https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-218-Cardinal-Lanchi-s-Lenient-Verdict/12584257/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-220-Lanchi-s-Overzealous-Sense-of-Responsibility/12584259/
Chapter 219: Lanchi's Theory of Evolution
Chapter 219: Lanchi's Theory of Evolution
It was already mid-November, marking the beginning of winter.
The arrival of the academic visiting team from the Royal Alolan Academy dated back to the Sunday of the week before last.
Now, ten days had passed in the two-week academic visit.
The weather in Iciclite was typically gloomy and rainy, and a strong wind had picked up on campus, bringing with it a noticeable drop in temperature.
"What a noisy day," the wind seemed to howl.
On this windy Wednesday during a free period, there were hardly any students on the lawn having picnics or reading books. Instead, they hurried by, wrapped up tightly in their coats, eager to get back to the warmth of their dormitories and escape the blustery wind and the looming threat of rain.
At the end of the path where students passed, a cluster of lush green trees and shrubs huddled together, their leaves trembling in the wind. In stark contrast, the old humanities building stood tall and unwavering.
On the third floor was the student council room.
Outside the window, the cold wind blew with indifferent grace, roaming freely along the walls in search of cracks along the window frames to infiltrate the room.
However, within this cozy space, thick curtains and sturdy walls kept the chill and harshness at bay, leaving only a homely, relaxed ambiance.
Vice President Asina was casually sorting through documents by the bookshelf, but the president was nowhere to be seen.
With the academic visit from the Royal Alolan Academy nearing its conclusion, the student council's workload had lessened significantly.
The peaceful passing of these days finally allowed Dean Lorenc to breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that in just two days, all the surviving students from the Kingdom of Alola would be safely sent back home, and everything would be back to normal.
In the student council room, two people lounged on the sofa in the resting area, each with a cup of hot beverage on the table—one with tea and the other with hot cocoa—savoring the tranquil atmosphere.
"If that's the case, why not call in your ace, Tsirvine, earlier?"
"No way! We won't let you interfere with Big Sis's final exam!"
"Then, enjoy the show!"
"Ahhhhhh!"
"..."
Hepburn looked on with a confused expression, her chin resting on her hand as her attention was fixed on the magic screen hanging on the wall of the student council room.
The screen was currently broadcasting live footage from the ongoing artificial shadow world activity on campus.
The shadow world, from its outward appearance, resembled a laboratory. Within the transparent life support capsules that lined the walls, terrifying scenes unfolded. Humans and demons were imprisoned, their bodies mercilessly torn, twisted, and then stitched back together into unnameable, forbidden creatures.
At the center of the laboratory, sunken into the ground, was a circular arena. Chains hung from the surrounding walls, each one ending in a tragic corpse. Some had decayed to the point of being nothing but bones, foreshadowing the fate that awaited the losers of this place.
In this inescapable colosseum, the cold light cast an eerie metallic sheen on every muscle fiber. Ten fighters, each with distinct builds, were locked in combat. However, each one of them boasted a robust and muscular physique. In this battlefield, there was no clashing of weapons, only the oppressive sensation of bodies colliding and the dull, thunderous rumble of bones and muscles impacting.
They were engaged in a five-on-five team battle.
However, this was not a fair fight.
It was a one-sided slaughter.
The stronger fighters pounced like tigers, skillfully evading their opponents' attacks with agile maneuvers. Then, with powerful strides, they seized opportunities to brutally slam their adversaries to the ground, trampling them underfoot with heavy, forceful kicks that sent cracks spider-webbing across the arena floor.
Again and again, the cruel, resounding impacts made Hepburn's eyebrows twitch.
Hepburn watched for a while longer, but the scene abruptly switched to another shadow world, as if the previous one had been terminated.
"It's just a one-sided beating," Hepburn remarked, taking a sip from her hot cocoa and shaking her head sympathetically.
Despite her demonic bloodline and the slight instinctual desire for battle that came with it, scenes like the one that had just played out still struck her as cruel.
Sitting next to her on the sofa, Lanchi, who had been quietly reading, glanced up at the arena on the screen momentarily.
"I wonder why people enjoy fighting so much," he mused, his attitude as non-confrontational as ever.
"Well, sometimes a little purposeful struggle isn't a bad thing. It can be a form of motivation, right? For example, in a school setting, if there was no competition at all, everyone might just become complacent." Hepburn had always felt that Lanchi took winning and losing too lightly.
Perhaps a little competitiveness would make him more normal?
"..."
Lanchi pondered her words, then looked down at the book in his hand.
"So, education is like that too, huh?" he murmured, as if Hepburn's words had suddenly enlightened him.
"?" Hepburn was taken aback that Lanchi had so easily understood what she meant, and she felt a twinge of unease.
She leaned over and looked at the cover of the book in Lanchi's hand.
It was a book he had borrowed from the ancient tower library of the Sage's Institute last weekend.
The title read: 'On the Origin of Species and the Theory of Evolution'.
Hepburn: "..."
"It says, 'Survival of the fittest,'" Lanchi explained.
"Well... I don't think it's quite that cruel here..." Hepburn hesitated for a long time before finally responding.
She suspected that Lanchi couldn't forget his time at the Corridor of Purgatory, and that his educational philosophy had been influenced, to some extent, by the demons.
Compared to the northern continent where the demons resided, the southern continent enjoyed a relatively peaceful and stable environment, with abundant resources, convenient trade and transportation, and no disaster-stricken lands left over from failed ninth-level shadow world experiments.
Hepburn had heard that the large institutions under the management of the Protoss Empire's Education Bureau on the southern shore of the northern continent had a strict hierarchy and a harsh survival-of-the-fittest regime. Not only was the competition fierce among students, but there was also vicious competition, and the struggles between schools had a darker side.
In comparison, the campuses in the southern continent, with their orderly rules and friendly atmosphere, were like a paradise.
Of course, people's mentalities and adaptability varied depending on their environment. This might also explain why Lanchi had suffered through his first day of school at Iciclite Academy during the day, but when night fell and he arrived at the Corridor of Purgatory, he immediately took control of lightning and electricity.
No one knew if the northern continent would have been a more suitable environment for Lanchi.
As Hepburn struggled with how to discuss this misconception further with Lanchi, the door to the student council room opened, and the student council president walked in.
Monast's pear wood-colored hair was smooth and elegant, and his amicable aura carried a hint of dignity.
Behind him followed Frey.
It was clear they had just returned from the Knight's Institute.
Monast only brought Frey along when dealing with troublesome matters at the Knight's Institute.
(End of Chapter)
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