Green shadows of leaves swayed in the gentle breeze. Morning sunlight filtered through the glass and curtains, spilling inside and making the living room feel all the more tranquil and comfortable.
By now, Lanqi had finished brewing two cups of tea. Carrying them on a tray from the sink into the living room, he offered a cup to Vice Dean Ron.
Lanqi did not speak first, simply sitting upright and waiting for Ron to break the silence.
At last, after a moment of quiet contemplation, Vice Dean Ron gripped his teacup and began,
"Lanqi, I came today primarily on behalf of the School of Sages to inquire about the origin of that [Friendly Communication] card you used during the third-round exam."
Perhaps worried that Lanqi might feel pressured, Ron spoke very slowly.
"Of course, if it's inconvenient to disclose, you don't have to answer my question. I am merely hoping to understand it better, with no ill intent."
Although Lanqi's performance during the Shadow World practical exam two days ago had been remarkable, Ron felt that, as a human being, it was rather difficult for him to critique that particular Shadow World. Furthermore, the School of Sages' teaching and research committee still needed careful deliberation before deciding which segments of that Shadow World to archive as banned footage, or censor to a certain degree before using as teaching material.
As for the Mute spell card [Friendly Communication], it had the potential to exert an enormous influence on the School of Sages' future teaching model.
It was also to protect Lanqi that Ron, in agreement with Dean Loren, had felt compelled to come and speak with Lanqi first.
"..."
In the quiet room, after Vice Dean Ron's words fell, a brief silence settled over them.
Even though Lanqi was the one who crafted the card, its core poison magic principles came from Talia. Because [Friendly Communication] utilized demon-related poison magic, tracing it back to its origins might invite trouble for Talia.
Up until now, Lanqi had only planned on crafting two copies of [Friendly Communication]—one for himself and one for Talia. After all, a clause in his master-disciple contract with Talia stipulated that whenever he created a practical magic card, he had to share a copy with her, and whether such cards could be sold required her prior permission.
It was precisely because of this that their interests were completely bound together. Talia could rest easy and teach Lanqi with all her might, helping him build wealth as quickly as possible to pay off his debt.
"...I traded for it from a mysterious old refugee woman back in the South Vantina frontier territory. She claimed it was an ancestral secret, and some time later, she was nowhere to be found."
Sitting beside the sofa, Lanqi simply replied.
Having spent so much time with Talia, he had already developed a habit of absolute honesty and integrity.
"I see..."
Vice Dean Ron nodded upon hearing this.
Then it seemed [Friendly Communication] was unlikely to be the work of some rising young card maker, but rather an ancient card passed down through the years that Lanqi had happened to obtain by chance.
Although Lanqi had hesitated slightly before answering, he had looked Ron straight in the eye as he spoke, his gaze steady and his mana completely stable—nothing like the telltale signs of a person telling a lie.
High-tier spellcaster classes could often glean a wealth of information from an opponent's mana fluctuations.
Therefore, the higher one's tier, the more one practiced controlling their own mana to deceive adversaries.
Lanqi clearly had yet to master mana control.
Ron had not intended to test Lanqi on purpose, but if Lanqi were questioned by someone with ulterior motives in the future, his secrets could easily be coaxed out of him.
"So that means this card is very likely a natural magic card produced by a Shadow World, rather than an artificial magic card?"
Stroking the stubble on his chin, Ron asked in thought.
Natural magic cards could only be obtained through Shadow Worlds. Even purple-rarity ones had a strong likelihood of being unique.
Ron did indeed feel that [Friendly Communication] seemed far more like a card produced by a Shadow World; it hardly looked like something an individual could craft.
"Personally, I feel it's more like a natural magic card as well,"
Lanqi agreed.
Having heard Lanqi's response, Ron finally let out a sigh of relief.
It seemed there was likely no need to worry about the worst-case scenario where "this card has already begun spreading through the market."
With that, Vice Dean Ron rose from the sofa, as though he had learned everything he wished to know.
"Lanqi, Dean Loren sealed the records of your third-round exam for you, and he has warned all the other teachers who watched this practical assessment not to disclose any details."
Ron looked at Lanqi earnestly, his expression solemn.
Lanqi nodded.
He finally understood why even Princess Vivian knew no details about his third-round exam.
So High Priest Loren had concealed them to protect him.
"So for now, the [Friendly Communication] card has not been made public. And while you secretly used it for a brief moment in the Demon Realm Shadow World exam room, the effect wasn't obvious, so no one would realize the difference between it and Silence,"
Ron continued,
"We can only help you cover it up for now. Once you use this [Friendly Communication] in the public eye in the future, you must be wary of those coveting the card. Certain greedy schemers, as well as fanatical cultists, might stop at nothing to get their hands on such an immensely valuable card and attempt to produce imitations."
Even though Ron knew Lanqi possessed a league-of-his-own talent as a master of torture, those utterly mad, desperate cultists who cared nothing for rules or logic could afford to make countless mistakes. The young Lanqi, however, had only one precious life. As a student, he could not afford to gamble his life against cultists who were rooted like malignant tumors across both the Northern and Southern Continents.
"I understand. Thank you, Professor Ron."
Lanqi bowed earnestly to express his gratitude to the vice dean.
"Then I will be on my way. If you need help with anything, feel free to find me at the School of Sages office."
Vice Dean Ron still had plenty of official duties to attend to; just making this trip to see Lanqi had required scheduling well in advance to squeeze out the time.
"Additionally, as the top freshman in our School of Sages, you may have the opportunity this semester to accompany the academy's delegation on academic exchange visits to prestigious institutions in other member nations of the Southern Continent Kingdom Council. When you meet the leadership of other schools then, you don't need to be overly reserved like you are with me. You should show a bit of youthful vigor, though naturally you must remain respectful and polite."
Ron looked at Lanqi with satisfaction.
The more he saw this kid as one of their own, the more agreeable he seemed.
"Understood, please rest assured."
Lanqi nodded and quickly hurried ahead to open the dormitory door for Ron.
After their brief conversation and interaction, Ron's impression of Lanqi was extremely positive—far gentler and more polite than he had imagined before coming.
At first, Ron had worried that in person Lanqi might be flamboyant or arrogant due to his talent, potentially causing massive trouble in the real world later on.
Now, it seemed there was no need to worry much about Lanqi. He was still a well-mannered student who knew where the line was and could distinguish between a Shadow World and reality.
...
After closing the dormitory door, Lanqi leaned his back against it and let out a long breath.
"Whew, close one. I almost thought of myself as the Headmaster again."
The moment Lanqi had heard earlier that Ron was the vice dean, he had subconsciously wanted to direct his work.
Throughout every subsequent sentence of their conversation, Lanqi had exercised extreme restraint to maintain the posture of a student rather than projecting the aura of an academy's supreme leader.
However, according to Vice Dean Ron, he probably wouldn't need to be so restrained during academic exchange visits to other schools.
Lanqi was quite confident in his ability to display "youthful vigor."
Chapter 88