Chapter 373: To take, one must first give

On the morning of the third day after the news spread like wildfire, Luo Yan came to Professor Gangte's office at his "invitation."

This was his second time sitting here.

Unlike the relaxed and friendly atmosphere last time, this time, the atmosphere in the office was clearly much more solemn.

Professor Gangte Ren stood in front of the glass window, silently watching the wind and snow outside; he didn't open his mouth immediately. His thin and straight back, at this moment, revealed a suppressed anger, making the air in the entire room seem to have solidified. 【373

As for why he didn't lose his temper at Prince Kelin—

That was, of course, because the person opposite him was no weaker than he was.

Regardless of status or strength.

Luo Yan was in no rush; he sat down calmly on the guest sofa, quietly waiting for this professor, who held a high and powerful position in the Academy, to speak.

The teaching assistant nearby saw this and hurriedly stepped forward to pour him a cup of black tea.

Public opinion was one thing, but personal feelings were another. Regardless of what evaluations they might have made in private, the vast majority of teaching assistants still had a very good impression of this generous and benevolent Prince... especially when standing right in front of him.

In the end, not daring to leave the Prince hanging for too long, Hektor silently vented the anger in his chest and then slowly turned around.

He looked at Luo Yan with a complex expression of heartbreak on his face, as if he were trying his best to suppress his emotions.

"Prince Kelin!" he finally spoke, his voice hoarse and heavy. "I think... regarding what happened yesterday in Void Realm No. 440, can you give me a reasonable explanation?"

It was a tone that wanted to criticize but didn't dare to speak too harshly; in the Holy City's court, it was common among eunuchs who rarely appeared in public, as they were masters of this linguistic art.

Facing this interrogation that felt like a formal accusation, Luo Yan merely picked up his teacup and gently blew away the swirling steam, as if he completely failed to understand why the other party was so angry.

"Explanation? Professor Hektor, I don't quite understand what you mean."

Watching Kelin continue to "play dumb," Hektor's eyebrow couldn't help but twitch, and he said, suppressing the resentment in his chest.

"The entire Tower of the Great Sage knows by now that you used up all the Source Power behind the Void Realm in a single experiment! Forgive my bluntness, but you aren't researching the Void Realm at all; you are clearly just playing—"

"I am clearly just conducting my first experiment," Luo Yan calmly placed the teacup back on the tray. "Experiments involve consumption; is there a problem with that?"

Professor Hektor was momentarily speechless, his mouth hanging open, unable to utter a word for a long time.

Looking at the speechless Professor Hektor, Luo Yan paused, switched to a gentle tone, and continued.

"Besides, the Void Realm hasn't disappeared; it's just that the energy is exhausted, causing the connection to be temporarily severed. What if it connects itself again one day?"

Hearing this righteous statement from Luo Yan, Professor Hektor's eyes widened, and he nearly fainted from the shock.

He finally understood: this Prince had absolutely no interest in the treasures behind the Void Realm. This guy messing with the Void Realm might really just be out of curiosity about the realm itself, or perhaps he just wanted to prove something.

He let out a long sigh, forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart, and decided to try another way, beginning to persuade him earnestly.

"Your Highness, research on the Void Realm really isn't done this way!"

He walked quickly to the sofa opposite Kelin, sat down, leaned forward, and said earnestly in the tone of an elder who was "doing this for your own good."

"Our exploration of the Void Realm must be like walking on thin ice at every step; it requires massive amounts of observation and data analysis to make even the smallest intervention. Your radical experimental strategy is no different from dancing on the edge of a cliff; it is simply too reckless! What if... what if it never connects again? Examples like this are everywhere in the history of the Academy!"

Facing Hektor's deep concern, Luo Yan appeared unusually calm, as if he didn't take the worst-case scenario to heart at all.

"That sort of thing won't happen. The prayers of the Suolipuxi people haven't stopped, and I dare assert that they will be even more active than before... Just wait and see; it won't take long before there are results."

He had absolute confidence in this.

Yet this baseless confidence caused Hektor's blood pressure to soar once again.

"That's just what you think!" he almost roared. "What about your promise to me? You said you would treat it well!"

"Professor Hektor, I will emphasize this again. First, the Void Realm's passage has not collapsed; there isn't even a sign of collapse. It simply lacks energy, which does not count as a violation of my promise."

Luo Yan picked up the black tea, which was at the perfect temperature, blew away the heat, took a sip, and the gaze he cast toward Professor Hektor suddenly sharpened.

"Secondly, are you teaching me how to do my job?"

If it weren't for the fact that Professor Hektor helped him obtain this Void Realm, he wouldn't have come here to drink tea at all.

