Chapter 397

"... Next!"

Outside the seminar room of the "Void Realm Asset Restructuring Committee", a tutor who had just finished his interview walked out of the seminar room with his head held high.

Although the seminar was still ongoing, he couldn't wait to share the joy in his heart with his friend who had been waiting for a long time.

"Saint Xisi above, I passed! The Chairman actually really approved my research topic on 'Mimic Monsters in the Void Realm'!"

"Haha, congratulations, buddy! I told you, as long as you have true talent and learning, Prince Kelin will definitely give us a chance!" His friend responded excitedly, feeling happy from the bottom of his heart that his theory had finally been appreciated.

That tutor was probably so excited that he was a bit floating, forgetting what his surname was, and clenched his fists excitedly.

"Indeed! Unlike before, good resources were either digested internally by the big schools or fell into the hands of the 'Thorne Society'!"

"Yeah... shh, keep it down!" His friend hurriedly stopped him the moment he came to his senses, this guy seemed a bit too happy...

Similar conversations could be heard everywhere in the corridor outside the committee office.

Due to the fairness and foresight Luo Yan showed during the selection process, the prestige of the "Restructuring Committee" was growing day by day.

Many scholars who were originally squeezed out due to a lack of background and had even given up hope for the fair distribution of resources also brought their research results that had been dusty for many years to apply, hoping to gain the favor of this Prince.

Their abilities were not bad, although they were not geniuses, they were considered the backbone of talent in the fields they were good at.

In a sense, this could also be considered a reshuffling within the Tower of the Great Sage.

Driven by both interests and philosophy, a "Science" school with Luo Yan as the core gradually formed among the upper-middle-level scholars of the high tower.

Its momentum was so great that it already had the trend of contending with the old-fashioned interest group "Thorne Society"!

After all—

When people mentioned the distribution of Void Realm resources, they always couldn't avoid comparing the current situation with the past ten years.

This comparison was a loss for Alistair no matter what, after all, dividing one's own family property could never be more enjoyable than dividing someone else's family property.

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Inside the office, Luo Yan had just finished a conversation with a newly promoted project leader.

After expressing his gratitude, that well-informed tutor hesitated again and again, and finally decided to offer a bit of "insider" advice to this honest and kind Prince.

"Chairman, you act fairly, we scholars all see it in our eyes, and we are extremely grateful. But... please also be sure to be careful. If you do this, you have moved the cake of the 'Thorne Society'."

Luo Yan smiled in his heart upon hearing this, and calmly refilled the other party's cup with tea.

"Oh? Thorne Society?"

That tutor nodded and said nervously.

"Yes... to be precise, it is the faction of Professor Alistair Thorne."

Luo Yan said thoughtfully.

"I heard he is a respectable scholar."

"That is natural, it's just that you don't know the inside story..."

Seeing that he seemed not to know the inside story, that tutor lowered his voice and continued.

"Professor Alistair Thorne is the proud student of the Great Sage, and also the most famous Void Realm researcher in the Academy in the last ten years, even regarded as the person most able to inherit the mantle of the Great Sage. Relying on the support of the Great Sage, he and his disciples used more than ten years to form a huge network in the Tower of the Great Sage, infiltrating all the places that the Council of Sages of this mage tower couldn't reach, and even had many dealings with the nobles of the Rode Kingdom. Of course, he definitely can't compare to you, but—"

Luo Yan coughed lightly, interrupting his words.

"Thank you for your reminder. However, I think there is no need to worry too much. I have no grudge against Professor Thorne, and I believe his character is such that he definitely wouldn't mind because of this little thing."

Looking at Prince Kelin's completely unaware appearance, that tutor opened his mouth, and finally swallowed the words that reached his lips back.

He secretly sighed in his heart, this Prince is ultimately too kind, I'm afraid he will stumble in the dark side of this Academy...

Luo Yan guessed that this guy was mostly measuring others by himself the moment he saw his expression.

After the conversation ended, Luo Yan personally sent him out the door.

When the office door closed again, the honesty and kindness on his face instantly disappeared, replaced by a deep understanding.

He walked to the window, overlooking the foggy streets and spires beneath the mage tower, with a faint smile on his face.

All the clues were connected at this moment.

He understood why the Great Sage would hand over such significant power to an "outsider" like himself, and why he would "just right" leave the Academy at this time.

"... So that's it, that old guy doesn't trust me, but wants me to be a catfish to stir up this stagnant water. Using an outside Prince to balance that tail-too-big-to-wag spider, Alistair Thorne."

Interesting...

But having said that, it seems that the human feelings of the Academy are much colder than hell.

Actually, as early as the "Winter Recruitment Exchange Case", he had sensed a bit that the power struggle within the Academy was heating up. It's just that there were many possibilities, and the probabilities were all about the same, so he couldn't be sure which one it was.

Luo Yan couldn't help but think of the Minister of Religion of hell, Goligao.

Although that old lich was also good at calculation, when he was about to deal with his incompetent "good student" Elder Zakro Dragon, he still remembered old feelings time and time again and deliberately let him off.

