Chapter 10: The King of Narcissus
“What’s that?”
Inside the magic carriage, Ling Ling watched curiously as Lena rummaged through a large sack. Mimicking Lena, she swished her tail, cushioning it beneath Lena like an airbag, and asked softly, “Miss seems very happy. Did something good happen?”
“Something good, something incredibly good.”
Lena found what she was looking for, slowly backing out of the sack and opening her palm.
An unremarkable piece of Celestial Stone, dark and dull, like a peeled preserved egg, with faint, strange markings.
However, despite its plain appearance, it was a favorite among mages, a rare and precious treasure used to enhance magic purity and break through professional ranks.
Lena hadn’t expected to find such a good thing within this sack of low-grade magic crystals.
Ordinary magic crystal ore had a small chance of yielding treasures like Celestial Stone, Rainbow Stone, and Diamond Crystals during the mining process. The probability was about as likely as winning the lottery and then immediately being run over by a speeding truck.
And during transportation, as the raw magic crystal ore changed hands between various sellers, they would use magic detectors to re-screen and categorize them, making these precious stones even rarer.
Lena’s original goal was only the artifact; the Celestial Stone was a truly unexpected surprise.
Had her luck changed after being reborn?
Just kidding.
Speaking of which, giving the artifact to the hero in her past life was quite foolish.
Saying things like someone like her didn’t deserve such a good artifact.
After giving away the artifact, she even played matchmaker for the hero’s romantic pursuits, giving him all the credit, and the artifact was then gifted to the hero’s fiancée. In the end, when the Falmouth family was destroyed, the artifact played a significant role.
Tsk, how utterly stupid.
This time, she had obtained the artifact before the hero. With the artifact in her hands, everything should be fine, right?
Lena rubbed the old ring on her finger…
[The Holy Chant of the King of Narcissus]
A magic ring left over from ancient times.
Legend had it that in the barbaric era, a flower bud dropped by a calamity-level plant monster named Narcissus after its death was collected and crafted by the legendary dwarven blacksmith, Norton.
Its effect was to forcibly raise the wearer’s professional rank by one level upon binding.
In other words, the later in the game, the more useful it became. As long as you were a rank eight professional, you could use the King of Narcissus to directly leap to rank nine, achieving legendary status, standing shoulder to shoulder with calamity-level monsters, just one step away from godhood.
Such a game-breaking artifact, upon its appearance, immediately attracted the attention of countless forces, and was eventually lost in a great catastrophe.
Time passed, and it reappeared.
Although incomplete, Lena knew how to repair it.
But before that, she would try the Celestial Stone!
Lena put away the ring and placed the Celestial Stone on her chest. Instantly, a terrifying wave of energy surged through her body, a rush of pleasure filling her mind.
Lena’s pupils dilated, her teeth clenching.
Something was wrong!!
The purity of this Celestial Stone…
It was too pure!!!
Ugh, if this continued, her body would explode…
The uncontainable magic power rampaged within Lena’s body. With no outlet, it erupted from her mouth, nose, and eyes, like a bright flashlight beam from within her stomach, emitting a thick, black mist-like column of black light.
Ling Ling, easily frightened, was terrified by this scene.
When she came to her senses, her soft hands waved frantically in the air, attempting to disperse the black mist surrounding Lena. However, it was a futile effort. The black mist clung stubbornly to Lena’s skin like tenacious parasites.
“What should I do… what should I do… Miss, wake up!” The little fox girl anxiously circled Lena.
The torment lasted for three minutes.
The black mist slowly dissipated.
“Hoo~”
Lena’s pale lips exhaled a turbid breath. She had endured it, but she was drenched in sweat, leaning against Ling Ling’s tail, seemingly dozing.
The little fox girl thoughtfully took out a handkerchief and wiped Lena’s forehead, only putting it away after all the sweat was gone. Her large eyes were filled with concern.
“…”
“Aren’t you going to ask me what I did?”
Lena closed her eyes slightly, channeling her now even purer black magic into the carriage’s engine, setting the navigation for Saint Lorenzo Academy.
“Before fulfilling my duties, Ling Ling doesn’t have the right to question Miss.” The little fox girl’s voice was hoarse, her eyes brimming with tears. If Lena had cried out in pain, her precious tears would have fallen without hesitation.
“Good girl.”
But Lena didn’t. Instead, she planted a kiss on Ling Ling’s cheek.
The little fox girl’s face visibly reddened. She repeatedly touched the spot where the devil had kissed her with the back of her hand, as if trying to cool it down.
“Miss, please tell Ling Ling next time before kissing her…”
“Heh, I’ll kiss you whenever I want.”
Lena finally acted like a true villain.
A lowly maid daring to talk back to her mistress?
How dare she!
Thus, with the little fox girl’s shy yet inviting demeanor, the magic carriage, its compartment shaking continuously, drove unhurriedly towards the central street of the empire, overflowing with a spring-like atmosphere.
…
“Please present your Imperial Resident ID card or visitor’s pass!”
A fully equipped imperial soldier held a magic loudspeaker, his face stern, veins bulging on his forehead.
“New students, don’t push, line up in an orderly fashion for registration! One by one!!”
He wiped the sweat from his brow, his dry throat hoarse from shouting.
However, the gates of each department were still bustling with people, shoulder to shoulder, airtight.
It couldn’t be helped.
Today was the new student enrollment day. Thousands of aspiring students from all over the continent had applied to their dream institution, hoping to learn professional knowledge, study under renowned teachers, level up, and achieve great things.
So, this scene was normal, almost the same every year, and he was used to it.
After all, as one of the top three professional academies in the world, Saint Lorenzo’s prestige went without saying. The dean wished the students would break down the gates. It would be great if a few legends emerged from within, adding to the academy’s glory.
“Ouch… Don’t push!”
“Someone’s stepping on my foot, get off!”
“A carriage is coming, everyone be careful.”
Rumble—
A chorus of gasps arose as a magic carriage drove into the crowd, parting a path wide enough for four people.
The noisy crowd fell silent.
Whispers arose, speculating about the important figure inside the carriage…
Lena parted the curtains and frowned slightly. “Why are there so many people?”
“Academy enrollment, Miss.”
Ling Ling wagged her tail, a faint blush lingering on her innocent face.
“The annual enrollment ceremony. All the department deans will be present, as well as alumni who have graduated and achieved success. They will return to their respective departments to help recruit new students.”
This was a matter of group belonging and honor.
There were conflicts between the departments, always competing openly and covertly. The current enrollment was a crucial part of this competition.
“Oh—”
Lowering the curtains, Lena ignored the conflicts between the departments, picking up the delicate little fox girl and stroking her smooth, stocking-clad legs, seemingly unable to put her down.
“Shall we go down and take a look?”
“Ling Ling will listen to Miss…”
The little fox girl squeezed her snowy white legs together, her pink lips parting unconsciously, letting out soft, dreamy sounds.
It was already difficult enough to stay clear-headed, and Miss was bullying her like this…
But…
She liked it so much.
Ling Ling felt the distance between them closing, Lena’s heartbeat against her back. She understood the fervor, so hot…
Miss had definitely changed.
The little fox girl thought…
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