I, Luo Ke-sai Kelin, need to explain my actions to a professor like you?

The atmosphere in the office dropped by a dozen degrees, and even the crackling fire in the fireplace became much more docile and submissive.

The teaching assistant standing in the corner of the room didn't dare to breathe, wanting to sneak out of the room but not daring to make a sound.

It was his first time seeing that Prince, who was always elegant and easygoing, display such a majestic expression.

Hektor's Adam's apple bobbed as he stared fixedly at Prince Kelin, his hands gripping the armrests of the sofa tightly.

However, this tense atmosphere did not last long before it suddenly ended with the old professor's concession.

He took a deep breath, calmed his emotions, piled a smile back onto his face, and said in a tone that seemed very understanding.

"You misunderstood, Your Highness. How would I dare teach you how to do your job? I was just... standing from a friend's perspective, putting myself in your shoes to offer advice! If you feel that handling this project alone is a bit strenuous, we could actually change our method of cooperation."

He leaned forward again and proposed a compromise in a persuasive tone.

"You provide the resources and authority granted by the Council, and I will provide the experience and technical support from my side. Of everything the project produces, all the output obtained from the Void Realm, you take sixty percent, and I only take forty. As for the research results and honors produced, they all belong to you!"

"You don't need to do anything at all to possess all of this... What do you think?"

Regarding Professor Hektor's compromise, Luo Yan was not surprised at all; rather, he was surprised that the man had laid the groundwork for so long before revealing his true purpose.

A smile appeared on that handsome face, though his eyes had turned cold.

Luo Yan gently placed the teacup back on the tray, making a crisp sound, then looked straight into Professor Hektor's eyes and said righteously.

"Professor Hektor, the reason I came to this bitter, cold land is not to hunt for treasure, but to explore unknown truths."

His voice was calm but carried an irresistible majesty.

"In your eyes, is my research into the Void Realm just to tinker with boring junk and those hollow honors and titles? You are insulting a Prince of the Empire!"

Professor Hektor was greatly shocked.

He had assumed the other party would either go with the flow and accept or try to bargain, but he had never imagined the other party would pivot directly to the honor of the nobility.

That was quite the heavy accusation!

"No... no, Your Highness, I absolutely did not mean that!" Hektor hurriedly waved his hands, his face showing a bit of embarrassment, trying to explain, "I was just... just worried that you are too young and might encounter unexpected bottlenecks in your research..."

Luo Yan raised his hand, cutting off his pale defense.

Watching Professor Hektor, whose face was turning from blue to white, Luo Yan suddenly leaned back into the sofa, letting the old professor, who had been roasted over the fire, off the hook.

"Of course, I understand you were acting out of good intentions; that proposal just now must have been a slip of the tongue."

"Yes..." Hektor bit the bullet and swallowed the words in his stomach, taking the step Prince Kelin had offered to climb down.

Luo Yan nodded as he watched the man soften.

"Then, I hope this is the last time; don't say similar things in the future."

"Yes..."

Watching Professor Hektor with his head bowed, the teaching assistant standing in the corner of the room was completely dumbfounded.

He could never have imagined that this old professor, famous for his foul temper and stubbornness like a mule, would be as docile as an old dog in front of Prince Kelin.

But his expression changed quickly.

Especially when he realized he had seen an unknown side of Professor Hektor. Once the old man came to his senses and realized he had seen something he shouldn't have, he would definitely try to destroy him until he left this Mage Tower...

Fortunately, at this moment, a soft "bang" saved him: the door to Professor Hektor's office was pushed open violently!

The teaching assistant Miller rushed in, disregarding all etiquette; his mage robes were disheveled from running, and his face wore a complex expression mixed with shock, ecstasy, and disbelief.

"Miller! You..." Hektor was about to erupt, but Miller ignored him completely.

"Mentor! It's not good... No! It's great! Void Realm No. 440... the Void Realm passage has opened itself again! And this time, the energy behind the passage is even more abundant than before! It's simply incredible!" Ignoring Professor Hektor's murderous glare, Miller shouted excitedly.

This sentence struck like a bolt of lightning, instantly hitting the top of Hektor Lei En's head.

All the scolding, lecturing, and even coercion he had prepared were stuck in his throat; he couldn't say a single word.

Staring blankly at Luo Yan, then looking at the teaching assistant holding the door frame, his mind went completely blank.

How is that possible?

A Void Realm that had exhausted its Source Power, how could it... reopen itself in such a short time?!

How did this guy manage that?!

Void Realm No. 440 was no longer important.

What he was now more eager to know was what exactly this Prince had done to make the reopened Void Realm passage contain even more abundant Source Power than before!

