as an examiner and assistant commissioned by the Southern Continent Card Makers Association to proctor examinations, and our main objective is also to purchase high-grade materials for card crafting. Is calling it a vacation really appropriate?" Lanqi asked.
"I didn't say it was you," Professor Borao said perfunctorily, glancing up at Lanqi. "I was talking about that friend of yours and his rather uncoordinated card-crafting partner."
"..."
Silence fell over Lanqi and Talia once again.
Talia was beginning to feel that she didn't want to stay in the lab with Lanqi any longer. Professor Borao always managed to render them utterly speechless in just two or three sentences.
Tidying the books on his desk, Professor Borao was in no hurry to assign Lanqi and Tata their tasks for the day. Occasionally, when instructing Lanfu, he would summon both of them to speak before his desk.
He pulled out a copy of *Modern History of the Kingdom of Posen* and *Strange Chronicles of Posen's Demon Realm*, setting them on the side of the desk closer to Lanqi.
"Besides these two books, which you two can read on the road to pass the time, there are also some newspapers and journals concerning the Kingdom of Posen that I suggest you pay a bit of attention to," Professor Borao told Lanqi and Tata.
"Understood. Thank you, Professor."
Lanqi and Talia each picked up a book and flipped through them briefly.
Generally speaking, Professor Borao favored a hands-off approach with his students.
For him to actively remind them to do their homework on Posen ahead of time was quite unusual.
"Lanqi, I know that when dealing with others, you see the individual before their collective group. You observe and perceive people solely from your own perspective, irrespective of race or allegiance. That is why you were able to win Hyperion's friendship so quickly—because in your eyes, she carries no categorical labels. She is simply Hyperion."
Professor Borao pointed to the book in Lanqi's hands as he explained.
In his view, Lanqi was the one who needed a thorough understanding of the Kingdom of Posen's current situation, whereas the steady Tata was hardly a cause for concern.
"However, the vast majority of people are not like that. The instant they encounter an individual, what enters their minds are attributes like race, gender, background, and so forth. That behavior isn't inherently evil, as people require the most efficient method to determine whether the person before them is dangerous and whether they are suitable company," Professor Borao continued.
Beside him, Talia nodded silently.
She agreed deeply with Professor Borao's words.
In truth, when frail humans heard of demons, their very first impression was danger.
And that was indeed justified. After all, the vast majority of demons felt neither hesitation nor guilt when killing; as long as it aligned with their desires and logic, they would strike. Demons like her and Antanas, who lacked aggression, were merely a tiny remnant filtered out by the war and could not represent the collective.
To naively put one's trust in a demon could easily bring about a fatal end.
The reason Lanqi had always been able to maintain this unique mindset, aside from his inherent disposition, was that he possessed sufficient ability to protect himself. He could treat others with sincerity without fearing that they might harm him.
And once he discovered that someone harbored hostility, he would use an excessive degree of "love" to influence them.
This risked setting off a chain reaction: in a chaotic environment, Lanqi's talents would continually be stimulated until his influence fermented and reshaped the entire surrounding world.
"Yet in the Kingdom of Posen, the categorical habit you encounter will be far stronger than in the Hutton Kingdom, which has virtually no demons, or the Protos Empire, where status is completely one-sided."
Professor Borao produced a map and pointed to the borders of Posen, which were not far from the Hutton Kingdom.
"It is entirely normal for humans and demons undergoing integration to harbor preconceived notions about each other. Both sides have their own ways of life, and interference from someone belonging to a different cultural background isn't necessarily a good thing. Respect them, and simply experience the journey."
"I understand, Professor," Lanqi replied, nodding as he stared at the map.
Excluding the vast Creti Empire to the south, the Southern Continent was divided into four main areas: the Eastern Region, the Western Hub, the Central Plains Kingdoms, and the Northern Coast Region.
Among them, the three strongest kingdoms in the Eastern Region were the Aloran Kingdom, the Kingdom of Posen, and the Hutton Kingdom. Bordering the other eastern nations, they served as the three pillars of the Eastern Region should war break out.
At present, the Southern Continent was far from tranquil. The Creti Empire's movements increasingly pushed the United Council of Kingdoms toward a state of wartime readiness; once full-scale war erupted, the resulting chaos would far exceed the previous conflict on the Northern Continent's southern coast.
Situated at its heart, the Kingdom of Posen served as the hub connecting the Aloran Kingdom and the Hutton Kingdom, as well as a vital transit and commercial center for the United Council of Kingdoms' Eastern Region.
The closer war drew, the heavier its strategic significance became.
Under these circumstances, Lanqi, heading to the Kingdom of Posen as a Hutton Platinum-rank card maker, needed all the more to consider the impact his words and deeds might have on international relations.
In short: watch what you say and do.
"I have seen your unique talents with my own eyes. I was the one who approved your Tier 7 Shadow World earlier; I believed in your capability, so I signed off on it. This time, I still trust in your ability, so I won't impose any restrictions on you either, and I will handle all the logistical support. But I am not like Loren. He would merely urge you to stay safe and restrain your conduct a bit, whereas I won't tell you that."
Professor Borao picked up his teacup of steeped valerian chamomile tea, speaking in a leisurely tone.
"Understood."
Lanqi grasped what Professor Borao meant. Now that he was Professor Borao's student, it was only natural for the professor to offer parting counsel before his departure.
Talia glanced at Lanqi.
She knew this fellow had practically tormented Dean Loren half to death.
Hyperion had felt guilty for quite a long time after returning home.
This time, Professor Borao surely couldn't allow him to torment Loren any further.
"It isn't that with great power comes great responsibility. Sometimes, the greater your capability, the greater the consequences that can arise from a single lapse in judgment. Once your ability reaches a certain magnitude, you must learn to be an observer," Professor Borao said.
Chapter 651