I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

The morning classes had just ended, and the people in the classroom gradually dispersed.

Elena lay on her desk, her cheek pressed against the cool surface. Her long, light golden hair fell over her shoulders, with a few strands hanging down to the edge of the desk, making her profile appear even whiter.

"I'm so sleepy~" she said in a muffled voice, with a hint of coquettishness at the end.

Ji Tian, ​​sitting next to her, was flipping through a copy of Hermann's manuscript borrowed from the library. Hearing this, he turned his head to look at her. "Didn't you say last night that you couldn't sleep and that hugging me would help you fall asleep?"

Elena's body stiffened slightly.

She slowly raised her head, her gray-blue eyes still misty with sleepiness. Her fingers unconsciously traced circles on the table as she muttered softly, "That...that was just a hug, wasn't it?"

Ji Tian hummed in agreement. "After the hug, you slipped back to your room. And then?"

And then? Then she went back to her room, lay down on the large bed covered with snow-white sheets, pulled the blanket up to her chin, closed her eyes, and her mind was filled with the feeling of her cheek pressed against Ji Tian's chest when he held her:

The clothes were a gift from me; they felt really nice to the touch, warm to the touch, and my heart was beating steadily, each beat like some ancient drumbeat, resonating with my own heartbeat.

She counted the drumbeats all night long.

Elena buried her face in her arms again, "...and then I had insomnia."

She suddenly felt a bit pathetic. Just one hug made her so shy that she couldn't sleep all night. What if there were "kissing, hugging, and lifting her up high" in the future, and then... wouldn't she just disappear on the spot?

"Didn't you say you needed to be held to fall asleep?"

"These are some 'sleep-aiding tips' I learned from a book."

"Will you hug me next time?"

"...I'll hug you again next time."

Ji Tian thought for a moment and felt that the other party's so-called "little trick" was not efficient enough. "How about I teach you a technique to make yourself fall asleep quickly?"

Elena abruptly looked up, glaring at him. A tear, still glistening from a yawn, clung to her eyelashes, making her eyes appear watery. Even her glare lacked any real threat. "Are you made of wood?" she said.

Ji Tian did not answer, his gaze fixed on her.

The morning light slanted in through the window, casting a pale golden hue on her profile.

Today she was wearing a light blue inner-court uniform skirt with a dark blue ribbon tied at the neckline, the end of which hung down to her chest and swayed slightly with her breathing.

The dress was fitted high at the waist, outlining her slender waist with soft curves. The skirt flared out, piling up at the edge of the chair, revealing a section of her fair calves beneath.

Her legs were slender, yet the lines were smooth and well-proportioned, possessing the delicate, slightly chubby look unique to young girls. She wore a pair of small black leather shoes with shiny surfaces and silver buckles. The exposed ankles were covered with a very thin layer of skin, revealing the light blue veins underneath.

Elena felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, so she pulled her legs back under her skirt, hugged her knees, and curled up into a small ball. "What are you looking at?"

Ji Tian looked away. "I suddenly remembered that you weren't wearing shoes when you came last night. Be careful not to catch a cold."

"How could you remember I wasn't wearing shoes? Why didn't you carry me back then?!" Elena thought angrily, but was too embarrassed to say it out loud.

"You're so sleepy, are you still going to the library this afternoon?"

"Go, come with me, but I need to sleep for a while now."

"it is good."

Ji Tian closed the manuscript, closed his eyes, and let his divine sense spread outwards, surveying the academy like a lion.

Even though Ji Tian, ​​who was in the Nascent Soul stage, devoted most of his energy to deducing the manuscript, his divine sense could still maintain a detection range of one mile. However, he still felt that it was not safe enough, so he expanded his divine sense every half hour to explore the entire academy.

From the teaching building to the dormitory, from the garden to the library, except for private areas such as toilets and bedrooms, which he actively avoided, every corner was within his perception.

This time, he discovered an unusual person in the inner courtyard.

From the outside, the person was no different from an ordinary inner court student: dark blue academic robe, short brown hair, slightly pale skin, and a hint of introverted dullness between his eyebrows and eyes.

His magical energy fluctuations were stable at the mid-stage of a Grand Mage, which was the typical level for a third-year inner court student.

However, his soul was "new," and there was an extremely subtle misalignment between his soul and body. People with insufficient spiritual sense could not detect it at all, but it was obvious to Ji Tian, ​​who was in the Nascent Soul stage.

The "parasites" have arrived.

Ji Tian closed the manuscript and stood up.

Elena looked up, rubbing her slightly blurry eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I have something to take care of. Wait for me here and don't wander off."

She instinctively grabbed his sleeve. "What is it? Do you need my help?"

"It's just woodworms, a little cleaning will fix it." Ji Tian's tone was calm, but seeing Elena's wide-open sleepiness and worried look, his voice softened again, "You can come with me."

The worry in Elena's eyes was instantly replaced by joy. She nodded vigorously, her fingers loosening their grip on his sleeve, then quickly grabbing back. "Okay! I'll go with you!"

Ji Tian took her hand in return and led her out of the classroom. The two walked through the garden and along the white stone path toward the dormitory area.

……

Edmund Castells walked along the white stone path, his back slightly hunched forward, his eyelids half-closed, looking like an introverted inner court student strolling back to his dormitory.

His eyes would occasionally sweep to both sides out of the corner of his eye, and every time he passed a tree, a cluster of flowers, or a corner, he would automatically mark a hiding spot and an escape route in his mind.

For someone with professional training like him, this was almost an instinct ingrained in his bones, requiring no thought and as natural as breathing.

He is... the "Thousand-Faced Apostle". Three days ago, he devoured Edmund Caster, an ordinary third-year student in the Inner Court with average grades and simple interpersonal relationships.

Edmund was on vacation and went home alone to visit his family when he was intercepted by Edmund and became his "nourishment" without any warning.

The process of being devoured was as unpleasant as ever.

He needs to imprison a person's soul forever, stripping away their memories and integrating them into his own consciousness. This process will last for several days, during which the memories of the person being devoured will flood into his mind like a tide, carrying the original owner's emotions, obsessions, and even fears.

He must remain clear-headed and not be drowned out by those "noises," or he will become a true "Edmund" and forget who he is.

In three days, he digested most of Edmund's memories, and now he can answer any question about Edmund's personal experiences fluently, imitate his habitual movements, and even replicate the detail of his left foot turning slightly outward when he walks.

Edmund has a fellow countryman with whom he has a good relationship who has agreed to vouch for him, and he needs to find a third person.

The third person needs to be a poor student who is short of money and willing to exchange "signatures" for gold coins. Most of the students in the inner court come from wealthy families, but there are exceptions.

According to his understanding, some students from the foreign language department enter the inner college through the end-of-month challenge. Their families are not wealthy and they rely on the college's student loans and scholarships to make a living. At that time, as long as they have a good attitude and provide the money, the mere guarantee will be easy to obtain.

He had already contacted his target via the communication rune: a third-year student from the outer academy who owed a considerable amount of money and was currently looking for part-time jobs. They had just arranged to meet in the dormitory area.

He walked quickly and had already arrived at the dormitory area. He would reach the agreed-upon place in a few minutes.

Just then, a hand reached out from behind and gently patted his shoulder.

"Excuse me, student, please wait a moment."