I am on a train to Shanghai. I knew from the start that I wouldn't stay in Bo for long, but I'm glad the city remained intact. When the authorities announced that the rain was a terrorist attack by the Black Order, the city exploded with indignation and outrage. But it was immediately announced that parallel to their activities, a secret operation was launched to prevent it, and an Execution Plan for all participants was initiated.
That day, many ordinary people saw how another magician would emerge from the shadow next to those in robes and brutally kill them. Residents were told it was an executioner from the Magic Court sent to eliminate the terrorists. Unlike my past world, this news was met with standing ovations. Of course, everyone understands that if the Black Order members had succeeded, a terrible fate awaited everyone: being torn apart by monsters. Representatives of the Magic Court who came to the city to give comments were practically carried in people's arms.
The Magic Court, by the way, didn't just take responsibility for preventing the catastrophe for no reason. After the main events concluded, I snuck into Tang Yue's room and left a folder with all the information I had gathered about the catastrophe itself, the Black Order, and the "Oblivion Insects"—spiritual and cursed creatures used by Black Order agents to infiltrate government structures by bypassing all checks. I also included info on the production of Cursed Monsters in Shanghai and the planned ceremony in Xi'an. I also asked them to take all responsibility for preventing the city's destruction. I don't need the laurels of a hero, for heroes don't live long.
I asked her to hand over all the information personally to the head of the Magic Court, Tang Zhong, as she is his niece and has access to his office. After that, he could use the information as he saw fit.
And the Magic Court didn't disappoint. They quickly shifted all attention from a murky personality like me to themselves. They held press conferences, telling about the thorough preparation they conducted and what resources were spent to neutralize the source of madness in secret from the Black Order. They shared how Tang Zhong, chairman of the Magic Court, personally signed the order to execute all members of the Black Order and their accomplices involved in terrorist activities during a secret meeting. By the way, they actually presented this document signed by Tang Zhong to the press. They moved quickly. Well done. The city mayor even requested this document from the Magic Court to place it in the local museum in memory of preventing the city's largest catastrophe. They even allocated a separate room for this and put the head of a Commander-level wolf there.
According to official information, the Holy Source of Bo City was destroyed during an attempt to capture it by the Black Order; Mo Fan was not mentioned anywhere, but surely all the right people already know everything.
I hope the leaders of the Black Order won't be able to dig up reliable information about what happened; they're unlikely to be able to interrogate the leader of the Magic Court, and the secret group never existed, which will only convince them of how secret it really was. So let them shake up their ranks looking for spies and search for a non-existent group, while I hide under the wing of Principal Xiao—a Forbidden Curse magician from Mingzhu University. As I recall, they will only start embedding people there next year to watch Mo Fan. But he handled them perfectly well on his own.
I returned from my "scouting mission" the day after the failed catastrophe. Running into the Hunter's Union building, I quickly started telling the manager about the madness happening in the wilderness and that the military needed to be warned. The manager calmed me down, sat me on a sofa, and poured me some water.
"That was happening in all surrounding areas and even in the city, don't worry, the military is already dealing with it. Better rest for a couple of days; there's nothing to fear anymore."
The manager sat with me for another ten minutes, calming me with a quiet voice, and then sent me by taxi to the dormitory. All this time, I played the part of a frightened teenager.
Two days later, our graduation took place at Tian Lan School. The star of the evening was an invited representative of the Magic Court in the city, who handled the organization's PR, public relations, and sought additional funding. Besides that, he was an Advanced Magician. After delivering a motivational and patriotic speech, he solemnly presented us with our diplomas. Students approached him not so much to collect their education document as for a photo with the magician. I also received my diploma and took a photo; I was no longer afraid of being discovered, as the second spiritual boundary allows much better concealment.
After staying with my parents for a couple of days, I boarded a train to Shanghai. My father organized a real feast for the occasion—his friends and colleagues, grandparents, uncles, and aunts, even neighbors came. The thing was, I graduated as a third-tier magician, which gave me the right to apply to one of the best universities in the country. Also, my theory grade was A+, meaning I was an honors student.
The evening was very cheerful. The faces of the young girls brought to meet me merged into an endless slideshow. I drank with my father and rested, promising everyone that yes, I would show everyone what kind of magicians our city produces.
***
Shanghai met me with hot weather and a huge number of people scurrying back and forth. I had already rented an apartment for the whole summer in the city, near the university. It cost me fifty thousand. I took them from the investment account I opened when Su Pan Xi transferred the promised two million to me—that was the man who wanted to pressure me after I beat his son. Now I had two million and a hundred-odd thousand yuan in my account.
Settling into the apartment took the rest of the day; I had to unpack and buy a whole bunch of small things. Late at night, exhausted, I fell onto the bed. Battles with monsters don't drain as much strength as moving!