The mermaid was something she had seen too much of in movies and had no particular thoughts about for the moment.
After the two of them provided a thorough explanation, Lu Mingming swore she had no further curiosity about the merfolk tribe, only then did Bai Yingfang allow her to leave.
Lu Mingming and the other boarded the small aircraft again and followed the familiar route back to the Royal Academy.
The sunlight, obstructed by the clouds, reluctantly shed its dazzling brilliance. The azure sky pressed close to the towering buildings, and even before nightfall, the sky had turned overcast.
It was class time now, and the teaching areas of the Royal Academy were quiet. Occasionally, the voice of a teacher from a certain class would suddenly rise in volume, loudly explaining knowledge points.
Orlanar, controlling the aircraft’s route and direction, spoke, "I'll take you to the bottom of the Dean's office before I leave. It'll save you a bit of walking."
Lu Mingming didn't refuse.
Under the man's control, the aircraft slowly reduced its speed.
The buzzing drone of the aircraft was unceasing, only diminishing significantly when it reached the building below the Dean's office and slowed down.
As the cabin door opened, the passing gust of wind billowed Lu Mingming's jacket.
"I'm heading back. See you again sometime."
Orlanar saw Lu Mingming off the aircraft and waved goodbye.
It was inconvenient for him to go up and meet the Dean.
"Mm."
Lu Mingming softly responded and watched as the aircraft gradually turned into a small dark silhouette against the horizon.
Seeing the person depart, Lu Mingming followed the route in her memory to the office on the top floor.
She politely tapped on the wooden door and tentatively asked, "Is Mrs. Salcher in?"
Footsteps hurried from within, and then the door opened, revealing Mrs. Salcher's kind and friendly smiling face.
"You're finally here."
Mrs. Salcher quickly welcomed Lu Mingming in, her face beaming like a blooming flower.
"You've completed the new mental power test, haven't you? Let me see."
Lu Mingming nodded and handed the data sheet she was holding to the other person. "Professor Bai's data is printed on it. He said it needs a red seal."
"A red seal?!"
Mrs. Salcher's eyes widened slightly. After regaining her composure, a genuine joy appeared on her face.
"That's for reaching A-level. It's better than I expected."
She had thought it would be good if Lu Mingming could reach B.
Mrs. Salcher scanned the document with a quick glance, her eyes falling upon the most prominent special annotations. The bright red ink reflected in her aged eyes, undeniably indicating Lu Mingming's performance far beyond the ordinary.
Mrs. Salcher paused for a second, a flash of shock in her eyes.
Fortunately, she was experienced and quickly concealed her emotions, resuming her former warm demeanor.
"To think it's like this... truly, the younger generation surpasses the older."
Mrs. Salcher carefully locked the data into a secret safe and then said,
"With your mental power being so high, training will be difficult. I will do my best to apply to the Star Governor for all available resources to enhance your self-preservation abilities. At least I won't have to worry about your safety."
Mrs. Salcher, as was her habit, poured Lu Mingming a cup of snow water.
Lu Mingming thanked her and took the cup, sitting upright in the comfortable leather massage chair, waiting for further instructions.
"Was that your boyfriend who brought you just now?"
Mrs. Salcher asked, feigning casualness.
Upon hearing this, Lu Mingming's face flushed by a degree, and her entire body felt a few degrees warmer.
"No, no, just a friend."
Lu Mingming's response brought forth a head full of questions for Mrs. Salcher.
Mrs. Salcher put on her reading glasses and mumbled, "That's strange. I saw that small aircraft flying from the dormitory area before..."
Lu Mingming deftly caught the information revealed by Mrs. Salcher and tentatively inquired, "Was it on the day I went to find Gray Blue?"
Lu Mingming remembered Jasmine mentioning that Snowball was picked up by a small aircraft, and now Mrs. Salcher was bringing up the topic again.
She wondered what Mrs. Salcher wanted to know or if she was trying to hint at something.
Mrs. Salcher's face showed a look of recollection.
"Ah—yes, it was that day. I saw an aircraft flying out from the southwest dormitory area. Speaking of which, your dormitory is in the southwest, isn't it?"
After saying this, Mrs. Salcher added another piece of information, "Didn't you notice a small pattern on the aircraft? That's from the Alliance authorities."
Lu Mingming quietly recalled in her mind.
If that was the case, then Snowball and Orlanar must have ties with the Alliance authorities.
She swallowed her words, preparing to subtly probe Orlanar the next time she saw him, and her suspicion about Snowball's identity grew.
