The next day.
Li Andy, dressed in a black monk's robe, followed Sister Anna to the academy under the guise of spreading the gospel.
The academy gate remained as calm as usual; yesterday's commotion seemed not to have escalated into big news.
The disturbance made yesterday seemed not to have become big news.
Upon seeing the church representatives, the school not only readily granted entry but also specially arranged a student guide, showing exceptional enthusiasm.
Li Andy's eyebrow twitched when he saw the student guide, and he almost failed to control his expression.
It was Windsor!
The corpse that had been torn into several pieces yesterday now stood perfectly intact before him.
"Nice to meet you for the first time, esteemed sirs," Windsor said, slightly lifting her skirt and bowing slightly, performing a standard greeting.
"Dong!"
At this moment, the bell chimed, and everyone instinctively looked up.
Li Andy frowned slightly, noticing that the broken hand of the clock tower had been repaired. The hand's dark color and mottled rust were exactly the same as before, as if... it had never broken.
After the bell chimed, Windsor withdrew her gaze, a mysterious smile playing on her lips, and led the way:
"Sirs, please follow me. We can talk as we walk. Our academy was first established during the gold rush..."
While listening to Windsor's introduction, he followed her into the academy, visiting various areas in sequence.
Gardens, ballrooms, tea rooms, study rooms...
The hall that had been burned, the ceiling that had collapsed, and the floor that had caved in yesterday showed no trace today!
It was as if that riot was merely an illusory dream.
How was this even possible?
Even with the modern industrial level of his previous life, it would be difficult to achieve such quick and perfect restoration, right?
Li Andy wandered for a long time but found no abnormalities.
Even for Windsor, who walked in front of him, he could not sense any non-human aura from her.
It was nearing noon.
Sister Anna bid farewell, and the Dean of the academy came to see them off:
"Sister Anna, how do you find our school's environment?"
"Very clean, Mr. Dean," Anna replied with a light laugh.
The Dean also smiled, his back straight:
"We are all bathed in the light of the Lord, so naturally, there is no defilement. Furthermore... we also plan to build a small chapel on campus to listen to the Lord's teachings.
"I wonder, Sister Anna, would you be willing to preach at our school? As support for your ministry, we would be honored to offer you considerable remuneration."
Anna's mouth slightly parted, her hands gently clasped in front of her chest, a smile appearing on her face:
"That's a beautiful vision. The Lord will surely favor you all.
"May the Lord's gracious hand personally guide you forward..."
Leaving the academy, they entered the carriage.
Li Andy was about to speak but was interrupted by Anna's cold warning:
"Andy, I didn't detect any evil aura."
"From now on, don't make such jokes."
"As a member of the church, you need to learn how to discern the truth of reports."
Li Andy paused, slowly averted his gaze, and nodded:
"I understand, Sister Anna."
...
Night deepened.
On the church roof, crow caws rose and fell.
On the church roof, crows cawed incessantly.
A blurry figure quietly slipped out from the side door.
Wind surged, and a thin sliver of moonlight pierced through the clouds, spilling onto Li Andy's face, also illuminating another figure hidden outside the door.
Li Andy's pupils suddenly constricted as he fixed his gaze on the figure:
"Sophia?"
Sophia, dressed in her school uniform, stepped out of the shadows and stood in the moonlight, her eyes fixed directly on him:
"You're going to the academy?"
"Why didn't you call me?"
Li Andy was slightly stunned:
"Didn't you say you were afraid of danger? That place isn't safe..."
"Then why are you still going?!"
Sophia stepped closer, until their noses were almost touching.
"If something happens to you, what about Youxi?"
"Didn't you say you were her anchor!"
Li Andy instinctively took a step back and replied:
"I have a trump card; I won't die."
Sophia lowered her eyes, pondered for a few seconds, then looked up and said:
"Take me with you!"
"..." Li Andy fell silent.
"Do you think I'll be a burden?" Sophia frowned.
"..." Li Andy remained silent.
Sophia's eyes reddened slightly, and she gritted her teeth, stepping forward to grab his collar, angrily saying:
"I know the way there better than you!"
"Besides, today I survived three moves under Sister Emi!"
"I'm progressing even without those things!"
Looking at the girl's eager desire to prove herself, Li Andy couldn't help but be stunned, then after a moment, he spoke:
"Uh... actually, I was just hesitating whether to give you overtime pay."
Sophia first froze, then a blush crept onto her cheeks, and she gritted her teeth, pushing Li Andy away forcefully:
"Who wants your stinky money!"
Li Andy smiled and took her hand naturally:
"You said it. Let's go, the carriage has been waiting for a long time."
...
Clouds obscured the dark moon, and the night was as black as ink.
Under the dark sky, the academy resembled a gloomy, colossal tomb.
Sophia led Li Andy, avoiding the night patrols, and found a low, narrow opening, planning to crawl into the academy from there.
"I'll go first."
Sophia very simply lay down in front of him and crawled into the hole using both hands and feet, not caring about her image at all.
Li Andy's mouth twitched as he looked at the wiggling, full peach in front of him and couldn't help but ask:
"Do you often skip class?"
The peach suddenly trembled, and a sound came:
"Only skipped etiquette class! Anyway... that class doesn't give any information! Rather than sitting there like being tortured, I'd rather go out and wander around."
"..."
Li Andy was speechless, and some memories from his youth flashed through his mind.
He had skipped many classes and climbed many walls before, but he had never crawled through a dog hole...
And, weren't you afraid of getting stuck inside?
In response, the peach gave him a shake from side to side, then completely disappeared into the hole.
A few seconds later, a voice came from the other side,
"Hey, I'm in."
"Hurry up, the patrols will be here soon!"
Li Andy shook his head helplessly, bent down, and moved forward with difficulty.
He secretly decided in his heart that in the future... he must get a relic that could fly and pass through walls!
After crossing the psychological barrier, the two emerged from the hole and stood up, officially entering the academy grounds.
The night wind that greeted them was noticeably colder than outside the wall, making them feel as if they had stepped into another world.
"Andy, you said when you came during the day, all those traces were gone?" Sophia asked.
Li Andy patted the dust off himself:
"Yes, everywhere I visited, there were none."
Sophia's delicate brows furrowed as she pointed nearby:
"But what's that?"
Following her Orientation, a large pit appeared in front of the teaching building, with a spear-like clock hand impaled diagonally within it.
Li Andy raised an eyebrow:
"Perhaps, the way I entered this morning was wrong?"
Sophia withdrew her finger and, without questioning him, asked with her arms crossed: "How did they do it?"
"I'm not sure, there's a light over there, let's go check it out first..."
