We walked to Director Xiao's office in awkward silence. Awkward only for my girls, that is. So we got naughty in a sacred cultivation spot—so what? Be proud! Countless breakthroughs in the Three-Step Tower, but how many times have two girls—or even one—been satisfied there at once? My gut says we're probably first!
Knocking on the heavy door and hearing a curt "Enter," I opened it, let the girls go first, and closed it. Turning, I saw the director eyeing the girls—who looked like schoolgirls flustered before their crush—with a strange gaze, then shifting to me.
"Mu Bai, I'm curious why..."
He started, but flustered TuTu cut him off.
"W-we didn't do anything indecent in the Three-Step Tower! It's all slander! Didn't happen! I'm a virgin!"
Covering her face, my first girl squeaked loudly. The loud slap of Jiao Jiao's palm on her own face a second later was hard to miss.
"..."
The director nearly choked, shifting from steam-eared TuTu to me. His gaze turned judgmental but mildly; his lip corners twitched genuinely as he barely held back laughter. Old fox, I'll remember this someday.
"Director, you had a question?"
I refused to comment and tried steering things normally.
"Ahem, yes, right. I wanted to ask why you reported the potential attack only to the Magical Court and didn't inform your home university. I could've assigned instructors for support, and those few deaths might've been avoided."
Wiping the smile off his face, the director asked seriously.
"Well, first of all, my information wasn't confirmed. Even I wasn't sure of its reliability. Secondly, with all due respect to the teachers of this wonderful university, they're just people on a salary, sitting in a safe city and haven't seen real battles for a long time. They're not obligated to protect students outside the university unless it's an organized graduation exam. What should I demand from such people? And as for you, Principal, I wouldn't have dragged you out no matter how much I wanted to, just like old Bao. Where is he, by the way? With his temperament, it wouldn't be strange for him to ignore a student massacre, but an attack on the city by a powerful Warlord should have stirred him up." I explained everything as it was and asked the questions that interested me personally.
"Eh." Leaning back in his luxurious armchair, the Principal sighed sadly.
"You're right about the teachers, I won't argue. Few of them would mindlessly agree to such a mission, especially without solid proof. And you wouldn't have pulled me out, well spotted, especially when a senior Warlord is approaching the city. Even if I went with you, I'd rush to the wall at the first alarm. I'm forced to set priorities, and students, unfortunately, can't be my top ones." The Principal sighed sadly again, finally revealing his Warlord level.
"As for Bao... I don't know how you found out about his position; apparently his granddaughter is chattier than I thought. That day he was absent from the city. As far as I know, he went off for some rare resource and hasn't returned yet. The Black Church timed their attack perfectly. Fortunately, you were there to prevent the irreversible." The old man nodded gratefully to us, and the girls puffed up with pride. After all, I had told them how strong our Principal is, and his gratitude flattered them and boosted their self-esteem. Look, they even forgot their embarrassment.
"Yes, we're awesome and very useful. And we'd like some tangible proof of that, not just verbal thanks." I made a gesture everyone understood, rubbing my thumb against the tips of my index and ring fingers. The Principal's eye twitched at that, and my girls covered their eyes with their palms, stunned by my greed. But they definitely weren't judging; they were just trying to look innocent in front of the Principal. I'll punish them for that later, heh-heh.
"Ahem, well, rewarding you as heroes is natural. For your contribution to saving the future generation of mages and preserving citizens' lives, you're entitled to many perks..." The Principal started spouting nonsense, but I interrupted him.
"So, what's the reward? I wouldn't say no to a Heavenly Seed, Earth Fruit, or at worst an artifact suited for a Curse mage. For growth, so to speak." The Principal nearly choked on my audacity.
"Your deeds are undoubtedly noble and worthy of future pillars of the magical community... but at that price, someone would strangle you before the reward and say you died from hidden wounds after a heroic battle." Rubbing his nose bridge tiredly, the Principal sighed. For example, he himself wasn't given an Earth Fruit despite all his lifetime achievements, many of which were far more substantial than saving one generation of a specific university.
"Eh, those stingy old folks. Then how about topping off our National Team tickets? Not much left anyway. I think Shanghai can cover that." I stated my true goal. After all, getting an Earth Fruit or Heavenly Seed myself would be easier. Less hassle.
"That's more realistic. You saved many clan members. Our university has far fewer than the Imperial one, but they're still here. And the city administration will help. In short, consider yourselves already on the National Team." The Principal waved at us, exhaling in relief. After my previous request, this seemed like the height of generosity to him, and it pretty much was. With our merits, I could demand much more. But why? Let Tang Yue and the Magic Tribunal take the rest of the unpaid merits. They earned it.
"And how is the team captain position chosen, Principal?" I asked with a sly, fox-like grin, what seemed like an ordinary question.
"... By a fight among the team members." Sighing tiredly, the Principal rolled his eyes to the ceiling. He knows that with my strength, no one will snatch that position from me. He should be happy—I'm a Mingzhu student, and my captaincy would greatly boost the university's reputation. On the other hand, he knows my character, so he understands the team won't be calm.
"Well, since we have nothing more to discuss, we'll take our leave." Satisfied with the advantages gained, I decided to wrap up. Strange, though, the Principal didn't mention...
"Wait a minute." He called out to us as we turned to leave. When we faced him, he asked:
"What do you know about the University Exchange?" After this question I'd been waiting for the whole conversation, my eyes lit up with a playful spark. Looks like it's time to meet my cousin again. Haven't seen her in ages. Wonder how she's doing?