Chapter 212: Back Door

Only someone of extraordinary influence could make the vice-chairman personally intervene overnight to seal off the rune workshop.

Before Gao De's ascension, during his conversation with He Xi, He Xi had already named Xie Er En.

Without doubt, combining these two facts, he was nearly certain of the mastermind's identity.

Yet Gao De did not know that behind this affair lay the entire throne struggle of the Xie En Duchy, the duchy's greatest power conflict.

Of course, to him, it made little difference.

Whether before the academy's high-ups or the ruling class of Xie En Duchy, he was merely a nobody at this moment.

But even a nobody has a nobody's resolve; even a nobody has a nobody's anger.

He could give his Ascension Elixir to Lar the Master, because arms cannot fight against thighs.

But he would not let others take what He Xi left behind—even if arms cannot fight against thighs.

Why?

Gao De could name many reasons.

Such as "To repay the emperor's golden platform's intent, I'll carry the jade dragon and die for him," "If you give me a peach, I'll return jade," "You treat me as a national hero, so I shall repay you as one." But in truth, he needed no such reasons.

One unwillingness was enough.

Since the old man regarded him as his final disciple, entrusted him with complete trust and heavy responsibility, and left him all his legacy.

Then as a nobody, he had no other path but to repay with absolute steadfastness.

Some things must be held onto.

Not to mention that the workshop's records were He Xi's genius work, enough to make the name He Xi Aokenli shine eternally in rune history.

Even if the workshop's records were nothing but scraps of paper, Gao De would not let them be taken.

Gao De went to the rune workshop again.

This time, besides the academy's guards, he encountered the vice-chairman and Tang Ni Euther.

And some people not belonging to the academy.

Foreign rune masters.

They were attempting to "crack" the workshop's rune array.

But unfortunately, the array was built by He Xi himself, and he was a third-rank rune master.

At least in Xie En Duchy, third-rank rune masters were exceedingly rare.

These rune masters, whoever had hired them, were all far below third rank.

Cracking the rune workshop's array was an extremely difficult task for them.

Of course, there was a faster method—brute force.

But the academy currently had no intention of using it.

Compared to when he was at the infirmary, the vice-chairman's expression had become utterly calm.

It was because he was confident.

He looked at Gao De, who was trying to enter the workshop, and wore a smile he believed was both proper and victorious:

"The rune workshop is temporarily sealed. Unauthorized persons are forbidden entry."

Gao De did not argue or try to prove he was not an unauthorized person, but the workshop's true owner.

Because he knew it would serve no purpose.

"Student Gao De, I know there may be some misunderstanding, but I still urge you: some things are not meant for you to possess."

"Rather than trying to grasp what is utterly beyond your reach, better to trade it for tangible benefits," the vice-chairman said solemnly.

"Like when you gave your Ascension Elixir to Commissioner Lar upon enrollment."

"Hand over the secret order, and I can arrange compensation for you."

Hearing the vice-chairman's "solemn" words, Gao De sighed inwardly.

He did not answer the vice-chairman, but remained silent.

"Tomorrow, the academy will issue the asset recovery contract; at that point, the rune workshop will officially revert to academy ownership," the vice-chairman tried again.

"Commissioner, why waste words with him?"

"Soon, Master Kunxi will come personally to crack the array."

"Though Master Kunxi's rune achievements don't match Director He Xi's, the array is inanimate—give it enough time, and it will break."

While the vice-chairman spoke solemnly, Tang Ni Euther interjected with arrogance.

His face held only condescending indifference, nothing more.

Because Tang Ni Euther had never regarded Gao De as anything, even after Gao De ascended to first-rank at fourteen.

Gao De calmly glanced at Tang Ni Euther.

He was furious, yet the more furious he became, the calmer he grew.

He Xi was dead—the honorable old man was dead—and these great men now sought to seize what did not belong to them.

He disagreed. Gao De looked at Tang Ni Euther once, then turned and left.

Tang Ni Euther watched Gao De's retreating back with a sneer.

He hated He Xi, hated He Xi's "arrogance," though this hatred was merely a veil for his own inadequacy.

After He Xi's death, some of this hatred faded.

The rest naturally transferred to Gao De, He Xi's heir.

Believing he had crushed this nobody beyond breath, Tang Ni did not notice that as Gao De turned, a tiny midge appeared silently on his arm—nearly invisible.

The midge's slender body lightly brushed his skin, like a soft feather, piercing it with its proboscis to draw blood.

Another tick appeared on Tang Ni Euther's ankle, burrowing into his skin—its entire motion equally stealthy.

Tang Ni was elated, triumphant—how could he notice such minute changes? 【Swarm Proliferation+】: You can cause one visible, within 30 feet, creature to permanently host imperceptible parasites—midges, gnats, horseflies, ticks, etc.

Thus causing the creature to randomly contract diseases such as hemorrhagic fever, typhus, tick-borne encephalitis, and more.

Leave Gavin Hall.

Gao De returned to his room.

Little Ancestor was awake.

"Lady Furoula seems to sleep a lot?" Gao De smiled at the tiny figure.

He did not bring his bad mood home.

"Not really. Lady Furoula doesn't need sleep at all."

"Then why?"

"Because there's nothing to do, so she sleeps."

"There's so much to do."

"Lady Furoula only wants to plant trees."

"What if I ask Lady Furoula to help me with something?"

"For a mage, yes."

"Thank you, Lady Furoula."

"No thanks needed. The mage will help me plant trees, won't he?"

"Exactly."

As Gao De spoke with Furoula, he took from his pocket a lacquered jade paper the size of a fingernail.

The paper bore countless tiny runes, too fine for the naked eye to discern.

The number of runes far exceeded what Gao De could currently draw.

Indeed, that was true.

This too was what He Xi left him.

A "key" to control the rune workshop's array.

The workshop's array was essentially a security system.

In past-life movies or novels, technicians often deliberately leave a backdoor in security systems, allowing specific individuals to bypass protocols and perform unauthorized actions.

This is fundamentally immoral and illegal.

He Xi was also a kind of "technician."

But he was always a man with strong moral boundaries.

So He Xi would never do such a thing.

But the rune workshop was his asset.

Leaving a backdoor in one's own asset's security system was entirely reasonable.

And He Xi indeed did so.

Among all backdoors, a "self-destruct" system was a common design.

The rune workshop's array had this feature.

The front door was sealed by the academy—but Gao De still had a backdoor.

"First, Lady Furoula must learn how to activate this key," Gao De said.

Furoula stared wide-eyed at the lacquered jade paper.

To Gao De, the paper was the size of a fingernail; to Furoula, it was as large as a pancake.

The intricate lines looked to her like incomprehensible scribbles.

Yet after a moment, she stubbornly nodded: "I'm smart."

Gao De pondered this, then understood: her meaning was "It's no trouble."

(End of chapter)