Lanqi's Promotion Chronicles

A class period passed in the blink of an eye. Outside the classroom, golden motes drifted lazily through the air above the polished, mirror-like black-and-white checkered marble corridor. As a deep, resonant chime echoed over the central complex of Saint Creti Monastery, it signaled the end of Lanqi's lectures for the day. Even so, none of the students in the classroom left; several who thirsted for knowledge still clustered around the lectern, posing questions to him. Only after quite a while, when the inquisitive students had grasped the basics and finally dispersed, did he quietly close his lecture notes. Carefully placing the hefty tome onto the sandalwood podium, he offered a warm, sincere smile to the students below, bid them farewell, and strode out of the classroom. It was nearing noon, and the Elliott Building was already bustling with a noisy clamor of voices. Students in groups of three and five carried heavy book-shaped magic apparatuses, chatting and laughing as they shuttled through the cloisters. Their cheerful banter resonated down the open corridors, mingled with the faint, drifting aroma of food from the dining hall on the lower floors. Lanqi walked alone along the long hallway beside Classroom 4-43, the echoes of his footsteps swallowed by the masonry walls. "The students at Saint Creti Monastery certainly have unique ideas. A few of them genuinely stumped me." The sharp questions they had raised during class still lingered in his mind, their insights well worth mulling over. At times, Lanqi had even needed to confer with Talia in his mind before venturing an answer. Fortunately, Talia's eight-hundred-year repository of knowledge was no joke. She truly was... So beautiful and so powerful. Just as Lanqi's thought was half-formed, he felt as if an invisible hand had gripped his heart, prompting him to hastily tack on the compliment. "Professor Landry! Please wait!" Hasty footsteps and a youth's clear shout suddenly came from behind, interrupting Lanqi's train of thought in the corridor. Lanqi stopped in his tracks and turned, pausing his mental sparring match with his resident spirit to turn his attention back to the students of Saint Creti Monastery. Several anxious-looking students had thrown propriety to the wind and rushed up, their eyes gleaming with an eager thirst for knowledge and unabashed admiration. Out of breath, the student in the lead spoke up, barely able to contain his excitement. "Professor, the new energy theory you expounded in class today was truly breathtaking! In particular, your proposal to use living-body mana oscillation and resonance to improve energy conversion efficiency is pure genius! But I still have a few doubts about it. Would you mind taking a look at our ideas to see if they're feasible?" As he spoke, he produced pages covered in notes and his own derived formulas. "Indeed, Professor Landry," a blond, blue-eyed youth piped up immediately. "I believe this can be developed not only as a new energy source, but also applied toward humanitarian torture instruments. In the future, labor reform for criminals could be turned into a one-touch sweeping process, so there's no need to worry about them slacking off. It's compulsory, efficient, and pure, while also reducing the prison guards' workload and supervision difficulty!" The students chimed in excitedly one after another, competing to extrapolate and build on the concept, their eyes burning with a thirst for knowledge and fanatical zeal. "Why are they like this?" Talia asked in Lanqi's mind, puzzled. She suddenly recalled that Lanqi spent only half the lecture discussing magic engineering; the other half had been devoted to ethics, religion, and philosophy. The more a portion of the students listened, the more unhinged their state of mind became. Only a few students with high resistance remained unfazed. The ones who had chased after him just now were clearly the ones who had undergone the most drastic transformation. "Very inventive. Let me see." Seeing this, Lanqi wore a benevolent smile. Putting Talia's question aside for the moment, he was just about to address the students' queries one by one. When he glanced up, he noticed a familiar figure standing at the corridor corner— It was none other than Nikolai, known as "Kestrel," Section Chief of the First Domestic Countermeasures Section of the Imperial Special Operations Department. He was clad as always in an immaculate, sharp black military uniform. The military merit watch on his chest gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight, his hands clasped behind his back, standing tall and straight as a pine. Upon spotting Lanqi, Kestrel Nikolai nodded slightly in greeting, as if he had been waiting for Professor Landry for quite a while. Following Lanqi's gaze, the students caught sight of Nikolai's stern countenance and the uniform of the Imperial Special Operations Department. Instantly silenced like cicadas in winter, they dared not utter another word. Lanqi returned the officer's nod, then turned an apologetic look to the students beside him. "I'm terribly sorry, Alexander, Benjamin, Christopher, Gregory... An urgent matter has suddenly come up that I must attend to right away. The points you raised are indeed insightful. I'll be in my office answering questions tomorrow afternoon. