After turning back into Lloyd's familiar 'childhood sweetheart', Hiltina said to Dean Hazleder with that wicked smile again:

"You see, I said that Lloyd was actually very funny, and if you tease him, you will have a very cute reaction."

As she spoke, she drifted to Lloyd's side again, reached out and pinched his cheek, and continued:

"Did you think I had become a different person?"

"I ...... I just ......"

Lloyd opened his mouth again and again, still not saying what he really wanted to say.

He actually wanted to complain, how could you, a high-ranking sage, still have such a cunning and fickle side?

But then again, it seems strange that there will be a childhood sweetheart, right?

"Okay, okay, let's talk about serious things first, and then stay with me more, okay?"

Hiltina suggested again.

Where else could Lloyd object? Of course, it's what the Sage says.

So Dean Hazled, who was slightly embarrassed next to him, finally found an opportunity to speak:

"This is a medal for outstanding service, and I was going to organize a grand ceremony, at least more than the award of the Outstanding Academic Medal, but Tina suggested that everything ......should be kept simple."

Hiltina on the side also nodded hurriedly and added:

"Yes, I don't think my Lloyd is too flamboyant now, what if I'm targeted by other girls? Besides, the awarding of the Medal of Outstanding Contribution in the past is very simple, right? ”

"That's right, including the one you got yourself, and you didn't even come back to claim it yourself......"

The dean followed suit.

The two sang and harmonized, as if they wanted to appease Lloyd, who had not been able to attend the official award ceremony, but Lloyd didn't care about it at all, or rather, he felt that the current scene was grand and grand enough, and formal enough.

The Sages have all come forward in person, what could be grander and more formal in this world?

On the contrary, there is a lot less noisy and meaningless red tape, which is more in line with Lloyd's heart.

So he also hurriedly said:

"It's good now, after all, having the Sage in person is already a glorious moment that I will never forget."

"Well, that's good, you can collect the medal yourself, and then this is a thank you gift from the biology department, which can be regarded as a tribute to your feat of saving the academy."

The dean continued, took out a few more lead boxes that were specially designed to hold spiritual materials, placed them in front of Lloyd, and briefly introduced:

"This is the full set of materials for the fourth detachment of the [veto] system, including spiritual ink and incense."

Lloyd couldn't help but snickered in his heart, he didn't expect to be able to harvest this kind of substantial reward that happened to be everywhere, he thought it was just a reward of some money or holy relics, but it turned out to be this very practical and transcendent material.

In fact, Lloyd still prefers this kind of money, holy relics, equipment, etc., which can help him save a lot of thought and energy, and save him from going outside to bargain with others.

Even a full set of auxiliary materials such as spiritual ink are ready, which is really meticulous and thoughtful!

Then add that he has already prepared and looked for the materials for the fifth [Detachment] in the future, and then he doesn't need to worry much about the [Veto] materials.

It's just that you still need to continue to collect the [Manifest] and [Distorted] ......

Who knew that the dean seemed to understand his thoughts, and then said:

"As for the next expenses of the [Twisted] Department, just tell me directly, and it will be regarded as a reward for you from the academy."

When Lloyd heard this, he was even more ecstatic in his heart, he thought that the reward in front was intimate enough, but he didn't expect that there would be more blockbusters in the back?

With the principal's words, it means that the academy will bear all the materials it needs for the subsequent [Twisted], and it is not even limited to the use of [Detachment], which means that there is no longer any need to worry about the unpopular and dangerous materials of the [Twisted] system, which is both worry-free and safe.

With just these two rewards, Lloyd was already satisfied, but he didn't expect that there would be more heavyweights next.

"What? The Book of Falsehood? ”

When Lloyd heard the dean say the great gift that the mage department had prepared for him, his heart was no longer happy, but shocked and longing.

The shock comes from this kind of thing that is very remarkable when you hear the name, and the mage department actually allows itself to borrow it?

It really made Lloyd feel embarrassed, he just saved three lecturers, and the mage department was so polite......

The desire comes from the name "The Book of Falsehood" itself, and the moment he heard this name, Lloyd's heart inexplicably welled up with a longing, just like the first time he saw the "Book of Truth" from other people's memories, and wanted to pocket it.

