Chapter 211: 217. Chapter 217: Reconciliation? Let's Settle This With a Heavy Blow

217. Chapter 217: Reconciliation? Let's Settle This With a Heavy Blow

Let's go in first.

Lin Ke came to his senses, walked toward the villa, and gestured for Mo Li to follow.

Oh.

Mo Li grabbed Lin Ke's right hand with both hands, hopping as she followed him inside.

The corners of her mouth were constantly filled with a bright smile, her eyes slightly squinting from laughter.

Even the air seemed much sweeter than before.

Upon entering the house, they headed straight for the dining room, and Mo Li summoned the smart butler to bring hot drinks and snacks.

As if she were the mistress of the villa.

The two sat on the sofa, and seeing that Lin Ke still had things on his mind, Mo Li asked concernedly, 'I've noticed you've been unsettled; is something wrong?'

Lin Ke replied honestly, 'We only stayed there for about half a day.'

Half a day?

Hearing this, Mo Li jumped up.

As a top student, Mo Li naturally knew that different worlds have different time flows.

When she first studied this subject, there were all those space-time views, relativity, this reference system, that metric, and a bunch of other stuff.

Just looking at those dense formulas makes one's scalp tingle, let alone trying to understand them deeply.

Anyway, learning it made her feel like she had two big heads, and she still might not grasp it fully.

Mo Li also knew that, as a super-civilization world, the Wizard World's native time is one of the most precious fractions among all realms.

Someone once tried, in a medium-civilization world where three years equal one day in the Wizard World, cultivating for ten years.

He had thought that by quietly working hard, he could astonish the world.

But upon returning to the Wizard World's homeland, he discovered two facts that completely devastated him:

First, the fruits of his ten years of cultivation in that medium-civilization world turned to ash;

the Wizard World's world will does not recognize it.

Second, peers his age are still teenagers with immense potential and infinite possibilities, yet he has been judged to become a lowly office worker, a consumable.

Let alone astonishing the world, he basically has no future at all.

Since then, unless the Wizard World's world will has 'infected' and unified the time flow and some rules, making a restrained world where normal cultivation has the same effect as the homeland, no wizard wishes to stay long in an unfamiliar, undeveloped other world.

With so much time, if the gains aren't great, it's better to peacefully stay in the homeland and cultivate slowly.

Moreover, the Wizard World's time flow has always been slower than that of other worlds.

Mo Li had never heard of any other world where time flows slower than in the Wizard World.

According to Lin Ke, the world where the Academy exchanged and studied with Shadow City this time is truly extremely special.

So special that, including Lin Ke, everyone who participated in this exchange study wasted an extremely precious one and a half months for nothing.

If that one and a half months had been spent in the homeland, the Benevolent Brother Group would surely have all advanced to full wizard!

But now, they are still third-rank wizard apprentices.

'What benefits did the Academy give?'

After the shock, Mo Li seized on a key point: 'Can the loss be compensated?'

If the benefits or compensation from the Academy are not good enough, this loss will be huge.

'We don't know yet.'

Lin Ke glanced at his Portable Smart Brain, confirmed there were no new notifications, and shook his head.

He then felt that continuing to discuss this topic was pointless.

Given the situation, complaining or blaming besides venting emotions, what good could it do?

Lin Ke proactively changed the topic, asking, 'During this one and a half months, has anything happened that is significant enough and that I must know about?'

'Yes!'

Mo Li sat down, picked up the 'Ice Cream Red Tea Boba' made by the smart butler according to Lin Ke's formula, took a small sip, and carefully savored the delicious flavor.

She then leisurely said:

'There are two things related to you.'

First, Sorun Luqiya, on the third day of your team's exchange study, returned to the homeland, but after presiding over an internal meeting, was urgently summoned by the Academy and dispatched to the frontline battlefield.

Second, the Luqiya family, the day after Sorun was conscripted, sent a message through someone to Witch Selin, wishing to reach a reconciliation with you.

