11:00 PM
A child carrying priceless treasures shouldn't be allowed to wander through dark alleys slick with sewage.
Certain professors, led by Professor Haig, believed as much.
Whether this child was a crown prince, an eldest son, a chosen of the gods, or so other noble figure... no matter his status, and no matter whether he used his wisdom to evade bandits, his intellect to defeat his foes, or his station to deter villains—he couldn't escape the simple fact that he was still just a child.
He could succeed a thousand tis, but he could only afford to fail once.
But even a crown prince must walk through thorns and face trials to beco a true king.
The other professors held a different view.
Lu Li didn't beco a legend because he was an exorcist; rather, the title of 'exorcist' beca legendary because of him.
He was the exorcist who had heralded his coming at the close of the Age of Anomalies, only to truly erge in the Dark Era.
"You're all acting as if we'll never see Lu Li again," Professor Ruberhro said with a helpless sigh, glancing at Professor Haig, the instigator of the plan.
Just yesterday, Lu Li had been granted an elite advancent to the interdiate course.
No one had expected Lu Li to progress so quickly, just as no one had anticipated that the 3rd-level mysticism trials would be like a hot knife through butter for him.
Perhaps dealing with a single anomaly case was no great challenge for the legendary exorcist.
In the end, Professor Haig's plan had only managed to delay Lu Li for less than a week.
"Indeed. Outsiders can't return to the Crown Level, not even Lu Li," Professor Cesar sighed.
The farewell was over sooner than anyone had expected.
"We could go to the librar—ah, never mind," Professor Ruberhro started, thinking of the library. But the professors never went there, and it wasn't necessary for a simple reunion.
"Haig, don't be so..."
"...pathetic," another professor cut in with disgust. "Stop your blubbering."
Professor Haig was, in fact, sniffling. He revered Lu Li with the piety of a true believer and couldn't bear the thought of him leaving.
The sight of Professor Haig crying made the scene resemble a father's tearful farewell to his son, even though they were nearly the sa age—if one factored in the years Lu Li had spent entombed underground.
The farewells continued. The junior course professors presented gifts to this student—the one they had taught for the shortest ti, yet who held the most distinguished status.
Professor Cesar gave Lu Li a "forbidden book," the Bestiary of Evil Spirits, which completed the set with his Bestiary of Anomalies. As Lu Li's Humanity grew, it wouldn't be long before he could finally open both volus.
Professor Ruberhro's gift was a personally brewed Sequence Potion: an 85% successful "Sequence Potion No. 299: Mont of Insight." It offered a temporary boost to ntal acuity, but the higher the success rate of the brew, the more severe the side effects.
The next gift was a lock of hair. "In the face of unavoidable danger, burn it. Sothing will co to your aid." Everyone knew that the famous "Wild Lion Ray" was this professor's brother; he was the only one who seed to think it was a secret.
"Lost in the river of ti, walker upon the world's cracks, seeker of the truth in all things... Receive my blessing." The Naless Lady mysteriously murmured, her hands held near Lu Li's face. "The blessing of the noble Naless Lady..." she trailed off.
The old professor's gift was also a single phrase: he was waiting for the day when Lu Li would beco the light that pierces the Primordial Darkness.
Professor Haig's gift to Lu Li was a fluorescent hourglass. Since it could only be placed inside a residence, its value was more sentintal than practical.
In return, Lu Li gave each professor one of the eyeballs used to summon a rchant.
As more rchants were revived, their corner of the In-Between gradually stirred back to life. This allowed Lu Li—albeit on a limited basis—to distribute the eyeballs more frequently.
The rchants were primarily helping distribute supplies in Vinnelag, and until Lu Li could find more of them, he couldn't afford to establish any new points of contact.
"Ready to leave?"
The cold, mood-dampening whisper ca from the porter carrying the luggage. It was hard to tell if his chilliness was just his usual deanor or a reaction to the sheer volu of Lu Li's baggage.
"Have you found a suitable team?" the old professor asked.
"I have."
Now that their excuses for holding him back were gone, the professors weren't worried about Lu Li finding a team.
No team could possibly resist the allure of having him.
At another insistent summons from the porter, Lu Li bid the professors farewell and left the Crown Level, his ho for a re half a month.
The radiance and warmth faded with every step away from the Crown Level, as if he were descending into an abyss carved out by the real world. The loss of that sanctuary left him feeling adrift.
Perhaps the true purpose of the Academy of Giant Trees was imprinted upon its students in this very mont. But recalling the student who had begged to be sent back to the Crown Level, it was clear that not everyone could tear themselves away from such a beautiful dream.
The Trunk Level.
Arriving at the interdiate course felt like stepping out of a bright, pastoral village and into an ancient castle lost deep within a dark jungle.
Following the porter, Lu Li made his way to the quarters of the Holy Light Squad.
"At the interdiate level, midnight is noon."
This common saying ant that from the interdiate course onward, the clock was flipped. All classes began late at night, freeing up the daylight hours for students to take on various missions outside the academy.
The long corridor was nearly empty of students; it was ti for "midnight supper," the equivalent of lunchti before the temporal shift.
As he neared the lounge area, Lu Li spotted a familiar face.
"Lu Li...?"
Yeger ran into Lu Li at a corner, his gaze imdiately falling upon the large bookcase the porter was pushing.
"You're already in the interdiate course?"
Lu Li gave a calm nod.
"Let's head to your team's quarters together."
"You an..."
"Mhm."
Slam!
Yeger slamd open the door to the lounge.
The loud noise failed to rouse the man sleeping on the round table. Without missing a beat, Yeger shoved the table, and the vibration instantly jolted the man awake.
"Wake up! We've got a new team mber!"
The familiar voice made the man lower his guard. Still groggy with sleep, he stretched and mumbled:
"A new team mber? I'm the captain. What new team mber do I need to be eting... And why wasn't I told about any new team mber..."
"It's Lu Li!"
"Weird na. Never heard of... Wait, who did you say?!"
Yeger didn't have to repeat himself. The captain had already spotted the tall, dark-haired, dark-eyed figure standing in the doorway.
"Are you sure this is the place?" the porter inquired.
The porter's chilly tone was nothing out of the ordinary, but to Yeger, his question sounded sharp, as if hinting at sothing along the lines of, "Are you sure you don't want to reconsider?"
The only thing that settled his nerves was Lu Li's calm nod.
...
Seated around the worn-out round table were Yeger, Captain Kiruet, and Deputy Captain Margaret, who had rushed back from the dining hall the mont she heard Lu Li had arrived.
"Mister Lu Li... no... Your Excellency... Your Grace, can I touch you?" Captain Kiruet asked tentatively, a hopeful gleam in his eyes, before suddenly turning to complain to Margaret.
"Did you dose
with a Sweet Dreams Potion again while I was sleeping?!"
"A Sweet Dreams Potion is worth more than you are," Margaret replied coolly, dressed in her alchemist's robes.
"And please, stop your embarrassing antics."
"Embarrassing? This is Lu Li! The great man from the legends I grew up with! Before this, the only thing we had in common was that we were both students at the Academy of Giant Trees. And now, out of nowhere, he's joining my squad..."
Captain Kiruet was clearly in the throes of a fanatical admiration for Lu Li.
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