“How much Measure the Days do I have left?”
“Your flight is tomorrow afternoon, or if you feel you don’t have enough Measure the Days, I also have a private jet, though it might not be as comfortable as business class.” Angers smiled, glancing at his watch. “Everyone should be having lunch right now. You can try your luck at the cafeteria and find a student who hasn’t formed a team yet.”
“Aren’t we having afternoon tea, Principal?” Lu Mingfei was stunned.
“It’s exactly afternoon in Paris right now,” Angers explained.
Lu Mingfei had a lot to say but didn’t know where to begin, so he simply marveled at the Principal’s brilliance.
“Regarding what you remembered in your dream, you can go to the confidential archives in the library to look for books on dream interpretation. When the academy first researched spiritual vision, it collected many rare editions and rubbings from all over the world,” Angers said.
“I even have this authority?” Lu Mingfei recalled several times he had walked to the confidential archives, seen professors scurrying inside, and had to retreat.
“An S-rank possesses most of the academy’s authority. In fact, our ID cards have the exact same authority, Mingfei.” Angers smiled. “It’s just that as Principal, I have one more card than you.”
“Oh, I see.” Lu Mingfei showed an expression of understanding, thinking to himself that it would be strange if the Principal were exactly like him.
“I remember Chu Zihang once invited you to join the Lionheart Society.”
Lu Mingfei inwardly thought, “Oh no, the old guard is about to make a move,” but he still honestly replied, “Yes, that happened.”
“Don’t be so nervous. You’ve already joined the Disciplinary Committee. I never force students to do things they don’t like. In that regard, I’ve always received rave reviews.” Angers gave a wry smile.
“What I mean is, I want Chu Zihang to take you to see the Lionheart Society’s confidential archives. That’s an authority an S-rank doesn’t have.”
“The Lionheart Society President’s exclusive authority?” Lu Mingfei probed.
“Yes,” Angers said. “And they are some very interesting things. Before communicating with the Family, if you can understand what’s in there, you might have more common topics with them.”
“Principal, if I read this, and then accidentally leak it, I won’t be beheaded and displayed, will I?” Lu Mingfei asked.
“That depends on the current Lionheart Society President’s wishes,” Angers said. “I’m currently just an honorary member of the Lionheart Society and don’t interfere with internal affairs, including my suggestion for you to see those things.”
Chu Zihang?
Lu Mingfei’s mind suddenly recalled Chu Zihang’s long-unseen remark, “For old times’ sake, Senior Brother will probably leave me a whole corpse.”
Angers spread his hands, indicating he didn’t know. “By the way, Professor Manstein seems to intend to promote you to Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee to take over for him. After working for so long, he seems to finally have the thought of stepping down.”
“Ah?” Lu Mingfei’s face fell.
“It looks like you’ll also need to start preparing to recruit a secretary for the Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee. Having a beautiful secretary by your side for work certainly makes things much more pleasant. You see, Caesar’s dance troupe of girls in white lace dresses is quite good,” Angers said.
“There are probably many girls in the Seek Path Society who would be willing to lend a small hand to our future Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee in this matter.”
“That’s not very good,” Lu Mingfei scratched his head. He didn’t seem to have any flamboyant talent. “The Disciplinary Committee doesn’t seem to be a social organization. If such a thing that ruins the Disciplinary Committee’s reputation were to happen, Professor Manstein would call me the next second.”
Angers raised an eyebrow, indicating it was all up to Lu Mingfei’s wishes, as the Principal’s approval would be a green light all the way.
Seeing that Lu Mingfei had no more questions, he took a sip of tea and watched Lu Mingfei descend the stairs, his footsteps calm and slow.
But soon, strong and powerful footsteps rang out.
Lu Mingfei ran back upstairs, giving the Principal an apologetic smile, and put down the hot water kettle that had been suspended in mid-air.
…
Not long after Lu Mingfei left, the heavy downpour gradually turned into a light drizzle. An old man, holding a transparent umbrella and carrying two bottles of wine, stood outside the Principal’s office.
The old man took a deep breath, sucked in his beer belly, and then walked into the office, heading up to the top floor.
“You’re in such a hurry to give him that technique? He’s not just your S-rank now, but also the Board of Directors’s darling,” the old man said lazily, sitting down clangingly in front of Angers.
“The Family also values him greatly. After knowing that I specifically designated Lu Mingfei as S-rank, they’ve already investigated Lu Shanyan. Perhaps for Shanyan’s sake, they’ll give Lu Mingfei the ‘Ancient Method’,” Angers smiled.
“The core of the Blood Rage technique is not much different from the ‘Ancient Method.’ Rather than adding icing to the cake later, it’s better to give it to him now. I want this child to stay with us.”
“The Family wants to keep Lu Mingfei?” The old man slammed two bottles of whiskey onto the tea table and poured himself a cup of Dahongpao tea.
“Hey, why didn’t I see you prepare this good tea when I arrived?!”
“To be precise, only three Families want to keep Lu Mingfei, either by taking him in as an adopted member or having him marry into the Family. They highly value Lu Mingfei’s bloodline. In their words, the Lu Family’s quality is very good,” Angers said lightly.
“That’s true, but you have to admit, Angers, our Blood Rage technique is far inferior to the Family’s Ancient Method. The Blood Rage technique can easily produce an unprecedented S-rank Death Servant, but the Ancient Method won’t,” the old man narrowed his eyes.
“You’ve only seen someone use the Ancient Method, and you’re so sure?”
“I just believe in the Family’s heritage, which has been unbroken for five thousand years. Angers, how old is America now?”
Angers smiled and said nothing. “I believe Lu Mingfei won’t get lost on the path of pursuing power. With a Rune as powerful and evolvable as Measure the Days, I don’t see his pursuit.”
“Right, right, right, Lu Mingfei is a good kid, but aren’t you afraid the Family’s sugar-coated bullets will kill Lu Mingfei in the Family? Two weeks? A full two weeks. How long has Lu Mingfei been at the academy?”
Angers glanced at his watch. “It’s been 18 days, 9 hours, 23 minutes, 34… 35 seconds.”
The old man couldn’t stand Angers’s big heart anymore and immediately poured himself a glass of whiskey and drank it down.
“Do you want to persuade the future Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee to approve my swimming class?”
Angers paused, recalling the old man’s insistence on swimming lessons. “I should have put this tea away earlier. Letting an old fellow like you drink it is simply a waste of good things.”
“What, when you see Lu Mingfei reminiscing with old friends, he can drink Dahongpao, but when you see me, I can’t? How long have we known each other, Angers?” the old man grumbled.
“When you die, Manstein and I will definitely open that bottle of Romanée-Conti Grand Cru red wine, okay?” Angers said. “I just don’t want Lu Mingfei to be helpless when he encounters death.”
“Then quickly have a drink with me while I’m still alive,” the old man said.
“What words should I use?” Angers raised his glass.
“I don’t care, your words have always been prettier than mine,” the old man said indifferently.
“Then,” Angers said, “the past is irrecoverable, but the future can be changed.”
The two clinked glasses. The rain had stopped, and the midday sun cut through the clouds, shining on the skylight of the Principal’s office, clearly dividing the tea table beneath the skylight into light and shadow.
Lu Mingfei’s chair was in the light, and Angers’s chair was in the shadow.