Chapter 248

255. Chapter 255: Wanting to Cry Out

A month is neither long nor short.

It is enough for many important things to happen.

The relationship between Riverside Academy and Mesopotamia University has soured.

This was within the expectations of some people.

But they did not expect the progress to be so fast.

Mesopotamia University's single move of selective school closure—allowing people to leave but not enter—was enough to break Riverside Academy's defenses.

Dean Forrest Diomand blocked their gates for seven consecutive days, loudly cursing the president of Mesopotamia University as despicable and shameless.

He shouted things like, "If you have the ability to steal people, you should have the ability to open the gates."

However, the president of Mesopotamia University remained very composed, firmly executing the selective closure strategy and never appearing.

A few days later, those paying attention to the situation discovered that Mesopotamia University had truly closed the school; it wasn't just talk.

One could see people constantly coming out from the native campus and the headquarters world, but no one could be seen entering.

Some individuals and forces wanted to figure out what was happening inside Mesopotamia University, so they tried to make contact with the wizards coming out, using various means such as bribery or coercion.

The resulting news was varied, but they all had one thing in common: nothing special was happening inside Mesopotamia University, and everything was normal.

The reason for the selective closure was purely the impact of those four corruption cases and the promise Dean Forrest made to uncover more.

Only then did the many organizations and individuals in the Michelle District realize that Mesopotamia University, an old-school top-tier force established alongside the Michelle Great Sage Tower, had actually decayed to such a degree.

Because they feared the festering sores would be exposed, they could just bury their heads and close the school, pretending the sores didn't exist.

"No wonder it has become increasingly dilapidated over these years."

Many people expressed such sentiments.

Mesopotamia University had once occupied the Michelle District, holding the throne as the number one force—aside from the Michelle Great Sage Tower—for nearly a thousand years.

Yet, in the last three hundred years, it has lacked successors, and its ranking has continuously slid, falling to fifth place.

The former little brother, Riverside Biology and Medical Academy, has instead flourished, leaping from fifth to first.

Such a contrast is enormous.

It is no wonder that when everyone learned that the Riverside Great Sage was scouring everywhere for the resources needed for the Sosi Great Sage to advance to an eighth-level Great Sage, the one that reacted the most strongly and was the first to take action to show its stance was actually Mesopotamia University, even more actively than the Michelle Great Sage Tower.

They really couldn't save face.

After Dean Forrest's gate-blocking proved fruitless, he brazenly announced the suspension of over a dozen cooperative projects with Mesopotamia University.

He also declared that if Mesopotamia University continued to remain silent and did not positively respond to Riverside Academy's reasonable demands and hand over some of the thieves, they would continue to sever cooperative projects in the future.

This was not just empty talk.

Looking back a month later, more than half of the cooperative projects between Riverside Academy and Mesopotamia University had been cut.

The firmness and decisiveness of their attitude were evident.

However, if anyone understood the inside story of these cut projects, they would discover that they were all projects where there was more corruption on Mesopotamia University's side.

Unfortunately, the relevant figures were either silenced and could never speak again, or they had signed confidentiality contracts created by a ninth-level Great Sage True Spirit Wizard.

Within Riverside Academy, three noteworthy things also happened.

First was that Wizard Celine suddenly entered the transformation period, and the duration of this period would be very short; after two months, she would be able to advance to a Sage.

Generally speaking, the transformation period lasts from half a year to two years.

Some senior Sages, upon hearing that Wizard Celine's transformation period was so short, gave a judgment.

"She waited for Paro for so many years, always with true feelings and without wearing a mask; her humanity is kept very complete, so what is there to be surprised about if the transformation period is shorter?"

After this judgment spread, it triggered a heated discussion.

The point the wizards focused on was no longer the brevity of the transformation period, but the story between Wizard Celine and Sage Paro.

Some busybodies familiar with the details wrote the past events of Wizard Celine and Sage Paro into a long post and anonymously disclosed it on the Riverside Forum.

Many male wizards, after reading this post, had only one thought.

That is, a die-hard straight man like Sage Paro should just die outside.

The beautiful and dashing Wizard Celine should be left for us to protect!

"If you do this kind of thing again in the future, be careful or I'll tear your mouth apart!"

After Wizard Celine discovered this post, she knew the true identity of the anonymous poster and immediately "stormed" into the home of Lanni Taylor; after a bout of playfulness, she directly suppressed Lanni.

She pressed her onto a soft chair, slapped her rear vigorously, causing a wave of undulations, and issued a threat.

"Hehe..."

Lanni's face was pink, and she panted heavily, "I'll dare to do it again next time."

