The Academy Rumors

The power of this move was already close to that of the complete Lightning-Lord.

As the Lightning-Lord brought its blade down, "Desolation" was cleaved clean in two and slowly dispersed...

Lu Guan landed back on the deck. To keep his resonance ability from spiraling out of control, he hurriedly formed hand seals and made a Binding Vow.

"At the cost of the development of my resonance ability that I cannot control, I gain an equivalent amount of resonance efficiency and an increased resonance energy limit..."

Once Lu Guan placed the Binding Vow on himself, the unsteady feeling of wielding power he couldn't control vanished. In its place came the exhilarating sensation of a higher mana cap and lower mana consumption, as smooth as skating.

Someone might ask why he hadn't exchanged it for mastery of his resonance ability instead.

Then let me ask you: if he did that, how would Lu Guan use his affection rewards like snap pops next time? He might as well make it the cost and use it to make up for his current shortage of mana.

That's min-maxing for you.

Besides, if he hadn't used the excess energy to deal with this "Desolation," Lu Guan would most likely have faced a tough fight at his current level. At the very least, there was no way this cruise ship would have survived.

"What the hell?" Aalto was stunned.

If his senses weren't mistaken, that giant Tacet Discord had to be Calamity Class at the very least, right? And Lu Guan had killed it with a single slash?

Good grief, whose warrior was this, to be so mighty?

The Deep Space Union Committee actually dared to oppose a Resonator who was practically a natural disaster? Just how much more nerve did they have than everyone else?

Aalto silently mourned for the people on the committee.

You should be thankful this guy is pretty reasonable... If he had a slightly worse temper, the Deep Space Union would have to change its name tomorrow.

Lu Guan paid no attention to Aalto's reaction. He was checking the "Desolation" relic he had just obtained.

"In the northern sea there is a fish, and its name is Kun..."

Looking at the words on the slip of paper in his hand, Lu Guan couldn't help feeling a lingering fear. Thank goodness the thing hadn't had time to grow...

That was right. Although this "Kun" had only just been born and barely qualified as a weak, feeble "noob Kun," even so, its energy intensity far exceeded that of the "wolf in sheep's clothing."

After all, "Kun" was a mythical creature. Though it had appeared using an excerpt from Zhuangzi's "Free and Easy Wandering" as its vessel, it was not comparable to an animal from a fable.

"I'll contain it first and check its specific effects later." Lu Guan shook his head, put the slip of paper into his system space, and turned to Aalto, who was staring blankly at the aftermath of the attack over the sea.

"Now... you should understand why I'm confident in dealing with the Deep Space Union, right? There's an old saying in Huanglong: when friends come, we have fine wine; when jackals come, we have shotguns."

"But violence is an extreme measure, after all. As long as the committee's final decision is good for Dania, then the Deep Space Union hasn't rotted to the point where I have to resort to force..."

"Otherwise, the Deep Space Union can change its name to the Dania Union!"

"Hmm... I'll do my best." Aalto swallowed.

If the committee ultimately decides on something that's bad for Dania... he won't cut me down along with them, will he?

Surely not, right?

Dania lay sleepily on the guest-room bed, her two smooth little calves swinging back and forth. She looked as though she had just been woken up.

"...Darling... what's happening outside..."

"A Tacet Discord attacked... I've taken care of it." Lu Guan ruffled her hair. "Go back to sleep... Everything's fine now."

"I can't sleep..." Dania puffed out her cheeks and pressed her upper body against Lu Guan. "I need you to soothe me to sleep, darling..."

Some girls were like that. Before you won them over, they kept a suitable distance, but afterward, they became clingier than asphalt.

To make it easier to win her over, Lu Guan had secretly looked through quite a few student records before. Here was a counterintuitive fact... Sigelika looked tiny, but she actually weighed quite a bit more than Lynae.

Dania, on the other hand, ate her fill and slept every day, then woke up and ate again. But perhaps because of the Fractsidus's experimental modifications, she had the kind of constitution that kept her from gaining much weight at all.

On top of that, she didn't exercise often, so her muscle density wasn't particularly high either. As a result, she actually weighed less than most people her age.

Dania might not have had the best figure among girls, but she was certainly the most comfortable to hold.