Abundant "Source Power" meant they could extract more matter from behind the Void Realm, and the risk of the passage collapsing would also decrease!

In other words—

The passage to Void Realm No. 440 was actually more stable!

Watching that dumbfounded expression, a mysterious smile appeared on Luo Yan's face, as if everything were under his control.

To be honest, he hadn't expected the Void Realm passage to reopen so quickly, but that didn't stop him from taking credit for it.

"It seems... the people of the other world need me; I must take my leave."

He stood up, smoothed his collar, which didn't have a single wrinkle, in an unhurried manner, and said to Hektor, who was still in a state of petrification, in a tone carrying a hint of apology.

"... Farewell."

Two magnificent white horses carved two graceful arcs in the thin air of the North, carrying Luo Yan and the anxious Miller back to Kelin Tower, fifty kilometers away, at top speed.

Just as he stepped into the Mage Tower's hall, Luo Yan saw a group of teaching assistants whispering excitedly and reverently around that massive magic array.

"Incredible..."

"The timeline behind the Void Realm has actually advanced!"

"What's even more incredible is that the connection between us and them hasn't faded with the passage of time! Has something like this happened before?"

"So that's how it is... so that's how Source Power is used!"

Even though these scholars of the Source Magic school still didn't realize that the power behind the Void Realm wasn't so-called "Source Power," that didn't stop them from updating the theories of the Source Magic school on this basis and feeling that Prince Kelin, who had revolutionized Source Power theory, was incredible.

At this very moment, the Void Realm lens in the center of the magic array not only regained a stable and clear glow but had become even brighter!

The mages standing around the lens quickly noticed Prince Kelin and bowed one after another, their faces filled with respect and piety.

"Mentor!"

Luo Yan nodded in response, then walked quickly through the crowd to the lens.

With just one glance, he saw the earth-shaking changes on the other side of the Void Realm.

That once quiet and peaceful pastoral scenery had vanished, replaced by a world constructed of towering gray chimneys and densely packed, multi-layered buildings!

Thick black smoke rose from the chimneys, staining the originally azure sky with a gray hue. Intersecting brass pipes wove through the sunless alleys, transporting nutrients to the flesh and blood made of concrete like dense capillaries.

The entire world was like a brass clock wound tight, operating rapidly under the cover of steam and smog...

Time had clearly leaped forward by a significant margin!

"Good heavens... how many years has this accelerated by?!" Hearing You You, perched on Luo Yan's shoulder, whispered in astonishment, her face full of shock.

Luo Yan didn't answer her question, just quietly examined the world behind the Void Realm, searching for clues within the chaotic and dazzling scenery.

Amidst those earth-shaking changes, the only thing that seemed unchanged was their "viewpoint"—that massive rock.

It remained the center of the entire world.

Only, at this moment, it was no longer just a spiritual totem in the wilderness, but had become a sanctuary towering in the square!

Even, to prevent it from being corroded by acid rain, the pious Suolipuxi people had built a massive dome for it and erected walls that were not exactly low around it!

The bells of dusk rang, and the day-after-day pilgrimage began; the pious Suolipuxi people gradually gathered toward the square.

Some wore dark, exquisitely tailored formal wear, while others were in rags, barely covering their bodies. Some wore tall top hats and black veils, holding gorgeous, gem-encrusted canes in their hands, while others walked forward with a limp.

Robed priests watched them; beneath their dense tentacles were eyes like ashes.

They no longer offered barren crops, but instead threw gold or copper coins, one after another, into the water pool built around the boulder, which had been turned into a "Holy Pool."

Amidst the crisp clinking sounds, what they prayed for was no longer a harvest, but endless wealth.

After completing their prayers, they left satisfied, as if their prayers had been answered, as if they had truly received the blessings of the gods.

Luo Yan didn't need to guess to know that there would always be a few "lucky ones" among them who would succeed in business in the near future and return here to fulfill their vows with even more gold coins, becoming living examples to inspire other believers.

And those unlucky ones whose prayers went unanswered and remained destitute naturally disappeared into the crowded throng without a sound.

Just as Luo Yan was wondering how high the gold coins in the pool would pile up, the Suolipuxi pilgrimage finally ended.

As another bell rang, those dressed in finery and those in rags exited together; several robed, top-hatted clergy closed the gates of the wall and then quietly salvaged all the gold coins from the Holy Pool.

Relying on the limited clues, Luo Yan immediately made a preliminary inference—

This was a steampunk world dominated by a church.

That miracle of "bestowing a harvest" he had performed back then had, over a sufficiently long time scale, caused the population of this civilization to grow explosively.

