Late at night, the massive screen on Jera Memorial Square cast ripples of fluctuating light, now brilliant, now dim, like a solitary lighthouse silently guiding the way through the dark.
On the stone steps directly facing the open-air giant screen—
Wearing a comfortable white dress, Talia was a touch of fresh, vibrant color amidst the dead of night as she quietly walked toward the edge of the square.
The view here was open and unobstructed, offering a complete look at the entire giant screen.
Gently smoothing the back of her dress, she sat on the textured stone steps of the square and looked up at the open-air screen.
Her brows gradually knit together.
—For on the screen—
There was a classical, somber conference room. The towering vaulted ceiling painted with Demon Realm murals, the obsidian stone walls carved with spell-barrier statues shimmering with violet light—every detail proclaimed the esteemed status of the demons permitted inside.
Lanqi sat at the head of the long table, a teacup set before him. As he spoke, he tapped his fingers lightly on the tabletop from time to time.
Seated in the other chairs appeared to be demons of considerable standing within Purgatory Corridor Academy.
Each was impeccably dressed, looking all the more magnificent and solemn under the light of the chandelier.
At this moment, every one of them watched Lanqi attentively, answering his incisive questions with respectful deference, not daring to offer the slightest contradiction.
By now, Lanqi had long discarded his school uniform jacket. He had changed into a vintage suit, and the nameplate standing on the table before him bore several striking Demon Realm glyphs—
Acting Headmaster.
...
In the square at Ikerite Academy, Talia frowned deeply, rubbed her eyes, and looked at the screen again.
She hadn't misread it.
Talia: "???"
She thought to herself, hadn't she only stepped away for a few hours?
How on earth had this bastard climbed from a student all the way to headmaster?!
...
In the conference room on the top floor of Purgatory Corridor Academy.
The atmosphere in the room was somewhat tense, yet thick with respect and anticipation.
All the school leadership sat in neat, orderly alignment, quietly listening to Lanqi's remarks.
Seated at the head, Lanqi took a sip of tea, set the cup back on the table, glanced around the room, and began to speak.
He first commended Purgatory Corridor Academy's achievements in teaching quality, campus culture, and related areas, while reminding the administration of the importance of educational work and their sense of duty.
Lanqi then raised several proposals for educational reform within the demon academy, including promoting educational equity, elevating instruction quality, and emphasizing the development of faculty strength.
He stressed that education was the foundation of the Demon Realm and the cradle for its future pillars; every educator present bore the heavy responsibility of nurturing the realm's rising stars.
"I hope we can work together to make education fair, high-quality, and modern in character. We must also value and elevate the professional caliber of our teachers, while attending to the holistic development of every student and unlocking their potential..."
Right as Lanqi was directing the academy's future strategic development, the door to the conference room was pushed open.
It was the Vice Headmaster who walked in. He closed the door behind him, returned to his seat beside Lanqi, and addressed him:
"Lord Commissioner, the academy's new regulations have been promulgated and enforced according to your instructions. In addition, the Blood Clan envoy and the inspector from the Demon Realm Inspectorate have arrived in Purgatory City. They are expected to reach the academy within an hour."
"Good."
Lanqi nodded.
When Professor Mogute had brought him to the conference room earlier, he had already met the Vice Headmaster.
It could only be said that Professor Mogute's unwavering, unquestioning faith in him had saved a great deal of trouble.
Furthermore, when Professor Mogute had gone into the Vice Headmaster's office alone to request an audience, he had apparently recounted Lanqi's performance in the painting classroom.
As a result, once the Vice Headmaster invited Lanqi into the office, merely catching sight of Lanqi's black jade seal was enough to make him thoroughly deferential.
Immediately afterward, the academy convened an emergency senior leadership meeting, and the Vice Headmaster personally went to carry out the measures Lanqi deemed "essential for dealing with the Blood Clan envoy."
"Now that the Vice Headmaster has returned, let us turn to the most pressing issue at hand: the Blood Clan."
Lanqi glanced at the Vice Headmaster, then turned to the other senior officials and asked:
"In fact, I do not believe the root of the problem this time lies with the Blood Clan. Rather, you must reflect on yourselves. The Lord Demon King can protect you once, but what if there is a next time? Can he protect you every single time?"
For a long moment, no one in the conference room dared to utter a word.
They all understood that this distinguished confidant of the Demon King was here to clean up their mess; being reprimanded was only natural, and his wording was already quite polite.
Hyperion stood behind Lanqi like his secretary. Her heart was a swirl of conflicting emotions; she had no idea how things had suddenly ended up like this, and could only do her best to keep her expression completely neutral.
Right before her eyes, Lanqi leaned back against his chair, hands resting on the table, interrogating all the school leaders in the room.
Hyperion could not fathom where Lanqi got the nerve to sit there so coolly and calmly, dressing down a room full of high-ranking demons all by himself!
He genuinely seemed to believe he was a bona fide special commissioner.
Once again, he had blended into the academy with perfection.
"Then again, this incident cannot be entirely blamed on you. The Empire's modification technology truly exceeded our expectations. Furthermore, the Blood Clan has looked down on us far too much."
Lanqi sighed, his tone softening by half a degree.
"Inspecting your esteemed institution on this trip, I experienced student life for a brief period. Overall, it was quite memorable. I shall faithfully report my positive impressions to the Lord Demon King; after all, conducting field research is part of my mandate."
The moment Lanqi finished speaking, all the professors seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief.
Fortunately, they had strictly adhered to the rules throughout this period and done nothing unfair that would anger the commissioner.
Moreover, although the commissioner's words were stern, he had never hidden his high regard for the school from start to finish. His meaning was abundantly clear: he would definitely protect the academy.
"In short, to prevent such incidents and hidden dangers in the future, once I help you safely send this Blood Clan envoy on his way, I will need your full cooperation to pursue active reforms, optimize selection mechanisms, and completely eliminate any ill-intentioned foreign races from infiltrating our school! Is that clear?"
Lanqi's voice rang out with resounding conviction and total confidence.
The sheer sense of duty and purpose radiating from him made it impossible for the other academy leaders to doubt his devotion to the school; such passion could not possibly be faked.
And more importantly, he possessed the capability to make them believe in him.
In the eyes of this commissioner, a mere Blood Clan envoy was no trouble at all!
"Without fail. Please put your mind at ease,"
the Vice Headmaster took the lead in offering Lanqi an earnest guarantee.
Having heard Lanqi lay out his strategy for dealing with the Blood Clan envoy in the office earlier, the Vice Headmaster was now utterly convinced that this demon of terrifying talent and emissary of the Demon King was the only great and wise demon who could save them!
Chapter 72