Chapter 495: Survival and Schemes
"Ah Yun, His Majesty has issued a new imperial edict!" A pink-haired girl burst into the laboratory somewhat rashly.
Inside the lab, Meng Yun paused mid-motion while engraving a core formation. She turned her head helplessly toward the newcomer. "Yuqing, why didn't you knock before coming in? If my hand had slipped just now, this Level 4 acceleration formation would've been ruined."
"Well, whose fault is it for making your lab access code so simple?" The pink-haired girl, called Yuqing, grinned carelessly. "It's always your birthday—maybe you should change it sometime."
"Not many people know my birthday to begin with, and the only one who barges in without knocking is you." Meng Yun rolled her eyes charmingly. "Wait until I finish engraving this formation before you tell me what's going on."
"Alright!" Yuqing tiptoed closer to Meng Yun and watched with envy as a piece of blue-patterned copper gradually took shape under Meng Yun's standard engraving tool—complex patterns and precise holes forming until it became a complete Level 4 core formation.
Carefully finishing the engraving of the Level 4 acceleration formation, Meng Yun finally let out a sigh of relief and used the workbench to clean up and recycle the metal scraps on the table.
Blue-patterned copper was a valuable rare metal. After remelting, these scraps could still yield two or three grams of usable material. Rare metals for crafting spirit tools were expensive, and without much background or resources, Meng Yun had long learned to make the most of the monthly materials provided by the academy.
"Ah Yun, have you mastered all the Level 4 basic core formations?" A voice suddenly sounded beside her, startling the girl who had just relaxed.
Only then did she realize that her roommate, Zhao Yuqing, had been waiting for her for quite a while.
Turning to look at the pink-haired girl who had somehow appeared right next to her, Meng Yun shook her head with a light smile. "Not yet. There are a total of 142 Level 4 basic core formations. I only started learning them after absorbing my fourth spirit ring and reaching Level 41. So far, I've only mastered a little over ninety."
"That's still amazing—it's only been a dozen days!" Zhao Yuqing said with a face full of envy. "Once you master all the basic core formations, you'll be able to combine them and officially start crafting Level 4 spirit tools. I wonder when I'll reach Level 40…"
"Soon enough." Meng Yun rubbed her roommate's head. "If you spent a bit more of your leisure time on cultivation instead of going out, that last level wouldn't be hard… Anyway, enough about that, what did you come to tell me?"
"Oh right, I almost forgot." Zhao Yuqing slapped her forehead, finally remembering her purpose. "His Majesty has issued a new edict—lots of people in the academy are talking about it!"
"A new edict?" Having just reached four spirit rings, Meng Yun had been immersed in the lab these past days, practicing Level 4 basic core formations in hopes of earning her Level 4 Spirit Engineer badge as soon as possible. She had been completely oblivious to outside matters. "Does it have anything to do with the academy?"
"Not really." Zhao Yuqing grinned. "His Majesty plans to develop Mingke Street into the second commercial center of Mingdu City. They say that once it's completed, Mingke Street might rival Sun-Moon Avenue. It's already getting lively over there. Since it's the weekend today, want to go check it out with me?"
"I…" A hint of interest flickered in Meng Yun's eyes, but she hesitated.
"You've been stuck in the lab for over ten days—take a break!" Zhao Yuqing shook Meng Yun's arm.
"That's not the issue." Meng Yun shook her head. "Half a month ago, Qi Sen and I went together to the Jing Yang Mountain Range to test spirit tools. He died due to an accident, and the investigation team hasn't released their final report yet, so I'm not allowed to leave the academy freely for now."
After returning from the Jing Yang Mountain Range, Meng Yun had already reported the explanation she had prepared on the way and handed over Qi Sen's storage spirit tool to prove her innocence. As for everything related to Qi Han, she had never mentioned a single word to anyone.
However, since the case involved the death of a student, Meng Yun's one-sided explanation could not be accepted directly by the academy. An investigation team had already been dispatched to the Jing Yang Mountain Range to look into the matter. During this period, she was still under suspicion of harming a fellow student and was not allowed to leave the academy freely.