It's just that the degree of longing is not as strong as when I saw the "Book of Truth" at that time, after all, I directly saw and 'touched' the "Book of Truth" at that time, and the impact and impact on my heart was obviously more direct, so that that the desire had reached the point of interfering with my thinking and judgment.

At present, in Lloyd's heart, at most, he is still at the level of 'not having this treasure, his thoughts are not accessible', and he can still be quietly restrained.

Hiltina then spoke again:

"But I don't suggest Lloyd that you go and borrow this Book of Illusion immediately, with your current attainments on the [Manifestation] side, it's still too early, it's best to raise the [Manifestation] to the third or fourth order before reading this book, that would be better for you."

"Well, I made a note of it."

Lloyd nodded vigorously.

He knew that the Sage's arrangement would definitely not be wrong, and he would definitely not harm himself.

If the person he trusts most in this world is his sister Evrol, then the second trusted person must be the Sage, even before Wei Ya.

Moreover, the word 'vanity' is obviously deeply related to [manifestation], and with my own level of [manifestation], forcibly reading this kind of book is probably just a waste of this precious opportunity.

Lloyd thought about it briefly, and reason suppressed the desires in his heart, so that they were no longer ready to move.

Then, he secretly pondered:

That's the reward, right? There won't be more, right?

As a result, the dean really continued to talk about the arrangements of the history department.

But Lloyd didn't quite understand the meaning of the reward.

"Huh? A veteran professor of the history department personally conducted the fifth [detachment] ceremony for me? ”

Can this also be considered a reward? Shouldn't it be a hands-on affair?

However, Hiltina next to her was still very surprised by this, and asked:

"Huh? Tutor, you managed to convince Professor Ashley? He was very resistant to our ideas at the beginning......"

"It shows that this incident touched him deeply, and it may also be because of the powerlessness and helplessness in the face of the disaster, which made him tired of the long life and perseverance."

"Is that so? That's great! Lloyd, you have to make the most of this opportunity. ”

"Ah...... Okay, it will. ”

Although Lloyd agreed, he was still a little inexplicable, why did this 'gesture' that sounded very ordinary seem very unusual?

He asked more about the truth, but before he could speak, his lips were gently covered by a warm soft wattle.

"Don't ask too much, don't think too much."

'Childhood sweetheart' personally opened his mouth to advise.

Lloyd could only nod his head, and then heard the dean continue:

"As for the engineering department, I guess there will be something to say about it, right? But they complain to me every day about the lack of budget, and the person in charge is notoriously unscrupulous, and I am afraid that it is difficult to come up with anything that is acceptable, and I am too lazy to say anything. ”

"It's okay, that's enough."

Lloyd hurriedly replied, and added very modestly:

"With the excellence I've shown so far, it's okay to get such a reward, after all, I've only done a trivial thing."

These words made the dean and the sage silent at the same time, and they looked like they wanted to speak and stopped.

After a few seconds, the dean continued to speak:

"Okay, about the reward for this disaster, that's all for the time being, the next three days off for the academy, the time on the present side, and the next month on the academy side, there will be a repair period and enrollment period, the students will leave, and the faculty and staff will also have to take turns off."

Lloyd was not surprised by this arrangement, the aftermath of disasters has always been a big project that wears a lot of time, and students who have experienced disasters should indeed go home and have a good rest.

It's not just psychological, it's also spatial—

Based on Lloyd's current understanding of space, it is clear that if you stay in the unstable environment of another space for too long, you will have an indelible physiological rejection of the present world, and if it continues to deteriorate, it will become difficult to return to the present world.

Not to mention the temporal implications......

It can be simply understood that if you play too much with the two-dimensional hand, you can't play 'if it's a brother, you'll come to cut me', and even Lloyd himself is no exception.

That's why Professor Lawrence said earlier that students and teachers here must return to the world on a regular basis.

And now that this place has been hit by a space storm, the already unstable environment has become even more chaotic, and it is even more necessary to return to the present world as soon as possible to recuperate and adjust.

However, Lloyd still has some doubts in his heart, is it all like this, do you still want to continue to recruit new students?