Wizard Celine, upon hearing this, released her suppression of Lanni Taylor and said gloomily, "Even if you leak the news, don't talk about how I lost myself just because of a bottle of healing potion worth only 6 standard level-1 magic stones and a timely helping hand. How embarrassing!"

Lanni immediately refused to accept this, sat up, and said indignantly, "It's not you who should be embarrassed, it's that bastard Paro. He's been stringing you along for so many years without giving a definite answer; he's not even as good as my Asande."

Mentioning Asande Cornett, Wizard Lanni's resentment toward Sage Paro grew even heavier, and she cursed, "That idiot Asande, I don't know what kind of ecstasy soup that guy Paro fed him, but he refuses to return to the mainland. Even if he doesn't enter the Clark family to work, he could develop on his own."

Wizard Celine looked at Wizard Lanni with a strange expression and said gloomily, "Isn't the reason he won't return to the mainland obvious? You are about to form your own family, and he wants to obtain a higher status and position and save up more family assets before that, so that you won't be reduced to a 'family laughingstock'."

Wizard Lanni, upon hearing this, immediately felt downcast.

At this moment, Iris ran in, and as soon as she saw Wizard Celine, she immediately asked, "Is there any news about Lin Ke?"

Wizard Celine looked Iris up and down, who was becoming increasingly beautiful, and teased with a smile, "Why, does Iris really want to be the second wife?"

"Don't mess around!"

Lanni stood up for her sister, "Don't make this joke about Iris."

Wizard Celine straightened her expression, "There is no news yet. However, no news is the best news."

"Alright."

Iris lowered her head, not knowing what she was thinking.

Lanni changed the subject in time and asked, "What are your plans after you advance to Sage? Build a legion, or take a position at the Academy Headquarters?"

As a prospective Great Pharmacist, Wizard Celine has more choices after advancing to Sage than a Sage who specializes in combat like Sage Paro.

She can take a position at the Academy Headquarters or build a legion.

She can also maintain a semi-independent status and continue to manage her own industry.

As long as she completes the potion-related tasks issued by the academy on time, it will be fine.

After Wizard Celine entered the transformation period, the Academy Headquarters sent an invitation letter at the first opportunity, inviting Wizard Celine to enter the Academy Headquarters to establish a brand-new Pharmacy Research Group.

This invitation was full of sincerity.

A Pharmacy Research Group, if fully staffed, has fourteen positions.

This is equivalent to the academy giving Wizard Celine thirteen "slots," with the academy paying the salary and benefits, allowing Wizard Celine to cultivate her own "radishes."

Special talent, special treatment.

When Lanni first heard about it, she was so envious that she wished she could go back in time and also work hard to develop a side career.

Unfortunately, time cannot be reversed, and wizards cannot return to the past.

The second important thing is that the remaining members of the Lucia family were secretly dealt with by the academy.

All the industries of the Lucia family, except for the part transferred to Lin Ke Grand's name, were all taken over by the academy and charged as the academy's assets.

The two legions stationed in the same medium-civilization world have also been forcefully taken over by the academy.

All the Lucias were rounded up and escorted to the Academy Headquarters to accept screening.

After this news spread, no one was surprised.

It should have been dealt with long ago.

Dragging it out for so long, they were probably still trying to investigate the inside story of the Lucia family's sudden defection.

Many people speculated this way.

The third thing only spread within a small circle.

The sixth-level Sage Waters finally found the opportunity to advance to a seventh-level Sage. This news, it is rumored, was intelligence offered by the core layer of the Lucia family after they received a promise of protection from Mesopotamia University.

Once the news spread within a small circle, Shadow City, the White Tower Alliance, and the Flame and Metal Trading Company, which were originally unhurried and leisurely watching the show, all became anxious.

The Michelle Great Sage Tower also no longer maintained a detached posture and sent personnel to inquire whether the news was true.

Riverside Academy already has one eighth-level Great Sage, two seventh-level Sages, and multiple sixth-level Sages, with strength so strong that it vaguely threatens the level of the Michelle Great Sage Tower.

Now, with a seventh-level advancing to eighth-level and a sixth-level advancing to seventh-level, two good things happening together, if Riverside Academy really succeeds...

Then it would not just be vaguely threatening the Michelle Great Sage Tower.

It would be launching a direct challenge to the status of the Michelle Great Sage Tower.

The combined secret technique of the Riverside Great Sage and the Sosi Great Sage can still exert miraculous effects at the Great Sage stage.

An eighth-level Great Sage and a seventh-level Great Sage working together can withstand the crazy attack of a ninth-level Great Sage for half an hour.

If two eighth-level Great Sages work together, wouldn't they be able to directly hold back a ninth-level Great Sage?

In this way, with the profound strength of Riverside Academy, they could completely rely on the large number of Sage-level wizards to impact the Michelle Great Sage Tower.

