Chapter 44: Dawn is Just Ahead

A somewhat familiar voice suddenly spoke from behind Lu Luo, nearly causing him to suffer a social death. [That powerful woman has appeared again. If my analysis is correct, she should be here for you.] The speaker was Han Shiyu, the female doctor Lu Luo had previously encountered at Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals, the one who had concealed his physical condition. "Doctor Han Shiyu." "You should call me Professor Han Shiyu now, Student Lu Luo." Han Shiyu slightly lifted the work badge on her chest. It read: "East Ring University – Professor of Bio-Medical Science – Han Shiyu." Although Lu Luo had finished reading the words on the badge, his gaze lingered, fixed on something... indescribable. He pondered what kind of arduous training it would take to sculpt a body to such perfection! "Seen enough?" Lu Luo wiped his mouth, showing no sign of embarrassment. "Good day, Professor Han Shiyu." Han Shiyu smiled, her gaze towards Lu Luo holding an enigmatic quality. She turned and beckoned to him with a finger. "I need to discuss something with you. Come, follow me to my office." "Uh, isn’t that a bit improper?" Lu Luo stammered. "I’m a man of unsullied reputation..." Han Shiyu glanced back, tilting her head up, a highly provocative expression on her face. "What are you thinking? I am a Believer of Light from the Dawn Church. In my heart, there is only the Holy Light." A stunning figure, a face both composed yet alluring—many beautiful women possessed such traits. But when combined with the natural devotion to the Holy Light that radiated from her face... TSK! Even though Lu Luo’s composure was at Level 10, he couldn’t help but tremble. As for the other 90 levels of composure... well, best leave those to the perverts. [Believers of Light: Devout followers of the Dawn Church who dedicate their entire being to the Holy Light, serving as powerful warriors and Healers. They always walk in brightness and do not marry. Even the darkest abyss cannot corrupt the Holy Light they embody—The Believers of Light.] "A Believer of Light, serving Dawn... Ah!" Lu Luo muttered. "Actually, back in my hometown, I often imagined myself becoming a beam of light." Lu Luo trailed behind Han Shiyu without another word. Meanwhile, Han Shiyu, walking ahead of him, subtly curled her lips into a smile. The two arrived at Han Shiyu’s personal office, where Lu Luo was roped into being free labor to move things. Potion racks, chairs, stacks of documents and books, even shoes, clothes, and various daily necessities—the sheer volume of it all made Lu Luo’s head ache. "Professor Han Shiyu, shouldn’t experts like you be equipped with things like spatial rings or storage bags?" Han Shiyu was taken aback by Lu Luo’s question. Even with her extensive knowledge, she hesitated. "Are you talking about folded-space technology? Does such a thing truly exist?" Lu Luo felt a bit awkward. Weren’t spatial rings standard issue for transmigrators? It was a shame they apparently didn’t exist here. "Oh, they don’t exist?" Lu Luo said. "Well, never mind. I’ll just keep moving things." After finishing with the office, he had to move things for the laboratory. Once the laboratory was done, there was Han Shiyu’s personal dormitory. Lu Luo was kept busy until evening before Han Shiyu finally let him off the hook. "All done! Student Lu Luo, you’re truly a helpful young man. As a reward, how about I treat you to dinner?" "Dinner?" Lu Luo had intended to refuse. However, when he recalled that the best meal he’d had in the Wasteland was that nearly fatal one at Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals, he decided to accept. Opportunities like this are probably rare. I might as well take the chance to eat something decent. He had initially assumed Han Shiyu would take him to a proper restaurant. Instead, to his surprise, attracting countless gazes—some jealous, some admiring—she led him on a winding path before finally bringing him into the university cafeteria. Is this her way of asserting her claim over me? She’s also clearing away some annoying flies for herself. Well, a little misunderstanding like this isn’t so bad; it could save me some trouble down the line. Since it was mutually beneficial, Lu Luo naturally had no objections to Han Shiyu’s actions. However, he did have strong objections to the meal she was treating him to. "This is what you’re treating me to?" Lu Luo stared at the same sour-tasting grain bar he had eaten before, his expression turning grim. "You’ll be eating this for a long time to come. What’s wrong with me treating you to it now?" "Alright, no problem." Han Shiyu, however, remained perfectly composed. She ate quickly, and even though the cafeteria food was atrocious, she showed no sign of disgust. Throughout the meal, Han Shiyu ate every last scrap of food, then meticulously wiped her tray clean with a napkin before returning it. Compared to Lu Luo, who merely picked at his food, found it disgusting, and then carelessly tossed his tray of leftovers aside, the difference between them was stark. "You seem to really dislike the food here. Why is that?" Han Shiyu asked. "Are the grain bars and pickled vegetables from outside any tastier?" Lu Luo couldn’t answer. He couldn’t very well admit he was a transmigrator, could he? Accustomed to gourmet delicacies and all sorts of late-night snacks from his old world, the cuisine of the Wasteland was the hardest for him to stomach. The grain bars and meals he’d had outside were somewhat tolerable. The food in this cafeteria, however, was an abomination. "It seems you’re quite dissatisfied with my dinner invitation as a reward. Fine, take this as compensation instead." Han Shiyu placed a potion vial in front of Lu Luo. [Lan Tian Bio No. 1 Small Yellow Bottle – Type III] Effect: Comprehensively enhances all physical attributes by a maximum of 0.5. Ineffective if attributes exceed 20. Description: A product of Lan Tian Biotech, circa year 315. After years of development, it utilizes mature, complete, and safe technology. Highly valuable. "This is..." Lu Luo began. "Don’t be polite," Han Shiyu said. "Although it’s quite expensive, what can I say? Student Lu Luo and I just hit it off so well from the moment we met." An older woman is a treasure, they say. One three years older brings gold bricks; one thirty years older, an entire kingdom. The ancients truly didn’t lie! Lu Luo smacked his lips. What he actually wanted to say wasn’t that the item was too precious. Rather, he wondered if he could exchange it for something else, like Dark Spirit Stones, so he could quickly enhance his Qi. As a Devourer, Lu Luo didn’t have a great need for attribute-enhancing potions. "Alright. Thank you, Professor Han." After the meal, Lu Luo finally managed to escape Han Shiyu’s ’clutches’ and scurried back to the dormitory area. Han Shiyu watched Lu Luo’s retreating figure, then took out her mobile phone and dialed a number. "Why haven’t you arrived yet? School is about to start." A gentle, apologetic voice answered from the other end. "I’m sorry, Senior Sister. I still have two Dawn Prayers to perform. But don’t worry, I’ll definitely be there in a few days. May the Holy Light protect us, and may the Dawn be with you." "Alright, alright, I understand." Han Shiyu’s tone was full of affection. After hanging up, she glanced again in the direction Lu Luo had departed. Her voice was low and complex as she murmured, "May the Holy Light protect us... but the Dawn is right before us!"