"This is a little token of my appreciation."

Ethan handed the prepared gift to Wabul, who looked at the exquisite packaging box with some confusion. "…What's this?"

"This is the latest hair growth serum researched at our store, which can effectively promote hair root regeneration."

Wabul's hand trembled slightly as he solemnly placed the hair growth serum into his office desk; this gift was incredibly precious to him, possibly the most valuable gift he had received in years.

He had heard about some of Ethan's exploits in the Empire and the widely known Old Sen Magic Technology Store, making him trust the quality of Ethan's gifts.

In fact, before setting out, Ethan had inquired about Professor Wabul's preferences through Lindong. This elderly professor was very concerned about his baldness, and any sharp remarks about his hairstyle would anger him. So Ethan called on Rowena to search the memory vault of the fake Kadela for magic regarding hair growth.

To their surprise, they actually found something, even Rowena thought it was magical.

Could it be that the fake Kadela also faced hair loss and balding issues, so he deliberately crafted such a magic?

The hair growth serum was essentially an alchemical product, proposing some very vigorous-haired magical creatures. The good news was that all the materials needed for alchemy could be found within the academy.

As for why Professor Wabul was bald, that's another unpleasant story.

Lindong's cheeks blushed unnaturally at this point, summarizing the incident with a "hehe."

However, this time she emphasized that it was an accident, not her intention.

With the hair growth serum as a conversation starter, the subsequent meeting became much more harmonious. Upon learning about Ethan's experiences and the abyss they had encountered, the seemingly stern head teacher immediately opened up, unabashedly expressing his joy. When Ethan mentioned the blood-red waterfall and the Nine-headed Worm residing in the Blood Spring, he directly took out a parchment and a quill.

With a gentle point of Wabul's wand, the quill automatically recorded their conversation under the influence of magic power.

While recording, he also asked the quill to draw a portrait of the Nine-headed Worm, documenting its evolution from nine heads to eleven.

And the woman with seven eyes, whose clothing-like decorations were actually human tissues generated from flesh and blood—this was the first time in thousands of years someone described Bazatous's image. Even though it wasn't the Evil God who appeared before Ethan, it was still of pioneering significance.

In just a dozen minutes, Wabul felt like he had met Ethan too late in life. If he were ten years younger, he would definitely invite Ethan to join his research team and even abandon his position as head teacher to embark on an exploratory journey anew.

More surprisingly for Wabul was that Lindong seemed like a different person today, as docile as a model student at the academy.

Sitting quietly, leaning against Ethan, with a constant smile on her face.

When his students who were ready to settle down and visit him returned to campus, most of them would also show such a happy smile.

Could it be…

Has Lindong truly changed?

After meeting Ethan, has she turned over a new leaf and become a mature person?

Logically, her years spent in the imperial capital attending frequent court banquets should have acquainted her with noble etiquettes.

Ethan then cleverly guided the conversation towards Lindong's "glorious achievements" during school.

Despite being mentally prepared beforehand, he was still shocked by the behaviors Wabul described, which included the tragic story of Professor Wabul's baldness.

It was an impromptu search operation personally led by Wabul. Prior to this, they received reliable intel pointing out Lindong's stash of alchemical and spellcasting materials. If successful, they wouldn't just confiscate a large amount of Lindong's illegally hoarded materials but also find direct "criminal evidence" from her hideout.

For a long time, the academy professors struggled to catch Lindong red-handed, resulting in a situation where everyone knew it was her doing, yet they were helpless against her.

However, the members of the Bright Society did not expect this was a trap crafted by Lindong herself.

She had set numerous traps in the "hideout" beforehand.

Magic Potions, Magic Scrolls, and arrays recorded in those forbidden books.

To protect the withdrawing action members, Wabul took on the responsibility, staying behind as the last defense. Amidst the chaos, a speeding ice arrow almost grazed his head.

The good news was that Wabul was not injured.

The bad news, however, was that the part "wiped" by the ice arrow stopped growing hair roots thereafter.

"I didn't know ice elements had a hair-growth inhibiting effect, it's not written in any of these books."

Lindong muttered softly, making excuses.

"But the school rules clearly state that outside magic duels, using aggressive elemental magic randomly is prohibited, and even in duels, it's strictly forbidden to attack fragile parts of the human body."

"I'm sorry, Professor Wabul."

For a moment, Wabul couldn't believe his ears.

He widened his eyes and blurted out, "What did you just say?"

"I was wrong, I'll never dare again!"

The "Black Demon King" actually apologized! And her attitude was genuinely sincere, without a hint of perfunctoriness.

More importantly, she implicitly acknowledged her past "crimes"—what troubled professors most about the "Black Demon King" was that she almost never left evidence behind. Once accused, she would feign innocence.

Even in the rare event of indisputable evidence, she would never admit fault.

Her attitude had driven quite a few old professors into the infirmary with anger.

"You… really recognized your mistakes?"

Wabul asked again.

"I really realized my mistakes, I was too immature in the past and made many mistakes, causing trouble for you all."

Lindong's apology flowed smoothly, its lingering sound echoed in Wabul's ears.

Was he caught in an illusion?

Perhaps from the moment Lindong and Ethan stepped into this room, he had been ensnared… was it the cherries in the fruit basket?

Wabul's brain raced, trying to uncover yet another prank by Lindong.

Beside Ethan, Lindong was as docile as a kitten.

This was the T0 student that had existed in many professors' imaginations—a well-behaved Lindong.

That was the perfect student in professors' minds.

Wabul gripped the cup tighter, with only half of the black tea gently swaying in it.

He couldn't spot any flaws; the Lindong before him genuinely seemed to have realized her mistakes, which led to another thought arising in his mind—what's wrong with the world of illusions?

Immediately after, he heard Ethan's slightly embarrassed laughter, "Haha, it turns out she's like that with you, completely different from how she is with me."

Ethan wasn't sure if this counted as "beauty is in the lover's eyes."

Rowena always criticized Lindong for taking advantage of others, even playing tricks on her partners. At the academy, she was notorious enough to make many professors shiver, but in Ethan's memories, Lindong had never taken advantage of him nor played any pranks on him.

"It seems she has truly changed."

"I believe you."

Wabul took a deep breath; just now, he realized Ethan's greatest accomplishment in life, which surpassed any boastful claims from the Empire—he had transformed the "Black Demon King" into a good-hearted and obedient young lady!

Finally, they saw new progress on the topic discussed all night yesterday without finding a solution.

Wabul saw another path.

"Ethan."

Emotional, he stood up straight from his chair, "What do you think about the title of Hermit and the role of principal?"

In Wabul's view, strength has never been the only criterion to measure a Hermit. Every principal is an educator who has witnessed the growth of countless Elemental Shapers, playing a lighthouse role in their lives, which is why every Hermit is revered.

Ethan accomplished what even the principal couldn't achieve.

He changed Lindong.

At this moment, Wabul's gaze turned profound, and he had already made a decision in his heart.

If Ethan was willing, he would fully support Ethan in becoming the next principal of the academy!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.