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from two to five in the afternoon, you can find me in Office 812 on the eighth floor of the Sport Building in the Great Monastery. We can have a thorough discussion then, all right?" His tone was earnest yet polite, addressing every single student by name without hesitation. "Please attend to your business, Professor. We'll see you tomorrow." The students nodded at once, a warm fullness welling up in their chests. They had assumed Professor Landry, whom they had known for only two days, would barely remember them. Little did they expect him to already know them so well and pay such close attention, to the point where they could feel an unmistakable sincerity and respect in his gaze. "See you tomorrow." Lanqi said his goodbyes, turned, and strode straight toward Kestrel Nikolai. "Professor Landry, pardon the intrusion. Would it be convenient for you to accompany me to the headquarters of the Imperial Special Operations Department? Regarding the matter we discussed earlier, we require further confirmation with you." As the professor approached, Nikolai spoke in his customary low, emotionless tone. "Certainly. My classes for the day are finished, so I can accompany you right away." Outwardly calm and unruffled, Lanqi smiled faintly and gave a prompt nod of agreement. "Thank you for waiting, Section Chief Nikolai." "My original assignment today was to inspect and record Classroom 4-21 anyway, so the timing worked out." Seeing that Professor Landry had accepted the invitation without the slightest hesitation or excuse, Kestrel Nikolai was mildly surprised, though he did not let it show. He made a welcoming gesture. "Please. The Special Operations vehicle is parked not far from the Elliott Building." Nikolai walked with brisk, disciplined strides, Lanqi keeping pace alongside him as they traversed the grand, deep corridors of the Elliott Building. The students watched their retreating figures, whispering among themselves as curiosity supplanted their initial bewilderment. What connection did the enigmatic Professor Landry have with the Imperial Special Operations Department? Countless conjectures whirled through their minds. Some even went over to ask Landry's younger sister, Elsa, but she merely clutched her sleeves against her chest and shook her head. Meanwhile... "It seems you are very popular with the students." Kestrel Nikolai appeared even more familiar with the Elliott Building than Professor Landry, walking half a step ahead as if guiding the way. He had noticed the students who chased after him from Classroom 4-43 earlier, though they had shied away the moment they spotted an officer like him. "I simply enjoy interacting with students," Lanqi replied with downcast eyes and a subtle smile. "Do you possess some special talent for emotional communication? To build rapport with those around you so quickly?" Kestrel Nikolai asked, sizing up the man once more. "Perhaps it isn't a talent, but a discipline—a study of how people or society 'ought to be.' Even without it, one's current daily life remains unaffected. Yet one day, when confronted with a major barrier in life, knowing 'what one ought to do' might just provide the clue to overcoming it," Lanqi answered, gazing out the window into the distance. "Your sister seemed to be looking for you just now. Why were you so cold to her?" Nikolai nodded, choosing not to pursue the philosophical topic, and shifted the conversation. His tone carried a half-joking cadence, yet it was an obvious probe. When looking back toward the entrance of Classroom 4-43 earlier, one could tell at a single glance that among the students was a young girl who bore a striking resemblance to Landry. Nikolai had investigated Landry in advance; he knew the man's household registry details inside out. Elsa Washington, Landry Washington's biological sister who had depended on him since childhood. She and Landry had grown up together in a small town on the border of Nixasend in the northwestern Creti Empire. She had been sent to the capital, Brierda, a few years ago. After being separated for so long, the siblings ought to have missed each other dearly. She seemed to have intended to speak with her brother, Professor Landry, but upon seeing him approached by the Imperial Special Operations Department, she chose not to draw near. Sensing that her presence might only cause trouble for him, she had merely caught his eye, exchanged a nod, and turned away. "Time is like a wild donkey; once it starts galloping, it never stops. In the blink of an eye, my little sister has grown up," Lanqi sighed as if reminiscing about the past. "Family matters can be attended to anytime, but imperial affairs brook no delay. Aside from Section Chief Nikolai, I imagine someone else in the Special Operations Department is waiting for me, isn't that right?" He looked toward Nikolai. Otherwise, they could have just found a nearby spot to talk; there would have been no need for Nikolai to wait outside his classroom so punctually just to take him to headquarters. "Of course," Kestrel Nikolai did not deny it. Indeed, his order had been to bring Professor Landry in. "Elsa is a child so sensible it breaks one's heart. We haven't had much contact over the past few years. If Section Chief Nikolai harbors any doubts about me, feel free to question me as much as you like, but please do not disturb her. Would that be acceptable?" Lanqi spoke with rare bluntness. "...No problem," Kestrel Nikolai chuckled softly with a sense of relief, giving a nod. Before long, the two descended from the labyrinthine Elliott Building and emerged onto the street beside the plaza. "Lanqi, why did you let him know Elsa is your vulnerability?" Talia asked in his mind, baffled. She felt that Nikolai