"Lang Lei, where did you get this thing~?" Right at that moment, Elysia's crisp and melodious voice suddenly resounded in Lang Lei's mind like heavenly music, though it also gave Lang Lei a start.
Yet upon hearing this, a thought stirred within Lang Lei's heart, and he hurriedly lowered his head to look at the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud in his hand. It was a peculiarly shaped shroud carved with exquisite patterns, looking rather mysterious.
"Hm? This thing called the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud is useful to you?" Lang Lei looked somewhat surprised at the name on the tag and asked casually.
"I'm not too sure either, it's just that I feel this thing, like that Green Great Flower sent over to deliver you here originally, has an inexplicable attraction to me. That feeling is so wondrous~!" A hint of curiosity and excitement leaked through Elysia's voice.
Hearing this, Lang Lei couldn't help smiling, thinking that Elysia truly was as unfettered as ever.
"What is this, intuition?" he teased.
"It's not that at all, this is a magical girl's magic~!" Elysia said with a cute pout.
Lang Lei shook his head helplessly, then raised another sent-over item. It was a bizarre-looking medicinal herb that possessed a strange purple hue all over and grew some tiny downy fuzz upon its surface.
"Then does this strange medicinal herb give you any feeling?" Lang Lei raised the herb before his eyes and observed it closely.
Elysia fell silent for a moment, then replied, "No particular feeling. Is this useful to Lang Lei?"
"Since it's a gift of gratitude sent by the Heaven Dou Empire, they surely wouldn't send useless things over. Right now the empire is dying to come and butter us up," Lang Lei guessed. "Let me see... Snowfall Goose Down Cattail. The name sounds pleasantly strange, I just don't know how the effect is. Still, it shouldn't be as outrageous as imagined since since they were willing to give it away, anything too defying the heavens would surely have been kept for themselves. But eating it should at least let me raise my Soul Power by one rank, right?"
"I've checked, there's nothing wrong with this herb~!"
"Mhm, thanks, Aili."
"Mhm-hm~?"
"Complimenting me a bit more is totally fine too~?"
After a bout of bantering, Lang Lei packed away all the items properly.
The Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud clearly held an important function for Elysia, so there was no doubt it would be kept. As for that Snowfall Goose Down Cattail, Lang Lei already had a plan in mind—he intended to use it the next time he prepared to absorb a soul ring. After all, nobody liked lingering at a bottleneck for too long; that neither-here-nor-there feeling was truly uncomfortable.
Since he had already accepted the other party's compensation, Lang Lei felt he should also make a gesture, so he decided to continue heading to Heaven Dou Royal Academy to show them his stance. This could also be considered a form of tacit understanding; although Lang Lei preferred using his fists to solve problems, after all these years and under the influence of his surrounding environment, he had gained at least some understanding of worldly affairs and human relations.
Early the next morning, Lang Lei arrived at that classroom just like usual. He noticed that the bloodstains on the podium had vanished without a trace, clearly showing that Heaven Dou Royal Academy was still quite swift and efficient when handling matters of this sort. Because the hour was still quite early, there weren't many people in the classroom, with only a sparse few students inside. When they saw Lang Lei walk in, many of them couldn't help shivering all over as if they had laid eyes on some terrifying monster, not even daring to draw a full breath.
Lang Lei completely ignored the people around him as if they didn't exist at all. Perhaps it was because his previous actions had been too terrifying, causing these people not to dare to approach him easily. Yet this had no impact on Lang Lei; he had never planned to get on good terms with these aristocratic scions in the first place.
When he passed by a desk, his gaze was suddenly caught by a girl who was quietly reading a book. This girl looked exceptionally tranquil, as though the surrounding clamor had nothing to do with her at all. She attentively flipped through the pages of the book in her hands, seeming entirely unaware of Lang Lei's arrival.
Lang Lei couldn't help feeling somewhat surprised that this girl was actually so out of the ordinary. It was only when he walked right in front of the girl that she slowly raised her head, nodded politely at him, and then continued reading her book.
Lang Lei pondered inwardly, Could this girl not have been in the classroom that day? Otherwise, how could she be so calm toward me? Right at that moment, Elysia's voice sounded.
"Wa, such a serene and pretty girl~!"
"Aili, you seem to be getting more and more active during the day lately..."
"What's wrong, does Lang Lei not like me~?"
"Of course not, just feeling a bit strange..."
"Mhm-hm~?"
Since this girl wasn't afraid of him, he might as well just sit right beside her. That would also save him quite a bit of trouble.
The girl seemed somewhat surprised that the other person had sat down next to her, a ripple stirring within her tranquil, unruffled eyes.
"Hello, I am Ye Lingling." The young maiden's mouth curved slightly, revealing a faint smile as she spoke softly.
Lang Lei was somewhat astonished; he had originally thought this young maiden would turn a blind eye to him, seeing as the events of that day had ended on a rather unpleasant note. Yet the maiden had taken the initiative to greet him, which couldn't help but make him somewhat surprised.
"Lang Lei, pleased to meet you." Lang Lei recovered his wits and responded.
Ye Lingling's initiative slightly lessened the misgivings in Lang Lei's heart, but he still couldn't help asking, "Classmate Ye Lingling, were you not here that day?"
Ye Lingling's smile still hung on her face, her voice crisp and gentle: "If Classmate Lang Lei is referring to the day you first came, of course I was present."
Hearing this, Lang Lei furrowed his brow slightly and pressed on, "Then why did you..."
Ye Lingling seemed to have guessed Lang Lei's question. She cut him off and explained, "Such things actually happen quite often among nobles, it's just that the targets killed are often commoners. At the very least, you are much more reasonable than they are; they were the ones who provoked you first, and you only struck back afterward."
Hearing these words, the murderous intent within Lang Lei's heart flashed and vanished. He hadn't expected these nobles to be so arrogant and domineering. And as a Sea Ranger, the behavior he despised the most was bullying the weak with power.
Lang Lei's fists clenched involuntarily, and his gaze turned sharp, as if about to spit fire. If not for the constraints of his other identity, he would have long since called upon Snow Empress and Ice Empress to slaughter this bunch of scum until not a single one was left.
Must not bully the weak and small, must not slaughter the innocent—this was the baseline of a Sea Ranger. In other words, as long as this baseline was not violated, all methods were permitted for a Sea Ranger.
To Lang Lei, were those nobles considered weak?
A Sea Ranger would naturally use the baseline to regulate themselves, but when someone violated this line, then as far as those people were concerned, they had long since been placed on the Sea Ranger's hunting list.
Prey—did prey need human rights?
"Classmate Ye Lingling, thanks for letting me know." Lang Lei nodded and spoke no more.
Ye Lingling couldn't help casting a glance at the Lang Lei beside her. Did I... say something beneficial to him?
I somehow have a bad premonition...
Before you continue