Chapter 327 - 303: Don’t Fight Anymore

Chapter 327: Chapter 303: Don’t Fight Anymore

After leaving the Eighteenth District, Lloyd wasn’t in a hurry to return to Mizkatoke.

He’d seen the upperclassmen mention on the ’message board’ that it was best not to enter and exit the academy multiple times in the same day, as it could be harmful.

However, he had only glanced at the headline at the time and hadn’t read the details, so he still wasn’t sure about the specific taboos and risks involved.

Besides, ever since leaving the academy, many of the student handbook’s functions were unavailable. The ’message board’ was inaccessible, and it seemed only the messaging function remained.

’It must only be for simple communication. Otherwise, who could stand sending messages with a tenfold time difference?’

In any case, having more time in the academy could be considered a good thing. Time was clearly what Lloyd lacked most right now; his daily schedule was packed so tight he didn’t have a single free moment.

The average strength, academic achievements, and technological mastery of the people in Mizkatoke were clearly superior to the outside world, likely because they had so much more time.

’No wonder the Chief Judge recommended I go there. It really is a good place, aside from being a little dangerous and the academic culture being a bit... free and uninhibited.’

’But where am I supposed to earn Madness Value for my stats?’

’And how am I supposed to deal with this even more severe financial pressure? My saving speed already couldn’t keep up with my upgrade costs, and now the gap has widened even further...’

’Maybe I should just find a sugar mommy and give up?’

’Should I find one on the outside, who I might not see for weeks? Or one on the inside, where they’re all at least a little bit crazy?’

As these wild thoughts ran through his mind, Lloyd hurried toward the Dream Theater, ready to grind for points.

’Who knows how many days it’ll be before I can come back next time...’

The moment he stepped into the antique shop, however, the lazy assistant’s head snapped up, a strange smile spreading across his face. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"Heh? You brat, you actually managed to get in, huh? Go on, call me ’Senior’ so I can hear it!"

As he spoke, an Arm Badge appeared in his palm as if by magic.

Its style was similar to the one Lloyd had just received, but its color was darker, and it had a somewhat high-class, platinum-like texture, with six eye-catching etchings on it.

That was more than enough to prove he was a Senior.

Lloyd’s Arm Badge, on the other hand, looked much plainer. Its overall color was brighter, but it was made of a more common bronze, and it didn’t have a single etching on it.

But Lloyd wasn’t even wearing his Arm Badge. He’d taken it off when he left the office. ’How did this guy find out?’

"You’re a graduate from there?"

he asked quickly.

"Call me Senior!"

"Senior..."

"Heh, you look so reluctant. Still holding a grudge because I sent your little girlfriend away?"

"That’s not it. It’s just... Never mind. It’s nothing."

As Lloyd spoke, he took out the little kitten and placed it on the counter between them.

This time, the kitten wasn’t resistant. It even stretched out its tiny paws and waved at the assistant a couple of times as if to say hello.

The assistant’s face instantly broke into a wide grin. He scooped up the kitten, gave it a couple of hearty pets, and praised it generously.

"Haha, you little cutie! You’re so much more polite than the guy you came with. If I were in a position to have a cat right now, I’d definitely snatch you up."

Seeing this, Lloyd could only bite the bullet and say,

"Um... Senior, about the academy..."

But before he could even finish, the assistant cut him off.

"Don’t ask me. If you have questions, check the student handbook. It has all the answers. And don’t even think about sneaking into the alumni association—that’s for us graduates. So there’s really not much I can tell you...

Besides, now that I’ve graduated, I’m basically an outsider. You’d better be careful not to break any school rules, okay?"

The words caught in Lloyd’s throat. He could only grumble to himself,

’This guy’s personality is so bizarre. Exactly what you’d expect from a product of the Mizikatok Asylum...’

’I’d better not turn into someone like him!’

The assistant, of course, couldn’t hear his thoughts. He was too busy playing with the kitten in his hands to pay Lloyd any more attention.

He didn’t ask what department Lloyd had chosen, what rating he had received, or even how he had gotten in. Aside from making Lloyd call him ’Senior’, he seemed to have lost all interest in him.

’Is the bastard’s personality just this strange, or is he under some kind of restriction because of his status?’

Lloyd didn’t press his luck by asking any more questions. He just went upstairs by himself, ready to start grinding.

When he saw the Attendant, however, he immediately sensed that the man’s attitude had become even more earnest and respectful.

"Ah, congratulations. You have indeed taken another step closer to greatness. And it seems you have entered Mizkatoke?"

Lloyd nodded and offered a polite reply, but a new line of thought was already forming in his mind.

’He mentioned two things separately. It sounds like "taking another step closer" is unrelated to "entering Mizkatoke."’

’So what was this "step closer" he mentioned?’

