On how PhDs become human evil

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It was already 5 p.m., and the badminton training session hadn't lasted long. There were still five days until the tournament started, so there was no rush for today's training.

Although it was already afternoon, or even close to evening, Itogami Island still felt like midday, with the sunlight so intense it was almost unbearable. If a vampire were there, they would probably be howling in pain. After training in this environment, both Hakuge and Asagi felt thirsty.

Here, an iced cola.

He bought two cans of Coke from the vending machine, handed one to Lan Yu Qiancong, and sat down next to her: "Whew... I'm so tired. I haven't done this much exercise in a long time."

"You were so energetic when you were using Yin-Yang techniques, but you can't keep up after just one hour of training. You're actually a physical failure."

"Yin-Yang techniques consume spiritual energy, not physical strength. With my spiritual energy, I could use Yin-Yang techniques continuously for seven days and seven nights without any problem, but please spare me when it comes to physical exercise."

Bai Jie let out a long sigh, then opened the can of cola in his hand. Just as he was about to gulp it down, a strange sensation suddenly came from below—like a balloon rapidly inflating.

Without any hesitation, Bai Jie grabbed Lan Yuqian's slender waist and leaped forward.

"boom--!"

The bench where the two were sitting suddenly burst open like a balloon filled with air, and the flying pieces of wood grazed their bodies.

Lan Yu Qiancong, who was lying in Bai Jie's arms, was immediately stunned by the sudden situation: "Huh? What's going on?"

"Well, we've been attacked, haven't we?" Bai Jie said, half-squatting on the ground, his eyes fixed straight ahead. In Bai Jie's vision, two steel lions, one gold and one silver, gradually stood up.

Section 383, Chapter 18: Isn't the Loli Teacher Appealing?

On the left is a golden lion, and on the right is a silver lion. Their bodies are like steel cast from metal, reflecting intense sunlight. Their steel legs are thin and sharp like knives; if you touch them carelessly, it seems that even the bones will break.

This is a shikigami, a man-made object given a short life by spiritual power and magic, belonging to the basic abilities of a sorcerer.

Although these monsters are artificial creatures created by magic, their agility is no different from that of real beasts. Considering that their entire bodies are made of blades, they may actually be more dangerous than wild animals.

Brushing the dust off his clothes and standing up, Bai Jie helplessly spread his hands: "I was really underestimated. Some Tom, Dick, or Harry dared to use shikigami in front of me. Can I take this as a provocation against the Ashiya name?"

Spiritual energy surged in Bai Jie's hand, and a talisman flew out from his sleeve, instantly revealing a three-meter-long steel spear with its sharp tip pointing directly at the two shikigami.

"Gah!"

The steel shikigami let out a low growl, bent its knees, and with an explosive force no less than that of a real beast, it immediately pushed them toward Bai Jie, its sharp claws slashing down like several blades at the same time!

"Clang!"

The steel gun swept across, but it didn't sweep out Bai Jie's steel gun; instead, it swept out a machine gun that was entirely silver-white with a streamlined shell—the Snow Wolf.

puff!

The Snow Wolf pierced straight through the golden lion's body, tearing it to pieces.

"Roar!"

A girl's delicate shout rang out from above, and Himeragi Yukina descended from the sky, her palms, imbued with spiritual power, slamming heavily onto the silver lion, slamming it into the ground with a loud bang.

With a nimble turn and a firm footing, Himeragi Yukina retrieved the Snow Wolf and looked at Shiro and Aiba Asagi: "Senpai, Aiba-senpai, are you alright?"

"...Ji Tong, you really know how to put people down." Bai Jie put away his steel gun with an embarrassed look. "I was just about to take care of it myself, but you suddenly rushed out and cleanly took care of the enemy. It felt like I punched a cotton ball."

"Because I sensed some aggressive spiritual energy near you, I instinctively rushed over... I never expected that with your abilities, you wouldn't need my help at all."

