Chapter 42: A New Storage Manager Has Appeared
The two walked out of the psychometric chamber, passing between the iron-wrought strongholds.
Ishta walked in front, while Rast followed behind, watching the pair of golden twin-tails bounce with the sway of her waist.
Along the way, Rast saw many figures also wearing the Starfall University emblem, but upon seeing Ishta, they all revealed expressions of awe and chose to avoid her path.
This made Rast glance at Ishta a few more times.
Sunlight fell upon her fair and delicate face, the hem of her ivory trench coat fluttered in the wind—she indeed carried the air of an inquisitor.
It seemed that Ishta, this psychometrician, held no small amount of authority at Starfall University.
Of course, that might not be prestige—it might be infamy.
Rast noticed that many among the passing crowds were moving all sorts of cargo, looking very much like a demolition crew from his past life's memory.
Ishta noticed Rast's gaze.
"They're preparing to evacuate," she said.
"Evacuate?"
"Mm." Ishta nodded. "Whenever a new Nightworld portal opens within the national borders, the people of the Ashen Court will rush to the scene under the lead of one of the Twelve Seats of the Round Table."
"The latter will begin pioneering the unknown Nightworld Remnant, while the Ashen Court will build strategic strongholds around the portal passage."
"After all, every new Nightworld portal signifies the resurfacing of a piece of lost history..."
Perhaps because she had become more familiar with Rast and let down her previous guard, Ishta pulled out a bag of bear-shaped cookies from her coat and began munching on them with relish.
"From the early phase with an extremely high mortality rate, to the mid-phase of large-scale exploration..."
"And then to the appearance of a ‘Calamity Remnant’, after which the Academy will summon the Twelve Seats of the Round Table for a strategy meeting to discuss tactics."
"The complete strategy process for each Nightworld Remnant is a long and drawn-out tug-of-war... as short as a few months, as long as several years, even decades."
"Therefore, setting up a frontline stronghold around the passage is a necessary preparation, and Vice President Shiltina is the Round Table Seat responsible for this pioneering effort."
As she spoke, a trace of confusion flickered in her eyes.
"However, this time’s Nightworld Remnant is rather odd."
"Not long after Vice President Shiltina exited the Remnant, the Nightworld portal actually closed on its own, completely skipping the usual exploration and strategy process."
"Since I joined Starfall University, this is the first time I’ve seen a Nightworld Remnant cleared this quickly..."
"And with the Nightworld passage gone, those Ashen Court guys naturally had no choice but to tear down their half-finished strongholds and pack up."
Ishta giggled.
"You should’ve seen the looks on the Ashen Court folks when they first got the news—I've never seen human faces turn that black before."
She waved the bag of bear cookies toward Rast.
After seeing him politely decline with a hand gesture, she continued eating contentedly.
"I suspect something must have happened in that historical Remnant Shiltina entered."
"Unfortunately, with my clearance level, I can’t access any related files from the Tower of Rites..."
"Only professors at the vice-dean level or Round Table Seats likely have access to such highly classified archives."
Ishta waved at Rast dismissively.
"Of course, things like this have nothing to do with you, a brand-new freshman who’s just enrolled and is still Tier 1. Just treat it like an amusing story."
Rast nodded obediently.
It really had nothing to do with him.
If not for him, their precious Vice President Shiltina would likely have already perished beneath the radiance of the Descent of the Evil God—let alone directly clearing the Nightworld Remnant.
Of course, as a seasoned host with a one-hundred-percent approval rating in Deep Blue Port, Rast naturally knew exactly what kind of personality mask was best when facing a noble lady with Ishta’s typical temperament.
The mental backlash triggered by his earlier use of "Heart of Steel Forging" had seemingly left quite a deep impression on her, even to the point of sparking considerable wariness and hostility.
In this situation, if he were to continue showing his dominant side, it would only trigger her rebellious instincts and completely escalate their previous conflict.
What he needed now was a balance of firmness and gentleness.
By properly revealing a more vulnerable side of himself, he could more effectively soften her heart.
At the same time, Rast was also using guided speech and subtle questioning to continuously gather information about the real world.
After all, in his previous life, he had merely been a pitiful game developer. The storyline and artwork of Snow Moon Emblem had never been within his job scope.
Therefore, regarding the world beyond the Nightworld, the real world they were now in, he only had some vague impressions from concept sketches, lacking concrete details.
But as his conversation with Ishta deepened, Rast’s understanding of the world’s setting was being rapidly filled in.
...
【You and Ishta Julian's “Fate” has deepened. The "Library of Fools" has gained a brand-new power.】
【The bond level of “Hermit” · Ishta has increased from 1 to 2】
【You have unlocked a new Original Text】
【Night Blade “Eye of Secrets” — Spirit Vision unlocked】
【Would you like to change your currently equipped card from “The Chariot · Shiltina” to “Hermit · Ishta”?】
In Rast’s mind, the card engraved with the golden twin-tailed girl emitted a soft glow, flickering intermittently.
In less than an hour of interaction, Rast had already raised Ishta’s bond level from 1 to 2.
Compared to his previous experience in Deep Blue Port, where he and Shiltina had been relentlessly pursued by the Iron Cross Tide and had to go through countless life-or-death trials just to raise their bond to level two, the difficulty difference was like night and day.
Of course, in a certain sense—
Given Rast’s appearance and his extensive host experience simulated countless times in Deep Blue Port, this was the pace that matched his normal performance.
Someone like Shiltina was, on the contrary, a very rare exception.
So, looking at the final flickering replacement prompt in his mind, Rast decisively chose “No.”
As everyone knew, the strength of a card was often directly tied to its acquisition difficulty and rarity.
Compared to Shiltina’s “Infinite Blade,” Ishta naturally earned herself a spot in the storage role.
After all, he had always been a devout power-scaler.