Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 55 - 52: Ace Air Combat

A gemstone, like frosted agate, lay across the table, its shining facets scattered with the yellowed, cheaply oxidized remnants of torn lettuce — this was not an act of grand cerebral performance art.

The fibers dissolved, silent and traceless, like fish sinking out of sight into the sea’s depths.

Lyle tapped its surface, his knuckle softening the moment it made contact, emitting a ’plop plop’ sound.

Indeed, it had been "eaten."

Though it was unclear whether it was digested or transported to some invisible location, it presented a dilemma — it was hard to classify it as either a living organism or some type of device.

What was known so far: it could change the composition of matter at will or camouflage itself; it could "devour" organic material; and for the time being, it was "safe" in relation to itself. It secreted a slimy substance.

The characteristics it displayed did indeed match the Delusional Egg as described by Mr. Miracle, but beyond that, there was nothing noteworthy.

Lyle’s palm glided over its surface, relishing the smooth touch transmitted through the leather to his skin. Although he had directly touched the egg upon awakening, without any adverse consequences, Lyle still maintained the defining trait of a qualified transmigrator.

Cowardice.

"As long as I run fast enough and perform acrobatics along the way, Death cannot catch up with me," Lyle assured himself.

It had returned to its original palm-sized dimension. Whether it had finished digesting or had shrunk, Lyle gripped it in his hand, ready to begin tonight’s teleportation.

Grape did not follow.

After having gobbled up Lyle’s dinner, Grape bid farewell and ventured out on her own grand adventure.

Lyle had no objections. Grape was a good girl, always mindful of boundaries, especially after looking after him for two nights.

Alianna was dressed in an elegant dark purple this evening.

Her dress was a bold petal style, resembling an inverted orchid. A string of black pearls draped at the waist, with smooth fabric extending upwards, encasing the bust like a Western evening gown, daringly revealing her back. It was quite beautiful — that is, if Alianna hadn’t wrapped every inch of exposed skin with a scarf.

She sat titled in her chair, serenely composing a scene like a doll.

Resting on her lap was a white cane.

"You’ve come."

"I have," Lyle answered.

Alianna lifted the cane, its dragon-shaped tip casting light patterns under the illumination.

"Does it look like a dragon to you?" she asked.

Lyle scrutinized it closely; the dragon was identical to the ones in his memory, even more intricate in the details of its scales and head, portraying a slender body coiled atop the cane, brimming with life, as if about to take flight at any moment.

Yet old habits prioritized form over spirit; though the craftsmanship was masterful, it lacked the grandeur and authority of a dragon. Instead, it radiated a gentle beauty, immediately conveying the impression of a female dragon to anyone who caught sight of it.

But it was already quite stunning.

"It does," Lyle responded, reaching out his hand and preparing words of gratitude in his mind.

Alianna withdrew her hand, clutching the cane to her chest as if it were a treasure.

"I’m having second thoughts about giving it to you." Her fingers caressed the shaft, reluctantly pressing the cane against her veil.

Lyle smiled faintly. The material had been collected by Chaichai, modified by Raymond, and Alianna had arranged for its crafting. To be frank, he felt a bit undeserving of the result. Seeing a childlike side of Alianna over a mere cane did not disturb him. In fact, it seemed quite fitting.

"Yes, it truly suits you."

"I was joking," Alianna said, handing the cane back to Lyle, this time not retracting her hand. "You need it now. The great dragon’s class has already started — a three-day course in Spirit Summoning Sorcery. If you go now, you can witness the awakening process of the Magic Wand, and it’ll be the perfect time to get accustomed to your new wand."

"Thank you," Lyle took the wand, ready to leave.

"Wait, what’s that in your hand?" she asked.

Following the direction of Alianna’s finger, Lyle glanced down at the egg he held, which he had been unconsciously ignoring.

"It’s my talent. There are some aspects I don’t understand, so I plan to show it to the great dragon," he explained.

"I want to... cough, I mean, I could have a look for you," she offered.

Seeing Alianna’s outstretched hands, her veil practically screaming "I’m so curious," Lyle placed the egg in her palm and made his way to the door of the Cup of Luxury.

"Please be careful with it," he cautioned.

......

Lyle held the new cane in his grip. At first, he walked through the corridor with the elegance of a gentleman, the tapping of the cane on the floor tiles as pleasant as the sound of heels clicking.

But soon, he gave up the pretense. He couldn’t learn to be elegant; walking with a cane was like adding a third leg to himself. It was bearable for a short while, but the longer he walked, the more awkward it felt, eventually leading to a somewhat uncoordinated struggle. There was another reason for his reluctance: his thriftiness. It pained him to scratch such a beautiful cane, so, treasuring it, he eventually stowed it in his bag, out of sight and mind.

Arriving at the familiar basement level, perhaps due to having been there once before, the blue-flamed torches along the way no longer seemed so chill, though the temperature was indeed low. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

He reached the old classroom’s door and gave three gentle knocks on the wood but got no response for some time.

Lyle pushed the door open.

There was the relentless murmur of the Emo Spell, which he had studied as part of the Spiritual Sorcery curriculum — no wonder no one had heard the knocking. The low and somber chantings, amplified by the number of people, had turned noisy.

The chaos wasn’t just from the cadence of spells echoing through the room but also from the pieces of bones floating around. Occasionally, shadows chased after bones, and bones chased after shadows, darting past Lyle. The bonk of bones tapping against skulls and some bones performing aerial stunts directly above distracted spirit summoning apprentices, who repeated their incantations or released pointless shrieks.

What was the Plague Doctor doing?

The Plague Doctor was controlling the sword; he manipulated four bone rods of varying lengths, crossing them in mid-air to knock down the unruly ones.

"Plague Doctor!" Lyle had to bellow to get his attention.

"Oh! Plague Doctor, find a spot and take a seat wherever you like."

"Watch out for the air raid!"