Could someone with ties to the authorities truly be just an ordinary little cub as they appeared?
Lu Mingming didn't want to think any further. She steadied the cup and drank most of the clear snow water. The cold, refreshing taste briefly quelled the anxiety that had quietly arisen in her heart.
"Let's not talk about that."
Mrs. Salcher was astute at observing people's expressions. Noticing Lu Mingming's unease, she quickly changed the subject to business.
Mrs. Salcher's expression turned serious.
"I wanted to tell you two things today.
The first is: someone anonymously reported the suspect behind the
"Who was it?"
Lu Mingming instinctively asked.
Mrs. Salcher pursed her lips. "Gray Blue's good younger brother, Gray Red."
This statement caused a stir.
Lu Mingming was somewhat incredulous, "How is that possible? I've met him twice, and he seemed like a well-behaved beastkin cub."
"Precisely because he's well-behaved, it makes it harder to discover his actions."
Fearing Lu Mingming wouldn't believe her, Mrs. Salcher pulled open another drawer and placed a stack of documents in front of Lu Mingming, clearly presenting the evidence.
"He hides a venomous heart beneath an innocent exterior.
Three days after Gray Blue was recognized by his butler and brought home, he began exhibiting mild symptoms of madness. Doctors also found an emotion chip in his body. If he continued to follow the chip's settings, Gray Blue would gradually transform into a terrifying monster."
It was a stack of photos as thick as a finger. They showed Gray Blue during his frightening, maddened state, as well as photos of Gray Red.
Lu Mingming quickly glanced at Gray Blue's photos.
The chubby, fair little cub seemed to have lost a lot of weight. His eyes were bloodshot, and black fingernails had grown on his hands.
Just like in the hallucination...
Lu Mingming's expression turned very grim, and she then looked at Gray Red's photos.
The photos of Gray Red were clearly taken by hidden cameras, documenting his frequent secret meetings in blind spots.
Some photos captured the blurry white hem of a skirt belonging to his contact.
"Her again."
Lu Mingming's face grew solemn as she saw the cub of the "old acquaintance," the Nine-tailed Fox.
"They are highly vigilant. After this observation and filming, Gray Red has not appeared at the academy again."
Mrs. Salcher sighed helplessly and pulled out the clearest photo of a little girl.
Her long white dress fluttered in the wind, revealing legs like lotus roots adorned with a series of mysterious black and purple tattoos. In normal circumstances, who would pervertedly pay special attention to a toddler's legs beneath her skirt?
"I don't know their purpose for doing this, but we are certain that both Gray Red and this girl are not ordinary people. They both possess A-level mental power.
Especially that little girl, I can smell the aura of a Wu tribe deity on her. We are continuing to search for them using this drawing."
After saying this seriously, Mrs. Salcher flipped her palm.
A small piece of paper appeared out of nowhere, on which was clumsily drawn a red, freckled rabbit.
Upon seeing this drawing, all of Lu Mingming's experiences in the hallucination were reawakened.
With trembling hands, she took out an identical drawing from her personal space – the two drawings were almost exactly the same, both by the hand of a child.
Lu Mingming inexplicably thought of the pitiful yet adorable freckles on Gray Red's face.
It turned out he had been subtly indicating his identity all along.
"How do you have...?"
Mrs. Salcher asked in surprise.
"...That's right, that hallucination was Gray Red's plan."
Lu Mingming suddenly seemed to recall something and said urgently,
"If you go to look for them again, be careful of a strange fragrance. That scent has a controlling and disorienting effect. Gray Red used it to confuse my mind."
Mrs. Salcher nodded.
She understood the danger of that hallucination. Given that no one else besides Lu Mingming had discovered the existence of the hallucination, it was evident how formidable Gray Red was.
After resolving the first matter,
Mrs. Salcher began to discuss the second. "Did you bring the necklace the Star Governor awarded you earlier?"
"I brought it."
Lu Mingming easily took off the peculiar necklace from her neck.
"It's a key, right?"
Lu Mingming guessed, as the oddly protruding pattern did not look like ordinary ornamentation.
"You are very clever, but do you know what kind of key it is?"
Lu Mingming shook her head.
In Mrs. Salcher's mysterious smile, the wooden door was knocked on once more.
"The person who's helping you is here."
A gruff male voice came from outside the door, "Dean, I'm here. Is Mingming here?"
"Come in."
As soon as Mrs. Salcher agreed, a dark-skinned, muscular man pushed the door open with a swagger and stepped into the room, revealing his full appearance.
Good heavens, it was Cheng Shiqin.