Speaking of which.

It rarely rained this much in Herloom in late April.

Here, on the northernmost side of the Protos Royal Magic Academy in Herloom.

The vast, deep blue windows of a nearby church reflected the starry sky and moonlight, and the lake outside the window resembled a tranquil mirror under the moonlight, faintly reflecting the silhouettes of two figures.

Lan Qi had changed into casual attire. In his black-haired, green-eyed state, he no longer dressed so formally. Xi Gelide was also wearing a more casual dress, draped in Lan Qi's jacket, and holding a small black cat.

Before leaving, Lan Qi had told Xi Gelide that she should add a jacket before going out, but she didn't listen, saying that she was in good health and not afraid of the cold.

As a result, when they arrived at the lakeside, they discovered that the day and night temperature difference outside was indeed significant.

So Lan Qi looked at the shivering Xi Gelide and had no choice but to lend her his jacket.

They sat on a bench by the lake, enjoying the fresh air after the heavy rain.

The two days leading up to the Archpriest election had passed before they knew it.

Lan Qi once again selected ancient Protos artifacts very quickly, as if he had already decided which cards he wanted before going to the Endless Library, and then quickly returned to Gloria's mansion, the stronghold of their Batian branch, to begin crafting the cards.

On this eve of the Archpriest election, the late-night rain finally stopped.

Lan Qi had also completed his preparations, and Xi Gelide asked him to take her out for a walk around the school.

She had been staying at Gloria's house for a week without going out. She said that if she didn't go out again, she would start to mold.

Lan Qi understood this sense of urgency, so he naturally agreed to her request.

Older women must not stay at home all day long without going out, or it will become increasingly difficult to get married.

The current Protos Royal Magic Academy is under the dual surveillance of Antanas and Pranai, making it much safer than before. Even an eighth-level intruder would be detected immediately.

After Lan Qi and Xi Gelide left Gloria's mansion, they strolled aimlessly on the north side of the school.

They walked to the lake north of the Hongmond Building before stopping. Any further, and they'd be too far. They sat on the bench, admiring the night sky and the lake.

In the distance, the softly contoured hills, trees, and brightly lit Herloom were faintly visible in the night.

Beneath the phosphorescent starry sky, the dim, vast lake seemed boundless, its end transforming into a long, winding road connecting to the horizon.

The two of them simply admired the night scene without speaking.

Occasionally, Xi Gelide would swing her legs, lean back, support herself on the bench, and gaze at the starry sky thoughtfully.

Lost in this colorful scene.

Looking back on everything that had happened in the past two months, it all felt like yesterday.

But it was indeed a long winter, as if eternity had descended.

So far, they had traversed the darkness of the northern snowfields, where a deep gray miasma enveloped the entire land, brushed past the shadows of moonlit chiyi, and experienced a long journey of wind, snow, and hardship, finally returning to the imperial capital, Herloom.

And this gloom seemed to follow closely behind, about to envelop the imperial capital, as if to dispel the approaching spring.

"How confident are you?"

Xi Gelide finally turned her head and asked, staring at Lan Qi's cheek.

"To be honest, I don't know. My best friend told me that gambling doesn't guarantee a win, but sometimes not gambling guarantees a loss, so I'm not really sure how the multi-faction brawl tomorrow will turn out. It's all changing too fast for me."

Lan Qi stared at the universe and said slowly,

"Maybe it's my talent, maybe it's my heart, but when I came to my senses, I was already sitting on one side of the round table."

In essence, he was just a fourth-level rookie who had left home not long ago, unintentionally caught up in the game of powerful figures due to the waves.

Thick clouds floated past, briefly obscuring the moonlight, causing the faces of Lan Qi and Xi Gelide on the bench to flicker.

The cat boss in Xi Gelide's arms hesitated, stretching its head out before retracting it. It thought it should pretend to be an ordinary cat and not interrupt the conversation between the two.

It hadn't believed how outrageous Lan Qi was before setting off for the Northern Continent, but now it did.

Lan Qi's "talent" was a bit too outrageous. The Southern Continent completely limited his growth and development. This kid had indeed transformed into a dragon upon encountering the wind and clouds in the Northern Continent!

Now, it only hoped that Lan Qi could take it back to the Southern Continent soon, to return to the stable restaurant and campus life. Whenever it thought of Lan Qi's promise to introduce it to several capable talents, it felt wonderful. The good days were yet to come.

Xi Gelide felt the cat's movement, stroked its head, and then followed Lan Qi's gaze to look at the starry sky.

"Saint, have you ever thought that now that you've come this far, as long as you can win everything tomorrow, you might not only be able to 'observe' the [Primordial Tablet - Seal] as you wish, but you might even become the new Cardinal Archpriest?"

She bumped Lan Qi slightly with her shoulder and asked.

"Impossible, I will never become a Cardinal Archpriest in my life. My hometown is in the Southern Continent, and you can't be a Cardinal Archpriest there."

Lan Qi immediately shook his head.

The Northern Continent was fine. It was originally a continent of constant turmoil, and different organizations and countries had different definitions of different branches.

The Southern Continent, on the other hand, had a sound and well-established United Council, which uniformly identified the Resurrection Church as an extremist organization and a wanted target.

Who were those Cardinal Archpriests in the Southern Continent? Bishop of Destruction Ivanos, Bishop of Decay Farmer, each of them were more terrifying than Ascsang. Even the strongest Kretia Empire in the Southern Continent had headaches because of them. Small countries that provoked a Cardinal Archpriest might face a true disaster.

In a peaceful place like the Southern Continent, everyone feared the Cardinal Archpriests.

Not to mention Cardinal Archpriests, even a High Priest of the Resurrection Church could scare his old man half to death.

"Then just move to the Northern Continent. Are your businesses here worse than in the Southern Continent? Besides, I'll protect you here. Who would dare to touch you?"

Xi Gelide asked.

She had actually considered that she might meet the Saint's family one day, but according to the Saint, the situation in the Southern Continent might cause irreparable shock to the Saint's family. So even if she were to visit one day, she would have to disguise herself as an ordinary girl first to reassure them.

"In theory, the Protos Empire has become another hometown of mine, but I also deeply love the Hutton Kingdom. So if I were to retire, I would still want to stay in my hometown."

Lan Qi turned his head, looked at her, and answered honestly.

He didn't intend to hide his hometown from Xi Gelide from the beginning. After all, Xi Gelide knew his relationship with Loren and should have already guessed where he was from in the Southern Continent.

There are two more chapters that haven't been revised yet, updating before ten o'clock.

(End of this chapter)