Almost simultaneously with Lü Ziming's words, at the south dock of Blackshire,
a steamship struggled to reach the shore amidst the wind and snow, its horn blaring.
Su Yu, following the disembarking crowd, stepped onto Blackshire soil.
A biting wind, mixed with snow, swept against his face, causing Su Yu, who had just emerged from the cabin, to shiver involuntarily.
[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: Taiwan Novel Network, t̆̈̆̈w̆̈̆̈k̆̈̆̈̆̈ă̈̆̈n̆̈̆̈.c̆̈̆̈ŏ̈̆̈m̆̈̆̈, waiting for you to find it.]
He wrapped his black cloak tighter around himself.
The dock was bustling with people; despite the inclement weather, as an important dock for the county, it remained relatively busy.
Porters braved the wind and snow to load and unload cargo, while travelers hurried about, searching for accommodation or transportation.
Su Yu did not linger at the dock.
He needed to get to Green Vine Academy as soon as possible.
He walked to the carriage rental point near the dock, hailed a carriage, and climbed into the relatively warm carriage.
The driver gave a shout, cracked his whip, and led the horse through the snow, slowly pulling the carriage away from the dock towards Green Vine Academy.
The carriage traveled along the snow-covered streets, the wheels crunching and creaking.
The snowy scenery of Blackshire had a unique charm.
The stone buildings looked solemn under the white snow, warm lights shone from the shop windows, and occasionally, pedestrians could be seen hurrying by, bundled up in their clothes. After
about half an hour, the carriage finally arrived at the main gate of Green Vine Academy.
The heavy, ornate iron gate was tightly closed, and two academy guards stood at the entrance, their eyes scanning those entering and leaving.
Su Yu paid the fare and got out of the carriage.
He looked up at the familiar yet somewhat strange academy gate, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
"Please show your identification, or state your purpose," one of the guards stepped forward.
Su Yu took out a badge and handed it over.
The guard carefully examined the badge, confirmed it was genuine, and respectfully returned it to Su Yu. He then opened the small door and said, "Welcome back, student Su Yu."
Su Yu nodded, said nothing, and stepped into the academy.
However, the moment he stepped into the academy grounds, an extremely subtle yet strangely familiar feeling silently enveloped his heart.
It was the feeling of being spied on!
Very subtle, very faint, as if it were just an illusion.
[Perception 16 (+3)]
With the system's support, for Su Yu, this was no illusion!
Someone was secretly observing him in a way he couldn't directly perceive!
Immediately afterwards, an even more subtle force quietly locked onto him!
Perhaps it wasn't particularly malicious, but to Su Yu, it felt like an invisible and cold blade was silently approaching his neck, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment!
"System!"
Su Yu's heart clenched, all his muscles tensed instantly, and his blood seemed to accelerate at that moment.
But the system quickly covered up, masking these instinctive reactions.
Su Yu maintained a calm expression, as if he hadn't noticed anything, and continued walking forward on the snow-covered stone path.
"What's going on? Why is there such a high-level lock-on and detection as soon as I come back?"
"Su Yu? Is it really you?!" A surprised voice rang out.
Su Yu looked in the direction of the voice and saw several young men in student robes standing not far away. They all showed surprise and excitement when they saw him.
They were Su Yu's classmates, but Su Yu had been away on training and missions for a long time and hadn't shown up at the academy.
The slightly chubby boy in the lead was Sun Feng.
He quickly walked forward and said loudly, "Su Yu, you're finally back!"
Several classmates also surrounded him.
"Yeah, yeah, Su Yu, you've been gone for so long, you've become a legend!"
"You've become a formal mage and taken on missions, while we're still in our first year!"
"Su Yu is amazing! Our instructor even uses your paper 'Decoy Magic Array' as an example in class!"
The students' enthusiasm and envy were genuine, and the atmosphere around Su Yu became lively for a moment.
Su Yu responded to the students' enthusiastic greetings with a smile, subtly using the items in his spatial storage.
A sharp dagger, six loaded pistols, and six gold-plated bombs!
A cold glint flashed deep in Su Yu's eyes. The feeling of being watched and locked on still lingered, like a persistent leech.
He chatted with his classmates while subtly observing his surroundings.
The academy buildings, roads, trees, even the falling snowflakes… everything seemed the same as usual.
"Alright, alright, I can't chat with you guys anymore. I just got back and need to report to the academy office first." Su Yu ended his conversation with his classmates.
"Okay, then you go ahead and get busy. Let's get together again when we have time!" Sun Feng and his classmates didn't suspect anything and said with smiles.
Su Yu nodded and turned to walk towards the academy office area.
He walked slowly, following the route he remembered, passing through several courtyards and corridors covered in snow, and finally arrived at the academy office building.
The building looked exactly the same as when he left, but it seemed somewhat ominous in the wind and snow.
Su Yu took a deep breath, suppressed his vigilance, and stepped inside.
The office building was warm and cozy, a stark contrast to the freezing cold outside.
A faint scent of ink and paper filled the air.
Following the signs in the lobby, Su Yu headed towards the dean's office.
He came to an oak door with a sign that read "Dean's Office."
He reached out and gently knocked.
"Come in," a gentle voice came from inside—it was Cheng Shenxing!
Su Yu's heart skipped a beat, and he pushed the door open.
The office wasn't large, but it was very tidy.
Cheng Shenxing was sitting on the sofa. Seeing Su Yu enter, he smiled warmly: "Su Yu, you've come."
However, Su Yu's gaze immediately passed over Cheng Shenxing and landed behind the office desk—behind the dean of the college—Lü Ziming!
Su Yu bowed deeply to Lü Ziming: "Dean!"
At the same time, he also nodded to Cheng Shenxing: "Mr. Cheng."
Dean Lü Ziming smiled, which was as warm as a spring breeze: "Student Su Yu, you are indeed a promising young man. Please have a seat!"
His voice was full of friendliness. Su Yu sat down in the chair as instructed, with proper posture.
Lu Ziming's gaze swept over Su Yu, and he nodded with satisfaction. He said, "Su Yu, your performance outside this time was outstanding! Especially your 'Decoy Magic Array,' which is extremely practical and has been adopted by many local departments, making a significant contribution to our fight against evil spirits! The academy is very satisfied with you!"
Su Yu humbly replied, "Dean, you flatter me. I only did some research within my capabilities."
"Hey, don't be modest!" Lu Ziming waved his hand, his tone becoming even more enthusiastic. "If you have talent, you should show it! Moreover, the new paper you brought back this time—'On the Application of Spirit Tide Avoidance and Cooling Cycle in Evil Spirit Extermination'—also impressed me!"
He picked up a roll of parchment on the table; it was Su Yu's paper. It seemed that Cheng Shenxing had already handed the paper to the dean.
"This paper analyzes the impact of spirit tides on evil spirits in a simple and profound way, and how to use the cooling cycle of spirit tides to exterminate them more efficiently and safely, providing us with in-depth methods to fight against evil spirits! Its value is considerable!"
Lu Ziming was indeed very impressed.
Su Yu listened quietly, but his vigilance grew stronger.
The dean's enthusiasm seemed a bit excessive.
Moreover, from the moment he entered the room, the unsettling feeling of being watched hadn't disappeared; instead, it had become clearer, more...penetrating!
Just as Lü Ziming was praising the paper, a hidden force silently seeped in from all directions, attempting to probe his body, to investigate the essence of his soul and power!
This force was extremely subtle and difficult to detect; if Su Yu hadn't possessed the system, he probably would have been completely deceived!