One week later.
"Today is another day full of hope."
"A brand-new weekend, meow! It has been fifteen days since you arrived in Brierda, the capital of the Creti Empire. October 14th of the Solar Calendar. In the depths of autumn, the leaves outside have begun to yellow."
"Winter draws ever closer. You know this will be the most grueling winter for the Allied Forces... meow-meow-woo..."
Before it could finish speaking, Lanqi placed a piece of dried fish right against its mouth.
Boss Cat had no choice but to finish its favorite dried fish first.
Yet before it could even finish swallowing, Lanqi had already pressed down on its head.
"Boss Cat, that will be all for today's broadcast,"
Lanqi said to the flabbergasted cat.
"Meow?!"
It hadn't expected Lanqi to find a way to counter its Meow Meow Fist so quickly.
"You two really have nothing better to do."
Talia, wearing an apron, unhurriedly carried plates back and forth between the kitchen and the dining table, clearing the dishes after today's breakfast. Watching the daily antics between Lanqi and Boss Cat, she couldn't help commenting.
Boss Cat was right, though. The weather in Brierda was prone to growing cold in the days ahead, with a vast difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures. Chilly winds often swept through the nights, demanding extra layers of clothing to stay warm.
On this weekend morning, Lanqi sat leisurely on the soft, off-white sofa on the first floor of the villa, enjoying a moment of tranquility.
"Lanqi, meow, you're on the verge of going from an up-and-coming Saint Creti Monastery professor to the most watched rising star in magic engineering in the entire Creti Empire."
The little black cat patted Lanqi with its paw on the sofa, offering encouragement to its ride.
That feeling from back in the Northern Continent had returned.
As expected, the Lan-Cat duo wrecked everything effortlessly.
Through their efforts over this past week, bolstered by Abigail's active endorsement, his theory of magical energy fission had not only accelerated its fermentation throughout imperial magic engineering circles, but it had also drawn increasing attention from the nations of the Allied Forces. This forced the Creti Empire to overturn internal objections, screen for the source of intelligence leaks, and expedite practical research on it.
Professor Landry had delivered multiple lectures across Brierda, and every day, numerous officers from imperial special departments and military-industrial experts came to call on him.
"Sigh, I'd love to have a Tier 9 Divine Beast protecting me too. I'm living in constant fear every single day."
Recently, assassination attempts against him had grown more frequent. Whenever he stepped out of Saint Creti Monastery openly as Professor Landry without disguise, imperial military vehicles would tail him.
On one hand, they were likely monitoring him; on the other, they were guarding him.
At this juncture, Professor Landry served, to some degree, as an exceptional piece of bait.
So long as they shadowed him, anyone caught harboring ill intent toward him was undoubtedly a prime suspect for foreign espionage.
The Imperial Special Operations Department was currently tasked with a crucial assignment, personally ordered by Emperor Saint Bardo and executed by Duke Dakes: to unmask the spy within Brierda who was continually snooping on the latest research findings regarding magical energy fission and leaking them to the Allied Forces.
"Damn it, meow, don't you feel any guilt at all around the Imperial Special Operations Department?"
Boss Cat had watched with its own eyes as the kid lied through his teeth, assuring Duke Dakes that he would do his utmost to watch for any suspicious individuals around him and show absolutely no mercy to anyone who threatened the empire.
Section Chief Nikola of the Countermeasures Section—known as the Kestrel—and Captain Maguire of the Operations Team kept their eyes glued to Lanqi all day long. Nikola genuinely seemed to suspect Landry, while Maguire simply wanted to catch the Allied spy lurking around him, yet neither could uncover the slightest flaw.
Aside from his academic duties, Lanqi had spent much of his time this week dealing with Dakes, Nikola, and Maguire at the Imperial Special Operations Department.
"What else can I do? Word has it that Duke Dakes intends to step down from the front lines, and the next department chief will be either Nikola or Maguire. Nikola is a lieutenant colonel, while Maguire is a colonel, so by rights, it should go to Maguire. But before Duke Dakes officially finalizes it, if Nikola can pull off a major feat and earn a promotion to match Maguire's rank, the duke might hand the opportunity to his protégé Nikola. That's why both of them have been watching me like hawks lately."
Lanqi lowered the newspaper in his hands and spoke to Boss Cat.
Visiting a Shadow World wasn't a bad idea.
At least it would divert the Imperial Special Operations Department's attention away from him for a while.
"The empire needs capable people right now. Why would Duke Dakes step down, meow?"
Boss Cat asked Lanqi in confusion.
Having stuck with Lanqi these past few days, it had never managed to wrap its head around this.
"Probably because the Imperial Special Operations Department has been acting too aggressively in Brierda lately, spreading panic. On top of that, it holds too much power, even enjoying priority jurisdiction over the military. Both the populace and the nobility have voiced plenty of grievances. Emperor Saint Bardo wants to place the department directly under his personal control now. For one thing, it quells the domestic discontent; for another, he'll definitely appoint Duke Dakes to a higher position at his side to counterbalance Commander-in-Chief Hyacinthus, who's riding high right now. After all, Duke Dakes' influence in the military has always been obvious to everyone."