On the other hand, Duoliuke, this demigod-level powerhouse born in the high tower, was instead more "pro-outsider" when facing choices.

Understanding is understanding, but Luo Yan didn't care about this.

Being used is not necessarily a bad thing, especially for his purpose of coming to the Academy, it can even become an opportunity.

Duoliuke wants to use him to prune the branches in the courtyard, let him and Alistair fight until both are injured, or even take the opportunity to remove himself from the courtyard...

But this Great Sage probably hasn't realized that the ashes withered in the flowerpot might bring not only nutrients, but also bring corrosion in together.

All greatness is forged by sacrifice, and this sacrifice doesn't necessarily have to be death.

A playful smile appeared at the corner of Luo Yan's mouth.

Perhaps, he should start considering designing a glorious exit for himself...

In the afternoon, inside the seminar room of the "Void Realm Asset Restructuring Committee", a meeting on the recovery plan for low-value Void Realm resources was proceeding in an orderly manner.

The Void Realm resources approved for restart were still being released continuously, but the committee's work was far from just signing.

The respectable Prince Kelin also very thoughtfully provided "after-sales service".

After all, whether these resources could be correctly researched was also related to the assessment of the committee's work in the future.

Because he moved too many people's cakes, scholars led by Professor Kamirel had been reporting to the Council, questioning the committee's work.

He believed that Kelin was choosing Void Realm researchers entirely based on personal preference and had not seriously reviewed the researchers' academic resumes.

Honestly, this sounded more like an accusation against Professor Alistair's work over the past ten years; Luo Yan had heard similar insinuating complaints from Professor Hector more than once.

Obviously, even with Professor Hector's seniority, there were some things he didn't dare to say clearly.

But no matter what, now that the Great Sage was not in the Academy, even if the Council heard Professor Kamirel's voice, they could only respond with official jargon.

Luo Yan believed this was definitely not Professor Alistair's instruction; after all, that guy was a smart man.

Such a person, even if he wanted to do bad things, would definitely make a big splash, rather than this kind of "little girl's flirtatious criticism".

Luo Yan was playing his own cards while patiently waiting for Professor Alistair to officially play his.

Just as a topic had just ended and the scholars at the seminar were preparing to take a short break, the conference room door was pushed open violently.

Miller rushed in regardless of etiquette, he even forgot to salute his superior, his face filled with unbelievable ecstasy.

"Tutor! Void Realm No. 440! Its passage... has shown signs of recovery! The energy fluctuation is stabilizing and rising!"

The entire seminar room instantly quieted down, everyone's gaze focused on Miller and Luo Yan, their faces filled with surprise without exception.

Void Realm No. 440 had been dormant twice before; this was something all scholars in the Academy knew. Almost everyone thought the time for this dormancy would be longer, after all, the world behind the Void Realm had undergone huge changes, but they didn't expect it to reconnect so quickly.

Luo Yan was the same, a hint of imperceptible surprise flashing in his eyes.

He originally thought that Void Realm No. 178 would make progress first, but didn't expect that Void Realm No. 440, which had been quiet, suddenly recovered.

Looking at the whispering seminar room, he nodded to the scholars present with a smile, signaling everyone not to be impatient.

"It seems we have new progress... Everyone, please continue the discussion, today's topic remains unchanged, don't delay everyone's business because of my personal research."

"It's the same whether I'm here or not."

After finishing, Luo Yan ordered Velich beside him: "Leave this to you, everything continues as usual."

Velich immediately stood up straight and nodded excitedly.

"Understood! Tutor! Leave it to me!"

Luo Yan nodded with a smile, then immediately got up, taking the impatient Teaching Assistant Miller, and quickly left the seminar room.

Because the atmosphere of Prince Kelin's seminar had always been very relaxed, more like an equal academic discussion rather than a serious work report, the scholars present not only didn't feel dissatisfied because of this sudden interruption, but all expressed understanding.

Watching Prince Kelin's back disappear at the seminar room door, the scholars at the long table all made excited conversation sounds.

"Void Realm No. 440 has new results?!"

"As expected of Prince Kelin! Solving the reconnection problem so quickly..."

"Really looking forward to it! Don't know what interesting things Kelin Tower will discover behind Void Realm No. 440 next time!"

Everyone was looking forward to it.

Kelin Tower, Void Realm No. 440 Laboratory.

All teaching assistants had arrived, they nervously and excitedly surrounded the Void Realm lens that had been silent for a long time, waiting for their backbone to arrive.

When Luo Yan's figure appeared at the door, everyone instantly quieted down, respectfully nodding and saluting this Prince.

"Tutor."

Luo Yan nodded, said no more, walked straight to the center of the magic array, and ordered concisely.

"Start the magic array, open the passage, and then limit the efficiency of energy output to a lower level... let's see what happened on the other side after waiting for so long."

In previous research, the "Pope" of Void Realm No. 440 overthrew the old order under the oracle of "the time has come", dominated the new world where the old days collapsed in the name of the Holy Light Society, and after everything settled, took his disciples and retreated into the shadows of history, establishing the Shadow Association with the purpose of studying the void, as a check and balance against the ancient god Kelin.