’And what is this "greatness" he’s always talking about?’

Instead of asking directly, Lloyd probed with a different question.

"So you know about Mizkatoke, too?"

"Yes, and we have some understanding of it. For instance, we are well aware of their rules, so I will not discuss matters related to it with you at length."

The Attendant said this casually before starting to recommend games to Lloyd.

Their conversation had the vague, evasive feeling of talking to a Riddler...

......

After grinding a wave of points on familiar games, Lloyd left without exchanging them for anything. He took the little kitten from the antique shop, ran to the commercial district, and bought a large pile of ingredients and various daily necessities, making it look as though he were about to leave for a week or two.

For dinner, he ordered a huge spread of takeout from a restaurant, preparing to have a feast with his sister.

’After all, who knows when I’ll get to see my sister again...’

Unfortunately, the school rules prevented him from telling Evelor anything. Faced with his sister’s various questions and concerns over dinner, he could only be evasive.

Fortunately, Evelor didn’t press him too much, trusting and supporting her younger brother as always.

"If it’s not convenient for you to talk about it, Yi, that’s okay. I wouldn’t be able to understand all that profound stuff anyway. Just be careful, and remember to take care of yourself."

"I will. Don’t worry, Sis. You’re the one who needs to take care of yourself."

"Hee hee, why does it sound like we’re going to be apart for a long time? Don’t you still come home every day, Yi?"

"Uh... Yeah, haha. I just switched to a new environment, so I’m not quite used to it yet, I guess..."

Lloyd laughed it off again, an indescribable unease settling in his heart.

That night, when he used [Infiltration] to go to Elolo’s side, he used his "newly grown" invisible hand to endlessly caress her cheek, preparing himself for the many days he wouldn’t be able to see her.

The next day, before heading to the execution, he spent so much time with Weiya that they were almost late.

After realizing the tenfold time difference, Lloyd had started to cherish the present moment and his time in the real world all the more.

The only exception was in the morning when he touched the "girl next door" inside the giant flower bud. Lloyd felt no sense of reluctance to part with her.

She was always with him, always by his side. While he might only see the other girls once every few days, she was different.

’She’s becoming more and more like a steadfast Childhood Sweetheart who never leaves my side...’

Lloyd even had a bold theory: could it be that his arrangement to join Mizkatoke wasn’t entirely the Chief Judge’s idea?

’But on second thought, isn’t my "Childhood Sweetheart next door" also my senior?’

’And she’s not just a little "senior" either. In real-world time alone, she’s several hundred years older. If you calculated it in Mizkatoke time, then...’

’Isn’t there a saying about a woman three thousand years your senior ranking among the immortals?’

As Lloyd carried out his main duty of executing the Demon, his mind kept wandering to these questions.

Once his duties were done, there was no longer any need to have an [Audience with the Saint] or hang out in the library in the real world—that would just be a waste of time. So, Lloyd tapped his brooch, opened the Teleportation Gate, and returned to Mizkatoke.

This time, he didn’t feel the "jet lag" like he did when he left, but the Teleportation Gate once again opened onto the dueling grounds...

Fortunately, no one was settling academic disputes this time, nor was he greeted with fireballs and Ice Spikes. The dueling grounds were deserted.

Lloyd remembered leaving Mizkatoke around 2:00 PM real-world time and returning a little after 9:00 AM the next day. More than nineteen hours had passed in the real world, meaning over eight days had gone by in Mizkatoke...

The trip back and forth already gave him a surreal feeling of being worlds apart...

’No wonder Dandy advised me to find a girlfriend on the outside. He had a point!’

’I wonder if the two professors have settled their academic dispute yet?’

As Lloyd was pondering this, he suddenly felt his student handbook vibrate. He had received messages from both professors.

The first was from Professor Lawrence:

"I’ve settled things with that old bastard. From now on, you’ll be conducting research and studying with me, as well as courting death and acting crazy with him. Hmm, this is indeed quite unfortunate for you. So, if you’re firmly against it, I’ll talk with him again."

Next was a message from Professor Hazled:

"There was nothing I could do. I did my best to fight for you, but that old bastard Lawrence refused to let you go. It’ll be tough on you, studying and researching with me while also wasting your time and talent with him... Of course, you can object. I can try to negotiate on your behalf again. Plenty of people in Mizkatoke are wary of that old bastard, but I’m not one of them!"

Seeing this, Lloyd didn’t dare entertain any thought of objecting.

What if he let two highly respected and incredibly powerful old professors come to blows over him, and their fight led to Great Dao Erasure?

’Please, stop fighting!’

’It’s better if I just take on the extra work. I can’t afford to offend these bigwigs.’

So, using the "input method" he had figured out yesterday, Lloyd directly transcribed his thoughts onto the student handbook and replied to both professors, saying he was willing to accept their arrangement.