Upon hearing this, Lin Ke immediately took it seriously and asked earnestly, 'Do you know the details?'

Mo Li shook her head: 'I asked Witch Selin; she said there are many internal details, told me not to ask too much to avoid distraction, and to wait until you return to ask her personally.'

'Is that so.'

Lin Ke fell into thought.

Whatever internal matter that makes Witch Selin so concerned is definitely not ordinary.

It seems we should get in touch with Witch Selin as soon as possible.

Lin Ke turned, glanced at the sun leaning westward through the floor-to-ceiling window, decided to finish this afternoon tea, and then have an in-depth discussion with Witch Selin.

He lifted the crystal-clear glass, blew away a few tea leaves, lightly sipped the tea broth, feeling the initial slight bitterness followed by a sweet aftertaste of the 'green tea'.

His whole body, inside and out, felt as if it had been ironed, comfortable and relaxed.

All pressure, thoughts, and worries were waved goodbye.

As a fairly skilled potion maker, how could Lin Ke's Wizard World version tea leaves be merely a thirst-quenching drink?

It must necessarily have special effects akin to a potion.

Green tea clears the mind and calms the spirit; red tea pleases the mood; white tea nourishes the organs.

Three kinds of tea each have their uses.

Once research on tea beverages matures, Grand's Potion Shop might even be able to make the tea beverage line its main product for external sale.

Thinking of this, Lin Ke swallowed the tea, feeling the fragrance on his lips and teeth, and asked, "How is the potion shop's business?"

"Are you referring to Selin Witch's potion shop, or Grand's potion shop?"

Mo Li blinked her eyes and mischievously countered.

"Of course it's Grand's potion shop—don't forget, you have a one-and-a-half percent dry share in there!"

Lin Ke gave Mo Li an annoyed glance.

"What good is a dry share? You won't even let me participate in management."

Mo Li puffed out her lips, grumbling angrily.

"Is that the same thing? Don't unreasonably pester me."

Lin Ke was speechless; indeed, only villains and women are hard to raise.

It was clearly out of concern for her personal safety that I arranged for her to work at Selin Witch's potion shop, not letting her take charge of Grand's potion shop.

As a result, after Mo Li said that, it seemed as if Lin Ke was guarding against her financially.

Hehe...

Mo Li was just being cheeky; she quickly gathered her playful thoughts and spoke seriously: "Business can't be said to be great; at best it's booming. Sales of all potions are good, especially the Single-minded potion. However, we have also received some negative reviews from customers."

"What negative reviews?"

"Several customers complained that the output of the Single-minded potion is too low, so you can't even grab it."

Ugh...

This isn't a production issue.

Rather, the Single-minded potion is not an ordinary potion that factories can mass-produce; it is a high-grade potion that requires a potion master to handcraft.

"'Do Whatever You Want' members, including Mo Li, still haven't reached the level of proficiency in potion-making needed to skillfully craft the Single-minded potion."

All the Single-minded potions sold at Grand's potion shop were prepared in advance by Lin Ke.

The exchange study happened suddenly, and besides, no one beforehand knew there would be a time discrepancy.

Even if the stock of Single-minded potions were plentiful, it couldn't sustain continuous sales for one and a half months.

However, we cannot run out of stock, as that would greatly affect the potion shop's customer flow.

After discussing with Mo Li, the Social Anxiety Group that manages Grand's potion shop decided to adopt a daily fixed-quantity sales strategy.

Furthermore, each customer can only purchase up to five bottles per day.

Once the purchase limit was announced, it instead created a rush-to-buy trend.

Mo Li's so-called customer negative reviews arose precisely under these circumstances.

After hearing Mo Li's detailed explanation, Lin Ke added potion crafting to his schedule.

After finishing that chat, the afternoon tea's hot drinks and snacks were all gone, more or less.

