287. Otto's Olive Branch
Yun Ling felt as if his body was sinking into an endless abyss of darkness, his thoughts and consciousness seemingly connected to the sea.
Boundless waves and endless raging tides washed over everything in his body.
Was this feeling terrible? No! This feeling was incredibly comfortable.
Leviathan, the mythical monster that rules the sea, is the original sin of envy.
The sea is His true authority!
Encompassing all, devouring everything.
Life is born from the ocean, as if it were the beginning of everything, the root of everything.
Water is merely a derivative of His authority.
At this moment, Leviathan within Yun Ling's body had awakened, its complete power flowing through him, each breath seemingly imbued with the rhythm of life.
Leviathan, Development Progress: 20%!
Yun Ling slowly opened his eyes. For a fleeting moment, he seemed to see the world at its very beginning.
He saw the colossal sea monster, seemingly capable of swallowing the world whole.
"Is this... Leviathan?" Yun Ling's fingers lightly traced the air, a string of beautiful water droplets flowing from his fingertips.
"No, that's not right. I should say... I am Leviathan!"
...
"Chaoyu, good morning!" Yun Ling greeted Lin Chaoyu.
"Yun Ling, good morning... Your strength has improved again?" Lin Chaoyu looked at Yun Ling as if he were a monster.
Unlike his previous slightly sharp sword intent, Yun Ling's swordsmanship now seemed to have been stripped of its embellishments, possessing a sense of returning to simplicity.
And this feeling... she had only seen in Fu Hua.
"A little insight, a little insight," Yun Ling humbly waved his hand.
Even with Lin Chaoyu's strong personality, it was difficult to remain calm; this speed of comprehension was simply too fast.
How much time had passed? Yun Ling was already approaching Fu Hua's level?
It felt like just yesterday they were discussing sword techniques, and now Yun Ling had already reached the Martial Arts Grandmaster level while he was still stuck in the same place.
Suddenly, Yun Ling subconsciously looked in a certain direction. Rita, who was secretly observing, was startled and immediately hid.
She hadn't expected Yun Ling's senses to be so sharp; even from such a distance, he could notice someone watching him.
Rita was incredibly confident in her ability to conceal her presence.
Even Durandal sometimes couldn't detect her 100%.
"What's wrong?" Lin Chaoyu asked.
"Nothing, probably just some little admirers watching me," Yun Ling said smugly.
"Yun Ling is indeed quite popular at the academy," Lin Chaoyu said, a smile suddenly appearing on her face, as if she had just thought of something.
"Oh? How so?" Yun Ling raised an eyebrow, unaware of this himself.
After all, he mostly lingered around a few girls and rarely paid attention to others.
"It seems Yun Ling is unaware of his own charm. Hmm... haven't you received any love letters since coming to St. Freya Academy?" Lin Chaoyu inquired.
"Hiss... don't bring up such a painful topic." Yun Ling suddenly felt a pang of hurt.
"Yun Ling, you don't need to be like that. Actually, many people have written you love letters, but they've all been secretly dealt with." Lin Chaoyu said mysteriously.
"What? Secretly dealt with? Could it be a yandere doing it?" Yun Ling suddenly shuddered.
Yanderes aren't scary; what's scary is when the yandere's object of affection is himself—that would be truly terrible.
"What are you thinking about all day?" Lin Chaoyu's face darkened, then she began to explain.
"Actually, you have quite a few fans in the academy. After all, you're academically excellent, good-looking, and unmatched in combat. You were the first A-rank Knight in your grade, so naturally, you received a lot of attention."
"But I haven't felt anything at all," Yun Ling shrugged.
"Let me finish," Lin Chaoyu glared at him. He kept interrupting her; she didn't need a straight man.
"So your fans spontaneously formed a support group. Not long ago, I accidentally saw their password: 'Protect the best Lingling.' The password token was cloud-shaped. They don't want to disturb your normal school life, so they're secretly 'protecting' you."
Lin Chaoyu explained the whole story while suppressing a laugh.
Yun Ling felt so embarrassed that he could practically dig his toes out of his shoes. These restless teenage girls, I'd actually love playing with you all! There's absolutely no need for you to secretly protect me!
Suddenly, Yun Ling seemed to realize a blind spot.
"Wait, Chaoyu, you know so much about this, could it be... You have it too?" Yun Ling stared at her suspiciously.
Lin Chaoyu's smile froze instantly.
So the smile didn't disappear, it just shifted.
"I need to ask the other classmates about it. I want to join Chaoyu's fan club!" Yun Ling suddenly became interested.
"Stop talking..." Lin Chaoyu covered her face with one hand and slapped him twice with the other.
"Yun Ling, Lin Chaoyu, good day." Rita greeted them as if she had just passed by.
"Miss Rita/Senior, hello." The two replied.
"I apologize for interrupting your enjoyment, but since you're both here, I'd like to convey something to you. Please come to my shop," Rita explained.
Lin Chaoyu and Yun Ling exchanged a glance and followed Rita to her dessert shop.
The streets were quiet at this time, and the dessert shop was naturally not yet open.
Rita first prepared desserts and black tea for them, then stood beside them.
"Please enjoy," Rita said with a smile.
"Eating this in the morning…it'll make me fat, won't it?" Lin Chaoyu was clearly a little concerned about her figure.
"Are we here to be guinea pigs trying out your new product?" Yun Ling didn't seem to care much, taking a small scoop and putting it in his mouth to taste.
The smooth texture was delightful, his saliva flowing freely, urging him to take another bite.
"It tastes even better than last time! Miss Rita's cooking skills have improved again," Yun Ling couldn't help but praise.
"If Yun Ling likes it, then I'm relieved," Rita said, feigning a relieved expression.
Seeing Yun Ling's expression, Lin Chaoyu couldn't resist taking a bite, and then couldn't stop eating.
Seeing that the two of them were enjoying their meal, Rita felt a surge of pride.
"Now, let's get down to business. Actually, I'm here on behalf of the Schicksal Headquarters to invite you both," Rita finally steered the conversation onto the right track.
"During my time at St. Freya Academy, I've noticed that Lin Chaoyu and Yun Ling have both performed exceptionally well, possessing talents far surpassing others. However… while St. Freya Academy's resources are among the best in the branches, they still lag behind the Schicksal Headquarters."
"Therefore, I've come to invite you both to join Schicksal Headquarters and become warriors directly under the Schicksal Bishop 'Otto Apocalypse.' With your strength, I believe becoming S-rank Valkyrie or Knight is only a matter of time."
"Schicksal Headquarters will also custom-make a fourth-generation Valkyrie or Knight armor for you two, greatly enhancing your combat abilities. We will also invest a significant amount of resources in you, training you to become the most outstanding warriors."
Rita smiled as she explained the various benefits of Schicksal Headquarters to the two, hoping to persuade them to join.
…