Sustained abundance solved the problem of survival and also gave birth to new desires.

They no longer lacked food; they had begun to crave gold madly.

It was just a pity—perhaps because their world was too small, lacking enough vast land to allow them to escape the old order and nurture new schools of thought.

Therefore, not only did they fail to enter the Age of Enlightenment normally, but they instead went further and further down the old path, nurturing a "Leviathan" lurking in the shadows that dominated everything!

This fate was undoubtedly bleak for the Suolipuxi people, but for the Academy mages standing on the other side of the Void Realm observing them, it was just right.

"We succeeded, Your Highness! And as you can see, the Void Realm passage has not only reopened, but the 'Source Power' behind it is more abundant than ever! This, this is just too amazing! How did you do it?!"

Miller looked at Luo Yan excitedly, the fanaticism in his eyes identical to that of the Suolipuxi people behind the Void Realm.

The other researchers standing around were the same; the expression was as if they had witnessed a miracle performed by the gods themselves.

Such an incredible, near-"creation" feat had completely exceeded the understanding of these mortal mages.

From this point on, no one would ever doubt the correctness and sanctity of Prince Kelin again!

Although Luo Yan couldn't see the eyes buried beneath the tentacles behind the Void Realm, he could imagine that when he stood before the Suolipuxi people, they would surely have this same expression of seeing Saint Xisi.

"There's nothing to be surprised about, Miller. I merely perceived the desires deep within their hearts and bestowed upon them a miracle called harvest. You must remember one thing: to take, one must first give."

Luo Yan answered Miller's confusion calmly, while examining the scenery behind the Void Realm, and continued with interest.

"... But to be honest, I'm also surprised; I didn't expect that when I saw them again, they would have already evolved into the Industrial Age."

Not only that—

As he observed carefully, he suddenly discovered that the murals carved on the walls around the boulder depicted gods surrounding the boulder who corresponded one-to-one with the teaching assistants inside the Mage Tower!

Clearly, just as they were observing the Suolipuxi people, they, located within the Void Realm, were also observing them!

He even saw himself in the mural—that god-like self, holding a magic wand high, bestowing a miracle of abundance upon the world behind the Void Realm!

They saw him!

However, they didn't seem to fully understand the mysteries of the Void Realm; they had simply painted the miracles they accidentally saw or dreamed of on the walls, hoping to please the "gods," just like children who worship their father and hold up their toys in front of him.

"Hearing You You, can you absorb the power of faith from the other side?" Luo Yan asked silently in his heart after pondering for a moment.

Unsurprisingly, a regretful voice reached his ears.

"I can't, Great Demon King; Hearing You You tried just now, but it didn't work at all."

Seeming worried that the Demon King would think it useless, it added in a small voice.

"Hearing You You thinks... perhaps it's because the other side is a completely different universe from ours? This is different from Planet Kao; that planet is just further away from us, but it's still within a physically reachable range. As for the world of the Suolipuxi people, I'm afraid we can only observe their existence through the Void Realm."

"I see."

Luo Yan nodded in understanding; in fact, he had guessed this possibility earlier, but had held onto a sliver of hope for absorbing the power of faith from the other side.

But no matter; even if he couldn't acquire the power of faith from the other side, he could still obtain or realize other useful things from the Void Realm.

He was full of confidence in this.

The only problem at the moment was that relying solely on this level of external observation, the information they could obtain was too little.

Luo Yan's gaze fell into the Void Realm lens, upon those "priests" in gorgeous robes who were salvaging gold coins in the "Holy Pool."

He needed a pawn.

And here, there happened to be one.

Turning his gaze to Miller, who was waiting respectfully at his side, he said in a calm tone: "Facts have proven that our intervention in the world behind the Void Realm is effective. Now, we must continue to increase the intensity of our intervention."

This time, Miller had no objections.

After witnessing the miracle in the Void Realm with his own eyes, he had no doubt that no one in the entire Tower of the Great Sage understood Source Power better than this Prince!

Not only that—

He believed without a doubt that from today on, all the mages of the Source Magic school would go crazy because of their discovery!

He bowed deeply and replied respectfully in a tone that was almost like an oath: "Please give the order! Mentor! We will surely follow to the death!"

Watching the respectful Miller and the surrounding teaching assistants, a meaningful smile tugged at the corner of Luo Yan's mouth.

When it came to playing god, he was an expert.

Looking at the prosperous yet deformed new world and that sneaky priest in the lens, he issued new instructions in an unquestionable tone.

"Tell them my surname."

His voice was not loud, but it echoed clearly in the silent hall like an oracle.

"And—"

"The time has come."

(End of chapter)