Hearing the sound, the principal slowly looked up at Zuo Lin'an, who had just pushed the door open and walked in.
“Oh, it's you. Is there something you need this early in the morning?”
As he spoke, he glanced behind Zuo Lin'an a few times, relaxing slightly only after confirming he had come alone.
Zuo Lin'an placed his schoolbag on the desk.
“Principal, I didn't spot any players keeping watch outside just now. Can I hide the items with you now?”
The principal thought for a moment and didn't refuse.
“Sure.”
Zuo Lin'an pulled all the cards out of his schoolbag.
It was a thick stack, nineteen cards in total.
Of the remaining two, one was with Ming Ruofeng, and the other was with Gu Hedao.
It seemed ninety-nine percent likely that they wouldn't be able to get those.
The principal looked at the cards before him, highly satisfied.
“It seems that in our dungeon line, only two... no, at most three players will clear it in the end. This is a pretty good result.”
Zuo Lin'an raised an eyebrow.
“The other one is...”
“Oh, I remember now. Principal, you have a specter item here that allows a player to clear the dungeon directly as long as they complete the other main quests.”
“That item is in Xuan Jingyuan's hands, so he doesn't need any cards.”
“Indeed,” the principal said. “And looking at their academic performance...”
“How should I put it... even though you previously misled them by saying sixty was the passing grade, there is still a high probability that these few will end up scoring over eighty in all four subjects.”
The principal took a sip of hot tea and said unhurriedly,
“Alright, you should head back first.”
“Just because no one is watching outside right now doesn't mean your movements won't be spotted. If you draw the attention of those players, it might bring extra trouble.”
Zuo Lin'an casually picked up his empty schoolbag.
“Alright, I'll head out then.”
As Zuo Lin'an reached the door, the principal called out to him, “If any players make a move on you, remember to just call for the security guard! I've already given the order; the security guard will show up immediately.”
“Understood, Principal.”
Last night, he and Xu Youyou had indeed crossed Xuan Jingyuan's bottom line. Xuan Jingyuan might very well order some death sworn to attack them during class today.
Even if he knew they couldn't be killed, tormenting them would at least give him some peace of mind.
Although Zuo Lin'an couldn't die and didn't fear pain, he had no desire to be tortured.
After leaving the administrative building, he quickly returned to the dormitory. But the moment he pushed the door open, he saw that Xu Youyou, who had been dozing off earlier, was already awake.
Currently, Xu Youyou was staring at another person with a bizarre expression.
This person was none other than Ming Ruofeng.
“You?”
Ming Ruofeng wore a warm, gentle smile.
It was as if he wasn't the same person who had suddenly appeared at the very last moment of the Scarlet Dream and given Zuo Lin'an a fright.
“It's me.”
“Brother An, morning. We meet again.”
Zuo Lin'an casually tossed his schoolbag onto his bed.
“You certainly got here early.”
As for the "meet again" part, he simply ignored it.
“If I didn't come early, how could I have snagged a spot here?” Ming Ruofeng said. “After all, your dorm houses a highly influential noble.”
As he spoke, a bitter expression crossed his face.
“When I came to claim a spot just now, I was almost skinned alive by those people.”
Zuo Lin'an looked at the four previously empty beds. They were now all occupied. One belonged to Ming Ruofeng, while the other three presumably belonged to Xuan Jingyuan's subordinates.
“Is it really that dramatic?”
Xu Youyou stretched, interrupting their conversation.
“Brother An, why didn't you buy some good food back?”
Zuo Lin'an stood up. “I forgot. It's the same if I go buy some now.”
Ming Ruofeng smoothly picked up the empty schoolbag from Zuo Lin'an's bed.
“Leave it to me. I pretty much know what you guys like to eat by now.”
Zuo Lin'an glanced at his schoolbag and didn't refuse.
“Sure, I'll leave it to you then. No need to buy too much.”
Once the man left, Xu Youyou began to wink and gesture frantically at Zuo Lin'an.
Zuo Lin'an naturally knew what he wanted to say and nodded back.
“Very good. Thanks to you last night.”
Xu Youyou was instantly satisfied.
He knew his arrival had been incredibly timely.
“It's just a pity...”
It was a pity that old man Gu Hedao's talent was simply too absurd. Even after failing the clash of rules, he was still able to transform into a breeze and escape.
Otherwise, in last night's Scarlet Dream, Zuo Lin'an could have killed Gu Hedao and then Xuan Er, which would have allowed him to harvest the remaining two cards.
He might have even had a chance to directly take out the Emperor.
In the end, however, none of that had happened.
Still, Zuo Lin'an's mindset was quite good. Although it was a pity, he didn't dwell on it too much.
“It's fine.”
Xu Youyou wanted to say more, but he quickly shut his mouth the very next second.
Ming Ruofeng had returned.
He unlocked the door and handed them a schoolbag packed full of snacks.
“Help yourselves.”
Zuo Lin'an was rather surprised to see so many snacks.
How much allowance did this guy have?
He remembered that every player's allowance was at least enough to guarantee basic living for a week, but the exact amounts varied. Did Ming Ruofeng have a massive amount?
Well, whatever the amount, it had nothing to do with him.
“Thanks.”
Hearing him express gratitude, the smile on Ming Ruofeng's face deepened.
“Don't mention it.”
When he first encountered specter dungeons, he had found it extremely difficult to understand some of the ways the natives of this world spoke and acted.
But over time, after reflecting on it, he realized it was actually incredibly relaxing.
There was no need to overanalyze every single word.
No need for sour, hypocritical pleasantries.
People just spoke their minds directly. It was all plain speech, simple and easy to understand, making it effortless to both say and hear.
Many rituals were simplified or had vanished altogether.
It brought an undeniable efficiency.
Although he hadn't liked it at first, as he completed more dungeons, he gradually adapted to this somewhat strange world—even though every time he came here, he could only be trapped inside the white mist.
But this time was different.
All the players could see the conditions outside the school: the wide, flat roads, and the various skyscrapers and infrastructure. It was truly an eye-opening experience.
“Should we head to class?”
Zuo Lin'an checked the time. “It's still early. No rush.”
He casually pulled some snacks out of the schoolbag to share with Xu Youyou.
Of course, he also handed a portion to Ming Ruofeng. After all, he was the one who bought them.
At this point, Zuo Lin'an feared absolutely nothing.
His entire being, inside and out, exuded an aura that screamed: Whoever messes with me is in for a bad time.
Right now, his specter item, the gold hairpin, had been sent to the residential area across from the school, and the nineteen cards were with the principal.
Logically speaking, the principal was the one who least wanted any players to clear the dungeon, so he would absolutely hide the cards in the most secure and hidden place possible.
There was absolutely no need for him to worry.
Thinking of this, Zuo Lin'an's mood grew even better.
The morning passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, they had arrived at the classroom.
As they went upstairs, he specifically observed which classrooms had emptied out again.
Rate on N.U.