"Well, you've done me a favor by doing this. To be honest, I'm exhausted from training and really don't want to exercise anymore." Bai Jie sighed. "Also, Ji Dong, explain to me why you could sense aggressive spiritual energy around me? You're a cheerleader, right? The training grounds are upstairs."

"Because I've been keeping an eye on you through my shikigami." Himeragi Yukina stretched out her hand towards the sky, and two white butterflies immediately flew down and landed on her fingers. "Following you around might cause you trouble, so I wanted to keep an eye on you through my shikigami."

"Wait, Hime, in other words, you've seen me sleeping and taking showers all the time?"

"...No, I still know my place." Himeragi Yukina's tone was noticeably paused, suggesting there really was something going on.

"So, what should we do in this situation?"

Aiba Asagi, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.

"We couldn't have been attacked by shikigami for no reason, there must be some reason."

"How would I know? I'm a law-abiding student, I wouldn't have any enemies." Bai Jie shrugged.

"Regarding this... I think I understand now." Himeragi Yukina picked up the fragment of the shikigami from the ground. "This spell is less about targeting my senior and more about... delivering a message."

Deliver a letter?

Bai Jie and Lan Yu Qian Cong were stunned for a moment. Who would send two lions as messengers? Even those Russians from the north wouldn't do that!

"Ji Dong, are you sure this person is here to deliver a message and not to cause trouble?"

"Yes, I'm pretty sure. This is a shikigami made of tin foil, but it was originally used to send letters to recipients in distant places. It shouldn't be such an aggressive technique."

"Hey... so does that mean this thing is for me?"

Bai Jie went to the bushes not far from Himeragi Yukina and picked up something.

It was a letter sent in a brand new envelope. The ornate envelope, embossed with gold, was sealed with silver wax, making it look extremely formal. However, neither Bai Jie, Himeragi Yukina, nor Aiba Asagi paid attention to the envelope. Instead, they focused on the wax seal on the envelope.

The wax stamp on the sealing wax is a pattern resembling a snake and a sword. Although elegant in style, its design has an inexplicable eeriness.

This wax seal is used in only one place in the world—the Principality of Ardia Road, an autonomous territory under the First True Ancestor, War King's domain.

And in one corner of the envelope was the sender's signature—Dmitriye Vatora.

"The strongest vampire, second only to the True Ancestor, actually sent me a letter. That's hardly a laughing matter." Bai Jie chuckled as he opened the envelope. "Let me see what it says... I'll be stationed on Itogami Island as a diplomatic ambassador soon, and they'll be hosting a banquet on the night of my arrival, hoping I'll attend?"

"Lord Aldialu invited you, senior?"

"You actually caught the eye of a big shot in the War King realm?"

Himeragi Yukina and Aiba Asagi both voiced their doubts at the same time. Although Haku was known as the Onmyoji of Ashiya and a famous child prodigy, his fame was limited to Japan. Outsiders only knew Haku as an excellent sorcerer and paid little attention to him. Even the matter of Haku's handling of Rudolf Ostach was considered to be an intentional exaggeration.

So even though Bai Jie possesses power that ranks among the top ten in the world, he is still an unknown figure. Why would someone like him be invited by a high-ranking noble in the War King realm?

"Are you going, senpai?" Himeragi Yukina asked.

"Well, I didn't have anything planned for that night anyway, and besides, my wallet's a bit thin lately, so it wouldn't hurt to go out for a free meal and pack some leftovers," Bai Jie chuckled. "But the letter said I absolutely had to bring a female companion, isn't that making things difficult for me?"

"In Europe, most banquets are attended by couples or lovers. Do you have any candidates in mind, senior?"

When Himeragi Yukina said this, Aiba Asagi immediately tensed up. For a woman to be chosen by Bai Jie to attend the event with him... that could almost be considered as Bai Jie being interested in her.

Not only Aiba Asagi, but Himeragi Yukina was also extremely nervous while speaking.

(Surveillance... Yes, I'm just surveilling my senior, absolutely not for any other reason!)

"Hmm... I'll call and ask if Teacher Nangong is free that day."

Aiba Asagi/Himehira Yukina: Huh?