But he didn't dare to ask, but listened to the dean continue:

"So be it, I won't delay you two anymore."

"Hee-hee, let's go! Goodbye, mentor. ”

Hiltina said like a playful student.

As soon as the words fell, Lloyd felt a soft little hand in his palm, and couldn't wait to hold his hand, like an excited childhood sweetheart, wanting to pull him out on a date.

So Lloyd opened a portal and led Siltina inside.

He was not embarrassed to lead people back to the dormitory directly, but opened the door on the Knowledge Square.

As soon as his feet hit the ground, he saw the beautiful girl beside him.

It's still so beautiful and moving, it's still the overly bold dress, it's still the sweet and delicious jade feet, and it's still the heart-pounding feeling.

Lloyd's heart was suddenly happy, and he couldn't help but hold Hiltina's little hand harder.

Hiltina snickered and whispered:

"Hehe, I didn't dare to show this in front of my mentor before, if he saw me dressed like this, he would definitely teach me a lesson."

"Huh? Dean, does he even have to take care of this? ”

Lloyd was somewhat incredulous.

"Hmph~ He's very lenient, it's just that you haven't met him yet, when he used to be more idle, he even had to take care of the button style on the student's clothes."

Hiltina secretly spoke ill of the dean, and then took a deep breath, as if she was reminiscing about the original campus atmosphere.

"Whew~ It's been a long time since I've been back to the Knowledge Square, has that overly ugly statue been demolished?"

"Actually, no, I secretly smashed it with the space elevator."

Lloyd also whispered.

"Great! This is definitely a more commendable thing than saving the Academy from a space storm! ”

Hiltina was immediately happy, and then took Lloyd's arm and leaned on him, as close as a couple who had already established a relationship.

Lloyd was familiar with this feeling, so he simply froze, then relaxed, and strolled around the Knowledge Square with Hiltina.

Dating between childhood sweethearts doesn't need any fanfare, it's exciting, it's enough to simply snuggle up and stroll.

And Lloyd had a lot of things to say to the other party in his heart, but he didn't think about which one to ask first.

In fact, what he really wanted to ask most in his heart was why the Sage was so kind to him and so close? Why did I find that feeling of 'childhood sweetheart' in her?

But obviously, this is an absolute proposition, and it is absolutely impossible to ask directly, so you can only find a way to feel and comprehend it yourself.

As a result, before Lloyd could think about it, Hiltina asked first:

"Lloyd, why do you keep staring at my feet?"

"I didn't ...... No, I just have so much to say that I don't know what to say first. ”

"Lloyd, did Wei Ya tell you that you don't lie at all? Hee-hee, just kidding, you can ask whatever you want, as long as it can be answered, I will tell you. ”

"That'...... Sage, are you ......?"

Lloyd was about to speak, but he noticed that the sage beside him suddenly frowned, as if he was suddenly unhappy?

"Call me that again, and I'll ignore you! Don't you know my name? ”

"Okay...... Hiltina, did you know from the beginning that I was involved in the Twist? ”

"Huh...... Did you ask me this as soon as you came up? I was still worried, but if you asked me how old I was, how would I answer? ”

Hiltina smiled sweetly and turned to Lloyd's question:

"As for your question, what should I say...... [Twist] is a system that is even more magical and mysterious than you expected, so I noticed that your time may be a little earlier than you expected."

"Is that so?"

Lloyd originally thought that his first contact with the Sage was when he had just completed the [Veto] enlightenment, but now it seems that it is likely that he was discovered by the Sage during the original library attack.

Belch...... At that time, I was still scared for so long, thinking that I had gone astray and become a lawless, but it turned out that I was all scared of myself?

However, after all, [Distortion] is a taboo system in the eyes of the world, and its own cultivation method is also extremely deadly, and it is even more impossible for the Sage to come forward for this, so his low-key during that period of time must have saved him a lot of unnecessary misunderstandings and troubles, and it is not a loss.

After that, it was logical for the Sage to guide himself to deal with the 'traitor' of the advisor.

Lloyd briefly brushed up his thoughts, and then continued to ask:

"What is this about that flower, and your current body......"

He could feel that Hiltina's beautiful figure was what his [projection] had become.

