The Day Dusk Fell on 166 (1)

The water pipe dripped and released water magic. Hobbes carefully put away the medicine bottles one by one, looked up at himself in the mirror, and saw a haggard look on his face.

He had only been enrolled for less than half a year, but he looked like he had aged three years, and his hair had turned gray.

"This is just the necessary price to pay..."

Hobbes had no opinion on this; he raised his hand and looked at the ring on his middle finger.

From its initial state of being jet black and translucent, the ring has now almost completely faded to a pale white. If one were to perceive it closely, they would discover that the once vibrant and powerful Mental Power within the ring is now nearly exhausted and seems poised to vanish soon.

"Time is almost up, Lena. Just wait a little longer, and I'll succeed."

Hobbes lowered his head, clenched his fist, and kissed the ring. His previously tired and wavering gaze immediately became firm.

Time is running out for him.

He was different from geniuses like Lucite and Lioz. Perhaps in the eyes of ordinary people, they were not outstanding and were just ordinary students. But the ordinary people in this school also had talents that far surpassed his own.

Given his own qualifications, it was already extremely difficult for him to get into this school. With the help of drugs, he was barely able to keep up with the pace.

"We must persevere, for Lena's sake, and for the sake of this unjust world..."

Hobbes clenched his fists, made up his mind, washed his face with water, and his thoughts became clearer. He pulled at his face and resumed his usual charming and amiable demeanor.

As soon as Hobbes stepped out of the restroom, he received a message from someone else:

[Good buddy - Lioz]: "I'm fighting with Dia Lan in Arena 12. You go check on Lucite first."

"This guy..." Hobbes was speechless.

Although he had privately advised her several times and hinted that the ' Golden Princess ' had a mediocre reputation, Lioz seemed to be desperately short of Credits and didn't care about anything else.

"No, Lioz isn't stupid. Dia Lan isn't a nice girl. He wouldn't try to get close to Dia Lan for a mere 20 Credits —well, so he's after her looks?"

Hobbes pondered:

"Dia Lan is indeed incredibly beautiful, and it's normal for restless young students to fall for her charms—but in the future, I should introduce Lioz to some normal female students. Apart from her excellent bloodline and stunning looks, Dia Lan is really lacking in other aspects, whether it's family background or economic situation."

Well, Lioz probably has his own plans. When he runs into trouble, he'll definitely drag them along for drinks and to vent his frustrations. As his good brother, it's best to respect and wish him well.

Hobbes didn't want to lose such a pure friend.

After all, everyone in this school has their own purpose and secrets, otherwise Lena wouldn't have suffered such a terrible fate... Those who can still maintain a certain innocence, such as Lioz and Lucite, their friendship is too rare, too precious, as precious as a gem.

"Lioz has his own considerations, so there shouldn't be any problems."

After turning off the Information Rune, Hobbes was about to continue to the library to meet up with Lucite when he suddenly heard a female voice in his ear after taking only a few steps.

"Excuse me, student, could I possibly interrupt for a moment?"

Hobbes turned his head and saw a beautiful woman wearing a veil walking gracefully towards him. Her snow-blue eyes were slightly narrowed, like crescent moons, truly embodying the meaning of alluring eyes. She carried a Seven-Stringed Zither with her, dressed quite lightly, and her voice was extremely seductive, seemingly that of a bard commonly found in small towns.

She was a rare beauty—but beauty held little appeal for Hobbes, not only because of his obsession with Lena, but also because he was used to seeing truly stunning beauties like Lioz, who appealed to both men and women, every day.

Hobbes asked in a friendly manner:

"You don't look like a student. Is something wrong?"

"As you can see, this is my first time visiting your school. I wanted to visit a friend I haven't seen for many years, but I don't know where she is right now."

The female bard said, blinking her pale blue eyes, which conveyed a troubled expression.

Hobbes remained unmoved and instead asked, "Hmm, may I ask who you are looking for?"

"Nastisha Dan Tain," the bard said. "She said many years ago that she was an associate professor at this school, but it's been so long since we last heard from her that I don't know if she's still here."

"Nastisha? That's our Dean of the Magical Application Academy." Hobbes was slightly surprised. "But I seem to remember that she was an associate professor over a hundred years ago..."

"Hmm? Perhaps I'm mistaken." The female bard said with a smile, "Since you're the dean of your academy, young man, you should know where her office is, right?"

"I do know her, you can find her on the map—but you won't find her now." Hobbes scratched his head.

"Huh?" The female bard blinked. "What's going on now?"

"Oh, you must be from out of town, so you wouldn't know."

Hobbes pointed to the sky:

"Although Trivella is the capital of White Candle Star, the Ministry of Ministry of Education's base is located in outer space orbit. Senior scholars at the dean level are definitely at the Zeta-rank or above. Every three months, they have to go to the Ministry of Education to participate in training, listen to the will of the Supreme Council, and submit their own belief reports to ensure that their materialist beliefs are not shaken. This is their training period right now, and they won't be back for at least a week."

