Card Apprentice Daily Log

Chapter 2501: Hypocrisy

Date: Unspecified

Time: Unspecified

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

”Young man, is this your first time out of your lab? Or are you just ignorant enough to underestimate the top ten universities? Considering you are from the Southern Region, I bet on the latter. You guys have nothing to show for yet are very proud of themselves. Don’t think I didn’t notice your judging eyes. At first it was amusing, but now it’s just annoying,” Lucine remarked, listening to the boy question why they didn’t hold the number one university position in the Card World despite having the Labyrinth of Myriad Past.

Lucine found the boy’s judging eyes amusing when she initially thought he was just an ignorant genius from the improvised South. However, that amusement soon turned into annoyance when she realized he wasn’t the ignorant genius she had assumed him to be.

No, Lucine wasn’t looking down on the boy. She found him looking down on Morningstar University amusing. However, when she began to sense that he had the capital to look down on Morningstar University, she no longer thought it was amusing but annoying. ’How dare he look down on Morningstar University?’

She lost it when he collectively looked down on the top ten universities by asking her why Morningstar University wasn’t already the number one university. Yes, there was little to misunderstand about what the boy said, but that was what made it so infuriating. Telling her that her rivals weren’t good enough was the same as telling her that she wasn’t good enough.

Clearly, Lucine didn’t like this feeling of not being good enough compared to him. It had been a while since she felt like that from a fellow Card Apprentice, let alone one from a lower realm. As for her lashing out, it was instinctive.

”Calm down. I also noticed the amusement in your eyes towards me. You don’t see me complaining,” I defended, staring into Lucine’s eyes. ”Man, you people from the central region are so entitled.”

”Woah! What do you mean by entitled? It’s not our fault that students across the five regions want to join us,” Lucine remarked, but it made no sense to me, so I asked in puzzlement, ”What?”

”You know what I mean. You are the one who dragged the entire central region into this,” Lucine replied, not bothering to expand on it.

”So, you attacked the Southern Universities? Are you twelve?” I looked at Lucine in disbelief. Instead of a generous elder, she was now acting like a spoiled little brat.

”Young man, have you no shame? You’re the one who looked down on my university and verbally attacked the Central Region, forgetting I’m your elder. Yet you remember I’m your elder only when I defend my university and nation?” Lucine spoke the first thing that came to her mind. She didn’t care how it made her sound; she just wanted to win this argument against the boy. She was competitive like that.

”Wait, I only brought up the central region because you brought up the southern region firs and when did you become my elder? That’s beside the point. I just wanted to know if the other top universities had their own aces like your Labyrinth of Myriad Pasts. I meant no offense by it,” I explained, no longer planning to continue bickering with Lucine, who seemed to be desperate about this for some reason. So, I let get away with it.

”Why didn’t you directly ask that then?” Lucine complained before proceeding to answer me, ”Yes, all top ten universities have inheritances left by their predecessors. Not just us; the royal and noble families, the big sects, and hidden clans—they all have an inheritance from their ancestors. Not all of these inheritances are as glorious as our Labyrinth of Myriad Pasts, but they are enough for them to maintain their feeble existence for several generations. This is precisely why we are able to survive despite the tyranny of the current government.”

”By chance, do you know what the inheritances of the other top universities are?” I asked, pushing my luck as much as possible. Hoping, Lucine was still feeling generous after our friendly banter.

”Just a little, like how the five regions think that Morningstar University’s inheritance is the ’garden of beginning’ and the time vestige. No outsider except you knows about our labyrinths of Myriad Pasts. I don’t know why, but there is something oddly satisfying and addicting about sharing a secret. So, what do you think, is Morningstar university where you see your future?” Lucine asked, though I felt she was conveying that if I said no, she would have to silence me.

”You are too honest. Are you sure it’s okay to share this information with me?” I asked Lucine, ignoring her attempt to get me to enroll at Morningstar University. Also, I was a little concerned if she should be so honest with me. I got the feeling she didn’t share everything she knew with me, but I also felt that what shared with me was more than enough to get her into trouble.

”Should I be concerned? What are you going to do with this information? Post it on the grimoire network. It will get deleted or buried in piles of useless posts right after you post it. Besides, I know you are smart enough to know better than to do that,” Lucine said nonchalantly while I was stuck trying to figure out if it was a threat or a warning from his well-wishing elder.

”You really don’t know who I am, do you?” I said to Lucine, finally confirming that she truly had no idea who I am except for what Dean Faust told her about me.

”Why are you famous, or someone important, or something? Sam wrote that you are the Card World’s future. I don’t know why he would think that, but I bet he had a good reason to do so. Honestly, I haven’t been keeping up with current news. It’s already a miracle that I’m talking to you without forgetting midway and wondering where and what I’m doing,” Lucine explained, not wanting the boy to misunderstand her. Also, she knew that though her bet on creating a perfect clone had worked, she knew it wasn’t a cure or permanent measure against her Time Rule Dementia.

”Forget about it,” I brushed off answering Lucine on that. Instead, asked her, ”So, who far into the past have you guys traveled?”