Chapter 373: I Have a Bold Idea

But Dean Hazled forced himself to pick up his quill, hesitating to write anything on the parchment.

It might not be effective, and it certainly wouldn’t be enough to counter the Spatial Storm, but it was better than simply waiting for their doom.

‘Perhaps it would be more Rational, more wise, to simply give up and leave this incredibly dangerous yet priceless parchment for a future generation?’

‘This might be the very key someone else could use to shatter the prophecy and Destiny…’

That was why, no matter what the other professors said, Hazled was unwilling to use this parchment—the item they referred to as ‘0-005’.

But to make him do nothing—to stand by and watch Mizkatoke, his life’s work, be utterly destroyed—was a choice his heart simply couldn’t make, no matter how Rational.

And just as Dean Hazled was still wavering, he suddenly sensed a shift in the Space within his office.

It quickly waved a hand over the parchment, hiding it away as if by Magic.

Then, it saw a fissure split the air, revealing a Teleportation Gate.

The dean was puzzled. ‘At a critical moment like this, someone from the Space System is coming to see me?’

But an instant later, it saw three unconscious people tossed out of the Teleportation Gate, landing in the area that resembled a dueling ground.

Then Lloyd walked out, straightening his clothes. He froze for a moment, then asked, his face a mask of astonishment:

“What the hell? Where is this?”

Dean Hazled froze on the spot.

‘I had just forced myself to accept the boy’s death, and the very next second, he shows up?’

‘Was he doing this on purpose, or was it an accident?’

‘And how in the world did he escape from such a terrifying Spatial Storm?’

‘Could it be true what Hildina said—that he never, ever disappoints?’

The dean had to admit that in its long existence, very few people had ever left it this dumbfounded.

It was a good thing its knowledge of Space was superficial, limited to the basics, so it hadn’t established any deep-rooted concepts of Cognition on the subject.

Otherwise, Lloyd’s very presence would have shattered the dean’s fundamental understanding of reality…

For now, the dean was merely surprised and astonished by Lloyd’s sudden appearance. The fact that he had escaped a Spatial Storm seemed miraculous, incredible—but it hadn’t yet escalated to the point of shattering its Cognition or causing its Rationality to collapse.

Lloyd, meanwhile, hadn’t noticed the dean’s presence. After surveying his surroundings, he said with a helpless sigh:

“How is there not even a door in here? How am I supposed to get out? Huh? Wait a minute! Why is the storm outside getting stronger? Can the academy even hold on?”

Seeing this, Dean Hazled quickly waved a hand through the air before it, as if opening a window.

Only then did Lloyd’s inspiration register its presence, and he quickly turned around.

“Professor Hazled? You’re here too? What the hell is this place? Are you trying to Twist my senses again?”

“No. This is my office…”

“Eh? You mean the Twisted System isn’t so broke that all we have is that tower of campus-legend fame?”

“Alright, alright, now’s not the time for that. Wait a moment, I need to give Lawrence a heads-up…” the dean added hurriedly.

It knew Lloyd couldn’t afford to stand around chatting; he needed to get to Lawrence immediately.

But if it sent Lloyd over just like that, it was worried Lawrence’s Cognition wouldn’t hold up…

So, the dean acted preemptively, using a special method to contact the Space System.

“What is it?”

Professor Lawrence’s grumpy voice echoed through the air, as if on speakerphone, and Lloyd could hear it clearly.

The dean spoke to Professor Lawrence, right in front of Lloyd:

“Well… I was just calling to say, is there any possibility that Lloyd is still alive?”

“Why are you thinking about that now? I’m busy. I don’t have time to grieve for anyone.”

“But what if he really is alive?”

Professor Lawrence replied without thinking, “It wouldn’t matter. I’d just give him a harsh lesson.”

“Good. In that case, I’ll send him over to you now.”

“Huh???”

Professor Lawrence’s voice faltered for a second before he hurriedly demanded:

“Don’t tell me you’re saying the kid is actually alive?”

“He’s on his way.”

The dean gave a vague reply before cutting the connection. He then turned to Lloyd and said:

“I shouldn’t need to explain much. You can feel the academy is in crisis, can’t you?”

“Hmm… It looks manageable. A little tricky, perhaps? But I think I can handle it.”

Lloyd had been closely monitoring the Spatial Storm and had taken a moment to check the academy’s ‘Defense Power.’ He’d concluded that if someone didn’t do something, things would get ugly…

However, he had already considered the possibility that the academy might be damaged in the storm before he returned. In fact, that was the very reason he’d hurried back.

“You’re saying you can handle it?” Dean Hazled pressed urgently.

“I should be able to, but I’ll need some assistance from Spatial Equipment—like that Space Elevator, for instance,” Lloyd answered.

A plan was already forming rapidly in his mind.

If he played his cards right, he could not only resolve the academy’s crisis but also reap some massive benefits for himself in the process, including an incredibly powerful weapon—

He had an exceptionally audacious idea: he wanted to use Spatial Domination to make this seemingly invincible Spatial Storm his own!

“Of course! You really never do disappoint. That’s wonderful, just wonderful! Hurry and find Lawrence! The entire arsenal of the Space System is at your disposal. As long as you can protect the academy, I’ll give you anything you want in the future—even Hildina!”

The dean babbled excitedly, preparing to use its authority to open a Teleportation Gate back to the Space System for Lloyd.

But to its surprise, Lloyd simply gave a casual wave of his hand and opened the gate himself.

“I’m heading over, then. Please take care of those three for me.”

With that, Lloyd stepped through the Teleportation Gate, leaving the dean standing there in a daze.

Several minutes passed before it suddenly broke into laughter.

“It seems our choice was the right one.”

“Fuck your Destiny and your prophecy!”