Lanqi folded the newspaper and scooped up Boss Cat.
"Rather than saying Duke Dakes doesn't want the job anymore, it's more accurate to say he saw through Emperor Saint Bardo's next move. So he proactively expressed his desire to retire. That way, when the emperor later asks him to return—just as you put it, 'The empire is in need of talent, so please, Lord Dakes, dedicate your strength to the realm once more'—it will naturally grant him even greater power with full justification. Everything will seem completely organic, without looking as though Emperor Saint Bardo is deliberately suppressing Hyacinthus."
He laid out his deduction for Boss Cat.
No guarantees it was entirely accurate, though.
"Meow, meow..."
Boss Cat was just a cat.
Power games like these were best left to Lanqi to ponder; it had more than enough things of its own to worry about.
"Sigh, I'll deal with the Imperial Special Operations Department after I get back. It's almost time to set off for Saint Creti Monastery's Void Gate."
Lanqi looked through the floor-to-ceiling window, captivated by the scenery outside, murmuring to himself.
The colors of the season had quietly descended upon the courtyard, dyeing the garden in vibrant splashes of orange and red.
A layer of golden fallen leaves blanketed the lawn. The faint gurgling of a distant brook drifted over, harmonizing with the warbling of canaries into a morning melody.
Lanqi picked up the hot chocolate from the coffee table and took a sip, letting the rich warmth spread across his palate.
His mood grew gentle and pleasant.
Talia had switched all their beverages to warm drinks recently.
She truly was a gourmand of the older generation, knowing precisely what to eat and drink for each season.
"..."
Talia untied her apron in the kitchen, her grip tightening slightly.
Listening to Lanqi's inner thoughts, she had just started to think he was doing alright, and right on cue came the backhanded compliment.
"We can leave now."
She walked out of the kitchen, speaking to Lanqi without expression.
The scheduled departure was nine in the morning, and it was already past eight. It was time for them to head toward the Void Gate.
"Oh, alright."
Lanqi stood up, stretched, and replied.
"Prepare to move out, three point five kilometers total, meow!"
Boss Cat reminded them.
Without a word, Talia dissolved into an orange silhouette of light on the spot.
Confirming that the [Demon King of Mad Love] had returned, Lanqi walked to the entryway, took his gray overcoat from the coat rack, slipped it on, and locked the door behind him. He followed the courtyard path toward the Saint Creti Monastery campus.
"You're wearing that argyle vest again lately, meow,"
Boss Cat observed from atop Lanqi's head, watching him walk through the garden.
During his early days in the Protos Empire, Lanqi's coat might have been black, beige, or even purple, but it was almost always paired with a white shirt and a light brown argyle vest.
Later, following a wonderful encounter, Lanqi had developed a fond preference for gray overcoats, and his style had shifted markedly. He had gradually abandoned his initial argyle vest, opting mostly for more formal, darker shirts.
"The weather's getting chilly,"
Lanqi replied.
An extra layer inside was just right.
In the late autumn morning, a nip lingered in the air; it wouldn't even be surprising to see one's breath turn to white mist at night.
Today was a day off. Given the early hour and the sheer scale of the monastery, there was hardly anyone on the road.
Boarding the monastery's campus shuttle, he saw only an occasional maintenance worker, along with a few students heading toward the school buildings bright and early.
Lanqi gazed out the window, sensing the silence.
Talia hadn't spoken to him for quite a while.
"Teacher, are you in a bad mood today?"
According to Lanqi's observations, Talia had looked quite happy during breakfast this morning, so she shouldn't be feeling particularly down.
"They found you a fiancée from the Allied Forces. You must be thrilled,"
Talia answered inside Lanqi's mind.
"I heard she just arrived in Brierda today, and Miss Unity still needs to ask her opinion first,"
Lanqi said, catching Talia's drift.
"If she turns me down when the time comes, won't I still have to rely on you, Teacher?"
However, he and Talia had no time to meet with Unity today; the scheduled time for the Shadow World was upon them.
"...Since you're counting on me so much, I suppose I could help you out if necessary. After all, I am your teacher."
Talia's mental voice softened considerably.
"Exactly, exactly."
Lanqi could distinctly feel Talia brightening up.
Things were moving along on Toliado's end as well.
He had said that contact with the fiancée had already been established through the Resurrection Church's channels, but he had to make a trip in person to receive her and discuss the details face-to-face. The other party wouldn't trust him over mere communications. If she agreed, he guaranteed she would be in Brierda by the time Lanqi emerged from the Shadow World.
"That Dimension branch of theirs is really amusing. First, the Saintess of Dimensions chewed out the Cardinal of Dimensions, and now the cardinal has to go hold a face-to-face talk just to fetch a direct retainer,"
Talia chuckled.
"Could it be that in the Dimension branch, the Cardinal of Dimensions actually holds the lowest status?"
Lanqi suspected other branches were shaped like pyramids, but the Dimension branch was an inverted one—the Saintess of Dimensions definitely outranked the Cardinal of Dimensions.
If this had been the Northern Continent, the idea of Holy Son of Extinction Anello daring to yell at Bishop of Extinction Askesan in his prime would have been unthinkable.
