Chapter 183: Lance Really Knows How to do Good Deeds

It was eight in the evening. The streetlights dotting the city like stars lent the place an elegant, tranquil atmosphere.

Taking advantage of the fact that the large shopping mall at the Hutton Pedestrian Plaza hadn't closed yet, the trio first went to buy some daily necessities. After dropping the items off at home, Talia accompanied Lance and Hyperion to the Sages' College dormitory building.

Once Hyperion had packed enough clothes for a two-week stay at Talia's place and emerged with her suitcase, Talia led her away. Lance watched as the two of them walked off into the distance along the quiet, illuminated campus paths.

He then turned and headed toward his own dormitory. If he didn't have to hand over the Poet of Boundless Love to Hyperion, then he would be perfectly fine on his own while armed with Glorious Virtue and Enchanting Notes.

He planned to later visit Frey, who would surely have the card games ready by then. If President Monaster wasn't too busy with work, Frey would likely drag him along to play as well.

With the matter of Hyperion's accommodation and safety perfectly resolved, Lance felt that nothing but a carefree, wonderful campus life lay ahead! His mood lifted immensely, and even the air of the autumn night felt much fresher.

Moments of such high spirits often brought a surge of inspiration. Lance hadn't touched his card making tools in days; he had only just returned from the Shadow Realm that morning. He felt a bit rusty after the long hiatus, yet he also felt a sense of nostalgia.

It's time to practice card making. I can't let myself get lazy or let my skills atrophy.

While walking down the dormitory hallway, Lance stretched vigorously. Since he was back in his room, which was equipped with a card making workshop, he couldn't wait to dive into some crafting.

Before heading to the Northern Continent during the winter break for his quest, he needed to craft an enchanted card using the Heart of the Proud Wolf King as the core material. He wanted to become a Sealing Master who could bring warmth to others, shattering the cold, stereotypical image people held of the profession. Of course, this was an image that was largely defined by the Cardinal of Annihilation.

It was his responsibility and goal to change that impression. With these thoughts in mind, Lance arrived at room 101. He opened the door, switched on the lights, and headed straight for the card making workshop, which was a space he had converted from a spacious storage room.

Ever since Lance had installed a barrier in the workshop, identical to the one protecting Talia's room, he no longer had to worry about disturbing his fellow students. The shield offered both safety and soundproofing.

Stepping into the workshop, he was greeted by an array of peculiar jars and vials containing various herbs and powdered mineral crystals. Old scrolls were stacked across the upper shelf of the long workbench, while instruments and tools were neatly arranged to one side.

After a quick tidy-up, he laid out his tools: a magic-infused pen, a carving knife, tweezers, a small hammer, and some other odds and ends. He then donned his work apron, ready to begin his card making experiments.

First, Lance selected the materials for the card. He had no intention of crafting a high grade enchanted card this time. This project was merely for practice and testing out new ideas.

He took out a stack of blank cards from the drawer. Once the preliminary preparations were complete, he dipped his pen into a bottle of blended dark-red magical ink and began inscribing runes onto the card.

His technique was steady and precise. With every stroke, he also incorporated a deep-red mineral powder into the process, carefully sprinkling it onto the card before meticulously refining the design with his carving knife and a small brush.

Minutes ticked by, and he remained deeply focused on his work. However, the card's structure soon began to destabilize. Sparks began to dance and swirl across its surface. Moments later, the runes on the card actually ignited, flickering with flames. A violent explosion erupted, accompanied by a powerful tremor that shook the entire workshop!

As always, his card-detonation technique remained immensely powerful. Because he was in such high spirits, he was blowing things up even more casually than usual.

He exclaimed, "Wonderful, I need to keep going!"

Undeterred and even wearing a look of relief, Lance rolled up his sleeves and resumed the crafting process.

From then on, every time a card in his hand exploded, his shadow would shudder violently in the flare of the blast. It was as if his shadow were somehow afraid of him.

Lance himself didn't even notice this oddity about his shadow. He was simply having a blast, treating the explosions like fireworks. It felt like the right way to do things. Maximum power was exactly what he was after!

Finally, a massive blast sent flames sweeping across the entire workshop, nearly shattering the protective barrier and rattling the jars and bottles on the shelves. Lance grinned in satisfaction.

"Awesome!" He raised his hands in celebration. His experiment was clearly heading toward success!

He immediately intended to strike while the iron was hot and try again. However, his previously calm shadow suddenly began to tremble violently upon sensing his next move.

A cat sprang from Lance's shadow, looking like a blob of ink detaching itself, and stood on all fours. Its fur stood straight up on end as it shouted, "Meow, meow, meow! That is not how you make cards!"

It looked absolutely terrified. To it, it was basically witnessing a terrorist conducting building-demolition experiments right in front of it!

"Huh?" Lance was startled too. How on earth did a cat pop out of his shadow? "You are...?"

After calming himself down a bit, Lance sat on his chair, puzzled, and studied the little black cat on the floor. He didn't sense any hostility from it. After all, it must be a high-ranking entity to have hidden in his shadow all this time without him noticing, and since Talia surely would have spotted it long ago, but hadn't dragged it out, it was likely harmless.

Still visibly shaken, the little black cat introduced itself, "I'm Boss Cat! You're always visiting my restaurant, meow."

"You're a cat who can cook?" Lance was astonished. If the cat in his previous life could whip up a meal of three dishes and a soup for him every day, his level of happiness would have soared to unimaginable heights.

"Watch this, meow." The little black cat proudly waved its paw, and the items on Lance's desk instantly levitated slightly.

It possessed telekinetic magic, which was the only type of magic it was good at. Unfortunately, being so weak itself, the magic had virtually no offensive power. Aside from that, its innate ability was the power to slip into shadows. It could arguably be called the weakest Rank 7 entity in existence.

Lance scooped up the little black cat with practiced ease, gazed at it gently, and asked, "Do you need something from me?"

Boss Cat looked away as it lied, "Um... I just wanted to look around Ikerite University, meow."

It hadn't expected the young man to be so accepting. He hadn't pried into its motives at all, nor did he blame it for secretly tailing him and trespassing in his home without permission. Boss Cat had actually been worried that Lance might be a scumbag who had deceived Tali, so it had decided to come and observe the young man's character.

It loved sweet romances and saw itself as a little angel of matchmaking. No one knew the art of matchmaking better than it did! It was a shame that it had been discovered so quickly. It was just too much of a novice at this...

His clear, emerald-green eyes were filled with warmth as Lance said to the little black cat, "I see. It's getting late today, would you like to stay here? I can show you around the campus tomorrow."

As a model student, he felt it was his duty and responsibility to showcase the very best of the school to every visitor.

"Is that okay?" Boss Cat realized this young man was surprisingly easygoing!

He was innocent and kind, like a little angel. No wonder Tali had been willing to accept him. Furthermore, the closer it got to this human, the more it felt an inexplicable sense of affinity. Being by his side made it feel so at ease that it almost wanted to fall asleep...

Lance replied with a smile, "Of course."

Tomorrow, he was scheduled to host Adam, an international guest, and play matchmaker for Dean Lawrence. It was all good work, and it would be the perfect opportunity to show Boss Cat what he did. He wondered if Boss Cat would enjoy watching him help bring people together in romance.