This Pope of Void Realm No. 440 was different from Jon of Void Realm No. 178; they were vastly different in both identity background and final outcome, including their attitude toward the Void Realm.

As a Pope who had seen everything, it was of course impossible to truly offer up the piety in his heart, and all of this was also expected by Luo Yan.

He was just a bit curious.

How these Suolipuxi people, who had already stood in the future, intended to face the "agreement about the future" written in the New Testament.

Following Prince Kelin's order, the teaching assistants immediately took action.

The runes on the magic array lit up one by one, accompanied by a low humming sound, the surface of the Void Realm lens rippled like water waves, and then a gentle light bloomed from it.

Space turned into soft gel, wrapping the entire first floor of the mage tower inside.

As the passage opened, the gray lens was lit up again!

However, when that azure light dissipated, what came into everyone's eyes was a scene that made them stunned.

It was not the industrial world filled with factories and steam in their memory, but a pastoral scenery that was quiet to the point of being eerie.

Their "viewpoint" returned to that huge stone tablet, however, the magnificent cathedral and square that originally surrounded the stone tablet had all disappeared.

What came into view was only endless and sparse wheat fields...

As before, these Suolipuxi people were not suitable for farming, they were like being forcibly dropped into this world.

Miller was stunned, didn't move for a long while, and finally couldn't help but exclaim.

"This... what is the situation?"

Time flowed backward?!

But—

How could it?!

The researchers standing around were the same, a piece of whispering sounds spreading, their faces filled with disbelief.

As everyone knows, time in the Void Realm can only be accelerated or slowed down, not reversed!

"Incredible..."

"This, what on earth happened?"

"Could it be that the Suolipuxi people have retreated to the era of slash-and-burn cultivation again?"

"Impossible! And... even if it were true, how could the scenery here be exactly the same as in our records?!"

Time, of course, cannot be reversed.

Luo Yan was also surprised by the scene before him, but he did not fall into surprise and confusion like others, but fell into deep thought.

And, his gaze did not focus on the vast farmland, but fell on those Suolipuxi people working in the fields.

Their movements were very serious, but not the kind of seriousness of "making a living by this", more like an adult deliberately imitating a child's game.

This is not farming, but meticulously completing a certain ritual.

Not only that—

This pastoral field was too "perfect", like a carefully drawn retro painting, perfect to the point that even the sparsity of the wheat seedlings was just right, without any natural messiness.

Combining these details, he soon noticed something wrong, and some observant researchers obviously also noticed it.

"Your Highness..." Miller swallowed a mouthful of saliva, intending to speak.

Just at this moment, a Suolipuxi farmer working in the field behind the Void Realm suddenly stopped the hoe in his hand.

He slowly raised his head, those "eyes" buried deep under countless tentacles, which seemed to have no focus, seemed to pierce through the endless void in an instant, and looked straight at the laboratory where they were.

Then, the meticulous expression on his face was quickly replaced by heartfelt joy.

The researchers standing in the mage tower hall all keenly captured his emotions through the ripples of spiritual power.

That Suolipuxi person was like a joyful child, dropped the farm tools in his hand, and turned to run in the direction of the village.

Then, shadows gathered from the edge of the village.

"They can see us!" Miller exclaimed, the words he originally wanted to say were blocked by this incredible situation.

Luo Yan also frowned slightly and nodded gently.

"A bit... unusual."

Before, the mages of the Academy were all playing the role of observers, observing the changes of civilization in the Void Realm from behind the Void Realm.

And now, the opposite side seemed to have become some kind of "observer" in a sense.

This astonishing change meant that in the two months he was away, the Suolipuxi people's understanding and control of the Void Realm had reached a brand new level!

At least, their understanding of the Void Realm was not inferior to the mages of the Academy!

It is even possible that they were above them...

All researchers realized this incredible situation and were excitedly talking in low voices, sharing their inner thoughts.

Undoubtedly—

Their mage tower had given birth to another achievement worthy of the cover of the "Sage Newspaper"!

While they were gazing at the void, the void was also gazing at them!

Before long, a Suolipuxi person wearing a simple white robe, surrounded by the crowd, slowly came to the stone tablet.

His tentacles had turned gray and white, and the marks of aging were printed on every inch of his skin exposed outside like mottled patterns.

He did not kneel and worship like others, but looked up at the invisible "viewpoint", a kind and pious smile appearing on his face.

Luo Yan could clearly feel that the smile contained not only the awe of a believer seeing a god, but also a kind of joy when reuniting with an old friend who had been separated for a long time.

Obviously, they had experienced a lot after this separation, and they couldn't wait to share what they had seen and heard on their journey with the voice that had once enlightened them.

And this was probably also the first time in the history of the Academy that the creatures behind the Void Realm had actively issued an invitation for communication to the "master" behind the Void Realm.

His voice echoed in the minds of everyone in the laboratory through spiritual resonance.

That was a declaration of goodwill.

"My Lord, we meet again."