Chapter 106: The Primal Tablet that Lance Wants the Most

Warm natural light streamed through the massive panoramic window, cascading over the tiered rows of seats like a translucent, pale-gold waterfall. In the back row, Hyperion pursed her lips as she gazed at Lance, her eyes holding an indescribable, luminous quality.

From the moment she heard Lance's "arrogant" declaration, the heavy, sorrowful gloom that had weighed her down melted away, dissolving the icy loneliness that had enveloped her. Her expression softened in the sunlight.

Her friend grinned, looking as though he was firmly resolved to find her father. "If we could bring your father back, I'd have a powerful backer to rely on."

Hyperion said softly, "Lance, it's not as simple as you think..."

Her gaze was as warm as the spring sun, yet, deep beneath that emotion and gratitude lay a shadow of melancholy. She was truly worried that she might drag Lance into danger. Precisely because he had always helped her and was an irreplaceable friend, she was all the more convinced that she must not pull him into this mess.

There were too many mysteries surrounding the duke's disappearance. Yet, all clues pointed toward the Krati Empire and the Church of Resurrection. It was a path where the odds of survival were virtually nil.

Hyperion knew that Lance's talk of finding Duke Michael was just a joke. After all, a youth of such brilliant talent could live a wonderful life in the Kingdom of Hutton without needing any powerful patron.

Give him just a few years, and he would inevitably rise to become a major figure in his own right. There was simply no need for him to rush into finding a powerful backer within the next year or two.

As if he had discovered the ultimate goal of his life, Lance earnestly said, "Hyperion, if I could just latch onto the duke and coast through life without a care, I certainly wouldn't bother working hard."

Watching Lance speak so earnestly about such an unambitious idea, Hyperion felt the words catch in her throat. She didn't know how to respond. Precisely because she understood him, she knew he wasn't joking.

If there was one thing Lance lacked, it was real ambition. Hyperion couldn't fathom how someone could possess such terrifying talent while maintaining such a laid-back, unbothered mindset. However, upon reflection, that extraordinary temperament was inextricably linked to his immense power.

Hyperion finally opened her mouth, enunciating every word clearly, "Thank you, Lance, my dear friend."

Her delivery was clumsy and awkward, yet it flowed like a gentle stream. It was tender, and at the same time, deeply intense. Her tone was clear and transparent, reflecting her true feelings.

"Don't worry, don't worry, we can always ask Frey for help when the time comes."

After getting to know Frey over the past few days, Lance had realized that the guy was all about efficiency and experiencing thrills. Frey might not be willing to handle trivial matters, but for a major undertaking like this? He might actually be up for the job. After all, something that was high risk and high reward was exactly what their new teammate craved.

Having settled the matter with Hyperion, Lance returned his full attention to the lecture. This course covered material he needed to learn and take seriously. His goal of earning enough genuine academic credits to waive certain mandatory courses was driven by a desire to freely choose more magical engineering electives next semester.

Of course, the college had plenty of mandatory courses he didn't need. He was far more interested in the innovative magical engineering classes taught by Professor Boralo.

As for the present, Lance didn't intend to reveal too many details to Hyperion. Bluntly telling her that the duke was likely in the Krati Empire and that they had just over a year to rescue him, could very well terrify her. Besides, he couldn't explain the source or reliability of that information.

He worried that if Hyperion didn't fully grasp the current situation in the Krati Empire, her desperate desire to save her father would drive her to rush headlong into the vampire stronghold. Every Vampire Marquis was a Rank 8 powerhouse capable of completely crushing peers from other races. Furthermore, it was even possible that a Rank 9 Vampire Grand Duke or Prince had already broken their seal.

This was an area they absolutely could not afford to tangle with right now. Despite that, they did have a way to deal with the vampires.

Once he was able to run a few more Shadow Realm challenges to power up and find a sure-fire way to counter the vampires, drawing from the history of the Blood Moon Apocalypse era, heading to the Krati Empire would be a much safer bet. He might not even need to see the Blood Moon Apocalypse series challenge through to the very end before setting off.

After all, Lance already possessed a wealth of map data regarding the vampires' lair. He was certain he was likely the only person in the world capable of rescuing Duke Michael. This would also be his shortcut to resolving "The Wilford Tragedy" once and for all!

His sole life goal was simple: work hard for two years, then retire! Duke Michael Aransar was undoubtedly the powerful backer he had been looking for. Once that happened, he would be the duke's benefactor, financially independent and free from his studies. Becoming wealthy and influential was a dream come true.

The only issue was that he couldn't think of any bargaining chip that would convince Great Demon Talia to tag along to his trip to the Krati Empire. She was a bodyguard, not a hired goon. Her job was to protect Lance from assassins, not to stop him from walking straight to his death.

And even though both Talia and Hyperion had demon blood, there was no "Demon Solidarity Pact" that would compel Talia to risk her safety to help Hyperion. He would just have to wait and see if he could acquire some leverage later on to negotiate with the grumpy demon princess.

Until then, the next year or so would be spent mostly waiting for the Shadow Realm challenge cooldown periods to pass. Yet, even during these days spent in the real world, there was a crucial path to becoming stronger.

Lance, seated in the back row, raised his hand high. "Professor Theresa, I have a question."

The class was designed to encourage questions and interaction with the instructor at any time.

Theresa looked slightly surprised. She hadn't expected Lance to be so proactive in class. "Lance, please go ahead."

She had heard from other professors at the Sages' College that Lance's approach to class was essentially just... showing up. He always looked sickly. Whenever he was called upon to answer a question, he was completely clueless. Despite his lack of enthusiasm, he never missed class without a valid reason, nor did he ever zone out or sleep during lessons. He was the sort of student whose attitude was truly admirable.

For some reason, he had made a special exception for her class. Lance asked the question that mattered most to him with a very serious expression, "May I ask who holds the Mental, Healing, and Sealing Primal Tablets?"

The current timeline differed from the original story he knew. The actual holders might be different.

Moreover, since the Primal Tablet mechanics hadn't been fully implemented in the game, he only possessed information on some of the holders. However, the amazing thing about this school was that if he wanted to know something, he could simply ask a teacher, and they would answer with everything they knew!