Professor Kris had broken her promise, at least in part.
Sterling, the scientist, never received his well-deserved invitation to the Academy of Giant Trees.
It took ti to prepare an official invitation, and Professor Kris had no intention of leaving him in a temporary safe zone, only to deal with the inevitable complications later.
Such as the figures shadowing them, waiting for a chance to abduct Sterling.
Sterling graciously declared that he didn't mind. In his eyes, only science and truth mattered.
The crown level had beco heavily restricted; even professors from other departnts found it difficult to gain entry without a formal letter. So, Professor Kris settled him on the senior-year level, giving Sterling an abandoned office that had been converted into a storage closet.
Upon hearing this, the junior-year professors, led by Professor Haig, objected to his presence, even on the trunk level. One of the old professors even voiced his disapproval—
Sterling's theories were far too dangerous, like the difference between fundantalism and violent extremism.
“Doesn't Lu Li already have a spirit pistol? Why do we need this man?”
“Unless you'd rather he died out there,” Professor Kris countered.
During their last trip, she had noticed seven or eight pairs of eyes tailing Lu Li. And Sterling, having been in contact with Lu Li while living in so forgotten safe zone... his fate was easy enough to predict.
All the professors could do was warn Lu Li not to delve too deeply into his research with Sterling.
In the days that followed, Lu Li continued to refine his theory of humanity, while Sterling, now with the support he needed, focused on the task of recreating the spirit pistol.
Along with Sterling himself, the list of materials needed to craft the spirit pistol ca into Lu Li's hands.
Molds, materials, tools... At the end of this list of mundane items lay the key component for the spirit pistol: a human soul.
“Does it have to be a human soul?”
Lu Li calmly regarded Sterling, whose white hair was a tangled ss, like a bird's nest.
“Yes, and it needs to be a pure soul.”
This ant a soul devoid of consciousness, stripped of instinct—a pure soul.
A ghost, a vengeful spirit, an evil spirit.
The first rose, the second rose, the third rose.
It seed Lu Li now understood what each rose represented.
Professor Kris considered the spirit pistol an exquisite work of art, both inside and out—as intricate and beautiful as alchemy itself. Despite her limited understanding of its chanisms, she believed the wisdom it embodied was worth preserving.
The essence of alchemy is transformation, and the spirit pistol was a perfect manifestation of that principle.
Lu Li would not be allowed to witness the crafting process. Professor Kris shooed him out of Sterling's temporary lab with a quiet laugh, saying it would keep the junior-year professors from pestering her endlessly.
The crafting would take several more days. anwhile, the first week for the new students officially ca to a close.
It was ti, once again, to choose a departnt.
Lu Li once again chose the Departnt of Mysticism. However, the customary shuffling of majors that occurred after the first week saw a dramatic shift—a huge number of students changed their focus. The enrollnt in the Mysticism departnt, which typically sat at over sixty percent, now surged to eighty percent.
Countless new students had enrolled because of him, and their objective, clearly, was neither mysticism nor its professor, Professor Haig.
By this ti, Lu Li's academic life had settled into a routine. His dayti lectures in his major had doubled, he spent his afternoons in the library, and after dinner, he continued to refine his theory of humanity.
Completing the theory of humanity would earn him enough academic credits to advance to the middle-year, or perhaps even the senior-year, level.
That day was not far off.
On the Tuesday of his second week of classes, a ssage arrived from Sterling's temporary lab: the spirit pistol was complete.
Lu Li collected the spirit pistol—designated Series 2—the badge from Professor Kris, his unfinished manuscript on the theory of humanity, and his cloak, then set off for the lower levels.
Under the indifferent gaze of the guards, Lu Li left the crown level and made his way to Sterling's temporary lab on the trunk level.
Students bustled through the dim corridor, and the cloaked Lu Li lted into the crowd, seemingly unnoticed...
A figure blocked Lu Li's path, throwing itself at his feet and praying with frantic devotion:
“My lord, I am your faithful follower. May your light shine upon
forever!”
Pausing for only a mont, Lu Li stepped around the figure and reached Sterling's temporary lab.
“What happened?”
Professor Kris, who was waiting for him, asked.
“I ran into one of my believers,” Lu Li replied.
“That's to be expected, dear. As far as I know, there are churches dedicated to you among the senior years and in the lower academies. And there are quite a few of them.” Her narrow, dark-gold eyes studied Lu Li.
“The Academy won't interfere?” Lu Li asked.
“This is Midnight; faith is a part of the culture here,” Professor Kris explained.
“The faithless are ostracized, so many of the unbelievers have simply chosen you... In any case, it's not like you'll be giving them anything, right?”
Neither the gift of power, nor the consciousness of the Distorted Figure.
Recalling the fanatical believer he had just encountered, Lu Li offered no comnt.
After a short wait, Sterling erged, holding a brand-new spirit pistol.
Aside from the fra, which was cast from a mold, every spirit pistol was unique in so small way. This one, having been crafted by Sterling rather than the Exorcist Association, was no exception. Its body was slimr and more elegant than Lu Li's, and the placent of the tightly furled, yet-to-bloom roses was subtly different.
Subsequent tests, however, revealed that its power was identical.
“Make plenty of ammunition... And don't forget to make so for Lu Li's pistol as well.”
Professor Kris put the spirit pistol away. “I'll post a temporary commission for the students to bloom the roses. Sterling, in the anti, you can craft more spirit pistols to build up a reserve.”
The abilities granted by the roses were random—or at least, seemingly so. A single spirit pistol was hardly a sufficient sample size.
And given how difficult it was to make all three roses bloom, they knew they wouldn't get results anyti soon.
Sterling eagerly asked Lu Li about his progress on the theory of humanity as he took the manuscript.
Rustle—
Sterling opened the manuscript and was instantly lost in its pages, as if in a trance.
“I'm going to disappear for a while. If you need , you can ask your little rchant to find . Or Claire,” Professor Kris told Lu Li quietly.
“A woman must maintain a certain mystery to be attractive, right, dear?”
As the vice dean of the Academy of Giant Trees, she couldn't exactly shadow Lu Li all the ti.
After they said their goodbyes, Professor Kris left the office. Sterling, completely oblivious, clutched the manuscript and shuffled toward his desk, muttering to himself.
“So that's how it is... It stimulates plant growth? This could supplent my research...”
Without any prompting from Lu Li, Sterling began to mutter his thoughts aloud:
“Did you know? Everything radiates contamination. Everything. Anomalies, people, trees, rocks, sand... We're only affected by the contamination from anomalies because theirs is so much stronger...”
“Radiation.”
Sterling didn't hear the word Lu Li supplied; he was already lost in his own frantic, disjointed muttering.
Convinced that Sterling wouldn't be disturbed for so ti, Lu Li quietly slipped out of the temporary lab and returned to the crown level.
After a day of routine classes and reading, Lu Li fell sound asleep. The next morning, a knock ca at his door.
“Professor Haig.”
Lu Li stepped aside, making way.
“I won't co in. I just ca to tell you sothing...” Professor Haig said from the hallway, his expression troubled.
“Sterling is dead.”
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