There are no rules in the Guide dormitory against keeping pets, but Ning Li still went to the dorm supervisor to report it.
The next morning, Ning Li went to the cafeteria for breakfast with Yuan Zi as usual.
Yuan Zi’s full name was Yuan Yuan.
Although her name had the character “Yuan” (round), she herself was far from plump—instead, she was quite slim, with her hair tied in a high ponytail.
She wore the same summer uniform as Ning Li, looking fresh and neat.
Seeing the kitten in Ning Li’s arms, Yuan Zi curiously leaned over and asked,
“Where did you get this?”
Ning Li replied,
“Found it.”
She didn’t mention that it was her Spiritual Body who had found it.
Yuan Zi glanced at her.
“Are you planning to keep it?”
“Mm.”
Yuan Zi was surprised for a moment, but instead of asking about the costs, she simply squinted her eyes in delight.
“Then I’ll help you take care of it.”
“Okay.”
The Guide Academy they attended was located on the edge of the Safety Zone and recruited mostly lower-ranked Guides.
Here, tuition and school fees were fully waived, but living expenses still had to be covered by the students themselves.
Both Ning Li and Yuan Yuan were born in the Slums.
Only after awakening as Guides did their fates change.
Once awakened, not only could they attend the Guide Academy for free, but the government also provided an annual subsidy.
The subsidy wasn’t much, but with some frugality, they didn’t have to worry about living expenses anymore.
The catch was—
These subsidies were only enough for one person.
If you added a kitten, things became uncertain.
That’s why, after learning that her Spiritual Body had picked up a kitten last night, Ning Li had repeatedly warned it not to bring home another one.
【Necromancer】 agreed.
With kittens like these, there could be five or six in a litter.
She was just glad her Spiritual Body had only brought back one.
If it had brought them all, she definitely wouldn’t be able to keep them.
After breakfast in the cafeteria, she took the kitten to the infirmary for a checkup.
Once she confirmed the kitten was healthy, Ning Li went to class with Yuan Zi.
As soon as she entered the classroom, Ning Li sensed something was off.
Usually, while the classroom wasn’t always lively, at the very least, the students were in high spirits, often chatting in small groups.
But today, at a glance, everyone looked pale, each person appearing listless.
Yuan Zi asked in surprise,
“What’s wrong with you all?”
There hadn’t been any exams recently, so there shouldn’t be any academic pressure making them like this.
A girl sitting closest to Ning Li pressed her colorless lips together and said,
“The Safety Zone has shrunk.”
What happened?
Even though Ning Li had only transmigrated here for three months, she knew this was no small matter.
Their Guide Academy was right on the edge of the Safety Zone.
If the Safety Zone continued to shrink, their entire academy might have to relocate.
And the shrinking of the Safety Zone meant danger was drawing near.
Yuan Zi’s expression grew anxious, and she asked hurriedly,
“How could this happen?”
At that moment, a boy with a face full of acne suddenly stood up from his seat, his face twisted in anger.
“Isn’t it because the frontline can’t hold anymore! The Abnormal Species are almost at our doorstep!”
“What’s the Frontline Commander doing? This isn’t the first time the Safety Zone has shrunk! How many times has it happened this year already?! If the previous Frontline Commander were still here, would we be suffering like this…”
He trailed off, unable to go on, covering his face with his hands, sinking into helplessness and sorrow.
This was the first time Ning Li had seen him like this.
In her impression, this boy, Lu Xiao, was a top student, always diligent in his studies.
He might be a boy, but he was skilled at cooking and made excellent pastries.
Just then, another girl with long hair, her eyes red, choked out,
“The current Frontline Commander isn’t strong enough. The Abnormal Species are just too powerful…”
The oppressive atmosphere in the classroom spread silently.
Ning Li hadn’t reviewed this part in Modern History yet, so she didn’t ask any questions.
Instead, she pulled out her Modern History textbook and began flipping through it quickly.
She suddenly stopped at a certain page.
Her gaze landed on a line of text.
[In the year 1352, the then Supreme Commander—Yin Que—burned his Mental Sea to save hundreds of thousands of ordinary people behind him, perishing together with the King of Aberrants. He died at the age of twenty-four. After the mutual destruction, the Supreme Commander’s body was never found.]
1352…
It was now the year 1357.
That meant the former Supreme Commander had been dead for five years.
Five years—neither too long nor too short.
In these war-torn times with the Abnormal Species pressing closer every day, a lot could happen in that span.
From what the boy had just said, it could be inferred that after the change in command, humanity was forced to retreat, shrinking the Safety Zone again and again, morale dropping, ceding more and more ground to the Abnormal Species.
A new King of Aberrants had arisen.
And the new Frontline Commander was not up to the task.
The near-millennium-long balance between humans and Abnormal Species was on the verge of collapse…
At that moment, someone murmured,
“If only he hadn’t died.”
The classroom fell into a deathly silence.
Yuan Yuan gave a bitter laugh.
“Who wanted him to die? But when the news came from the front lines, the dean of the First Guide Academy immediately used her Spiritual Body’s ability to divine the truth. He really was…”
Dead.
Not missing, not some other accident.
The former Supreme Commander had perished heroically at Deep Valley Pass five years ago.
The first class that morning was supposed to be flower arranging.
But the teacher who came in wasn’t the flower arranging instructor—it was the teacher who taught how to guide and soothe the Mental Sea.
The teacher seemed to have arrived in a hurry.
Usually, she was always impeccably dressed, but today, she hadn’t even bothered to put on makeup.
