The Honor Knight Order escorted the "extra guest" back to Vice-Chancellor Criss's residence and left after automatically inspecting the surrounding environment.

Near noon, Claire briefly stayed for lunch, comforting Lu Li in the meantime.

"Don't worry, I'll stay with you when the championship starts, they can't do anything."

Lu Li needed protection, that was undeniable.

The championship is different from the real world. It's not about cruelty, but the strangeness is purer, and there are more changes among humans and those who have accepted human civilization. They lack a sense of ritual, won't act on instinct, and will use intelligence as a weapon.

Therefore, being wary of attacks is necessary, such as contestants wanting to provoke Lu Li, the Monk family just offended, or those infiltrating the participating camps to eliminate the "exorcist representing humanity's hope."

"Remember to ask your mother for good things before the championship, she won't bear to see you get hurt."

After lunch, Claire returned to Giant Tree Academy, and Lu Li's life returned to peace.

The only difference was that books found from the study or Vice-Chancellor Criss's room were brought back to the attic by Lu Li to read.

This allowed Claire, who visited every few days, to fail to catch any new "evidence of crime."

There was no nagging lectures from the previous generation nor the rashness of the same generation. This made the interaction between Claire and Lu Li more pleasant than she imagined —

Vice-Chancellor Criss did not appear, so occasionally Claire would say it was her mother's instruction to visit Lu Li, which was dubious.

Every week or so, Lu Li would return to Giant Tree Academy with Claire, entering the Forbidden Marshes to harvest humanity.

Lu Li no longer engaged with belief in truth to prevent mind alteration. So far, Lu Li had done well—no suspicious curiosity emerged, nor a strong desire to explore.

As time passed, the attic where Lu Li resided gradually transformed into a treehouse.

Branches growing from the bed board formed a natural canopy, guarding around the bed. Buds sprouted from the sloping roof and hung down. Neighbors often looked up, noticing a wild herb growing next to the chimney.

Sadly, when Lu Li leaves, they will once again wither and sleep.

A week before the March championship.

When Claire returned after completing an event, a week had passed, Lu Li once again followed back to Giant Tree Academy, arriving at the marsh cottage.

Silver Cross·Sloan had left after resting the previous week, leaving only Mildred Hampri and the newly treated Blitz Tailor.

Also a legend with an autobiography.

Mildred Hampri, who lived in the cottage like a retiree, said it had been called the cozy cabin by those in control.

Bang—

Five gunshots echoed through the forest, attracting gazes from the safety zone, but they could only see shadows deep in the swamp.

Lowering the Spirit-Calling Gun from which smoke was rising, Lu Li loaded the silver-plated bullets, holstered it, and returned to the side of the cottage.

"Your niece Claire has gone back." Mildred Hampri said to Lu Li, who was looking around.

Lu Li nodded gently, lowering his head to enter the cottage.

Mildred Hampri picked up the blanket on the sofa, preparing coffee beans.

"I want to know some information about the March championship a week from now." Lu Li sat on the empty sofa.

Still in his prime, Blitz Tailor carried a tree corpse into the cottage, his bear-size physique blocking most of the dim light from outside.

"You want to know information not known to the public, right?" Mildred Hampri's words sounded a bit awkward, as he started grinding coffee beans and revealing the truth.

"The true meaning of the March championship is integration..."

Initially, the March championship was held by Giant Tree Academy to have the upper and lower levels compete and learn from each other. As the Knights Order and Noble Council joined, its original purpose became integration of civilizations.

"While the strangeness corrodes us, we are also corroding the strangeness... accepting our thoughts, our civilization, and our habits."

"While you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back at you too." Blitz Tailor said in a muffled voice, putting down firewood.

This is the price, a price that matches the balance of truth.

As humans grasp the power of strangeness to fight against it, gradually, they also become strange.

"What about the championship process."

"It varies every year... usually three different trials." Mildred Hampri then recounted the processes and results of past championships.

Last year's March championship was won by the Midnight Lady Church. In fact, since the Midnight Lady Church joined the championship, the championship has mostly belonged to the church.

There is always a debate whether the Midnight Lady Church won the championship through strength or related interests.

Giant Tree Academy, on the other hand, remained at the bottom. Despite being the initiator and main judge of the championship, its students were young and powerless compared to other forces. In fact, if not for the support of lower-level academies, they would have lost even more terribly.

This year seemed promising—because of Lu Li's participation—and also because two new camps joined.

Usually, new camps would rank last due to a lack of understanding of the competition rules, giving Giant Tree Academy a chance to break away from the mire.

Mildred Hampri told Lu Li about the two new camps whose answers had not yet been revealed: the Spirit Town Union and a certain God System.

"Have you read any books lately?"

Mildred Hampri asked, and upon receiving an affirmative answer, said, "Not enough... Take this, show it to the Gatekeeper at the library, and let him take you to the trash room. The things there are what you need to remember... don't find it strange."

He didn't tell Lu Li why he had to do this. With the leaf specimen given by Mildred Hampri, Lu Li took the lift back to the trunk level and showed the leaf specimen to the library Gatekeeper.

The silent Gatekeeper led Lu Li to an old wooden door in a secluded corner.

Upon opening the door, a bookroom independent of the library presented itself before him.

The Gatekeeper had already left, and Lu Li, stepping into the bookroom, casually picked a book from the shelf.

"The Making and Use of Scythes"

Lu Li glanced at other book covers, "Detective Collection," "Riddle Guess," "The Achievements of Count Lika." Basic and useless knowledge, even containing biographies and fantasy stories.

Recalling Mildred Hampri's last words, Lu Li picked up a few storybooks easier to remember, left the library, and returned to the attic of Vice-Chancellor Criss's residence in Midnight City.

Over the next few days, Lu Li neither went to the study nor bedroom, staying in the attic to read storybooks brought from the "trash room."

On the fourth day, Lu Li received an engraved invitation from Giant Tree Academy.

[Respected His Excellency Lulian:]

[We sincerely invite you to participate in the top ten championship three days later, may glory and light belong to you.]

[——Giant Tree Academy Mentor Council]

Claire arrived shortly after, seeing Lu Li's packed luggage, and looking back at the attic resembling a treehouse.

"Don't feel regret, I'll ask mother to find a way to preserve them." Claire said, leading Lu Li back to Giant Tree Academy.

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