Chapter 147: Azhaer's Confidence

The next day.

At noon.

After a busy morning, Azhaer returned to his office.

Ha—

He half-leaned against the chair and let out a long breath.

Starting from morning, he had been in meetings nonstop, and only now did he finally have time to rest a bit.

Unlike the other scholars at the Academy,

Under normal circumstances,

Unless it was something very important, Azhaer rarely used his own Void Terminal.

And the Void Terminal he used for this meeting was lying honestly in the drawer of his desk.

"Great Sage, this is today's meeting report; please take a look."

Right after her, Sietalei walked over holding a thick stack of documents.

Although the Academy's orders strictly prohibit the circulation of written documents, during major meetings they still keep a clear paper record in addition to using the Void Terminal for recording.

"Just put it there."

Azhaer didn't look at Sietalei, still keeping his eyes closed there to rest.

As per custom,

Having delivered the meeting minutes, Sietalei should have withdrawn by now.

But before she could salute, they heard Azhaer say softly from there: "Sietalei, go inform Aiersensen to draft a bill abolishing the teaching of knowledge in A Ru Cun, and at the same time draw up an order prohibiting Academy scholars from conducting any classroom teaching within A Ru Cun."

Upon hearing this,

Sietalei's heart gave a sudden jolt.

These two bans are extremely targeted, and the target might even include herself.

Gulp—

Sietalei swallowed a mouthful of saliva heavily.

She had an ominous premonition.

Had the Great Sage discovered that she was recruiting scholars for A Ru Cun?

But she had been doing this only in private.

The people she contacted were also some scholars she was familiar with.

"Who? Who betrayed me?"

Sietalei's mind raced, thinking about who could have leaked these things.

However, the current situation no longer allowed her to ponder.

Azhaer's voice had already pulled her confused thoughts back to reality.

"Before you leave."

"Also report all you know about that Luo De."

Azhaer still didn't lift his eyes, looking as if he had Sietalei figured out.

This statement confirmed Sietalei's suspicion.

The Great Sage had indeed discovered something, and he was very dissatisfied with her turning her thoughts back to the desert.

Sietalei didn't think much else.

She simply thought the Great Sage believed she would refocus on the desert because of the Red King Divine Envoy matter.

It was quite obvious.

The Great Sage knew she had concealed something about Luo De.

After a brief hesitation,

Sietalei then said: "I met him when he first entered the Academy; at that time he already called himself the Red King Divine Envoy."

"Oh?"

"Then why wasn't it reported back then?"

Azhaer slightly opened his eyes and said in a flat tone: "Could it be that you are deliberately protecting him?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it was full of an awe-inspiring dignity.

Unable to withstand this pressure, Sietalei hastily bowed and said: "No, absolutely not; back then I simply didn't believe this absurd matter, which is why I didn't report it."

"You don't believe?"

"You don't believe I would wholeheartedly recruit scholars for his A Ru Cun? You don't believe I deliberately concealed in my report to you that he possessed Red King knowledge?"

Azhaer sat up straighter and his voice grew increasingly stern.

After he finished speaking,

Sietalei was already drenched in cold sweat.

What was she afraid of?

She feared that the Great Sage would find out she had concealed Luo De's possession of Red King knowledge.

But of course, what she feared came to pass!

Indeed, the Great Sage really did know about this.

In panic,

Sietalei's mind raced through various thoughts, seeking a reasonable excuse to extricate herself.

However, what she didn't expect was,

After this series of pressing questions, Azhaer instead seemed somewhat disinterested and waved his hand: "Go on, tell Aiersensen about the ban I just issued, and have him draft the ordinance."

"Ah?"

"Such gentle handling left Sai Talei surprised, and she also felt she could not see through the Great Sage's mind at all."

"How?"

"Do you insist on charging me with the crime of concealing a slip of the tongue? Then expel me from the Academy and send me back to that poor, barren desert?"

Just a few words.

Sai Talei almost broke down.

It's true she feels indebted to the desert, but she likewise does not want to lose these conveniences of the Academy.

She concealed Luo De's Red King knowledge for him, helped A Ru Cun recruit scholars, and besides that guilt, she truly wanted to obtain that chance to gain the Red King's knowledge.