Lin Ke didn't waste time; he immediately made an appointment with Selin Witch on his smart device for time and place, then rose and walked out.

Mo Li hadn't seen Lin Ke in a while and didn't want to part so soon, so she followed along.

Besides, she was also acquainted with Selin Witch, so they weren't outsiders. The "Phantasmic Coupe" sped away, leaving the academy, quickly entering the northern district of Ruiwo Susi City, and headed straight for Selin Witch's villa.

Not long after, they arrived at the destination.

Just before getting out of the car, Mo Li seemed to have just remembered and casually said, "Aeris went for an internship; before leaving, she asked me to bring you a message."

"What message?"

"It's a rather strange message."

"What?"

"Aeris said she likes to drink Cheese Berryberry."

Mo Li stared straight into Lin Ke's eyes, pronouncing 'Cheese Berryberry' in a somewhat awkward tone, then asked very seriously, "What is Cheese Berryberry? Why does she like drinking it yet tell you? Is there some secret I don't know? Or should I not know?"

Lin Ke's motion of opening the car door paused for a moment; after thinking briefly, he solemnly replied, "Indeed there is a secret you don't know; I'll explain it in detail when we get back."

Ha!

Mo Li burst out laughing, delighted and excited, shouting, "I knew you'd be willing to tell me. Aeris also said you definitely don't want people to know about this."

Hehe...

Lin Ke smiled without speaking.

In the past, Lin Ke indeed did not want people to know.

But now...

Not to mention the academy's upper echelons, the Paro Sage, and Selin Witch—all already know he is an Otherworlder.

Just saying that after seeing that special ruined world which greatly resembled his past-life hometown, and is very likely a certain parallel world of Earth...

Lin Ke indeed has far fewer reservations about his transmigrator identity.

He won't go shouting it to the world, but neither will he hide it deeply.

"Come on, come on, come on, hurry inside—don't keep Selin Witch waiting."

The delighted Mo Li darted forward, pushed open the car door, got out, walked half a circle, actively took Lin Ke's hand, and walked into Selin Witch's villa.

"Yo, really clingy."

As soon as they entered, they were greeted with a sarcastic tone.

Aeris's sister, Renee Clark, who had already advanced to third-rank witch, stared fiercely at the two.

Mo Li slid half a step back, hiding behind Lin Ke's body to avoid Renee's gaze.

Yet both hands remained tightly clasped, not letting go.

Both timid and bold.

Alright, don't scare Mo Li.

Witch Selin smoothed things over, then waved at Mo Li, 'Come, sit beside me.'

Oh.

Mo Li obediently let go, walked over to Witch Selin and sat down.

This maneuver both preserved Renee's dignity and ensured Mo Li wouldn't be startled.

'You guys chat, I'm leaving first.'

Renee then stood up and left, saying as she walked, 'Cody, I hope the next time I see you, I can see that spirited, lone warrior who once took on all the direct descendants of the five pure-blood families—the "Slaughterer"—instead of the current listless head of the Academy's Enforcement Department.'

The sullen Cody Witch sitting to the side met Renee's gaze and gave a slight nod.

Lin Ke, who had learned of Cody Witch's 'backstory,' heard this and his thoughts turned; how could he not know that the biggest beneficiary of the special world's sovereignty his team won was Cody Witch?

This Cody Witch—the former leader of the Paro Sage faction.

Once a dazzling genius with limitless promise.

A tragic figure who was schemed against and forced to halt at the crucial moment of his promotion to Sage.

When Lin Ke realized that the outcome of the exchange study hinged on a special world's sovereignty that could allow a wizard who had failed to become a Sage to try again, he had considered this possibility.

At the time, he didn't know whether Cody Witch's successful promotion to Sage would be a good thing or a bad thing.

He still doesn't know now.

After suppressing his many worries, Lin Ke sat opposite Witch Selin, to the left of Witch Cody.