"Your journey across the Northern Continent really does sound interesting. I wasn't that curious before, but now I'm intrigued. When we get back, tell me about it when I'm bored."
Ever since learning that Lanqi had met Associate Professor Cido in the Northern Continent, Talia had gradually come to suspect that Lanqi's adventures there might be rather entertaining.
Still, she was never in a rush. If there was one thing she possessed, it was time. Five or ten years later made no difference to her.
"I hope this Shadow World doesn't take too long,"
Lanqi chatted with Talia while looking out the shuttle window.
Time might pass differently for him than for Talia.
Yet with their mission in the Creti Empire growing ever more urgent, he wanted to make every day count if possible.
"Tier 8 Shadow Worlds are generally measured in months. Long ones can last half a year. Of course, there are also Tier 8 Shadow Worlds that take less than a month. There's roughly a fifty percent chance of drawing one that lasts under three months."
Talia had read plenty of books from the Southern Continent.
The time limit of a Shadow World increased significantly with its tier, though the correlation wasn't absolute. According to statistics from the Southern Continent Shadow World Association, the historical average duration for a Tier 8 Shadow World was 107.5 days, but the variance was immense, making exceptionally short or exceedingly long ones quite common.
"Iphatia is still waiting for you to bring her the antidote,"
Talia added, hoping for a shorter duration as well.
She felt that after reuniting, Iphatia had reverted to that harmless, adorable little bun she used to be.
Now, Iphatia borrowed Barton's communication magic every day to call Lanqi's place and chat with her, the two sisters rambling on for hours at a time.
"By the time the Shadow World ends, Principal Violet might be back. Even if she's just around Botswana Province, the empire won't let her stay away from the capital for too long."
As Lanqi and Talia conversed through their minds, their destination gradually entered their field of vision through the window.
At the center of Saint Creti Monastery stood a magnificent yet bizarre structure, resting quietly amid the surrounding sectors.
Its exterior clashed violently with the surrounding architecture, looking more like an impregnable fortress. The deep-blue structure resembled a mechanical Rubik's cube, encircled by layers upon layers of barrier formations that emitted a crisp, faint purple glow. A visible protective field partitioned the building entirely from the outside world.
Even gazing from a kilometer away, one could feel the invisible pressure radiating from it.
Only with valid credentials from Saint Creti Monastery or an imperial Challenger license could one pass through the sole main entrance and undergo several strict security checks before stepping inside.
When the campus shuttle reached the stop, Lanqi stepped off, holding the cat.
Passing through the gates, he entered the building to find an expansive, hollow hall with a transparent floor. At the deepest end of the subterranean area stood a colossal Void Gate.
Its appearance was both eerie and breathtakingly magnificent, like the masterpiece of a creator deity. Its surface was as smooth as a mirror, its edges flowing with a glimmering radiance resembling liquid starlight, shifting and dancing perpetually between dark purple and silvery white.
"Good morning, Professor Landry."
The staff member before the turnstile, clad in the vestments of a Moon Goddess priest, checked him in using a handheld magical device and greeted Lanqi with a smile.
"Good morning,"
Lanqi replied politely.
Entering a Shadow World in the Creti Empire wasn't nearly as cumbersome as in many Southern Continent nations; the empire maintained a comprehensive, independent inspection system.
People like Professor Landry were on the whitelist.
The gate slowly parted.
"May the Goddess of the Moon watch over you."
The Moon Priest gestured for Lanqi to proceed.
"May she watch over us all."
Lanqi took back his returned credentials, thanked the priest, and walked toward the Void Gate.
A faint purple light pulsed and flickered across the gateway, while countless stars gently spun within a vortex, reflecting his figure.
Crossing several hundred paces, he brought the nervous cat to the threshold of the Void Gate.
"Ready?"
Lanqi looked down and smiled at Boss Cat.
Even though this wasn't Boss Cat's first time challenging a Shadow World, he could tell it still felt anxious in this unfamiliar environment.
Merely drawing near brought an invisible pull, as though the Void Gate intended to draw the souls of those who approached into the unknown realm beyond.
"Meow!"
Just thinking about the allure of a Divine Beast dispelled Boss Cat's fear, and it clapped its paws together.
"What about you, Teacher?"
This was his first time teaming up with Talia to enter a Shadow World.
He truly hadn't expected the day to come when he would challenge a Shadow World alongside Talia.
Every time he entered a Shadow World, his teammates were different.
Yet in the end, the Demon Princess he had received right at the start was finally getting some screen time.
"What do you mean, 'received at the start'? I am the chosen one, the one and only,"
Talia asserted.
"Heh."
Lanqi stepped straight forward, slipping through as if crossing the surface of water.
In an instant, sound, vision, consciousness, and even time vanished.
All that could be felt was the breathing of the cosmos, the endless stars, and the bottomless void.
There, two worlds intertwined, taking form together. After everything inverted and reversed, they finally arrived in a brand-new world.
[Blood Moon Ruined World. Final node: "Eternal Rain of Tears." Historical projection has unraveled.]
Chapter 762