Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

  As soon as they got home, the little ones rushed to their beds impatiently and fell asleep almost instantly, while Baiyi returned to his laboratory alone to conduct a quick inventory count on the rewards given by the Emperor. Earlier, he had distributed some of the jewelry among the girls, so most of the leftover rewards were magical ingredients. The gold coins, however, was packed into a huge sack because he knew that if the little rascals got their hands on it, they would simply spend it on short skirts or cheap shoes, neither of which they would wear more than twice. How wasteful was that?

  For the next few days, after rejecting countless offers and invitations from dignitaries around the world, Baiyi finally reverted to the calm routine he once had. One fine morning, as he was carefully watering the plants with a cat-shaped moneybox, he lamented to himself, “The flowers have blossomed, and the seedlings have already sprouted, but why hasn’t the Academy reopened? The girls can’t spend their time playing forever.”

  He was home alone today. The girls had left the house even before the sun is up. Although he had given them a limited amount of pocket money, he could not control Tisdale’s finances. Her alchemy workshop was bustling with business as always, and a day’s earnings were enough to guarantee a few days of entertainment for the girls.

  “I hope they don’t forget their evening lessons,” said Baiyi, resuming his monologue. He placed the animal-shaped moneybox down, facing it towards the sun’s direction, and returned to his laboratory to touch up his newly acquired armor. Although the workmanship on this set of armor was impeccable, they were still not up to his standards of inspection. Take the set of antlers for example; he had them fixed to the helmet with a retractable mechanism, and by imitating the anatomy of certain demons, he added on two energy-focusing enhancement spells to it.

  With that, he could now retract the antlers with ease, so he would not have to destroy the arch of the doors whenever he passed through them; during combat, he could protrude them equally as fast in order to improve his sensory abilities.

  This design concept was quite logical and reasonable, but why did he get the feeling like he resembled a cricket in it……

  Regarding the rest of the upgrade, the chest plate was enhanced with a mana boost; the finger joints were solidified with everyday magic, and some shield enhancement plagiarised from Godsfall were secured onto his back. It would be hidden from sight by the hood weaved personally by Mia and the girls. Whenever it was required, the spell could be activated by a flip of the hood and proceed into the special formation. Whenever he is in this state, all hell would break loose.

  He could transform with just a lift of his hood; how much more convenient could it get?! However, it was a pity that the area on the backplate was limited in space, for it could have accommodated additional runes. This defense shield in place would be slightly tighter, but it should be sufficient for emergencies, but in a full-on combat, it would still come across as a little constricting.

  With that, most of the magical ingredients bestowed by the Emperor were spent on Baiyi’s new body, while the hammerhead plushie was blessed with whatever remained; the enhancement on its belly was created by a rare material called the Tears of Blood. Nobody knew how this element came to be, and there was only a speculation that they were the culmination of bloody tears shed by an incredibly strong ancient demonic beast. The material stowed a large quantity of mana and would liquify upon encounters with heat. It was the perfect ingredient for inscribing scrolls and carving enchantments.

  This little toy could not be bought off a common market. It may only be seen at an auction of rarities. It was crimson, and its transparent body possessed an impossible clarity. The most excellent-grade red ruby could not even compare to its beauty. This made it one of the rarest jewels in the world, and it was often bought off a sky-high price by noble ladies to be worn as accessories.

  The Emperor has kindly gifted two of them to Baiyi. He already used half of it on himself and placed some in the belly of the hammerhead shark. The remaining one would be stored for future emergencies.

  \r \r \r

  Besides the Tears of Blood, the hammerhead plushie was also stuffed with the heart of the Tribal God after it underwent a little alchemic process, replacing its original mana core. The heart, originating from the Tribal God himself, was already a high capacity mana core and now that it had been further enhanced with the Tears of Blood, the hammerhead plushie could now use Aurora’s Mercy without any downtime, and without any worries that the demons might pose a risk anymore; and the Voidwalkers who possessed it could do as they wished.

  According to Baiyi’s predictions, if the Voidwalker that gets placed into the plushie was an experienced warrior, this little puppet would basically possess Legendary-level combat abilities — especially if it is paired with experience, the right techniques, and a desirable environment.

  Hence, this little hammerhead shark plushie was not only expensive but powerful!

  As expected, the cajolery and sweet flatteries of certain Voidwalkers were instantly silenced by Baiyi.

  Today, the modifications on this new body of his would arrive at the last step. Baiyi raised his hand to lift the facepiece off his head and started to inspect the features on them.

  Strictly speaking, the carving of a human’s face on that facepiece of his was quite realistic and handsomely done, but Baiyi was still unsatisfied, claiming that it did not resemble his actual appearance at all. He was convinced that more modifications were required.

