Chapter 36: Invitation

Xueqiu watched the tall old man walk away, only to turn back after a few seconds, repeating the cycle with machine-like precision.

Though he was indeed tall and undeniably old, perhaps calling him Principal Ling was better, she thought.

After pacing alone a dozen times, Ling Jiming stopped, waving at Xueqiu, who stood unsure whether to leave or keep watching.

“Care for a walk? Maybe it’s an invitation from the principal.”

Xueqiu nodded without thinking.

Xia Yin had told her the principal rarely appeared on campus, delegating tasks to the green-haired girl from the exam, his assistant.

Xueqiu had assumed it was due to his age.

But this tall old man seemed far from frail—more like he was in his prime, with a youthful tone.

Minutes later, she followed him out of the dorm area.

It was no longer daytime, and the Academy’s nights were much colder.

Wearing only a white shirt, Xueqiu shivered slightly.

“If it weren’t dark, I’d invite early-admission freshmen for afternoon tea,” Ling Jiming said kindly. “But it’s late. Let’s visit the archive vault.”

Xueqiu couldn’t process all that at once.

So the invitation was for “early-admission freshmen”?

She thought of Chang Mu and Chisaki Takanotsume.

Chang Mu, like most students, had left for summer break and was now duo-queuing with Xia Yin in Contract.

Chisaki, the twin-tailed Japanese girl, hadn’t returned home and rarely left campus, though she’d gone to Ting’an last week to explore.

As for Xueqiu, she had nowhere else to go.

She had no home.

Or rather, she’d long lost the chance for family.

Going back meant sitting alone in an empty room, staring at blank walls.

Xueqiu asked no more questions.

She followed the principal through deserted campus paths to the library.

She didn’t know where the archive vault was, but it seemed tied to the library.

Why bring her here?

Normally, “strolling” meant paths, groves, or sports fields.

Like when Xia Yin, one weekend morning, had her run twenty laps around the main road under the guise of “training and campus orientation”…

Afterward, her legs were jelly, and Xia Yin had to carry her back—she’d been wheelchair-worthy.

“The archive vault is in the library’s basement, open to A-rank students and above. You can come often,” Ling Jiming said, leading her to the elevator and pulling a platinum card from his pocket.

Xueqiu wanted to say her rank was only D.

Xia Yin had said that with enough field missions, climbing from E to A wasn’t impossible, but it sounded like a corporate pep talk.

Then she noticed something off about the principal.

His hand had no color.

No, it wasn’t a human hand at all.

It was metallic.

“Don’t be scared—it’s a prosthetic,” Ling Jiming said, swiping the card at the elevator’s sensor and pressing “-1.”

As the elevator descended, he rolled up his sleeve, revealing a silver-gray metal arm and hand.

“Thirteen years ago, on an investigation team mission, a Shadow Ghost ambushed me. A teammate with the ‘Hakutaku’ Contract was there, but it can’t fix disabilities. I’m used to it,” he said casually.

The ‘Hakutaku’ Contract healed injuries, Xueqiu recalled—Chisaki’s Contract.

For months, she’d used her ‘Mirror Demon’ Contract to copy and learn ‘Hakutaku.’

“Having two healers in a team fight isn’t bad. This isn’t a fair 5v5. Sometimes we’re outnumbered, sometimes we outnumber them…”

“Worst case, the front line dies, leaving you two. Run fast—don’t let Shadow Ghosts eat you, though they don’t have stomachs…”

Xia Yin’s words.

She had to admit, he loved to ramble.

Yet, despite staying in the dorm from March to August, she hadn’t caught even a hint of his chatterbox trait.

The archive vault was deeper underground than expected.

When the elevator opened, Xueqiu felt they were dozens of meters below.

A long corridor led to a special glass door, transparent yet faintly golden.

Ling Jiming swiped his card, and Xueqiu followed, stumbling, hoping no “unauthorized entry” alarm would blare.

Thankfully, nothing happened.

The vault, buried deep underground, looked like a regular library, just far larger.

Peering through gaps between cabinets, Xueqiu estimated it was football-field-sized, maybe more.

Her attention soon shifted to the central counter, where a girl stood.

Or rather, a girl’s projection.

A pale blue figure with a literary-girl braid swayed gently.

She smiled at Xueqiu, startling her for a second.

Why’s she smiling?

“Chang Yi, retrieve files with keywords ‘Contract’ and ‘Rule-Based,’ dated 2000–2010,” Ling Jiming said.

Instantly, Xueqiu heard a faint rustling.

At the counter, kraft paper folders piled up visibly before flat tubes leading to the cabinets.

“Enough, enough! I’m not researching, just introducing basics to a freshman,” the principal said, his youthful energy giving off “senior showing you the ropes” vibes.

But he wasn’t a senior—he was a tall, wrinkled old man.

Xueqiu stood awkwardly.

She wore a white shirt and sea-blue jeans.

A passerby might mistake her for a delinquent being scolded by the principal.

“No questions?” Ling Jiming asked, breaking the silence, unable to stand her mute stance.

“Is the principal introducing Contracts?” Xueqiu blurted, mentally cursing herself.

When nervous, she spoke out of turn—a habit unchanged in months.

“Sort of, but not quite,” Ling Jiming said with an easy laugh, deftly opening a kraft folder. “Let’s talk about your Contract, shall we? That little thing called ‘Mirror Demon.’”

ps: Thanks to Little萝比心! As of this chapter, I’ll add 12 extra chapters next month (10 for Little萝比心, 2 for 200 tickets).
Second chapter today at 8:30 p.m.
As always, begging for monthly tickets and tips.
(Here’s a weird picture.)