Chapter 393: Don't Let the Council Think We Are Too Presumptuous

Kelin...

That name again.

The humble mask on Alisite's face showed fine cracks in an instant.

He raised his head in shock, almost blurting out a question.

"Why?"

His heart was filled with shock and anger.

Why would the Sage Council hand over such significant power to an imperial prince who had been in the Academy for less than half a year!

Even to balance the various factions of the thirteen mage towers, there were plenty of edge scholars with deep qualifications and neutral stances in the Academy to choose from!

And why... was it him?

Alisite's heart was roaring silently; for a time, he couldn't even tell if he was jealous of those rich resources, or simply jealous that the guy had obtained everything he dreamed of in such a short time.

Twenty years ago, as the most outstanding new-generation Void researcher in this mage tower, and the only mage who was promoted to diamond level relying on resources in the Void, no one doubted his talent and status in academics.

However, even a genius like him spent a full five years waiting for the first Void that belonged to him in his life!

And—

What made him feel most unacceptable was that the proposal to reuse those frozen resources was clearly submitted by him to the Council!

Facing Alisite's almost unseemly questioning, Duoliuke just smiled kindly, saying in a gentle tone.

"He did a good job, didn't he?"

That light sentence was like a muffled stick, smashing fiercely on Alisite's self-esteem, and also making him freeze on the spot.

Seeming to have anticipated his reaction, the Great Sage's voice became earnest.

"Alisite, sometimes we have to learn to look forward and give young people more opportunities. I know that you might feel dissatisfied with such an arrangement, so I told you privately... I hope you can understand."

Alisite was silent.

He lowered his head slowly, hiding all the unwillingness and resentment on his face into the shadows, his fists clenching involuntarily.

Duoliuke, who was focused on taking care of the plants, seemed not to have seen Alisite's clenched fists.

He put down the scissors, took a water pot from the side, and leisurely poured the sweet spring filled with the essence of the moon for the silver moon grass beside him.

"I know you have always been arrogant," he didn't turn his head, his tone was still the usual casual kindness, but it seemed as if he had seen his face, "Seeing a young person stand so easily on the platform you once spent so much effort to stand on, it is inevitable that there will be waves in your heart."

Alisite released his fists suddenly, lowering his head humbly.

"Mentor, you are overstating it, I didn't..."

"No need to explain, I can understand," Duoliuke smiled gently, his voice carrying a trace of an elder's warmth, and also a trace of advice.

"However, I still have to say, your pattern should be bigger. Prince Kelin is a noble of the Empire and also a rare genius; these two identities rarely appear in the same person. Being on good terms with him, whether for you or for our Source Law school, has benefits. Being more tolerant of him is also an investment in our own future... you know, I have always been cultivating you as my successor, why do you care about this little gain and loss?"

If it were ten years ago, Alisite would probably have been unable to hide the ecstasy on his face when hearing this sentence.

But he had heard this sentence for a full ten years, so no matter how he disguised it, it was very difficult to show an excited expression again.

Duoliuke put down the crystal pot and finally turned around, still with a kind smile on his face, as if chatting about a trivial matter.

"Let's not talk about this. I asked you to come over today, besides telling you about the Council's arrangement, there is another matter."

Alisite didn't speak, waiting silently for the Great Sage to continue.

Duoliuke paused and continued.

"Recently, the Yellow Copper Pass is in an emergency, and the Empire hopes that I can go there; I need to leave the Academy for a while, I'm afraid I won't be back until next month."

Alisite said casually without thinking

"... Is it serious?"

"Not serious, just going to help out, it might not even be my turn to take action."

When he said this, Duoliuke smiled, and the originally serious tone suddenly relaxed again.

"The 'All-Souls Festival' of this year is also coming soon. According to the rules, this maze trial is our Source Law school's turn to be responsible. I heard that you have been very close to the apprentices recently, I think you might as well host it fully; just treat it as relaxing."

The maze trial is different from the Sage trial; the latter is the graduation assessment for magic apprentices, while the former is more like a sports meeting for students.

Although some professors or mentors would select promising magical apprentices at the ceremony to cultivate, academic power brokers like Alister who held real power had little interest in such activities.

This is like the annual winter recruitment.

After all, he doesn't need to be like Professor Heketuo, burying his head in research while desperately proving his existence in the Great Sage's Tower.

However—

Alisite raised his head suddenly, and a trace of imperceptible sharpness flashed in his eyes hidden in the shadows.

That's right...

He had been busy accumulating the power of belief during this time, and almost forgot about such a big thing as the maze trial.

