The Lord Demon King is Unfathomable!

Chapter 1214 361: The Web Named Desire

In Professor Hector Rain's office, the flames in the fireplace crackled, casting warm light upon the neatly arranged heavy tomes.

The air was filled with the serene scent of parchment and old ink, everything orderly, just like Hector's image of commanding authority without anger.

Yet at this moment, the distinguished professor felt the flames of the fireplace were burning his back, like the scorching Holy Light.

Prince Colin's casual inquiry pierced through his effort to maintain composure like a cold needle.

"Surely it wasn't all spent on the 'ladies', was it?"

Hector felt his heart skip a beat.

He was merely an academician responsible for academics and administration, not a finance officer, much less a Sage wielding power within the Council of Sages.

He wasn't even close to the Sages.

That question felt like a red-hot iron passed lightly by the other party; he couldn't accept without accepting, nor refuse without refusing, unsure of how to respond.

Forcing himself to squeeze out a stiff smile, the old professor responded vaguely.

"Uh... of course not, according to the investigation department of the Tower of Great Sage, most of it has been recovered and used to compensate the families of victims who had their spots replaced."

This evasive explanation made even him feel guilty listening to it.

However, upon hearing this, Luo Yan appeared convinced, nodding approvingly: "That's good; the justice of Academic State is commendable."

Seeing that His Highness the Prince seemed to accept this explanation, Hector felt a string in his heart relax somewhat unexpectedly.

At this point, Luo Yan gently placed the newspaper in his hand onto the side table.

He leaned slightly forward, those clear eyes fixed on Hector — like a scholar probing the mysteries of the Void Realm.

"Professor, you know, aside from being a prince, I am also a 'scholar.'" His tone was gentle and sincere, "I admire your ability to find every victim and compensate them, a gesture unimaginable in other parts of the Imperial. But... can you tell me their names? Just to satisfy my curiosity."

This sentence cut silently to the point like an impeccably precise scalpel.

Hector's forehead instantly beaded with sweat.

Names?

How could he possibly know the names of those victims!

Not to mention, it was obvious that the three million Gold Coins had long been divvied up; who would stash the pilfered gold in the Vault?

The numbers were fabricated, and the list was even less likely to exist. After all, if someone found they weren't on a fabricated list, what then?

Even though he was a professor indifferent to worldly affairs, he knew that anything "evading reality" was just for saying.

Yet he had steadied the steps, and the prince simply wouldn't come down, which was very distressing to him.

Hector's facial muscles twitched, ultimately forming a smile filled with a plea for leniency.

"Your Highness, this... this involves many students' privacy. Academic State has strict confidentiality regulations, and I do not have the authority to access this. You could ask the Council of Sages; they might know something."

This scholar who roared with fury on the snowy plains pleadedly looked at Luo Yan, lowering even his voice by eight degrees.

"Let's… discuss your subsequent life and work arrangements? I beg you!"

His words implied nothing but —

You want to find trouble for yourself, don't drag me into it; I'm just someone researching Void Realm!

A professor with a venerable position in the Tower of Great Sage saying "I beg you" is undoubtedly relegating himself to the dust.

Luo Yan didn't wish to make things too difficult for him, but still curiously glanced beneath the desk, noting with satisfaction that with a light jingle of the bell, the legs really did tense.

This switch works pretty well!

Luo Yan knew the situation was cooked just right.

Bullying the weak holds no value; Hector isn't weak, but he certainly is an honest man, and bullying an honest man trapped is not a noble deed.

He ceased his unrelenting pursuit, leaning back into the soft sofa, his face returning to its harmless gentle smile, as if everything prior was merely a scholar's untimely curiosity.

The problem already cast like a stone in a deep pool will inevitably ripple outward, reaching the ears of someone who truly should hear.

He didn't even need to know who that person was.

The pressure from Holy City had already been subtly relayed, now it's up to the shadows lurking to weigh what they need to concede to these pressures.

Money and honor can't buy him, but this prince is a scholar, and is intrigued by the most abundant and cheapest commodity in Academic State: knowledge.

Luo Yan lifted his teacup, gently blew the steam, and spoke indifferently.

"Let's consider it so then... for your sake."

Hector finally exhaled entirely in relief, especially the last sentiment granting him a favor, fostering a sense of "all this effort wasn't in vain."

Prince Colin is quite easy to talk to.

And he can report back to the Council.

That insistence to "thoroughly investigate" truly troubled him; had it not been for losing face in a fit, he wouldn't have been pushed by the Council to conduct the prince's business.

He wiped his sweat with a handkerchief, nervously continuing.