Chapter 19: There Must Be Something Going On Between Them

“But the problem is, Principal Shen didn’t leave me any contact information.”
Song Qi scratched his head, taking out his phone only to remember that yesterday, when Principal Shen left, he hadn’t given him his number.
“Let me think... It’s past nine now, I bet Wang Zihao is already up. I’ll head to the dungeon plaza and clear a few dungeons first.”
“I’ll just wait for Principal Shen to come find me.”
He had no way to contact Principal Shen, but Principal Shen surely had a way to find him.
Since that was the case, it was better to be passive.

Half an hour later...
Song Qi arrived at the dungeon plaza.
Because the awakening ceremony had just ended yesterday, today the low-level dungeons were almost packed with new students!
What surprised him even more was that Principal Shen was right at the entrance.
He was chatting and laughing with a beautiful woman in ornate mage robes.
The two stood quite close, their eyes betraying an intimate relationship.
It wasn’t just them; Wang Zihao and a timid girl with glasses were nearby as well.
As soon as Song Qi entered, Wang Zihao noticed him and hurriedly tapped Principal Shen’s shoulder.
“Principal, Brother Song—ah, no, Song Qi is here.”
“Oh, that was fast.”
Hearing this, Principal Shen reluctantly ended his conversation with the beautiful woman.
“Song Qi, you’re here? Come on over, let me introduce you.”
“This is the Vice Principal of No. 2 High, you can call her Principal Lin.”
“And this is her apprentice—Gongsun Wuyue, a classmate who awakened with you yesterday. Her talent is an A-grade—Multiple Casting—and her class is Mage.”
“Principal Lin, this is the only super S-grade talent holder in our Seventh District.”
“His name is Song Qi, just call him Xiao Song.”
Song Qi obediently stepped forward, bowed slightly, and nodded in greeting.
“Hello, Principal Lin. Hello, Gongsun.”
Shen Huiwu nodded in satisfaction.
Song Qi behaved with proper decorum, not embarrassing him in front of acquaintances.
Principal Lin smiled brightly, pulling Gongsun Wuyue to her side, then leaned down and spoke softly.
“What a true pride of our Seventh District, handsome and talented.”
“Uh... Principal, you flatter me.”
Principal Lin’s figure was so striking that when Song Qi glanced up, he saw things he shouldn’t have, finding it hard to keep his composure.
“Xiao Song, I heard that super S-grade talent holders can enter the [Corpse Tide Dungeon] three times a day, and yesterday you brought Wang Zihao in with you?”
“So, could you bring another classmate along?”
Principal Lin’s voice was tender and melodic, a fragrant breeze drifting into Song Qi’s nostrils.

Song Qi shivered, about to respond.
But as soon as he looked up, her exaggerated figure was on full display before him, bottomless and overwhelming.
Words caught in his throat, his pupils dilated, and saliva involuntarily choked him.
“I—cough, cough... Of course—cough... cough... No problem.”
“Ha! Still just a kid.”
Principal Shen stood with arms crossed, watching Song Qi’s awkwardness with a teasing look.
Principal Lin didn’t seem to mind, giggling behind her hand as she pulled out her phone.
“Don’t worry, you won’t do it for free.”
“At market price, the Corpse Tide Dungeon is ten thousand credit points per run, but since you’re a super S-grade, I’ll pay double.”
Without waiting for Song Qi to refuse, Principal Lin’s slender fingers danced across the screen, and the transfer was complete.
Ding!
Song Qi’s phone chimed. He picked it up and checked.
[Stranger Lin Yunzhi has transferred you 60,000 credit points!]
[If you have doubts about this transfer, please report immediately to the Professional Hall.]
[Stranger Lin Yunzhi requests to add you as a friend. Accept?]
[Stranger Gongsun Wuyue requests to add you as a friend. Accept?]
Four messages: one transfer, one official reminder, two friend requests.
“These are mine and Wuyue’s personal accounts. Please approve the friend requests as well.”
Song Qi, a bit overwhelmed, looked to Principal Shen.
Principal Shen shrugged.
“Principal Lin transferred you money, so just accept it. What, is it too little? Should she add another forty thousand?”
“No, no, there’s no need.”
Song Qi shook his head repeatedly, accepted the transfer, and approved Lin and Gongsun’s friend requests.
Seeing this, Principal Shen leisurely moved to stand beside Principal Lin.
“That’s more like it. A Principal isn’t going to short you a few thousand credits. Caution is good, but you don’t need to overthink everything.”
“Oh, right. Remember to report to the City Lord’s Mansion before six tonight. The City Lord will meet you personally to assess your potential.”
“If there’s nothing else, Principal Lin and I will be off. We have other matters to attend to.”
Hearing this, Principal Lin shot him a glance but said nothing.
Wang Zihao nearby gave him a look all men understand, his expression turning sly.
Normally, Song Qi would never shamelessly stop the two, but now...
“Principal Shen, I have one more thing.”
Principal Shen’s face instantly turned a bit awkward, his eyes showing annoyance, as if blaming Song Qi for not reading the room.

But he quickly composed himself.
“Go ahead, what is it?”
“Well, I encountered a Watcher at the Professional Hall just now...”
Song Qi relayed everything that had happened in detail.
But Principal Lin and Principal Shen weren’t particularly surprised.
After thinking it over, they quickly understood.
“Zuo Mingzheng? Oh, it’s him.”
“He used to be one of the few summoners capable of fighting in the wilds outside the city.”
“Later, during a purge, he fell into a demon ambush. All his summoned beasts sacrificed themselves to cover his retreat, nearly all perishing.”
“A summoner without his beasts can no longer stay in the wild, so he was sent back to the city.”
“In the end, the City Lord’s Mansion compensated him with a large sum of credits, securing his future.”
“But for some reason, he later applied to be the Watcher at the Professional Hall, and now he occasionally gives benefits to promising rookie summoners.”
“We’ve investigated. Neither he nor the gifts he gives show anything unusual.”
“He simply seems to enjoy gifting things to new summoners.”
“You can accept what he gives you.”
“However... [Soul Link] is his signature skill, and he gave it to you? That does surprise me.”
“Clearly he values you highly.”
Though it was a legendary skill book, for the two Principals it was only mildly surprising.
After listening, Song Qi finally understood.
He was once a high-level summoner.
One strong enough to be assigned to a purge squad, with impressive combat ability!
No wonder he was so familiar with summoner skills.
He could judge the state of summoned beasts based on skills Song Qi was preparing to learn, and offer reasonable suggestions and optimizations offhand.
“Any other questions?”
Principal Shen asked.
“No.”
“If not, we’ll be off. Remember to report to the City Lord’s Mansion before six. This is important!”
“I understand!”
Principal Shen repeated his instructions, and after making sure Song Qi wouldn’t forget, he left with Principal Lin, walking together out of the plaza.