He immediately remembered Skein's report a few days ago—a talented apprentice under Kelin seemed to be in trouble.

Although this apprentice herself was insignificant, she seemed to have a close friend who happened to be the daughter of the Kastelion family.

And coincidentally, this daughter also happened to be Kelin's apprentice.

And he vaguely remembered hearing Skein mention that Duke Kastelion personally entrusted this person to Kelin.

A burst of ecstasy instantly washed away all the jealousy and unwillingness in Alisite's heart, replaced by a twisted and resentful thought.

This is an excellent opportunity.

Kelin ultimately doesn't belong to the Academy; the Holy City is his "old home."

If the backyard catches fire, I think he must be unable to stay leisurely in the northern wilderness doing his ridiculous research...

He has to bear the anger of the Kastelion family first!

"Alisite? Are you listening to me?" Seeing his student seemed to be distracted, Duoliuke looked at him with concern.

Meeting the Great Sage's concerned eyes, Alisite quickly recovered, bowing respectfully and obediently.

"Mentor... I am thinking about your proposal. Although I really want to share your worries personally, as you said, we should give young people more opportunities."

After a pause, he said.

"I want to recommend a candidate."

"Oh?" Duoliuke smiled, saying gently, "I thought you would be interested in doing this yourself."

Alisite smiled embarrassedly.

"This is my recent interest... but to tell you the truth, I have been dealing with those little guys for too long, and I may not be good at planning this kind of activity."

Duoliuke nodded, expressing understanding, and then asked in a gentle tone.

"Then who is the person you recommend?"

Alisite thought for a moment, then opened his mouth.

"Moke, he is a mentor of the Source Law school. I have worked with him, and his unique insights in management as well as his academic vision have left a deep impression on me. In addition, in terms of extraordinary power, he has the strength of a high-level gold level; although not as good as me, he is more than enough to be responsible for hosting the maze trial for magic apprentices."

"I believe that with his ability and knowledge, he will definitely not lose face for our school, and will not let you down!"

"Ha ha, losing face is not important; originally it was just a celebration activity prepared for young people, just make it lively."

Duoliuke smiled, signaling his favorite student to relax, and then paused, opening his mouth.

"I believe in your vision; since you think so highly of him, let him go."

"... I will notify him of this good news."

Suppressing the ecstasy and killing intent that flashed in his heart, Alisite bowed his head humbly.

That humility was the same as when he first stepped into this mage tower more than thirty years ago, and also the same as when Skein faced him.

"Hmm, leave it to you." Duoliuke said casually, and then focused his attention on taking care of his garden again.

This was one of the few hobbies he had retained after being promoted to a demigod.

Although some things could be done with a single spell, and could be done better, he still preferred to use his own hands to protect his treasures.

Compared to the result, he enjoyed the process more.

After chatting with his mentor for a few more sentences, Alisite turned around, bowed respectfully again, and then left the garden without a word.

His footsteps were steady and his expression was calm, as if that conversation about power and glory was just an ordinary greeting.

Just as he passed a gorgeous purple vine, a colorful magic light butterfly flapped its phosphorescent wings and landed lightly on a blooming flower.

That flower stamen looked weak and harmless, waiting to be picked, but the moment the magic light butterfly folded its wings, it suddenly opened, like a small mouth filled with mucus, swallowing it in one bite!

However—

The butterfly emitting phosphorescence was no ordinary thing.

The moment it was swallowed, the petals of that gorgeous flower lost their luster at a speed visible to the naked eye, withered and withered rapidly, and finally turned into flying ash silently.

Alisite's back disappeared behind the glass door of the garden, and with his departure, the garden returned to silence.

Great Sage Duoliuke, who focused on gardening again, hummed a nameless little tune, pacing slowly to the side of the flower bed.

Suddenly noticing the withered remains, his footsteps paused slightly, and a trace of faint surprise appeared on his face.

However, he was only surprised. That was indeed his proud work that he cultivated with his own hands, but he had many proud works, and this one was not bad in this garden where flowers competed for beauty.

He picked up the silver gardening scissors and skillfully cut off the withered vine, as if he had finished a trivial little thing.

Staring at the ashes scattered in the mud, Duoliuke sighed with regret, but there was not much regret in his turbid eyes.

"A pity."

With the approach of the All-Souls Festival, even the Great Sage's Tower, which had a rigorous academic style, gradually filled with the atmosphere of the festival.

Apprentices gathered in groups of three or five to communicate. And the topic people discussed most enthusiastically was undoubtedly the annual grand event—"Maze Trial."

As a preview of the Sage Trial, senior mages would join the maze designed personally by high-level mentors as maze challengers.