Without waiting for Witch Selin and Witch Cody to ask, Lin Ke volunteered, 'There's something I need to report to you. The ruin world we visited for the exchange study with Shadow City is special—I only stayed there half a day, but upon returning I found that one and a half months had passed in our homeland.'

'One and a half months?'

'You actually went there?'

Before he could finish speaking, Witch Selin and Witch Cody almost simultaneously spoke up.

But the information conveyed by their words was vastly different.

Witch Selin was shocked by the time flow speed, while Witch Cody instantly guessed the location.

After Witch Cody's words faded, Witch Selin finally reacted, her brows slightly furrowed: 'When I got the news about this exchange study, I wasn't told this.'

Witch Cody waved his hand and said calmly, 'Don't worry, no matter the academy's purpose in arranging for Lin Ke and those third-rank wizard apprentices to go to that special ruin world, they will be fully compensated; they won't have wasted that one and a half months for nothing.'

'That's good.'

Witch Selin nodded, her brow unfurrowing.

After all, she had strongly recommended Lin Ke participate in the team leader selection; if Lin Ke ended up suffering a big loss, that wouldn't be good.

Lin Ke then continued, 'After I returned, Mo Li told me about Witch Suolun Lukia and the Lukia family seeking reconciliation; I don't know the details, so I came to ask Witch Selin and Witch Cody for clarification.'

'Hehehe...'

But as soon as he finished speaking, Witch Selin burst out laughing, doubling over with laughter, her righteous indignation surging.

Witch Cody's lips also curled with a faint smile as he explained:

'The Lukia family is too jumpy, and Witch Suolun Lukia is too jumpy.'

'Suolun returned to the homeland the next day and immediately called an internal meeting.'

'The full contents are unknown, but there is definite news that as the meeting neared its end, Suolun spoke up, endorsing the strategy to completely choke you to death.'

'As a result, that very night the academy headquarters gave him an emergency deployment, and the next day he was dispatched away.'

'No matter how slow the Lukia family's reaction, they could tell this was the academy's higher-ups deliberately putting pressure on them.'

'If they keep causing trouble, Suolun will likely be conscripted and dispatched, leaving him no time to peacefully cultivate, and he will keep failing to find the opportunity to enter the transformation stage.'

'The Lukia family, up and down, hopes Suolun will successfully promote to Sage so the family can advance further.'

'How could they let such a "small matter" drag down Suolun?'

'This is why they had someone pass a message to me, seeking reconciliation with you in hopes of getting the academy's higher-ups to stop pressing on them.'

'Mainly to stop tormenting Suolun.'

After listening, Lin Ke fell into thought and muttered to himself, 'Now I understand.'

A moment later, Lin Ke sincerely asked, 'Witch Cody, what do you think I should do?'

'You're asking for my opinion? You're willing to listen?'

'Of course! Receiving your guidance would be my honor.'

Witch Cody smiled faintly and said, 'Reconciliation is definitely necessary—that's a given. The key lies in how to reconcile, what you can gain from it, and what our lineage can gain.'

'How do you think we should proceed?'

Lin Ke immediately followed up.

Witch Selin stopped laughing, regained her composure, and interjected, 'Little Lin Ke, if you trust Cody and me, leave this matter to us to negotiate.'

Upon hearing that, Lin Ke immediately sat up straight and solemnly declared, 'Of course I trust you and Witch Cody.'

After a pause, Lin Ke added, 'I only hope that, when reaching reconciliation with the Lukia family, there are two conditions they must agree to.'

'What conditions?'

'One is compensation for losses—I needn't elaborate; you two certainly know.'

'How to make the Lukia family feel the pain, that's how we demand compensation!'

'Anyway, I've already thoroughly offended them, so reconciliation would be merely superficial.'

'I don't believe that if the Lukia family gets the chance, they wouldn't want to kill me.'

'The other condition is that Sophie Lukia apologize to me.'

'Just regarding the "new silver-star flower sprouting method".'