Chapter 2554: Overreaching Lucine

Date: Unspecified

Time: Unspecified

Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Central Region, Central Academic City, Morningstar University District, Morningstar University Campus, Garden of Beginning, Time Vestige, Morningstar University 2nd Campus

’You bitch,’ I cursed inwardly as Lucine calmly said she would "compensate" me with time-rule runes—if I enrolled in Morningstar University. And here I was, thinking I might have been too harsh on her earlier.

Feeling the heat of my glare, Lucine faltered before adding, "It’s your choice. It’s not like I’m forcing you... but that’s the only way I’m allowed to give you the rune."

"No, no—how could I ever doubt the great Saint Lucine Morgenstern?" I scoffed, shooting her a look of pure disdain. "Clearly, it’s my fault for not knowing the sacred procedures."

This woman still hadn’t given up on trying to pull me into her university. I thought showing her my capabilities would humble her. Instead, it only made her hungrier for me.

"Wyatt, I know it would be beneath someone of your caliber to attend the university as a student. That’s why—if you’re willing—you can join as a professor. With your ability, you could pass the Academician exams with ease and apply for tenure," Lucine said, already mapping out my entire academic career at Morningstar University. Clearly, she had put real thought into this. I suppose billions of years spent in a time chamber, refining three new bodies and grasping the time-rule, left her with plenty of time to plan my future too.

Sensing the storm gathering behind my silence after listening to her words, Lucine quickly cut in before I could speak. "Wyatt, don’t even think about threatening me with the threat of leaking the secret of the time vestige to others. If you do that, the Southern Princess will never get a seat on the council—because there won’t be a council left for her to join."

I watched her with amusement—she really had come prepared. But I had no intention of blackmailing her for the runes. I’m not a criminal, and frankly, I have more than enough leverage to make Morningstar University beg me to accept their time runes. Cutting off their supply of silver milk powder or shutting down VR-Universe access to the Morningstar district were just a couple of options that came to mind.

Lucine had no idea she was poking the wrong card apprentice.

Unfortunately for her, time was on her side. I didn’t have the luxury to play drawn-out games just to secure a few runes. And besides—this was something I could resolve with a simple, honest conversation with her. No need to bring out the big guns for something so small.

"Lucine, that’s enough," I said, calm but firm. "I can’t join Morningstar University, and you know exactly why. I’m already spoken for—I’m set to become the City Lord of Southern Academic City. And we’re preparing for the upcoming Academician Bowl, which you understand better than anyone."

I exhaled as my patience thinned but still intact.

"So stop messing around and just take me to the vault. I’ll pick a few time-rule runes and craft them into rune spirits before we return to our present."

"What? Who in their right mind would let a teenager become the City Lord of an Academic City? That’s like asking the students to teach the class. I don’t believe it," Lucine blurted out, stunned.

She tried to figure out which lunatic thought putting me in charge of the Southern Academic City was a brilliant idea. It wasn’t that she doubted my ability—just my age. I might be exceptionally smart, but did I really have the experience or judgment to manage an entire city, let alone an academic one? In her mind, someone in the Southern Royal Family had clearly lost it. Otherwise, there wasn’t a sane explanation for their decision.

"Believe it or don’t, that doesn’t change anything. Now stop giving me a hard time and let’s get to the vault," I said, rubbing my hands together, already imagining what the time-rule runes stored inside could do.

"Yes, you’re right, Wyatt. It doesn’t change anything. But since you can’t enroll in our university, I’m sorry to say this—you really have no fate with our time rules. You might as well give up," Lucine said. She agreed with my words, yet still refused to pay me with time-rule runes.

I shot her a frown, only to realize she was pretending. After everything she’d said—loyalty, legacy, bravery—if she backed out now, wouldn’t that be humiliating for both her and Morningstar University?

I let out a long sigh and said, "Now who’s being difficult? You just had to test your luck. And look what you’ve done—you’ve put both yourself and Morningstar University in a spot where you either choose to be ungrateful or embarrass yourselves. This is on you. So tell me—will you be ungrateful, or will you bring shame on yourself?"

Lucine could have simply handed over a couple of time-rule runes, but she insisted on pushing her luck. At this point, refusing to give me what I asked for as compensation for curing her would make her look ungrateful, because those runes were actually wartime commodities—despite her insisting they were "legacy." But if she gave them to me now, she’d embarrass herself and the university for treating them like trade goods right after claiming the opposite. No matter what she chose, she’d end up with her own foot in her mouth.

"Aren’t you enjoying this a little too much? Aren’t you even worried?" Lucine asked, trying to threaten me with the idea that she might actually choose to be seen as ungrateful just to save her university’s face by refusing to acknowledge anything. Knowing how much she loved Morningstar University, it wasn’t an empty threat—she might really do it.

"Fine. I’ll help you out this once," I said, giving my head a slow shake, clearly enjoying the situation far more than I should. But honestly, she brought this on herself by trying to act clever without knowing the full story. If she had known who I truly was, she would’ve known better than to mess with me.

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