Chapter 9

After nodding to the druids as a greeting, Sigma looked at the bewildered head of the department, Mr. Chamberlain: "Dismiss all the undead. Atlas is the land of the dead, not a noisy human empire."

Without waiting for a response, Sigma pointed at the necromancers who were spectating: "You, you, and you, help maintain order and guide the undead back to their posts. You, you, and you, fly along the Undead Avenue to the academy as quickly as possible and drive away all the loiterers to ensure the road is clear."

"Clear all the wandering spirits inside and outside the academy. Replace all important positions with alchemical constructs and incorruptible high-level undead to avoid making the guests uncomfortable."

"Mr. Chamberlain, you need to revise the inspection plan and reannotate the open courses. Many courses in the academy cause strong visual impacts, and these should be marked as 'not recommended for inspection.' How to define them? Check my attendance records at the registrar's office; the classes I skipped are all unsuitable for inspection."

One by one, clear and organized commands were issued. Perhaps because Sigma's commanding and impressive mode was very deceptive, or perhaps for some other reason, the necromancers did not raise a single question and obediently followed the orders, even Mr. Chamberlain included.

About fifteen minutes later, traffic resumed smoothly, and the disgruntled druids calmed down under Sigma's reassurance. After coaxing the druids back onto the carriage, Sigma wiped his sweat. A fragrant breeze blew by, and a slender, white hand offered him a handkerchief.

"Thank you." Sigma took the handkerchief and turned to thank the person, his eyes brightening. A druid girl with long flaxen hair stood beside him, smiling kindly. Her skin was fair and smooth, her figure tall and slender, dressed in a short shirt and leather pants, revealing a segment of her delicate, snow-white waist and long legs. Her warm and cheerful demeanor had a touch of druidic wildness. She looked at Sigma with a hint of curiosity: "You are truly unique. Are you Mr. Sigma Washington?"

"Huh? You know me?" Sigma's first reaction was that his notorious reputation had already spread to the Maya Great Forest.

"I am Aria Claire from the Florence Academy of Nature. Of course, I have heard of Mr. Sigma's name." Aria extended her hand, shook Sigma's, and through her warm hand and genuine smile, Sigma felt that he had made a good impression on this beautiful woman.

Just as Sigma was about to further engage with the druid beauty, the unsentimental Mr. Chamberlain rudely interrupted their conversation, showing no fear of being struck by lightning.

Fully aware of his social deficiencies, Mr. Chamberlain did not hesitate and said sincerely: "Sigma, if I had known about your talents earlier, the task of welcoming the druid inspection team should have been given to you. But it's not too late. I will propose to the council that you take over my work..."

"Huh? I'm just a student, and I..."

"Moreover, Sigma has already joined the academy's Florence inspection team, and we are about to set off." A strong voice came from behind the three, and Luluvi grabbed Sigma's collar, nodding elegantly and proudly to the two, "Good day, Daughter of the Earth, good day, Mr. Chamberlain."

"Greetings, Queen of the Ghosts." Aria smiled and bowed, but Luluvi ignored her and dragged Sigma away.

"Hey, hey, hey, you woman, I can walk on my own! Goodbye! Aria! And Mr. Chamberlain!"

After being dragged for a few hundred meters, Luluvi finally let go, smirking: "So, you can't move when you see a beautiful woman?"

"Seeing a woman who suits your personality and figure, and who isn't at all annoying, and who initiates a conversation with you, of course I have to take it seriously. I'm not some cold, pretentious ice man; I'm a normal man." Sigma straightened his clothes and looked back. The druid beauty was still waving from a distance, and he waved back with a smile, saying, "Not bad. What did you call her just now? Daughter of the Earth?"

"Her title. She is probably the most promising new star of this generation in Florence. The druid masters believe she has been blessed by the spirits of the earth and nature, so they call her the Daughter of the Earth." Luluvi glanced at Sigma and smirked, "She is much easier to deal with than you, not biased in her studies, and doesn't skip classes. She is almost perfect."

"In that case, her talent should be about the same as mine, right?" Sigma suddenly asked, "She has a title, so do I have some cool, awesome title? I've never heard of it. What is it?"

"A title is a more resounding name, meant for outsiders to hear, to make you familiar in the Noren Continent. Of course, no one in the academy calls you that." Luluvi seemed to recall something amusing, pursed her lips, and said calmly, "Your title is... Deathwing."

"..." I'm Frost's Sorrow.

"Oh, by the way." The two walked from the outskirts towards the north of the city, and Luluvi said casually, "Remember the tour guide task the council assigned you? To personally entertain Aria. The masters want you to accompany the Daughter of the Earth throughout, to build rapport and emotional connection, exchange magical insights, and at least become familiar with her..."

Hearing this, Sigma stopped in his tracks.

He raised his head, looking passionate: "Luluvi, I apologize, but I have to break my promise. I think Mr. Chamberlain cannot properly entertain the druid inspection team. It's a small matter if the druids are scared to death, but it's a big deal if it causes friction or even war between Atlas and Florence. You see, the responsibility to maintain world peace has fallen on my shoulders. Only I can avert this hidden disaster, so I am willing to give up my month-long vacation and fully commit to the tour guide work. I will..."

He couldn't continue because he saw the familiar smile on Luluvi's face—the same expression the Queen of the Ghosts had after he accidentally mocked her age two months ago. That night, he didn't sleep well because, on average, a ghost would float by his window every ten minutes, crying or laughing, and sometimes even passing through the wall, screaming in a piercing soprano, "Prince Sigma, I'm here to warm you up!"

So, Sigma obediently shut his mouth.

Luluvi flicked a strand of silver hair over her shoulder and suddenly smiled: "You finally stepped up. You are indeed a hypocrite, slowly acknowledging the Death Nation in your heart, aren't you?"

She turned her head to see Sigma's embarrassed expression at being caught.

Unfortunately, she miscalculated.

"That's right," Sigma patted his chest and said with emotion, "I am protecting the academy I love in my own way!"

"...Ridiculous." Luluvi, repulsed by his overly dramatic act, shivered and said coldly, "If you keep talking like that, you'll never be able to skip classes again!"

***

PS1: Yes, first update. Thank you to all the readers for your clicks, recommendations, favorites, and donations. I continue to seek support.

PS2: I thought I could reply to posts once I reached 500 points, but it turns out that new accounts can only reply once a day for the first week... Truly insane.