Chapter 324: A Disconcerting Hypothesis
Chapter 324: A Disconcerting Hypothesis
Xiao Lin did not fall asleep until it was very late. By the time he woke up again, he noticed that it was already daytime. He chastised himself for sleeping that deeply, as it was particularly unwise to do so in such an atrocious environment.
The sky—still shrouded by death energy—remained gray without any visible traces of sunlight. There was still nothing for them to eat during the day, so Xiao Lin and Lilith could only continue staring while Ibeiya munched happily on some bread.
“When will your people come here?” Ibeiya became lively after filling her stomach.
“This is the fifth time you’ve asked today. Are you scared? ” Xiao Lin asked.
Ibeiya pursed her lips and did not speak any further.
Based on Lilith’s estimation, Dawn Academy would not be slow to react after detecting the anomalous situation in Wildfire Town. Even if it took some time to break the death energy from outside, Dawn Academy had plenty of talented people and death energy alone could not possibly stop them.
Therefore, they were definitely going to be safe. Holding on that mindset, they did not make much of it even after enduring hunger that morning. The clock tower in the square allowed them to count down the time, but when afternoon came, they still did not see any rescuers coming over.
Lilith could not resist asking half-teasingly, “Does Dawn Academy place that little importance on us? Or are you guys really that inefficient?”
Xiao Lin did not think that Dawn Academy placed no importance on them. Other factors aside, the fact that he had an SS-level talent meant that the dean could not possibly abandon him that easily. Xiao Lin was absolutely confident in that respect, which was why he did not feel uneasy even until then.
However, Lilith’s casual remark made Xiao Lin’s heart thump uncomfortably, as he realized that he seemed to have forgotten one very important aspect.
Indeed, Xiao Lin had an SS-level talent, but he almost forgot that the scythe-wielding woman next to him had an SS-level talent too!
Xiao Lin could never forget his unjustified house arrest back in New Washington, where he was detained simply on the suspicion of the dragon-eagle knights’ commander. He would not be that naïve to think that the colonial academies would be as united as a family. They all appeared united in the outside world, but the disputes between the academies were more intense internally, especially when it came to resources or the population. In recent decades, the external conflicts with the Normans had gradually eased, while disputes over internal interests have become more prominent.
If the Americans would think of detaining Xiao Lin, would Dawn Academy do the same after knowing that Lilith was close at hand? Or could it be possible that Dawn Academy would do something much more ruthless than the Americans?
On the bright side, it was plainly inappropriate for Dawn Academy to take any direct action, because it would definitely result in interference by all the other academies, which could potentially spark internal wars. However, if Lilith’s life could be ended by Asabanor’s hand, the justifications and excuses were so plentiful that it made for an absolutely flawless plan.
Xiao Lin could no longer remain as calm as he was moments ago. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that the possibility was very high. That Dawn Academy was able to stand tall for more than two centuries was a sign that the higher-ups who controlled the academy were no saints. That was the reason for Xiao Lin’s surprise and hesitation when the student union president proposed for Lilith to come alone. Xiao Lin did not want Lilith to come over and risk her life, but it was unfortunate that the woman inherently enjoyed the fun of taking risks.
He was already mentally prepared for all of that, but the one thing he found unacceptable was that Dawn Academy did not send a rescue team even after so much time had passed. Their hidden intention was clearly to kill him along with Lilith!
If Xiao Lin speculated along the worst possible lines, he was even able to think up a perfect excuse for Dawn Academy: ‘How can Judge Academy suspect that we did this on purpose when we lost our own SS-level too?’
The nearby resurrection tower would be even easier to deal with. Xiao Lin already knew from the third monthly exam that the resurrection tower was not indestructible, and the blame could logically be placed on Asabanor, the old acquaintance of Judge Academy. Without the resurrection tower, Xiao Lin and Lilith could only become wandering souls. Resurrection was no longer possible despite the existence of the resurrection law.
Was it a good deal to exchange Xiao Lin for Lilith?
Xiao Lin did not want to think about such a thing and continued to convince himself that the dean would not do something like that. Lilith still appeared rather indifferent, although she might have also sensed such an intention but kept it to herself instead of expressing them.
The calmest person was still Ibeiya. Contaminated food and water had no effect on her, but her intelligence was very advanced for her age. She could more or less see that Xiao Lin and Lilith were almost given up, so she kindly gave a suggestion, “If nothing else works, why not come and join my family?”
“And become a vampire?” Lilith narrowed her eyes.
“Do you just need to bite us?” Xiao Lin was purely curious. Talking was better than thinking mindlessly to himself.
“Bite? Why do I need to bite you? I don’t eat humans, Uncle!” Ibeiya said aggrievedly.
Xiao Lin cleared his throat a few times and ignored Lilith rolling her eyes. He realized that he had been misled by movies on earth again, so waved his hand and said, “Just kidding. Uh, don’t mind me. You can just explain it.”
“It’s actually very simple. I can use my blood to transform your physique. It’s completely unnecessary to do something as horrible as biting other people!”
“Ah, so you don’t need to bite me, but I would have to bite you?” Xiao Lin teased. Lilith then rolled her eyes at him again, as if to say, ‘You sick pervert.’
Lilith questioned skeptically, “It can’t be that simple? If it was, the number of vampires would have increased everywhere, but as far as I know, your race is actually very scarce in number. You do know that, don’t you?”
Ibeiya pursed her lips, ” Of course I do. The blood which has transformative properties derives from lifeblood, and it takes a huge toll on the body. Although the lifeblood of each vampire can be regenerated, the cycle is extremely long, up to decades or even centuries.”
“But you’re only a little vampire. Does that mean you have to transform someone else, then have that person transform another person?” Xiao Lin teased.
“Of course not! Our lifeblood needs sufficient time, and I barely managed to save enough of my lifeblood to transform others!”
Lilith could not help but smile, “Then just let this pervy perv transform. I’m not interested in becoming a vampire. ”
“Neither do I! I prefer being human!”
Xiao Lin spread out his palms helplessly. Although that was what he said, an inevitable thought flashed through his mind. If Dawn Academy really wanted to abandon him and Lilith, and if the dense death energy continued to linger in the air for a long time, perhaps becoming a vampire was a good alternative to starving to death there?