  “It’s time to show off some of my professional accomplishments,” Baiyi took the faceplate and boasted within the Void. “Those years, in a variety of games we played, the characters that I kneaded and created were often the ones other players chose to adopt or follow. Today, you shall witness these skills.”

  As he spoke, he placed his palm across the faceplate, using magic to smoothen the irregularities of the carved features into a flat plane before working on his own carving design wholeheartedly.

  This process took quite a long while, and it was indeed a process that required a lot of detail and precision. He only grudgingly concluded his work when he heard the noise of Mia and the girls returning. Baiyi installed the faceplate back onto the set and glanced at the time. ‘How dare these rascals return half an hour later than their arranged curfew?!’ He was a little mad, and he strode out of the basement in loud stomps and stood before the girls.

  “Why did you come back so late!” roared Baiyi.

  The girls knew very well that they were in trouble, bowing their heads in shame. Knowing that she was well-pampered by Baiyi, Mia dared to utter a slight apology.

  “Uuu…… we’re so sorry, Sir Hope. The opera ended later than expected,” she apologized and lifted her head slightly to peek at Baiyi’s expression.

  She should not have looked. Now that she had, she could not help but roar with laughter.

  “What are you laughing at!” asked Baiyi, enraged.

  The rest of the girls, enticed by Mia’s laughter, also directed their gaze towards Baiyi, and they all ended up bursting into laughter as well.

  Because Baiyi’s face looked exactly like this: ￣へ￣

  Mmm…… that did not just mean that his face resembled that, it was exactly like that.

  Carving a realistic image of a person’s face in the present world was on a completely different level. It took Baiyi almost half a day just to figure this out. He was torn between giving his faceplate a devilish expression or having it adopt a wilder, more exotic style. However, when the girls came back, he panicked instantly and was afraid to startle them, so he settled for a -_- expression.

  Although it was a little…… simple, it still had no problem conveying basic expressions! Moreover, it would not scare away anyone! It would just make them roll on the floor, laughing uncontrollably……

  As the girls laughed to the point where their backs could not be straightened, Baiyi could only retain a (╬￣皿￣) expression as he took out the Aya’s feather duster from the sack — the only souvenir from Gouve.

  In the end, however, the original lecture and punishment were soon forgotten. With the situation ending up this way, what else could Baiyi say? However, the homework that the girls ended up getting was double the usual.

  “Mm…… this situation cannot continue any longer. I will have to pay the Academy a visit tomorrow.” As Baiyi supervised their revision, deep in thought with a (-`?-) expression, he planned out the itinerary for tomorrow.

  The next day, he wrapped his face with a piece of black cloth, looking like a pirate from the great seas — or, depending on one’s interpretation, a rapist — and strode into the Academy.

  It has been a month since that event transpired. The weather was turning cooler, and dried leaves were falling to the ground continuously, but there was no sign of school reopening anytime soon. The previously destroyed areas remained as they were; the classrooms were still a heap of rubble, and there were hazard fences placed everywhere to prevent entry.

  Unless…… this prestigious, long-standing academy had already been declared dilapidated officially? This unconscious thought that Baiyi brewed in his mind made the Apprentice jump into conclusions.

  “Perhaps you should consult the city council,” said the Apprentice in an incredibly sorrowful tone within the Void.

  “That, I shall do,” nodded Baiyi. He headed in the direction of the city center and coincidentally bumped into Mister Sorry and Mister Owl halfway, who were bringing their Soul Armatures for a quick stroll. He went to greet them and introduced himself.

  After a round of simple pleasantries, the small party slipped into the nearest streetside coffeehouse. The two colleagues of Baiyi were very interested in Baiyi’s tales, but he was one step ahead of them. “What happened to the Academy? Why hasn’t the restoration process commenced?”

  “I am sorry, but this seemed to be the instructions from the church themselves. They concluded that this piece of land was entirely contaminated by the demons and deemed it unsafe. It can only be fit for use again after a complete, full-scale cleanup,” replied Mr. Sorry.

  “And I am sure you are aware that the Church has much on their hands right now,” added Mister Owl. “Hence, there is no confirmed date for the reconstruction of the Academy, and the current substitute for the principal, Deputy Principal Kim, is trying his best to source for new land. As of the current situation, I’m afraid the lessons will still stay discontinued, but now they allow existing students to switch schools freely if they want. They are allowed to apply to any academy, except the Royal Academy.”

  “This is truly a tragedy,” lamented Baiyi in a dejected manner.

  The Celestial Fortress Academy might not be Southland’s best academy, but it was the oldest in history. It was also the best academy for the common folk, and many of the nobles were willing to enroll their children here. In conclusion, it was quite an outstanding academy.

  What a pity. To encounter such a catastrophe…… was a tragic event indeed.

  At least Baiyi was an outstanding tutor himself, so the kids never had to worry about lacking an education.