Chapter 36: Darkness Beneath the Surface

“So, there shouldn’t be any problem renting a house now, right?”

“There’s no problem at all. It’s even… enough to buy a house.” Petty rubbed her hair. She had never seen so much money in her life. In this world, an ordinary family’s monthly expenses typically ranged between five and twenty silver coins under normal spending.

Without Zheng Yichen’s “funding,” all the property she currently possessed added up to barely a little over one gold coin. That was basically her spending for the entire semester. There were many things at the Academy that required money, so a little over one gold coin was actually not much.

“Then let’s buy one,” he said simply. “If the money isn’t enough, I’ll go get more.”

Although the treasures he looted during that period weren’t piled up like a mountain, after word got out in the middle and later stages that he didn’t harm people, those who came weren’t just poor folks with nothing to take. There were also quite a few rich individuals mixed in. Those people might not be cut out for real adventuring, but they certainly had a thirst for excitement.

It could be said that before the siege, the wealth he accumulated in the later part of his looting period was the greatest.

“You’re really different from the Dragon Clan recorded in books,” Petty said with some surprise. “This is already more than enough, and there’s even quite a bit left over, though it’ll take some time to handle it all slowly.”

“They are them, I am me. There’s no need to compare. We can wait a while then.” Zheng Yichen didn’t mind the wait. After settling in the Forest of Illusions, he became completely idle. Although he still trained every day, with less direct instruction from Loris, he had much more free time.

It was like going from a full-day shift to a half-day shift. For a while, he felt somewhat unable to adjust, and there was also an involuntary sense of laziness… As for Loris, after obtaining the Magic Arms he had previously created during a burst of interest, she shut herself in her room and hadn’t come out for a whole day.

He didn’t know what was so good about something that seemed to be made casually, but it actually sparked such great interest in her. Wait… maybe there really was something special about it? After all, the Mana Threads he created were already considered astonishing behavior based on Petty’s reaction.

The Magic Weapon Forging Magic…

“Petty, can Magic Arms created through Magic Weapon Forging be maintained permanently?” The book only mentioned they were temporary but didn’t specify how long they lasted.

“Magic Arms… generally, the maximum duration doesn’t exceed a day,” Petty replied after thinking. “And that’s under the condition of continuous Mana output. Even if Mana is used to maintain them, beyond a certain time, the Magical Structure forming the Magic Arms will gradually dissolve, eventually reverting to raw Mana.”

“Hmm, I see.” Zheng Yichen scratched his cheek. It seemed he had created something that broke the rules. Since the Magic Arms were made by his own hands, his Spiritual Power was mixed into the Rune Patterns used in the Magic. Therefore, even when not in hand, he could still sense the presence of the Magic Arms.

The previously created Magic Arms were still perfectly preserved! There was no feeling of the Magical Structure collapsing due to prolonged duration. “Suddenly, I have a bold idea…”

“Huh? Connor, what did you say?” Petty didn’t have Zheng Yichen’s hearing and didn’t catch what he said.

“I have a new idea. I’ll try it out when there’s a chance in the future.” Zheng Yichen didn’t hide his thoughts and spoke directly. Honestly, at first, he thought Loris, though a bit special, wouldn’t be so… dark.

After all, when she was by his side, her behavior, though quiet, was still normal. But with the Contract matter, Zheng Yichen could only feel his lips twitching. Although the content of that Contract was exactly what the leading teacher saw at the time, with no additional clauses… in reality, additional clauses still existed.

He didn’t know how she managed to forcibly insert additional conditions into it. Apart from the surface content of the Contract, the additional clause granted her a one-time permission to modify the Contract’s content afterward.

Of course, this permission wasn’t something that could change anything arbitrarily. The modification had to be premised on keeping Zheng Yichen’s information confidential. Regarding this, Zheng Yichen couldn’t say anything. Even if he did, Loris would likely dismiss him with a “This is for your own good.”

Loris didn’t keep that permission unused. Instead, she used it immediately after those people returned. The subsequent modification of the Contract required not only keeping matters about the Forest of Illusions secret but also maintaining confidentiality about anything learned about him afterward. Of course, things that were already no secret or that Zheng Yichen actively disclosed were exceptions.