For the first time, she came to class bare-faced.
She didn’t say much, cutting straight to the point.
“Students, you’ve probably heard that the Safety Zone shrank at 4:17 this morning.”
For the first time, the class was so quiet.
No one responded.
The students’ hearts were heavy.
Everyone knew clearly what the shrinking of the Safety Zone meant.
It meant the Abnormal Species were getting closer and closer.
The teacher sighed.
“Currently, the nearest Abnormal Species are just over forty kilometers away.”
Only forty kilometers!
“But there’s no need to worry. You’re all new students at the Guide Academy, with an average age of only 19. No matter what, you won’t be sent to the front lines. The academy will do its best to keep you safe.”
Even so, the new Guides couldn’t relax.
“At present, the school has not received any notice to evacuate students. Until further notice, all your courses will be replaced with Mental Conditioning classes.”
In other words, Ning Li wouldn’t have to suffer through cooking class for the time being.
But in the current situation, that wasn’t really good news.
The teacher looked exhausted.
The new Guides didn’t have to go to the front lines, but in special times, teachers like her could be summoned at any moment.
After all, there was a shortage of Guides at the front, and support was always needed.
“Now, release your Spiritual Bodies.”
Most Guides’ Spiritual Bodies were already out, but a few were still sleeping.
In no time, the classroom was filled with all sorts of Spiritual Bodies.
Ning Li’s class had 26 students in total.
Most of their Spiritual Bodies were related to flowers.
For example, the original body’s Overlord Flower, and Yuan Zi’s Little Rose.
Now that everyone’s Spiritual Bodies were out, the classroom was filled with a light floral fragrance.
Jasmine, camellia, lotus…the different floral scents mixed together, creating a unique and lingering aroma, refreshing the mind.
Spiritual Bodies of the same type were categorized by rank.
For instance, among roses, there were countless varieties of rose Spiritual Bodies.
Little Rose, Wind and Rain Rose, Sunny Rose…and the highest rank among rose Spiritual Bodies—the Cosmic Rose.
According to Ning Li’s understanding, in the 2,300-year history of Guides and Sentinels, there had only been five owners of the Cosmic Rose.
Each one was a legendary Guide or Sentinel.
If a Sentinel awakened the Cosmic Rose, the rose Spiritual Body would unlock attack skills.
If a Guide awakened the Cosmic Rose, it would unlock support skills.
The teacher looked at the sea of flowers below the podium and silently offered her blessings.
She hoped these students could survive the coming storms.
This lesson was about helping Guides become familiar with their own Mental Seas.
Every Guide’s Mental Landscape was different.
An excellent Guide’s Mental Landscape would always be radiant and vast.
The Mental Landscape wasn’t static— as one’s abilities grew, the landscape would change as well.
This class finished, and the Guides gathered together to discuss what they had learned.
“What’s your Mental Landscape like?”
“A pond, about the same size as a real one. How about yours?”
“My Mental Landscape is a small patch of marshland.”
Yuan Zi leaned over and asked,
“Li, what’s your Mental Landscape like?”
Ning Li’s Mental Landscape was a starry river under a bright moon.
A bright moon hung high, the star river vast, silver specks floating like a beautiful painting.
Ning Li had originally thought her Mental Landscape would be dark, eerie, and bloody, since her Spiritual Body was the 【Necromancer】.
But in reality, the scene was bathed in bright moonlight, the star river wide, flowing gently like a river, its surface sparkling like scattered diamonds…
It was a tranquil and boundless scene.
Though the landscape was still a bit sparse, overall, it was beautiful enough.
But Ning Li didn’t ignore her classmates’ discussions.
Keep a low profile, keep a low profile, keep a low profile…
She silently repeated it to herself three times, then replied vaguely,
“A river.”
A star river could count as a river…
Yuan Zi didn’t ask how big the river was.
The truly gifted Guides were all at the top-tier First Guide Academy.
The Guides here were all of ordinary talent, low-level Guides.
Yuan Zi pressed her lips together and whispered,
“My Mental Landscape is a small, withered rose garden.”
When Ning Li kept failing at cooking before, it was always Yuan Zi who comforted her.
She chose the gentlest way to comfort her now.
“It’ll bloom.”
Right now, the roses were withered, but as her ability grew, the roses would bloom one by one.
Yuan Zi only stayed down for a moment.
She knew her own ability well enough.
Knowing her Mental Landscape was a withered rose garden wasn’t a surprise; knowing was one thing, accepting it was another.
She blinked, quickly perking up again.
“My White Moonlight’s Spiritual Body is the Cosmic Rose. Too bad I only awakened the Little Rose.”
White Moonlight?
Hearing this, the other students perked up as if a key phrase had been triggered, joining the conversation.
Lu Xiao, who had looked so dispirited during class, had recovered and smiled.
“That person is my White Moonlight too.”
The long-haired girl, Lu Shuangshuang, chimed in,
“Mine too!”
“And mine!”
Goodness.
Was the Cosmic Rose’s awakener the White Moonlight in everyone’s hearts?
That person must have had quite the charm.
Yuan Zi cupped her face, her tone dreamy.
“Anyone who has seen the Cosmic Rose bloom can’t resist its charm. Everyone is dazzled by his rose.”
She turned to Ning Li for confirmation,
“Isn’t that right, Li?”
Ning Li, who had no idea who this White Moonlight was: …
“Y-yes…I suppose…”
Heaven knows she just wanted to hurry up and finish reviewing Modern History!
Lol, poor mc 😅