She was plump, soft, and fluffy-the hair, don't get the wrong idea-and her personality was gentle and considerate, without any hissing. Only occasionally did she show a little devilish side.

A girl like that was perfect for petting like a cat.

"Mmm... you've messed up my hair..."

"Really... But you look like you're enjoying it..."

"Stop rubbing it... It's such a pain to fix..."

Even though Dania protested Lu Guan rubbing her head, her body pressed even closer to him. Her cheek rubbed against his arm, and her bangs brushed his collarbone, leaving him unbearably ticklish.

"Come to think of it... I keep feeling uneasy." Dania enjoyed Lu Guan's head pats as she spoke worriedly. "How will the Deep Space Union deal with me... And if everyone at the academy finds out about me, will they shun me..."

"You don't need to worry about the Deep Space Union. I'll handle it," Lu Guan reassured her. "As for your classmates at the academy... they probably don't know who you are yet..."

"Besides, don't you understand? Even if they knew who you were, they wouldn't be prejudiced against you."

"Everyone at Stardust Academy is a freak. You're just a little more special than the others, so why would they shun you..."

"Maybe once they find out how the Deep Space Union is treating you, your classmates will even start a support club for you on their own!"

"It wouldn't be as outrageous as you say... Everyone has a pretty unique personality, but they wouldn't go that far..."

In fact, they would.

Word of Dania's identity spread like wildfire, and soon someone with an agenda began spreading rumors around the school, saying that Dania was the incarnation of calamity and that she was inextricably linked to the people trapped in the Void Matter Magnetic Storm.

Some went even further, saying that Dania might be Aleph-1's incarnation in the human world, sent to break down the Tunneler's seal from within and pave the way for an invasion of Lahai-Roi.

"Impossible! Yaya would never be like they say!" Hearing the other students talking about her best friend, Sigelika couldn't sit still. She stood up and argued back...

"Sigelika, please calm down." The students discussing Dania tried to soothe her helplessly. "These are all just rumors we heard from others. We're worried about Dania too..."

"Exactly. Don't we know whether or not she's this so-called Aleph-1? The real Aleph-1 wouldn't wear such a genuinely satisfied expression while eating cafeteria food."

"Those rumors are really awful... Dania even helped me collect a lot of experimental data around the Void Matter Magnetic Storm last semester. What gives those people the right to maliciously slander others?"

"Yeah, she usually either goes to class or sleeps, but sometimes she's also really eager to help other students. We've all seen it. How could she possibly be the person those rumors describe..."

"And there are the clubs. She's taken part in lots of club activities. She usually looks lazy, but she's surprisingly active around the academy!"

Students at the academy who had spent time with Dania all pushed back against the rumors spread by those with an agenda. Some skilled technicians even followed the trail back to the source of the rumors.

The result was clear: the student spreading the rumors couldn't be found in the records at all. This was entirely an attempt by someone with an agenda to use opinion among the students to pressure Dania, who had yet to return to the academy.

So... after hearing about some of the Deep Space Union's possible decisions concerning Dania, the students spontaneously formed a support club for her and opposed the decisions of the Deep Space Union's upper management.

"Are you really going to be okay... doing this?" Chisa looked at Lacerta. "This doesn't seem like your style..."

"It's fine. Even if I hadn't pushed things along, the students would have done the same once they knew what was happening." Lacerta shook her head. "Besides, I wasn't the one spreading the rumors. I merely let slip what the committee was considering..."

"Speaking of which... why did you suddenly come back?" Lacerta poured Chisa a cup of coffee. "Did the higher-ups need you for something?"

"Not exactly... It might have something to do with that boy Lu Guan." Chisa accepted Lacerta's coffee and took a small sip. "He caused a bit of a stir over in Jinzhou."

"Mm... I heard about that too." A trace of anger crept into Lacerta's voice. "They just won't go away. The Fractsidus actually dares to make a move against my student in broad daylight now!"

At that, the corner of Chisa's mouth twitched slightly. "Perhaps the rumors at the academy this time... also have something to do with the Fractsidus's leader."

"Sigh... Let's wait until those two get back before discussing it." Lacerta rubbed her aching brow. "I hope Lu Guan can persuade the Black Shores representative... to help us gain a voice over there."