During the entire challenge, not only could they obtain valuable magic items as rewards in the maze, but they might also be favored by mentors because of their outstanding performance in the maze.

Many people had been preparing for this grand event for a full month!

However, when the announcement on the bulletin board announced that Mentor Moke would be responsible for this trial, the expectant atmosphere instantly turned into a wail.

In the canteen, Yilana looked at the apprentices with bitter faces around her and asked Anjie, who was gorging herself on the side, in confusion.

"Senior Anjie, Mentor Moke is responsible for the maze trial... is there any problem? Why does everyone look so disappointed?"

She vaguely remembered hearing Prince Kelin mention this name, and Prince Kelin's impression of this scholar didn't seem bad?

Anjie drooped her face, poking the food on the plate listlessly with a fork, and complained in a small voice about the depression in her heart.

"More than disappointed... Mentor Moke is famous for being meticulous. The exams he is responsible for have always been the hardest to pass. It will probably be the same in his maze; any clever tricks are useless, we can only consider the safest strategy..."

Wanting to take Yilana to the depths of the maze probably won't be that easy, they might have to find some foreign aid.

But this will create new problems.

Miss Lastina is preparing to use some expensive magic items, now she can only hope these magic items can come in handy.

Seeing the worried look on Yilana's face, Anjie suddenly remembered the task Miss Lastina had entrusted to her.

She immediately put on a sweet smile, leaned close to Yilana, and coaxed her in a honey-like tone: "But don't worry, Yilana! You have me! When the time comes, just follow me closely in the maze, I guarantee you will be safe and sound!"

Looking at Anjie's confident appearance, Yilana became even more uneasy.

In her memory, those contestants who boasted before the competition even started often didn't have a good ending.

Especially since she had been busy with her paper recently and really didn't have time to prepare for this trial, so much so that she wanted to back out.

By the way, the registration for the maze trial can be canceled at any time; I heard that the "designer" of the maze is Mentor Moke, and quite a few apprentices have quietly withdrawn.

Yilana said in a small voice: "Is it really okay? This maze trial is very important to you and your friends, right? I am just a preparatory student, it doesn't matter if I don't participate... and, I always feel that it's not good to mix in like this."

"Oh, no such thing! Don't think so much, Mentor Moke is simply... no problem at all!"

Looking at Yilana who was still hesitating, Anjie hurriedly held her hand, suddenly pretending to be hurt with her chubby face, "Yilana, I think nothing is more important than our friendship! Or... don't you believe me?"

Looking at Anjie's "tearful" appearance, Yilana was at a loss, laughing and crying, waving her hands repeatedly.

"No, no, I didn't mean that..."

As the words fell, she sighed lightly in her heart.

She was indeed not good at refusing other people's requests, especially requests from friends.

Looking at Anjie who was still pretending to be sad, she steadied her mind and continued.

"Got it, I will go... I will leave it to you then, Senior Anjie."

Anjie, who got a positive answer, gave her a big hug in surprise; that heavy surprise almost suffocated Yilana on the spot.

"Oh! Yilana, you are so good! I really love you to death."

Yilana: "???"

Just when the apprentices were gearing up for the maze trial of the All-Souls Festival, the respected Mentor Kelin was not idle either.

However, he was not preparing for the maze; that thing was too pediatrics for him. He had been busy with the work of the "Special Committee" recently.

According to Professor Heketuo, these things were usually handled by the Great Sage's disciple Professor Alisite, but this time I don't know why the Great Sage considered him.

Although I don't know what the Great Sage is planning, for Luo Yan, who is addicted to spreading the Demon King's corruption, it is undoubtedly a rare opportunity.

As long as it is used properly, it will lay the foundation for the "scientific" school in the Void field!

For this reason, Luo Yan also poured considerable energy into it.

He first changed the name of the committee to the more purposeful "Void Asset Reorganization Committee" and officially invested in the work as the executive chairman.

The committee's temporary office was set on the top floor of the file management room; the huge bookshelves were piled with dusty old files, and the air was filled with the dry smell of parchment mixed with time.

A group of researchers drawn from Kelin Tower were conducting preliminary screening and classification of the massive original files on the side.

This work was boring and heavy, but everyone was full of energy.

This was not only because of their belief and loyalty to Prince Kelin, but also because they knew that they were participating in a great cause that would change the history of the Academy!

Although people might not remember their names, their achievements were definitely worth writing about in the history of the Academy!

However—

It's easy to say beautiful words, but this work is not easy to do in practice.

