https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-643-Lanchi-and-Hubert-s-Casual-Chat/12584999/
Chapter 644: Lanchi and Thalia Were Completely Out of Sync
Chapter 644: Lanchi and Thalia Were Completely Out of Sync
In a room at the end of the second-floor corridor of Boss Cat's restaurant, the scent of the day was a blend of lavender, sweet orange, and vetiver.
The aroma promoted relaxation and better sleep, helping to alleviate anxiety and enhance mood. Ever since Hephaestus moved in with Thalia, she had taken note of her friend's sleep issues and would often change the scent in the house to create a more soothing atmosphere.
However, at this moment, the calming atmosphere did little to ease the tension between the two individuals in the room.
A loud, explosive bang filled the air, followed by an intense silence in the spacious workspace.
"Why did it explode again?"
Thalia glared at Lanchi, her eyes piercing.
"It's not what you think, brother..."
Lanchi averted his gaze, a hint of resentment in his eyes.
"Then care to explain what you're trying to convey?"
Thalia tapped the table, her voice sharp.
"I think you have a unique sense of humor." Lanchi muttered, pouting.
"Say that again."
"Never mind, I won't say anything."
Thalia reprimanded Lanchi unilaterally.
Lanchi wanted to retort, but he didn't dare to.
It was already three or four in the afternoon.
Boss Cat watched the duo beside the table, no longer as startled by Lanchi's card-making explosions as he had been at the beginning.
Perhaps he had grown accustomed to Lanchi, or maybe he had become desensitized from observing Lanchi's card-making attempts so frequently.
However, Thalia maintained her strict demon teacher-like discipline when it came to Lanchi's card crafting. She would not tolerate any card explosions, especially not in her home.
The cat lay on the floor, listening to the two of them review their process.
The skylight near the ceiling beams bathed the room in warm afternoon sunlight. A few potted plants and a stack of books sat on the windowsill, and beyond the window, lush trees and layered buildings created a serene watercolor painting-like scene.
The drowsiness of a Sunday afternoon nap even had Boss Cat yawning.
It couldn't understand how these two could still be so energetic, as if they had an endless supply of vitality when together.
"Meow."
The two had begun their collaborative card-making attempt that morning, and after lunch, they returned to continue their endeavor.
However.
Their collaboration was fraught with challenges, and they barely made it past the second step of the card-making process.
Aside from the preparation of materials, which went relatively smoothly, each subsequent step became increasingly difficult to attribute to mere bad luck. Their rhythm and timing were completely out of sync—when Thalia wanted to go east, Lanchi would inevitably head west.
Boss Cat, witnessing their lack of progress and increasing difficulties throughout the afternoon, stood up from the floor and walked over to them.
"How were you two so in sync at the amusement park last time? Meow?"
Boss Cat asked, perplexed, looking up at them.
"Who knows!"
Lanchi and Thalia replied in unison.
"..."
Boss Cat could sense the rising tension between them.
Each believed that they had done nothing wrong and blamed the other for the mishaps.
What's going on? I'm just a little kitten.
"Why don't you take a break and have some afternoon tea, meow?" Boss Cat suggested.
The planned collaborative card-making endeavor was proving to be more challenging than they had anticipated.
It was like mixing fire and water.
"Or maybe go for a walk. If you keep going like this, I'm afraid you two will start arguing, meow."
Boss Cat continued in his childish voice.
While he found it hard to imagine Lanchi truly losing his temper, whenever he was with Thalia, Lanchi's emotions seemed susceptible to the influence of the Great Love Poet.
The two fell silent for a moment, their gazes fixed on the table.
"Let's take a break. I think we've had enough for today." Lanchi pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head, speaking to himself.
"And you were so confident this morning. How do you expect to accomplish anything by running away like this?" Thalia looked at Lanchi with disdain.
She despised his lax attitude during card crafting, and it was precisely because of his tendency to cut himself slack that his success rate was so low.
"But if we continue like this, I doubt we'll be able to make even a single card today." Lanchi rebutted weakly.
While he had endured Thalia's devilish training to develop his current skills, he now understood that when Thalia got personally involved, her demands became even more ruthless.
"..."
Thalia looked at Lanchi's pitiful expression and wondered if she was being too harsh.