was still suspicious of Lanqi every second, and Lanqi's response just now had been extremely risky. "In truth, if I acted as though I didn't care about Elsa, that would arouse Nikolai's suspicion even more. Besides, offering him a deliberate flaw works to our advantage. It not only convinces him that I care deeply about my sister, but also makes him feel I am easier to control—a man with family ties and clear weaknesses. Real spies, more often than not, are entirely solitary, unencumbered by any attachments," Lanqi responded to Talia. "...You're pretty clever, aren't you," Talia conceded after pondering it for a moment. This kid was remarkably adept at playing the spy. Faced with a trap, he didn't even bat an eye, instantly sidestepping every pitfall to seize the optimal solution. He was practically a born undercover operative. Before long, a black magitech vehicle parked on the far side of the plaza road swiftly pulled onto the thoroughfare upon sighting Kestrel Nikolai and Professor Landry. "Greetings, sir," an operative in formal attire saluted Nikolai through the window. With one hand behind his back, Nikolai pulled open the rear door for Lanqi and saw him inside before taking his seat on the other side of the back row. The operative in the driver's seat silently started the engine. With a faint hum, the vehicle pulled away from the Elliott Building of Saint Creti Monastery, heading toward the central district of the capital, Brierda. The Imperial Special Operations Department had been established over a century ago, originally organized to counter the demon race's espionage threat during the Holy War. Having played a vital role in that conflict, it gradually transitioned to conducting intelligence operations against neighboring nations and the alliance of the United Council of Kingdoms. Its mission was to covertly gather classified intelligence both within and beyond the empire to safeguard the national security interests of the Creti Empire. The threats it monitored spanned terrorism, organized crime, regional conflicts, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and more. It commanded at least three thousand well-trained agents across numerous regional stations and specialized divisions. Operating independently from the Imperial General Staff and Headquarters led by the First God of War, Hyacinthus, it nonetheless maintained cooperation with them. The current Director of the Imperial Special Operations Department, Duke Dex Reynolds, stood as one of the empire's most enigmatic figures. Ostensibly serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, his identity as director had been kept secret for over twenty years, coming to light only a few years ago. The headquarters where Kestrel Nikolai was escorting Lanqi sat at Holworth Crossroads in the heart of Brierda, earning it the moniker "the Claws of Holworth Crossroads." Since arriving in the capital, Lanqi had yet to visit a location so deep in the city center. "Who will we be meeting shortly?" Lanqi asked Nikolai beside him. In the back seat, Lanqi leaned against the soft leather upholstery, passing the journey to the department headquarters. The floral scent, gentle breeze, and midday sun drifting through the window filled the cabin, lending an air of languor to Landry's handsome features. Having just finished lecturing, he looked somewhat worn out after getting into the car. Kestrel Nikolai remained seated upright, stiff as a chess piece. "The supreme commander of our Imperial Special Operations Department: Director Dex," Kestrel Nikolai replied, glancing at Lanqi. He noted that the professor showed not the slightest hint of nervousness sitting beside him, wondering whether it was due to supreme mental fortitude or simply his natural disposition. With that, Nikolai turned to look at the imperial buildings sweeping past the car window. "Was it Duke Dex who asked Section Chief Nikolai to bring me to the Special Operations Department?" Lanqi asked, mildly surprised, with an amused smile. "Yes. The appointment of an honorary consultant for the Special Operations Department is not something within my authority to decide," Kestrel Nikolai nodded. "Then I am truly flattered," Lanqi responded cordially. "..." Now Talia felt a tinge of worry. The research findings Lanqi had left at Saint Creti Monastery had clearly fermented enough to draw the attention of many imperial higher-ups, and Dex was one such heavyweight. To a true imperial hound, this would undoubtedly be an opportunity to showcase talent, prove value, and seize power. But to an Allied spy, it was stepping right into a dragon's pool and a tiger's den. Any vulnerability on his part would be amplified without limit; he might meet his end without even knowing when it came. The new environment Lanqi was about to enter appeared rosy and full of promise on the surface, but in truth, it concealed countless pitfalls, setting her heart racing with unease. "Tata, you just stick to cooking at home and don't worry about anything else. Leave work to me," Lanqi chatted casually in his mind. "I will definitely give you a good life here in the empire, so rest easy," he added. "Go for it, then..." Talia decided not to take offense at Lanqi calling her the cook, since she truly was making meals for him every day now, and at least he recognized her contributions. Hearing how passionate, responsible, and dependable he was regarding his career, she couldn't help thinking that living together with him wasn't half bad. If his name weren't Lanqi, he would honestly make an ideal partner.