Chapter 1081: Chapter 50: New Teammate
“I don’t admit that we’re mythologizing him. Yes, those are true and not false. For a mortal who can create power akin to divinity, he is undoubtedly a legend, a hero, and we shouldn’t expect too much more from him…” — Exorcist Hunter Huila.
“Although Lu Li is already well-known, he is not yet a legendary exorcist in the Exorcists Association… This stems from stringent rules, like how you can’t just become a boss from a worker… Of course, this won’t affect our belief that he is legendary, as we look forward to his future.” — Count Furry Adler.
“Maybe I should pour a bucket of cold water… We cannot ask for Lu Li’s help, nor expect his power. Even in the Old Era, he couldn’t save the tide, especially now in the worst moment. Even divinity can only protect itself; no matter how many honors he has, he is still just a normal person. To survive in this world on the brink of dying, we can only rely on ourselves.”
“He perfectly matches our understanding of a hero. Just like in fairy tales, the brave one overcomes hardships and enemies. Imagine, killing the Evil God, killing evil spirits, perishing with The Time of Silence… Although The Time of Silence is not dead, it has become Silent Moments, no longer erasing our future. Lu Li miraculously returns, gathers companions, travels outside the illumination of human civilization, searches for old allies, then causes a stir in the old sewers, protects the Vena Ice-Free Port where the Ancient God descends, thwarts the plot of the Vena Ice-Free Port pope, and finally allows the ancient god long contained within the river of time to become a companion, ultimately opening a sanctuary bathed in sunlight… When the gleam is about to die and darkness descends, he is the only light.” — Scholar Otis Kuhn.
“Elegant, handsome, mysterious, rational… I wish to shower all complimentary words I can think of onto Lu Li. His deeds need not be spoken, his legend need not be remembered, he is part of history, and most importantly, he is still alive.” — Vladimir Lawrence, Dean of Kleinse University.
…
“There are rumors that Lu Li is involved with the notorious Mishelia wraith event. I don’t think it’s true, but if it is, I would like him even more. Those perpetrators deserved their punishment, didn’t they? I guess some conspirator wants to taint Lu Li’s halo, but I think not a bit. An exorcist should not be a hypocritical person, especially a legendary exorcist; evil and foolish people should bear the consequences.” — Humanities Scholar Peter Parat.
…
“… He’s still quite immature, I mean… green. At that time, he even thought the ghosts he saw were a mental illness and sought help from me. He was the absolute protagonist, wasn’t he? A few months ago, he knew nothing, and a few months later, he became a legendary hero known to all… I think His Excellency Lulian’s talent was evident even then. He spoke to me about flying steel monsters, people being able to communicate thousands of miles apart, these are divine revelations, Lu Li predicted segments of the future… Quite unbelievable, right? He foresaw everything before it happened, but unfortunately, even Lu Li couldn’t stop it from coming. When darkness envelopes, only divinity can…”
…
“At first, he wasn’t like this, he opened a Detective Agency, you wouldn’t even believe he had some black humor then. But reason always accompanied him. I’ve never seen him smile or show other emotions… This isn’t a disease; I believe it’s reason, extreme reason, the kind that strips away emotion. But Lu Li wasn’t like this from the beginning. Uh… I guess it started off as a cream cake, then cream cake with fruit, later, which is now, the fruit is gone, replaced by a layer of chocolate…”
…
“Want some anecdotes about Lu Li? Does liking money count? Not in that sense, but I could see that Lu Li was very much in need of money then. Haha, just like all of us when we’re young, hustling around to make money, more real and more fleshy. But I guess it wasn’t just for money. If you mythologize Lu Li, think that he wants to help people troubled by the bizarre, wants to understand the truth of things.”
…
“He is good to everyone, especially children. The children from the Sailor District like to follow him the most, because each time he goes out shopping Lu Li would share some with them, and sometimes he would specially buy candies. If Lu Li knew there are still children living, he would surely be happy for them.”
…
“That was the sweetest candy I’ve ever tasted…”
…
“‘…Who would have thought a Haunted House would attract a legendary exorcist? He wasn’t yet then, but I could see he would eventually become a legend! His memory left a deep impression on me, I still remember many things, he had a ghostly companion around him…’ My father often spoke with me, and also about Lu Li’s commission… I don’t know what the commission was, yet with my father’s death in Belfast, everything vanished.”
…
“Who can believe Lu Li would be a stingy Glatan? He nitpicks about money, when he feels at a loss, he will endlessly come to seek part of it back until he profits — nonetheless, I must admit he indeed possesses a charm that inspires trust.” — An exorcist unwilling to reveal his identity.
…
Fudote read “Legendary Exorcist” with relish. A note indicating a second edition was marked at the bottom right corner.
As if calming footsteps approached, Fudote lifted his head and naturally closed the book to cover its cover.
Lu Li sat opposite Fudote, quietly gazing at Fudote.
Few could remain calm under those ghostly deep black eyes, Fudote slightly tilted his head to evade the gaze: “My promotion application passed, I’ll be entering the middle grade tomorrow.”
“I will inform the Holy Light Squad.”
With those words, an awkward silence engulfed the desk.
“… There’s nothing more, you, you should go back!” Unable to endure the awkwardness, Fudote said.
Lu Li gently nodded, leaving behind a wooden box containing eyes.
“Opening the box can summon a merchant. You can use it to trade or send messages.”
As a soon-to-be new teammate, Fudote has the right to receive the eyes, and after finding the fourth merchant at Vita’s Exotic Species Museum, the material transport pressure of Vena Ice-Free Port eased quite a bit, allowing Lu Li to open a new “trade point.”
And after Lu Li left, students who dared not approach gathered around, making the library lively as if it was a hall.
“Are you on a date…”
…
Lu Li returned from the canopy-layer library filled with bright sunshine to the dark but cozy resting room.
“Quick, talk to Kiluat.”
Finally waiting for Lu Li’s return, Yege approached him, whispering softly.
“What’s wrong.”
Lu Li looked toward the depths of the resting room, Kiluat was tidying Margaret’s bed.
“She’s going to clear out Margaret’s bed for the newcomer…”
Even Lu Li could sense a certain change, a form of resolve from Kiluat’s actions.