And after [Projection] became like this, he lost control of it, making Hiltina really like an independent beautiful girl.

But at this time, in the Knowledge Square, there were actually many people passing by, but no one noticed this beautiful girl, and it seemed that there was no one around Lloyd at all.

So this [projection] seems like something of its own, but it doesn't seem to be exactly? Rather, it became some kind of 'common property'?

"Well...... You should remember that this [projection] is not completely condensed by yourself, I secretly made some interference, all so that I can stand by your side as I used to be like today......

It's just that you're not skilled enough in [Manifestation] at present, and your mastery of [Projection] is still very immature, and when you achieve something on [Manifestation] in the future, maybe I can only let you do whatever you want? ”

Hiltina gave a not-so-clear answer, then diverted the subject and continued:

"But you're making good progress now, and you deserve a reward."

With that, her delicate body floated up in the air, and she quickly kissed Lloyd on the cheek, which was considered a reward.

Lloyd couldn't help but smirk, and heard Hiltina continue:

"Lloyd, you are really good, I have always witnessed your growth, never let me down, and can often bring me unexpected surprises, so I am very, very optimistic about you, thinking that in you, you shoulder the future of our human race."

Now that the topic has come to this, Lloyd can't help but ask:

"The future of our humanity...... Is it bad? ”

He really didn't feel anything about it in the outside world, and even felt that it was a realm of vitality and competition, but he didn't expect that after entering Mizkatok, which was supposed to be a paradise, everyone here seemed to be full of a sense of crisis, and always talked about the 'future of mankind'.

And Hiltina didn't whitewash anything, and replied directly:

"Yes, it's bad, but for the sake of this precious order and living space in this world, we try not to show it as much as possible."

As she spoke, she took the initiative to lead Lloyd to a bench in the square and sat down, and stretched out her little hand to wave it gently in the air, presenting a map of the world in front of Lloyd, and it was a new version of the ship that Lloyd had never seen before.

This map is much larger than the ones you can buy on the market......

There are only two colors on it, a large area of deep black, and a small smear of white.

The whole is like an irregular hourglass shape, with a larger north side and a thicker middle.

And that little touch of white is only in a small area in the southeast, occupying about a dozen of the area, which makes this poor white look very discordant, and I can't help but want to reach out and erase it.

"This is the true whole picture of our world, and this small poor area is the only living space we have left."

Hiltina said, pointing to the blackened parts and continuing to explain:

"In the glorious times of the past, these places were located in vibrant countries, with countless prosperous cities and peaceful villages and towns, and tens of billions of people living their own lives, and now, there is only so little left."

Hiltina lightly touched the discordant white, and said:

"In those areas of the past, no one knew what would have been born in that environment, and what was waiting for us today...... Even putting aside Astra's [Prophecy], this status quo alone is already dangerous. ”

In fact, there was no need for Hiltina to describe too much, it was enough for Lloyd to understand the state of mind of the Dean and the Sage.

This is by no means unfounded, the fall of that glorious era in the past is enough to prove the crisis and malice of this world.

"There...... What will it be? Monsters? Or rather...... Heir of the Evil God? ”

Lloyd asked in a low voice.

"I don't know, maybe both, right? Could there be something even better? Maybe they haven't noticed us, maybe they don't care about us yet. ”

Hiltina replied in a low voice.

Lloyd couldn't help but sigh and sighed:

"That's the worst answer, the unknown, it's often the scariest ......"

"Yes...... It's really bad. ”

As she spoke, Hiltina quickly reached out and wiped it, throwing away the depressive map, and then laughed again, reaching out to hold Lloyd's face, and fiddling the corners of his mouth with her fingers, making him laugh too.

"But it doesn't matter, I'll try to protect you and humanity."

She just said in a very casual tone, very casually, as if she was just talking about ordinary words.

But Lloyd could feel her seriousness in it, the weight of her weak shoulders.

So he couldn't help but reach out and hug her delicate body, and said word by word:

"I'll be able to help you soon."

Hiltina narrowed her eyes slightly, rubbing Lloyd's chest like a kitten.

"Well, I'm looking forward to that day, I've been looking forward to it."

(End of chapter)