But now she not only hasn't had time to do anything for her hometown, she also faces the risk of losing the Academy's backing.

Not to mention making up for the harm she's done to the desert, even this great opportunity is basically beyond her reach.

This is a consequence she cannot bear.

Sai Talei's lips twitched a few times; after only a moment's hesitation, she lowered her head and replied, "I'll go notify Clerk Ai Haisen right away."

She finished speaking.

She then left the Great Sage's office in a dazed, spiritless state.

What Sai Talei did not hear was.

She had just stepped out when a voice sounded behind her: "Hmph, an ungrateful desert brat."

It had finished striking Sai Talei.

A Zhaer also had no intention to continue resting; he sat upright and began examining each newly arrived piece of information one by one.

The Academy is far more than just a simple academic organization.

As the ruling authority over the whole of Sumeru,

Aside from academic research, they also have all the administrative strategies, diplomacy, intelligence, and other functions a state apparatus should possess.

A Zhaer is the Great Sage.

In every sense, he is the supreme ruler who governs all of Sumeru.

Therefore, checking the carefully selected information sent up by his subordinates each day is something he must do outside his normal academic research.

In the past month,

The majority of the information appearing on his desk concerned Luo De.

"Is that how geniuses come about?"

A Zhaer had a deep impression of the name Luo De.

After all, a desert dweller whose scores broke through the heavens, and who even provoked the sages into an offline duel, would naturally leave a deep impression.

But at the time, after he compromised with the hot-tempered Na Feisi and Ju Leshi, he stopped paying attention to this rarely seen newcomer at the academy.

And the most recent time he heard the name Luo De was:

It was just the four words "Red King's divine envoy" sent up by the Intelligence Department.

Originally, A Zhaer's attitude was dismissive, merely thinking this was an attempt to use a false title to gain prestige in the desert.

But he quickly realized.

A mere Red King's divine envoy is nothing; just send a few people to investigate and expose his false identity.

Luo De and the Red King's divine envoy combined.

This becomes somewhat delicate.

A super genius desert dweller who relied solely on self-study yet broke the Academy's long-sealed records.

Theoretically, this was absolutely impossible to happen.

Initially, A Zhaer also wondered whether Luo De had received some fortuitous encounter.

Because no solid evidence had been found, and with Na Feisi and Ju Leshi keeping close watch, there was also a senior discipline officer watching from behind the scenes.

Thus A Zhaer's people merely conducted a perfunctory investigation and then stopped.

And upon receiving this new piece of information about the Red King's divine envoy,

A Zhaer made a simple deduction and easily inferred a possibility.

Could it be that Luo De actually obtained the Red King's knowledge?

Consider that the Red King's technology is so advanced that the present Academy cannot even hope to catch up.

One could say that.

Much of the Academy's technology still comes from archaeological development of Red King relics.

So if Luo De had obtained the Red King's knowledge, it would make sense for him to openly announce this highly controversial identity in the desert and still astonish everyone in the Academy's examinations.

Don't think this sounds absurd at first glance.

But it really isn't completely without possibility.

With the mindset of preferring to believe it exists rather than believing it does not.

A Zhaer first searched the void for information, then found that there was hardly any data on Luo De before his entry into Sumeru Cheng, and furthermore, he had long resided in the desert, with very little new information about him recorded in the void.

Thus he gathered his trusted aides.

On one hand, he entered all persons related to Luo De into the void, monitoring their actions at all times to infer Luo De's particularities.

On the other hand, he sent people to pose as merchants and such, infiltrating A Ru Cun to investigate Luo De's information before his entry into the Academy.

Such a two-pronged approach.

This let A Zhaer quickly obtain much information he previously lacked.

Up to the present day.

Based on the judgment derived from Sai Talei's recent words, actions, and psychological changes, combined with the much information he had previously obtained from Ha Fusai and those investigators, a definite conclusion could finally be drawn.

Luo De is a desert dweller possessing Red King knowledge, and is highly suspected of having ties with the Little Auspicious Grass King.

"Little Auspicious Grass King, you really haven't given up."

Setting aside the information in his hands, Azha'er looked toward the Pure Virtue Palace and murmured to himself.

After finishing his work.

