“Ten days,” he whispered, the plan taking shape in his mind. “I just need to find a way to get it down there without dying.”
Ren stood and began organizing his materials. If he was going to do this, he would need a perfect plan.
The mana vein was there, three hundred meters beneath the academy. It wasn’t large like the ones feeding the abyss, but it would serve his purpose.
The problem was how little time he could endure down there.
Fifteen minutes maximum before the mana overloaded him.
Near the vein it would be even worse due to the mana flow’s irregularity.
He needed to do it early before the day’s cultivation, which meant skipping training with Lin too, which would help him to also have more strength for the small adventure.
“I need help,” he murmured while organizing his materials.
The male shadow stalker tentacles he’d saved would serve as duration extenders, but he needed something more.
“Hey, Min!” he called to his companion studying on his bed. “Do you still have that weaver’s thread?”
“The one we got from the expedition?” Min looked up from his book. “Yeah, haven’t traded it yet, why?”
“Would you sell it to me?”
“What do you want it for?” Min’s small snake peeked up too, its curiosity evident to Ren in the way it moved its flickering tongue.
“Projects,” Ren replied vaguely.
“Projects,” Min repeated with a knowing smile. “Like those that make our room smell like death.”
“I’ll pay 50% more than what they give at the exchange.”
“Sold,” Min didn’t even hesitate. “Though I’m worried you’re willing to pay that much.”
While storing the thread, Ren took out the potion Zhao had given him. The green liquid glowed softly.
Then he spoke with Taro about helping him fake something…
♢♢♢♢
“You’re going to skip training tomorrow?” Taro asked worriedly.
“Not exactly,” Ren smiled. “I’m just going to… delay it a bit. Just the morning one.”
“Lin will kill you,” Liu commented without looking up from his notes.
“Not if she can’t find me.”
All three of his roommates stopped what they were doing to stare at him.
“You’re going to try to hide from Lin?” Min sounded genuinely concerned. “The same Lin who found you instantly that time you hid on the roof?”
“Or when you tried sleeping under your bed,” Taro added.
“Or that time in the library,” Liu smiled. “Behind a big plant.”
“This time is different,” Ren began preparing the tentacles, wrapping them with weaver’s thread and dusting them with bark stalker vitality powder. “I have a plan.”
“Oh no,” Min sat up straight. “Last time you said that you ended up hanging upside down in the courtyard.”
“Lin has a routine,” Ren explained while working. “She always checks the same places in the same order… I just need to prepare my alibis before she arrives.”
“You’ve been studying her patterns like she was a beast?” Liu arched an eyebrow.
“She taught me to use everything at my disposal,” Ren smiled. “First she comes here. If she doesn’t find me, she checks the dining hall, then the library, the roof… and finally the gardens.”
“And?” Taro leaned in with interest.
“And tomorrow,” Ren held up a prepared tentacle, “she’ll find evidence that I went to town.”
“To town?” Min frowned. “But we can’t leave the academy.”
“Exactly,” Ren pulled out a paper. “That’s why when she finds this note about a special permission and an errand…”
“Oh no,” Liu removed his glasses. “You’re going to forge documents?”
“No,” Ren smiled. “I’m going to make it look like I was asked to. By someone who conveniently always needed an assistant to pick up materials early in the morning.”
“Who would be so…” Min stopped. “No. You wouldn’t.”
“Professor Wei always asks for help with his morning deliveries,” Ren continued working on the tentacles. “And coincidentally, tomorrow he won’t be at school.”
“You’re going to make Lin think Wei took you to town, the same Wei who hates you,” Taro sounded impressed. “Without Wei knowing.”
“Lin hates him so much she won’t even ask him,” Liu nodded appreciatively. “Brilliant and terrible at the same time.”
“I only need a few hours,” Ren began storing his prepared materials. “By the time Lin discovers the truth, I’ll be done.”
“And dead anyway,” Min added cheerfully.
“It’ll be worth it,” Ren stored the last tentacle. “Besides, it might even work.”
His friends exchanged skeptical looks.
“Want us to prepare your funeral?” Taro offered.
“I just need you to do something for me, Taro,” Ren headed to his bed. “And maybe some ice for afterward.”
“Lots of ice,” Liu corrected. “And bandages. Lots of bandages.”
Ren gave them an uncomfortable smile as he prepared for bed. Tomorrow will be an interesting day.
And probably painful.
♢♢♢♢
Lin stopped in front of the Gray Wing’s door, her feathers partially manifesting as she checked the time.
Six in the morning, the perfect moment to wake her favorite student.
‘Good morning, little one…’ she murmured while opening the door, only to find two deeply sleeping students and two empty beds.
Her eyes narrowed.
In the time she’d been training Ren, he’d only tried escaping this early 3 times.
“Where is he?” she asked the sleepers.
Min stirred in his bed, mumbling something about dancing snakes. Liu didn’t even move. Taro wasn’t there…
Lin methodically searched the room. The bed was cold, he’d been gone for a while. The trunk was closed, but…
“Oh,” her lips curved into a dangerous smile. “Trying to be clever?”
Lin noticed something peculiar: Wei’s assistant delivery uniform, normally hanging in the hallway for students who helped with deliveries, had several clasps and one was on the floor near the trunk.
‘So you want me to believe you took the uniform,’ Lin thought. ‘Clever, but predictable.’
A note slightly protruded from the trunk, as if someone had hurriedly stored it. Lin carefully pulled it out.
‘Temporary assistant for Professor Wei… Sorry, I’ll be back soon for exercise.’
“Impossible,” she murmured. Wei would never take an assistant from the Gray Wing, much less…
“Let’s check the dining hall.”
She headed to the dining hall, her usual second stop. At this hour the cooks were already preparing breakfast and morning deliveries.
“The new assistant?” the head cook nodded when asked. “Passed by a while ago. Professor Wei’s uniform and everything. Said he had to prepare a special delivery.”
Lin smiled. Ren had used the uniform to access restricted areas early in the morning. No one would question a Wei assistant.
Was he planning to hide inside one of them?
The library was her next stop. She found it open, unusual at this hour.
“Oh, the new assistant just finished organizing the delivery records,” the librarian pointed to some perfectly ordered documents.
‘Creating an alibi,’ Lin examined the records. They were all correctly filed, including a materials order for today.
“Very efficient, though those mushrooms in his hair were quite peculiar.”
‘He’s leaving too obvious a trail,’ Lin thought while climbing to the roof. ‘He doesn’t want to hide… He wants me to follow.’
On the roof she found another clue: a materials list with Professor Wei’s seal, apparently dropped here by accident.
“Using the system against itself,” Lin murmured, genuinely impressed. Ren had learned well, each move was backed by official procedures.
The gardens revealed the final piece: the delivery cart was in place, clean and prepared as Wei always demanded.
But the gardens were empty except for the gardener, who had also “just seen” Ren heading toward the main entrance.
Lin stopped, processing the information…
“That little…” Lin smiled despite herself. It was an elaborate plan, using the antagonism between her and Wei to prevent her from verifying directly with him.
“But,” her eyes gleamed with understanding, “all this real work is just a distraction.”
Lin smiled.
It was brilliant really, making the work appear real so no one would question anything. No forgeries, no obvious deceptions. Just a temporary assistant doing his tasks.
“Except,” her eyes narrowed as her crane fully manifested, “Wei is out of town today.”
“Where are you really, little trickster?”