Especially these researchers didn't realize until they really started to work independently that they relied too much on that Prince's wisdom, so much so that once there were no examples for reference, they felt at a loss.

Fear of taking responsibility and difficulty in making trade-offs in the face of pros and cons were common problems that every scholar trained by the Great Sage's Tower had.

When facing choices, these experienced teaching assistants were probably not as calm as the apprentices in the Magic Science Laboratory.

"Mentor."

Teaching Assistant Vilichi presented the file on Void No. 204—【The Plain of the Flag-Breaker's Embers】 to Prince Kelin with a difficult look, and reported the preliminary conclusion reached after repeated discussions by him and his team members.

Although he didn't put the conclusion at the beginning, judging by his hesitant attitude, Luo Yan could guess what he was going to say.

"... The situation of this Void is very complicated. According to the files, the previous researcher broke the balance between the forces in order to plunder the 'War Soul Crystal,' leading to a long civil war. We think it has potential for recovery because its internal civilization has a strong desire for unification, and their thoughts are to a certain extent biased toward idealism."

"However, the risk is still very high; the only method we can think of is to support a warlord, but with our existing strength, it is probably difficult to give it much help, and instead, it may push it into the abyss of destruction."

He swallowed a mouthful of saliva and continued.

"So... would it be better to maintain the freeze temporarily?"

Luo Yan took the file and didn't look at their conclusion immediately, but went straight to the last few pages of inconspicuous appendices—that was the record of the civilization's myths and legends.

Although most researchers in the Academy didn't care about these trivial details, for those scholars who wanted to publish papers, they wouldn't let go of any clue that could be excavated.

Regardless of whether the *Sage's Report* wanted it or not, they submitted it first; anyway, on this snowfield, ink and teaching assistants were the least valuable things.

Although this style of producing academic garbage was not worth encouraging, objectively speaking, it also facilitated Luo Yan's rapid takeover of unfamiliar research.

He pointed to a paragraph of text on it with his finger and opened his mouth calmly.

"Your thinking is too limited; why must you make a 'difficult choice' among existing forces? If you are worried that breaking the balance of the existing order will lead to backlash from the Void channel, we can also create one ourselves... just like we did in Void No. 178, the divine messenger we chose was not a great figure."

Vilichi said nervously in a small voice: "But... this is a barbaric world, we are worried that the seedlings we choose won't have a chance to grow up."

"Void No. 178 is not very civilized either, there are just more high towers. And the barbarism you mentioned is precisely the soil needed for the seeds of ambition."

Luo Yan paused and continued.

"The appendix mentions their local belief; before the 'God of War' fell, there was a 'Fire-Holder' council composed of priests responsible for interpreting the 'God of War's' oracle. Although this class was suppressed in the war, it did not completely disappear. Find the descendants of the 'Fire-Holders,' re-endow them with divine power in the name of the 'God of War's return,' and encourage them to preach on the land ravaged by war. Use the power of religion to reconstruct their social order from the bottom up; we don't need to get involved in their war at all, whoever wins among them is the same to us."

Vilichi was stunned for a moment and asked subconsciously: "God of War... return? Don't you need to make them believe in Kelin?"

Luo Yan couldn't help but feel a bit funny after listening.

"Don't apply it mechanically; they are preaching, and you are going to preach too? We only need them to be like us, to acknowledge the weight of the soul in the universe, to acknowledge the irreplaceability of spirit, and to let their split spirits return to stability, as well as to eliminate hostility toward the Void... as for what the god they believe in is called, it is not important to us."

Several researchers who gathered around to listen suddenly realized, and then expressions of incomparable admiration appeared on their faces.

So that's it—

They only remembered the method to solve the problem, but forgot to think about the principle behind it. Now that Prince Kelin explained it like this, they finally touched a little bit of the way.

Beyond the realization, the worship written in pair after pair of gazes became stronger.

As expected of the Prince!

Simply terrifyingly strong!

Vilichi was the same; beyond the realization and worship, his face showed an ashamed expression.

He scratched the back of his head, lowered his head embarrassedly and said.

"Yes, sorry... I..."

"Don't apologize to me; compared to saying sorry, I hope you really remember what I taught you. I ultimately don't belong here... carrying forward my theory ultimately depends on you young teaching assistants."

Luo Yan said earnestly, returned the report in his hand to him, and then emphasized it again in a serious tone.

"In addition, I will say it again, the Voids we are reviewing are research projects prepared for other professors, not for ourselves. We will not directly participate in the research of these Voids; I don't want my own surname to appear in... places where it doesn't need to appear at all."

"Don't let the Council think we are too presumptuous!" ===== CHAPTER 394 =====