P.S.: Sexiness is nothing compared to cuteness!

Section 384, paragraph 19: Author: Have I been writing a bit too much fluff lately?

At 9:30 p.m., in the harbor area of ​​Itogami Island, Bai Jie, dressed in a white suit that clashed terribly with his appearance, looked at the huge cruise ship in front of him.

"The Tomb of the Deep Ocean... As the name of a cruise ship, isn't that a bit too tasteless?"

Generally speaking, ships are named auspiciously to express expectations for their future, but the ship in front of Bai Jie seemed to want to sink, having been given such a name.

Contrary to its ominous name, the illuminated ship displayed its palatial, golden splendor against the night sky.

"They say it's personal property... Just how rich are the nobles in the War King's Domain?"

“I think that using this method to flaunt power is also one of the other party’s objectives.”

Himeragi Yukina, who was standing next to Bai Jie, said calmly.

Of the three—Aiba Asagi, Himeragi Yukina, and Minami Natsuki—Hime Yukina ultimately came with Bai Jie. Since the person invited was a vampire from the War King's Domain, and a battle might occur, Bai Jie didn't bring Aiba Asagi along for safety reasons. As for Minami Natsuki, when Bai Jie invited her, she said that Akatsuki Kojou had already invited her.

(Thinking about it, even though he hasn't awakened yet, Akatsuki is a True Ancestor, so he must be on the invitation list too.)

Bai Jie had already heard from Nangong Nayue that Xiao Kojo was the Fourth Progenitor. In this virtual world, the place where the Progenitor resides is his territory, so Xiao Kojo is nominally the leader of Itogami Island, even though he is just a younger brother.

As a foreign ambassador, the first thing to do upon arriving in one's own country is naturally to visit the local leader. If that's the case, Akago would definitely be the first person to receive an invitation.

"Well, I won't comment too much on other people's taste in naming, but what's up with your outfit, Hime-hime?"

The dress, paired with a blue-toned party gown, features a conservative level of exposure at the chest, but the cut from the shoulders to the back is quite daring. The light fabric clearly reveals Setsuna's figure, while her fair and toned thighs are exposed beneath the glamorous ruffled mini skirt.

Even Bai Jie, who was used to seeing his own wife and considered himself to have a strong resistance to beauty, couldn't help but be stunned when he saw Himeragi Yukina. Her youthful innocence and naivety, like a lotus flower just beginning to bloom, was simply irresistible to a group of Taobao members.

"This is a dress sent by the Lion King Organization. They said that as your date, senior, we can't be careless about what you wear... What do you think, senior? Does it look a little strange?"

"No, she's still quite pretty, even better than one ten-thousandth as beautiful as my wife."

"Is that so...? Huh?"

Himeragi Yukina's brain suddenly went blank for a moment. What did Bai Jie just say?

"Senior? Didn't you just say you have a wife?"

"Well, who knows?" Bai Jie shrugged with a smile. "Let's get on the ship and see who this Lord Aldialu who wants to see me is."

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After checking the invitation and entering the ship, Bai Jie did not linger in the banquet hall. After all, it was filled with bright and dazzling lights, luxurious and sumptuous dishes, and a gathering of important people. Bai Jie really didn't like that kind of occasion.

Moreover, through his spiritual perception, Bai Jie confirmed that the vampire noble who had invited him was not here, so there was even less reason for him to stay.

Upper deck.

Having brought Himeragi Yukina here, Bai Jie had just placed his feet on the deck when several streaks of silver light suddenly appeared in his field of vision.

"Ji Hiiragi."

"Yes!"

Before Bai Jie could even lift a finger, Himeragi Yukina stepped forward and stood in front of him, unleashing a chillingly sharp attack from the Snow Wolf!

"Bang bang bang."

The silver light was completely knocked away, and after landing on the ground, its true form was revealed—a silver dinner fork.

Picking up a fork, Bai Jie weighed it in his hand and chuckled, "A rather sophisticated curse, and it's even attached to so many forks. Looks like they really want to curse me to death."