Chapter 380 - 331: What to Reward Him With?

Chapter 380: Chapter 331: What to Reward Him With?

"Dean, Your Excellency, do you have any idea what this means?"

Even Professor Lawrence, who was on Lloyd’s side, tried to dissuade him:

"Hazled, calm down. Your idea is simply insane!"

A strikingly handsome and dapper professor from the Medical System next to him chimed in:

"If I’m understanding this correctly... Dean, are you planning on grooming this new student to follow the same path as the previous dean? Do you trust him that much?"

Even the Art System professor, who had been silent until then, took the opportunity to interject:

"To recreate Radiant Gold in this day and age... it’s simply..."

The moment he mentioned the term "Radiant Gold," the already awkward and tense atmosphere in the room plummeted, and the air seemed to freeze solid.

But the Dean remained silent, its posture one of absolute refusal to yield. Though the others could not see its form, they could clearly feel the resolve in its heart.

And so, after a full ten minutes of silence, the History System professor sighed and said in a low voice:

"I understand. I accept."

At his words, everyone present, Professor Lawrence included, fixed their gazes on his withered frame, wondering if he too had gone mad.

But the History System professor merely forced out a few harsh chuckles and explained:

"I’m not mad. In fact, I feel a sense of relief and anticipation. I am very, very old. The time I can remain lucid grows shorter by the day, so it is time I fulfilled my duty. It’s a rare thing for the Dean to still have use for these old bones, so by all means, take them...

However, I have my conditions. This young man must meet my standards. I do not wish to become a traitor to civilization."

"Agreed."

The Dean replied, adding,

"You can rest assured. Lloyd is a child who never disappoints. With the help of the Book of Illusion, he should soon reach the threshold of Tier Five. So you can begin your preparations...

Furthermore, I require everyone present to keep this matter absolutely confidential. Reveal it to no one, and that includes Lloyd."

Seeing that the matter was settled, the other professors could say no more. With uneasy expressions, they all nodded in assent.

Having given its instructions, the Dean fell silent. It did not press the Engineering System to present its case, seeming to imply that whatever they had to offer would no longer have any significant impact.

The meeting then moved on to the next item on the agenda. The topic shifted away from Lloyd and the Spatial Storm to a discussion of the archaeological expedition itself.

No one dwelled on how a mere first-year student like Lloyd had managed to save everyone, nor did they persist in questioning how he had dissipated the Spatial Storm. The professors may have harbored their own questions, but no one voiced them in the meeting.

Perhaps it was because, as professors who headed entire academic disciplines, they understood the value of the principle "Don’t think too much, and Don’t Ask Too Much" better than anyone. Or perhaps they had simply suppressed their curiosity for the time being, choosing to investigate on their own later.

Once the topic shifted, the History System professor took the lead with a brief summary:

"This operation was undoubtedly risky, but we sought the counsel of everyone present before proceeding. You all approved of this mission to recover the Miracle. While the final outcome can only be described as a small mercy in a great misfortune, the operation was not meaningless, nor was it a complete failure...

At the very least, we now all know that the Miracle of the past has transformed into a terrifying Calamity. It is no longer a power we can rely upon.

Of course, this does not mean that we in the History System will abandon our core beliefs. We still firmly believe that humanity’s future lies buried in its past. It just isn’t the Miracle we once thought it was, but something else entirely..."

At this, he turned his head to ask Professor Lawrence:

"Professor Lawrence, how much is there left for us to excavate?"

Professor Lawrence considered this carefully before replying:

"I’m afraid there may be even more than before... According to our preliminary observations, while the storm destroyed the Great Library, I imagine you’ve all heard that during the Era of Brilliance, there were as many as ten such libraries..."

"What? But weren’t those Great Libraries completely buried within the Alternate Space?"

A professor nearby quickly interjected.

Professor Lawrence explained:

"That was true, yes. But after being swept by the storm, the Alternate Space is like a beach at low tide. Things that were once buried have now been exposed. We’ve already observed five of the Great Libraries again, in addition to other scattered regions whose locations we have yet to pinpoint."

Logically, this should have been good news. There was now more for them to excavate.

But the expressions on the professors’ faces grew even more anxious and grim than before, as if they were all dreading something.

This continued until a voice that had not yet joined the discussion suddenly spoke:

"Heh heh... More libraries. More knowledge. I can smell more madness on the wind... It seems I’m going to be very busy..."

This person’s attire was the most peculiar in the room. His body was tightly wrapped in a black cloak, and even indoors, he wore a large, round felt hat. His face was covered by a long, thin, sharp, beaked mask, fastened so tightly it looked as if it had grown from his very skin.

His voice was hoarse and grating, like a knife scraping across glass, setting one’s teeth on edge.

The seat he occupied was isolated, with no one in front, behind, or to either side. Everyone maintained a distance of at least three empty chairs from him, as if he were the god of plagues himself.

And yet, he was the second person in the room who could be called ’Dean’.

It was just that he was in charge of the mental hospital...

After saying his piece, this dean fell silent, leaning back in his chair with his head slightly bowed, as if he had fallen asleep.

After another brief silence, the biology professor—the one with who-knows-what stuffed under his white lab coat—broke the quiet:

"This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. At least my department will be able to collect more samples and specimens, and produce more academic findings. Who knows, we might even encounter a few ancient humans! So, can I get an advance on some additional budget?"

"Mm, I’m also inclined to be optimistic. If we can unearth old factories and Magic Research Institutes from those once-buried regions, then several of my system’s stalled research topics and projects might finally see some progress."

The Iron Man professor added.

Several other professors also spoke up, each mentioning the potential benefits this new development might bring.

Even the Art System professor chimed in, saying they might find crystalline masterpieces of past art.

Only the two deans and Professor Lawrence remained silent.

Professor Lawrence even saw something familiar in their reactions.

’It’s so much like the way I try to console and deceive myself after Lloyd runs circles around me...’

Clearly, the re-emergence of these lost relics from the past was not the optimistic turn of events the others were making it out to be.

Just as the dean of the mental hospital had said, the simple fact that more Forbidden Knowledge was ’surfacing’ was already a terrible prospect.

And this wasn’t even the worst part...

’But for now, those dreadful possibilities haven’t become reality. So, is it really so bad to be a little optimistic?’

And so, after they finished discussing a few less important topics, the meeting was concluded.

The dean of the mental hospital was the first to get up and leave without a word.

A moment after he was gone, Professor Lawrence left as well. He was followed by the History System professor, and then the Iron Man professor, as if they were all adhering to some unspoken hierarchy.

The Art System professor, naturally, was the last to leave.

Just before leaving, however, he suddenly turned back and asked a question:

"Dean, Your Excellency, I too wish to express my gratitude to student Lloyd. I’m just not sure if material wealth from the outside world would be more appropriate, or perhaps one of our treasured art pieces? After all, you know how things are with the Art System. We don’t have much we can offer."

The Dean remained silent, its silence indicating that neither option was suitable.

"In that case... should I just send the prettiest, most charming girl in our system?"

"You can try."

The Dean spoke in that same bland, emotionless tone, and then its form vanished on the spot.

"Uh..."

The Art System professor couldn’t help but scratch his head, a little unsure of the Dean’s meaning.

Did "you can try" mean he could try, or did it mean he could *try*?