Qi Sen's teacher, in particular, was furious about the incident and insisted that the academy hold Meng Yun accountable.
These past few days, Meng Yun had stayed in the laboratory day and night—partly to avoid trouble.
So when faced with her roommate's invitation, although she wanted to go out and take a look, she couldn't.
"Xiao Yun, you can go out now." At that moment, a voice came from outside the laboratory. A composed middle-aged woman slowly walked in, her expression somewhat complex as she looked at Meng Yun.
"Teacher, I…" Meng Yun widened her eyes as she looked at her mentor.
"The investigation results are out. Qi Sen's death has nothing to do with you. You're no longer restricted from leaving the academy."
"But what about Teacher Li?" Meng Yun still looked uneasy.
Teacher Li was Qi Sen's mentor. If she went out now, wouldn't he refuse to let the matter rest?
"Don't worry, he won't say anything anymore." Qin Wanqiu shook her head, signaling her student to be at ease.
Yet her thoughts were far from calm.
She knew her disciple well. From certain subtle movements Meng Yun made while reporting the incident after returning, Qin Wanqiu had already suspected that Qi Sen's death must have some connection to her. Subsequent investigation had also confirmed that Meng Yun did bear some relation to his death.
Just as she had been preparing to find a way to protect her student, a secret order suddenly arrived from the palace—to suppress the matter entirely, and even to strictly forbid Qi Sen's teacher from pursuing trouble against Meng Yun.
This student of ordinary background… when did she establish ties with the palace?
Thinking of this, Qin Wanqiu's brows furrowed slightly, and a deeper meaning flickered in her eyes.
Meng Yun, however, did not notice anything unusual about her teacher's expression. Upon learning that her suspicion had been cleared, the gloom weighing on her heart for over ten days instantly vanished, and her expression became much lighter.
"Then, Teacher, Yuqing and I will go take a walk around Mingke Street."
"Go ahead." Qin Wanqiu forced a faint smile. As the two girls left the laboratory cheering, her expression turned solemn once more.
Meng Yun being protected by the palace was clearly a good thing—but why did she feel that Meng Yun had become entangled in an even greater trouble?
…
Inside the council hall, Prime Minister Zhou Yuan was discussing state affairs with Xu Haolong when a sudden commotion came from outside.
"Urgent report from the Secret Intelligence Division!"
"Enter," Xu Haolong said in a clear voice. A figure quickly stepped into the hall, saluted the two men, and carefully handed the confidential report to Xu Haolong.
After glancing at it once, a faint smile appeared on Xu Haolong's face. He passed the report to Zhou Yuan. "The student named Meng Yun from the Sun Moon Royal Spirit Engineer Academy is already on her way to Mingke Street."
Ten days had been enough for them to investigate every trace of Qi Han's appearances across the Sun Moon Continent. Much information that had previously been unknown had gradually come to light during this process.
Although Qi Han and his group had tried their best to remain hidden, they had inevitably left behind some clues.
Qi Han had once appeared near the Jing Yang Mountain Range, and at almost the same time, a student from the Sun Moon Royal Spirit Engineer Academy had died there. Two seemingly unrelated events had thus been linked together.
As the sole survivor—and very likely a witness—Meng Yun quickly drew the attention of Prime Minister Zhou Yuan.
Since there were still no concrete leads, and considering Meng Yun's status as a student of the academy—which meant they had to be mindful of the Imperial Teacher and the Hall Master of Hongchen Hall—Zhou Yuan and Xu Haolong decided to proceed cautiously. They would first arrange, subtly and indirectly, for Meng Yun and Qi Han to meet, and observe whether there were any unusual reactions between them before making further plans.
If it could be confirmed that Meng Yun and Qi Han knew each other, then many of their plans could proceed naturally.
The ruler and his minister exchanged a knowing smile, their eyes filled with tacit understanding.
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