"I've never really had much experience with collaborative card-making, and I've hardly ever successfully made cards with my sister. Why don't you ask that dean of yours at the Magecraft Institute if he knows any tricks for collaborative card-making?"
She stopped looking at Lanchi and leaned back in her chair, her arms crossed as she spoke.
"Makes sense," Lanchi replied. He signaled for Boss Cat to bring out a communication magic card so he could contact Professor Polaau.
Even though it was the weekend, Professor Polaau might still be busy with his magecraft work. Half a day passed with no answer to their call.
"By the way, do you and Miss Yfatia lack good chemistry as well?" Lanchi asked, glancing at Thalia as he waited for the call to connect.
"We're okay, but our magical affinities aren't very compatible. I'm primarily Spirit, while she's Curse," Thalia mumbled.
It was only that morning, when they tested their compatibility with Hephaestus using Demon Fusion, that Thalia realized her affinity with Yfatia was probably not that high either.
Even though Hephaestus had half-human blood, inheriting Yfatia's half-demon bloodline, her affinity with Thalia, who also had Hephaestus' demon blood, should have been very high. Yet, it was only at a disappointing ten percent.
She wasn't sure if she should feel more disappointed or relieved by this result, although she had her suspicions, as did the group of greater demons who had been questioning it as well.
"So, you're primarily Spirit with a secondary Curse attribute, while your sister is the opposite. Your fighting styles seem similar on the surface, but they're actually completely different?" Lanchi asked.
There were thirty-one attributes in this world, excluding Destiny and Foundation, that determined trait bonuses and mutual restraints.
Any being capable of possessing innate magic would have an inherent attribute that matched their innate magic, as innate magic only emerged from one's most proficient attribute. For example, Thalia's mind-reading talent was a Spirit attribute, while Antanas' ability to turn barriers into information was a Barrier attribute, and Pranay's clairvoyance was the extremely rare Divination attribute.
In addition, the vast majority of beings would also possess a second attribute that was acquired later in life and would depend on the magic they learned, the number of magic cards they bound, and their quality.
This was similar to the Great Poet's Spirit and Wood attributes.
"That's right. When I tested your attributes, I told you that figuring out your enemy's inherent attribute is crucial. If you only look at their acquired attributes, you'll misjudge their true system and strength," Thalia said, fixing her gaze on him.
"For example, what if you fought with the High Priest, Loren, for half a day and realized that his Wind attribute was only acquired, and he had never used his inherent attribute against anyone? That would be a terrifying story," she added, giving an example that Lanchi would understand.
"Indeed, I know that feeling all too well," Lanchi nodded.
A year ago, he hadn't understood the significance of those words.
It wasn't until Laosen taught him a life lesson that he truly grasped their meaning.
"Meow," Boss Cat meowed, sensing that Lanchi was reminiscing about the legendary seal master once again.
Ever since Lanchi obtained the legacy, however, he seemed to be heading in a similar direction as Laosen.
"Hello? Lanchi, what's up?" Just then, the communication magic card flashed with a purple light, accompanied by static, and Professor Polaau's voice came through.
Although Polaau disliked being disturbed while conducting research, his tone softened when he realized it was Lanchi.
"Professor Polaau, are there any tricks to collaborative card-making?" Lanchi asked eagerly.
He could hear the sound of machinery humming in the background, indicating that Professor Polaau was in the middle of an experiment, and he was interrupting him.
"Card makers who can collaborate need a high level of unity and tacit understanding," Professor Polaau replied concisely.
"I understand the theory, but..." Lanchi trailed off.
"Tell me the specifics."
"Well, I have a friend who wants to collaborate with a girl on card-making, but their rhythms are completely off. They always disagree and end up with explosions. Is there any quick way to improve their chemistry?" Lanchi asked, glancing at Thalia and then back at the communication magic card.
"Go on more dates. You two just need to spend more time together," Professor Polaau advised.
"Goodbye, Professor!" Lanchi hastily bid farewell and hung up the call, not wanting to hear the rest of the professor's advice.
"...' Lanchi looked up to see Thalia's reaction, but she kept her head down, silent, creating an uncomfortably quiet atmosphere.
(End of Chapter)
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