Chapter Forty-Seven: A Temporary Farewell

Lando put away the metal box. The king had actually guessed wrong in one respect—Lando did not have much need for the information within. The main reason he had retrieved it was to exchange it for academic credits. Though he had not yet chosen his path as an arcanist and still had a purple undead-type talent available, Lando had no intention of pursuing the necromancy school. After all, the Silver Tower's system was already highly refined—how could it be compared to a patchwork of disparate knowledge?

Ignoring the horrified guards, Lando returned to the altar, and after a brief study, dismantled the entire teleportation array and packed it away. Such teleportation arrays had many flaws: limited range, single use unless connected to a power source, the need to lock onto the coordinates of another array, and a vulnerability to destruction. But despite these drawbacks, it was still a teleportation array, and the rare materials used in its construction were genuine.

Humming a tune as he left the chaos of the palace behind, Lando made his way directly to the inn. The city, deep in the night, was still calm, not yet plunged into disorder. He woke the groggy Hannah and young Dick; upon seeing Lando, the two immediately snapped awake, all drowsiness gone.

“Mr. Lando, how did it go? Did you gain anything?” Dick asked anxiously.

They had assumed Lando was only gathering information, as, in their minds, the royal palace was a dragon’s lair—deadly and impenetrable.

Lando gave them a brief account of what had happened, omitting the details of the laboratory and matters of destiny.

The two listened in stunned silence. They could scarcely believe so much had happened in such a short span, and even less that it was all the doing of the man before them.

Lando produced Hannah’s remnant soul, which should also contain the prince’s soul. Souls extracted by the system were typically transformed into soul armaments, but that assumed the extraction of a complete soul. In this case, Lando could not predict the outcome.

Hannah’s gaze was fixed on the soul in Lando’s hands, unable to look away. Lando could distinctly feel the soul drifting toward Hannah, as though being drawn back—was this ‘returning’?

“This is your incomplete soul, but due to certain accidents, the prince’s soul has merged with it, along with some other changes. The choice is yours,” Lando said.

But these words were almost meaningless. Hannah was only clinging to life by a thread; refusing the fusion meant certain death, while accepting it merely carried some risk.

As expected, Hannah immediately replied with resolve, “Mr. Lando, if it’s possible, please return it to me.”

“Very well.”

Lando released his hold on the remnant soul, and it drifted unimpeded toward Hannah, merging into her body.

As the soul entered, subtle changes came over Hannah, and she promptly lost consciousness. Dick caught her just in time to keep her from collapsing to the floor.

“Mr. Lando, what’s happening?” Dick asked anxiously.

Lando checked her condition. Her vital signs were stable and even improving. “It’s all right. Lay her on the bed,” he instructed.

Hannah had entered a deeper mental realm, where she could feel the weakness of her soul, but also the influx of kindred spirit, gradually making her whole again. Occasionally, strange memories and thoughts surfaced—remnants of the prince’s soul, which she instinctively began to absorb.

As Hannah’s soul merged, Lando suddenly paused, immersing his mind in the system. He discovered that as the remnant soul diminished, the connection to Hannah’s soul did not fade, but grew even stronger.

“Could it be…?”

After some time, Hannah’s body trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes, giving a gentle smile to her two companions. “Mr. Lando, Brother Dick.”

“Hannah, are you all right? How do you feel? Is anything wrong?” Dick asked in alarm.

“Don’t worry, Brother Dick, I’m better than ever. Thank you, Mr. Lando.” She reassured Dick, then turned to thank Lando once more.

“There, I’ve kept my promise. Tomorrow morning, chaos will erupt in the capital. What do you plan to do?” Lando asked, observing Hannah. She seemed unchanged, except for a subtle difference in the way she looked at him—a sense of closeness and trust that he could not quite define.

Suddenly, an interface appeared before Lando’s eyes, revealing Hannah’s soul attributes:

Name: Hannah
Soul: Blue (100%)
Talents: Focus (Blue), Earth Element Manipulation (Blue), Advanced Life Energy Affinity (Green), Photographic Memory (Green), Listening (Green), Damaged Destiny (Green)

Focus (Blue): Easier to concentrate when thinking or working, less likely to be distracted by external factors.

He could actually see Hannah’s attributes! He was certain he hadn’t been able to when she was unconscious.

‘A pity her soul is only Blue (100%); otherwise, I could have tried to enhance it with soul essence. It seems the system still holds many secrets for me to discover!’

Though delighted by this new ability, Lando had no intention of experimenting further on Hannah.

“Mr. Lando, do you have any advice?” Hannah asked.

“Advice? If you had a strong foundation, you might contend for the throne, but as it is, I suggest you leave the capital, avoid the coming turmoil, and consider your options later.”

Lando could have forcibly put Hannah on the throne, but if everything depended on his power, the kingdom would remain in chaos, and the moment he left, Hannah would likely be overthrown. He had no intention of lingering here.

The three found Jamie at the designated meeting spot, and Lando led them out of the city.

“Well, all good things must come to an end. It’s time for us to part ways,” Lando said with a smile.

Dick was surprised. “Mr. Lando, you’re leaving already?”

“Yes, I am a traveler by inclination, after all. It’s time for a new journey, to set out for unknown destinations! It’s been a pleasure to know you all. Until we meet again!” With that, Lando turned and walked away without another word.

Hannah remained silent until his figure vanished from sight, then murmured to herself, “A traveler by inclination, is he?”

She took two steps forward, then turned resolutely. “Brother Jamie, Brother Dick, I want to become this country’s queen. You’ll help me, won’t you?”

Dick was dumbfounded, but Jamie, seemingly unsurprised, asked, “What do you plan to do?”

Hannah smiled gently. Gone was the frail, sickly girl; she radiated confidence and vigor.

“As Mr. Lando said, the royal city is a quagmire now. If we go back, we’ll only be swallowed by it. If I recall correctly, that man’s territory lies to the west of the kingdom. There, we can gain the knowledge we need and find loyal companions.”

“That man?” Dick still hadn’t grasped her meaning.

“My ‘dear’ father, of course!”