A bearded scholar suddenly stepped forward in the frozen scene, straightening his chest and fixing Ye Luo with an eager look.
"Senior Ye Luo, could you… spare some of the 'A-Luo Scholarship' that Lidovanti Institute just set up?"
Other scholars turned to Ye Luo with hungry eyes, as if they'd glimpsed glittering Mora.
"Uh… Senior Ye Luo?"
Paimon felt something off the moment she heard them call him that. She exchanged a look with Lumine; both their expressions changed in a way that said:
Huh — this isn't what we thought at all.
"Subsidy—subsidy—what do you expect me to top up with? My head's about to split," Ye Luo blushed and snapped at the crowd. "There's no subsidy! Faruzan was joking. If there were subsidies, wouldn't I take my junior to watch Nilou dance instead of throwing money at you?"
He wanted to find Faruzan and throttle her for spreading rumors. There were scholars from other sects here too — that woman had been gossiping everywhere! That would ruin a senior's reputation.
"Stop asking me for money. If you've got time to come to my stall begging, why don't you worry about why a graduate of the Akademiya can't even make two hundred thousand Mora a month?"
"Why would I top you up? Graduate students don't come asking me for subsidies—they're supposed to be researching."
Ye Luo took the offensive and roasted them one by one. Faces went red; eyes dropped. They all knew of Senior Ye Luo's reputation. Ashamed, the scholars bowed their heads.
"Senior—what you say is true. Lidovanti Institute never actually set up such a scholarship," Layla hurried to defend Ye Luo. She was out of breath; running several streets up and down had nearly exhausted her. She shot Ye Luo with an apologetic look. All this was her senior's fault.
"But seniors, we really are trying our best. We need those research funds," one scholar begged, eyes moist. Money for research had become their lifeline.
"'Trying' won't help if talent matters," Ye Luo scoffed, hands on hips. "All your so-called hard work is only enough to reach my doorstep."
"We truly need this grant!" another said. "Faruzan herself told us about it—Senior Ye Luo, don't lie to us!"
"Please… just a little will be enough. My thesis is this close!" they pleaded like people clutching at straws.
Paimon leaned to Lumine and whispered, "They're starting to look like the villains here."
Lumine nodded subtly, hand twitching as if to strike. But before she could move, Layla's innocent question stopped her in her tracks.
"Senior… when did you get a Vision? I remember you didn't have one before."
Layla hadn't noticed the Vision hanging at Ye Luo's waist until now. She fumbled for an explanation, a little embarrassed by how odd her theory sounded.
"I heard people get visions when their wish becomes so deep that the gods notice them. Could it be that Senior was wronged so deeply that it became an obsession, and the gods granted him a Vision?"
She didn't really believe it herself. This method of receiving a Vision might be theoretically possible, but it had never been observed. It sounded like a myth—some kind of tragic, snow-in-June lore.
Her words, however, detonated through the crowd like lightning.
"What?! Is there such a way to obtain a Vision?!" someone shouted.
"Record it, junior researchers! Don't let other sects beat us to this discovery!"
"Perfect—my dissertation on whether ordinary people commit extreme acts under emotional stress is saved. Senior Ye Luo is a case study!"
Faces that had been greedy for subsidies turned ecstatic—this was a brand-new phenomenon, a publishable treasure. Even those whose research wasn't related could churn out a paper and snatch credits. Students do the strangest things for grades.
Pens and notes appeared; the subsidy was forgotten.
'Good job, Layla,' Ye Luo silently praised. The Rtawahist representative had just turned the tide at the perfect moment.
— — —
A-YueYue (the streamer) was laughing aloud at the scene.
He'd never seen a character with a profile art who actually gained a Vision mid-cutscene— and in such a ridiculous way. This felt like a low-cost, high-meme character; probably a four-star, the kind Mihoyo tosses in for fun.
[Aww, poor Ye Luo got framed into a Vision by Grim-Lumine!]
[Damn that blonde!]
[Cryo? Huh… actually not bad.]
[Wow, he's handsome! Those starry eyes are the same color as my wife Hu Tao's!]
[Wife! Wife!]
A-YueYue wiped cold sweat and muttered, "Too bad we can't see his skills or confirm his rarity yet." Even he was curious.
Back in the crowd, the scholars fawned all over Ye Luo: "Thank you, Senior Ye Luo!" "You taught us to fish, not just hand out fish—your lesson saved us!" "Don't die before my thesis is done!"
They adored him like a parent. Ye Luo's smile grew pained and artificial. He was trapped between playing along and wanting to throttle someone.
"Don't die, please—stay safe," they all said with worried faces.
Ye Luo had had enough. He formed a thick ice arrow with his Cryo power, aimed and ready to shoot. He had no time for fake sentimentalities; if these people didn't back off, he'd fire. Then, without a second thought, he bolted.
After the scholars dispersed, Lumine and Paimon exchanged looks: embarrassed, guilty. The two of them stepped forward, bowed at 45 degrees, and blurted at the same time:
"We're sorry!!!"
They knew they'd made a huge mistake: wrongfully forcing a man into the role of Vision-bearer. What a humiliation he must have suffered to—well—become one. Lumine had never seen anything like it in her travels.
Ye Luo's mouth twitched. "Apology at least needs to show… cough, never mind. It's actually fine—maybe this misfortune turned into fortune."
He corrected himself hastily and forced a plausible smile. An idea formed: use Lumine's guilt as a reason to keep her as his temporary bodyguard on the way back to Fontaine. She'd be perfect—she was already headed that way, and she absolutely wouldn't refuse.
He pictured Furina's face when they arrived—part ridicule, part cool indifference, part careless boredom. Perfect.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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