By the time Zheng Yichen found out about this, Loris had already changed everything. The Contract used was also of an evil type, one that was extremely difficult to break after signing. Loris certainly wouldn’t pay a high price to dissolve it for some trivial reason.

Zheng Yichen even faintly felt that her original intention was to trap these people fatally.

Really, his pseudo-loli teacher seemed not only quiet but also a hidden super-dark type. Thinking about it, it actually felt quite thrilling…

He shook his head, dismissing this sudden thought. “Petty, you must never voluntarily reveal anything about me.”

Petty looked at Zheng Yichen somewhat blankly, then realized something and nodded gently. She wasn’t stupid. For Zheng Yichen to re-emphasize this matter at this disconnected stage, there must be a special reason, likely closely related to that Contract.

“I understand.”

“Ah~ You don’t need to worry too much either. After the Forest of Illusions, apart from you and me, others will hardly have any interaction with us in the future. As long as they completely ‘forget’ my existence, that Contract is basically meaningless.” Zheng Yichen waved his claw.

There were some things he didn’t like hiding. Secrets always had a way of being exposed unless they never happened. Rather than causing unpleasantness by bringing it up later, it was better to clarify it in advance.

As for the so-called notion that strong individuals disdain giving too many explanations, Zheng Yichen didn’t feel that way. He wasn’t exactly a strong person himself. The only strong thing was this body; his Soul was still an Otherworld Soul that had crossed over from Earth.

“No problem.” Petty let out a soft sigh and smiled at Zheng Yichen. “It’s already very good that you mentioned this. Before meeting Connor, I was just a very ordinary student at Olin Academy.”

Seeing her sincere smile, Zheng Yichen was instead taken aback. It seemed he had overthought things. This world wasn’t as “peaceful” as Earth, with its great emphasis on human rights.

In this world, ordinary people were protected, but that protection wasn’t very high. If a Noble accidentally killed an ordinary person with no background or status, the result would simply be paying some money and dropping the matter. If it were a strong individual, there would be no consequences at all.

For example, what Loris did in the Town at the foot of the Tote Mountain Range… back then, those who besieged him vanished without a trace. They certainly didn’t receive the same treatment as the residents of the Town. The most likely outcome was that they all disappeared, and whether the people in the Town lived or died was solely at her whim.

Rubbing the tip of his nose, it seemed he hadn’t fully adapted to this world’s rules yet… Well, whatever. Whether to adapt or not was up to him. As long as he was powerful enough, regardless of this world’s rules, he himself could represent a rule.

Moreover, Zheng Yichen had no intention of changing this mindset. He had crossed over with his Soul. The only things he could hold onto were the knowledge and fostered mindset from his past existence on Earth. As a good youth of the new century, while he could quickly accept new things, he still harbored nostalgia for some old ones.

Just like his attitude toward new songs and old songs before crossing over—he leaned more toward old songs. The bedtime stories Loris saw in the Dream… were also a part of his full memories.

Family… sigh~

“I’ll take you back.” Seeing that Petty had already packed up the valuables, Zheng Yichen landed back on her shoulder. Actually, in his normal state, he wished he could shrink his size even further. It would be even better if he could become as small as a mosquito!

Unfortunately, his current size was already the limit. If he shrank any further, even if Petty maintained the summoning state, his Projection would dissipate immediately, likely due to his strength being reduced too much.

“Mhm.” Petty nodded gently. Once the Mana supply for maintenance was withdrawn, as long as she didn’t cancel the summoning, Zheng Yichen could remain present indefinitely. After all, the Mana consumption in this state was negligible.

The only thing was that he had to divert part of his attention here. Zheng Yichen couldn’t multitask yet. When his attention was here, his main body remained in a deep sleep, retaining only a slight bit of awareness—for instance, he could react if someone hit him.

Anything else? He was staying in Loris’s Castle! What could possibly happen? So Zheng Yichen’s main body slept very soundly.

Loris didn’t return directly to the Academy but went to another place. Based on the smell and visual observation, this place seemed to be a rabbit burrow…