"Yes, that makes sense." The female bard rested her chin on her hand. "White Candle Star can only tolerate the upper limit of Zeta-rank powerhouses. People of that level cannot live on the surface for long."

"Yes." Hobbes shrugged. "Planets have limits. Even those who surpass those limits will experience a decline in strength and become unhealthy if they stay on a planet for an extended period."

"Oh? So that's how it is?"

Upon hearing this, the female bard, seeing Hobbes's surprise, immediately explained, "I am just a mortal, completely ignorant of the Dao—but if that's the case, doesn't that mean White Candle Star doesn't have any experts above the Zeta-rank to oversee it?"

Hobbes sensed the other party's bio-frequency and confirmed it was indeed at the Gamma-rank level.

'He's just a mortal, but for a mortal to know someone of the Dean's caliber, they must be related by blood or something. It's best to be polite.'

Hobbes was very astute. After pondering the matter, he did not show any disrespect because the other party was a mortal, but instead explained earnestly:

"It's normal to have such concerns—however, we on White Candle Star could never have such a problem."

What do you mean?

"White Candle Star is just an educational planet with no valuable strategic resources, which reduces the interest of many interstellar raiding groups."

Hobbes explained:

"Furthermore, White Candle Star has Kappa-rank Ministry of Education in charge, so even if a super Zeta-rank powerhouse invades, they can react immediately."

"There's no need to elaborate on the powerhouses of the Kappa-rank, right? Even in interstellar warfare, they are extremely important strategic weapons. Furthermore, they possess the power Star Abyss Blessing, and shattering planets is as natural to them as eating and drinking."

"With such a reputation, what blind raiding group would dare to enter White Candle Star?"

This statement makes a lot of sense, and the female bard nodded in agreement.

"That's true."

However, her words and expression suggested that she did not quite agree with this view.

Hobbes, ever perceptive, sensed that the woman seemed to have a different opinion and wanted to say something, but before he could ask, the bard waved her hand and said, "Since Nastisha isn't here, I'll take my leave for today and visit again another day. Thank you, young man."

"It's nothing, you'll get the same answer from anyone," Hobbes said dismissively.

"That's not necessarily true." The female bard smiled. "You're a good person—in that case, consider this a token of my gratitude. Please accept it."

As if by magic, she produced a card from behind her back and handed it to Hobbes.

Hobbes curiously took the card and examined it carefully for a while. It should be some kind of mysterious creation, something like an amulet. The ancient characters on it also seemed to mean blessings and good luck.

When he looked up, the woman had already disappeared.

"What a strange person."

Hobbes muttered something and put the amulet away.

"I wonder what her relationship is with Dean Nastisha Dan Tain —she said she hadn't seen the dean for many years, and that the dean is an associate professor—doesn't she look as young as she does? But her aura is clearly that of a mortal, how can a mortal live so long?"

There's another point that he cares about very much.

When he said, 'Which blind raiding group dares to come to White Candle Star?' the female bard gave him a moment of doubt and a strange look.

That look... was like saying, 'Are you kidding me?' But that's exactly how it was; White Candle Star never needed to worry about such things.

Hobbes couldn't figure it out any further, and he didn't continue thinking about it. He had already wasted a lot of time, and Lucite was still waiting for him.

White Candle Star's outer space orbit.

The ' Amaryllis ' fortress is suspended by the planet's gravity, rotating peacefully three million meters above the ground on White Candle Star. The centrifugal force of the rotation allows the mages and officials inside to stand steadily.

The teleportation hall lit up with a glow, and after a brief flash of figures, Nastisha Dan Tain raised her head and calmly followed the surrounding mages into the hall.

"Ugh, the worst time has come."

Karl Rufus, the mage and dean of the Diplomatic Relations Academy, muttered under his breath:

"Every three months, it's ostensibly training, but in reality, it's a check to see if our materialistic beliefs are wavering, to see if we have any tendency to betray or break away from the Crystal Tower Civilization. It's pure thought surveillance!"

"Master Karl, you are too narrow-minded. This is a necessary measure." Ye Wangnan, Dean of the Natural Ecology Academy, chuckled. "Those Night Butterfly People spread their idealism and superstitions everywhere. We must completely defeat them and sweep their shrines into the dustbin of history. Making a little sacrifice for this is nothing."

"You don't actually believe this rhetoric, do you? It's just political correctness." The mage Karl said, turning to Nastisha Dan Tain, "Hey, Dean Dantein, what's your opinion?"

"Me? How I see it isn't really important." Nastisha shook her head. "The Supreme Council has its own plans. You'd be better off trusting a steak than their assessments. But right now, they are indeed working to maintain our political unity."