Azha'er prepared to issue an order to bring Luo De here, so he could properly communicate with this Red King follower suspected of ties to the Little Auspicious Grass King.

However, just as he pulled out his Void Terminal, the office door was knocked.

The sound was very urgent.

It sounded like something urgent had happened.

Azha'er frowned, temporarily set aside his Void Terminal, and said in a low voice, "Come in."

The sound had just faded.

A hurried scholar ran in, shouting as he came: "Great Sage, many traces of the Little Auspicious Grass King have suddenly appeared in the city."

His name was Wudai, Azha'er's most loyal lackey.

"What!"

Azha'er jumped up, frowned, and asked, "When did this happen?"

"Just ten minutes ago."

"Starting from the Grand Bazaar, Treasure Merchant Street, Tree King Street—any crowded street—people are showing traces of the Dendro Archon, all claiming they received the Little Auspicious Grass King's favor."

Wudai explained the situation quickly and clearly.

Compared to the flustered scholar, Azha'er remained calm and asked, "What about the guards?"

He said.

He then picked up his Void Terminal again, preparing to issue an order.

"These people have mercenary protection, they're moving too fast, and as soon as they evade the guards' pursuit, they immediately reveal traces in a new location."

Wudai finished speaking.

Azha'er's expression changed slightly, but he wasn't as flustered as Wudai; he merely nodded slightly, entered a command into a blank knowledge canister on his desk, and sent the order through it to his Void Terminal.

This order is simple.

【Increase surveillance forces, using rumors and false god believers deceiving the populace as a pretext to pacify all witnesses.】

After the order was issued.

Although this minor disturbance couldn't make Azha'er panic, he still inevitably felt uneasy.

Red King Envoy, traces of the Little Auspicious Grass King, mercenary assistance.

Taken individually, none of these things would allow one to stay calm.

What's more, they are all stacked together.

Azha'er felt uneasy; after a moment's thought, he rose to check the key to the prison cell holding Nadixa, confirmed the key was safe, then left the office and went to the Pure Virtue Palace, which only he could enter.

Along the way.

He carefully observed the guard forces outside the Pure Virtue Palace, confirmed no one could sneak in, then relaxed a bit, opened the palace doors, and came before Nadixa.

At this time, Nadixa's consciousness had not yet been sealed.

Therefore she could still communicate normally with Azha'er.

Seeing Nadixa still securely locked in her cell, Azha'er relaxed completely, then smiled and said, "Little Auspicious Grass King, this was your doing, right?"

Without waiting for Nadixa's reply.

He continued to mutter to himself: "Have you given up? Yet you came up with this method to forcibly stir public opinion—too bad you still can't match the Great Merciful Tree King; otherwise I would have opened this cage long ago. Tsk, do you think you can now lead us to break the boundless darkness of consciousness and wisdom and bring us true wisdom? Hah, even if you could come out, could you really solve the World Tree's crisis?"

Azha'er's voice echoed in the Pure Virtue Palace, especially the words "unable to be like the Great Merciful Tree King," which lingered and were repeated several times.

At that moment.

Nadixa, who had kept her eyes closed, slowly opened them and said calmly, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You don't know?"

Azha'er laughed.

He was quite confident.

He let the followers of the Little Auspicious Grass King cause trouble in Sumeru Cheng, and also had another follower who was also a Red King Envoy, Luo De, incite the lowly mercenaries to help those troublemakers.

He could mobilize so many people.

Nadixa said it wasn't her order—who else could it be?

Could Luo De, with just those two vague identities, really persuade so many people to cause trouble in the city?

However, Azha'er didn't mock further; he simply bowed slightly.

"If you don't know, then I won't disturb you."

"It seems everything is just the action of your follower alone; I will handle this."

"I won't disturb you; farewell."

After checking Nadixa's condition, Azha'er relaxed completely.

As long as the Little Auspicious Grass King hasn't escaped the cage, everything remains under his control.

Under Nadixa's calm gaze, the relieved Azha'er left the Pure Virtue Palace and issued a new order to bring a Junior Shitasuo Scholar to his office.

Liyue has an old saying: capture the bandit by capturing their leader first.

Azha'er was quite confident.

The person who planned these things is Luo De.

So starting with this doubtful person is definitely correct.

(End of chapter)