Hmm...

This is just thinking about it.

The five Saints of the Supreme Council will not allow this scale of civil war to happen.

The Wizard World Will will also not allow it.

At most, they will adjust the positioning and treatment of Riverside Academy, making it stand on equal footing with the Michelle Great Sage Tower.

Molly was in such a situation when she left the Cultivation Secret Realm ahead of schedule.

With the help of the "God-Eater Insect" cub, Molly has reached the limit of a first-level wizard.

Afterward, she has to rely on slow, grinding effort to liquefy her mental power bit by bit and advance to a second-level wizard.

Staying in the Cultivation Secret Realm any longer has no great significance.

After switching to a Beast-Taming Wizard, Molly's combat system and development direction will inevitably undergo major changes.

The idea of using the Cultivation Secret Realm to hone combat experience naturally fell through.

Even if she was reluctant, in order not to waste more time, Molly could only leave the Cultivation Secret Realm ahead of schedule.

Before leaving, Molly still bowed and saluted one by one toward the four directions.

Expressing gratitude to the unknown existences who didn't know where they were or whether they were paying attention to her.

After leaving the Cultivation Secret Realm and taking the suspension car arranged by the academy back to the academy, Molly didn't stop to rest and went directly to the station of "Do Whatever Is Free" at the Advanced Academy.

"Big Sister?"

Today it was Betty's turn to sit in the station, and the first time she saw Molly, she was still a bit suspicious of whether she was having hallucinations.

Blinking her eyes and confirming that the person appearing before her was indeed Molly, she exclaimed loudly, "Big Sister!"

"Hmm, it's me."

Molly pressed her palm down, signaling Betty to calm down and not be too excited, then immediately asked, "How have things been recently? Has anything happened? How is Lin Ke?"

Three questions in a row, but the focus was actually on the last one.

Betty, of course, knew what Big Sister was most concerned about, and a difficult expression immediately appeared on her face.

She didn't know how to tell Big Sister the bad news about the Big Boss.

"It's okay, I'm mentally prepared, just say it."

Molly, upon seeing Betty's expression, knew that her premonition before entering the Cultivation Secret Realm had come true.

"Hmm."

Betty nodded and said, "The Big Boss was ambushed by someone suspected to be Solon Lucia. It is said that he took six Annihilation Cannon shots, and during that time, he didn't know where he went to hide; there is no news yet. However, the academy has clearly stated that the Big Boss is not in life-threatening danger and is very safe now."

"Ambushed?"

Several doubts arose in Molly's heart.

She knew how developed Lin Ke's intuition and premonition were and how sharp his foresight of danger was.

Wanting to ambush Lin Ke, let alone Solon Lucia hadn't advanced to Sage yet.

Even if he had advanced to Sage, it would be impossible to make Lin Ke stand there stupidly and take six Annihilation Cannon shots.

Combining her own inexplicable premonition and some things Lin Ke had told her before, Molly instinctively felt that this was a setup.

And Lin Ke, regardless of whether he was subjectively willing or not, had already entered the game and become a chess piece for the person who laid it out.

"Tell me the details of the process."

Getting Molly's instruction, Betty immediately told the process of Lin Ke's ambush incident, which "Do Whatever Is Free" had collected from various channels and organized, in detail.

After listening, Molly grasped another blind spot: "You said that until now, no one knows why Lin Ke suddenly left the Riverside District that day, right?"

"Yes."

Betty nodded, confirming it.

"Understood."

Molly was thoughtful, but she didn't tell Betty the result of her thoughts, instead instructing, "Notify everyone that I have returned and we will have a meeting at 14:00 this afternoon."

Leaving this sentence behind, Molly left the "Do Whatever Is Free" station, drove the 1-Ring Wizard Artifact level suspension car she had purchased herself, and drove toward Riverside City.

Returning to Lin Ke's North District villa, Molly changed her clothes, washed up, brewed a cup of green tea that Lin Ke loved but she hated, and tasted it carefully.

The tea was clear and bright, the tea fragrance was fresh, it wasn't astringent when entering the mouth, slightly bitter at first, and then sweet afterward.

After finishing the cup of green tea, Molly took out her portable smart brain and sent an appointment to Wizard Celine, wanting to meet and chat.

Wizard Celine quickly agreed and waited for Molly to arrive at her own villa.

Molly got up and drove to Wizard Celine's villa, which was not far away.

"Hmm..."

Wizard Celine, upon seeing Molly, noticed the change in Molly's aura, pondered for a moment, and asked, "You switched your cultivation path?"

Elemental Wizard, Body Refining Wizard, True Spirit Wizard, Intellectual Machine Wizard, Beast-Taming Wizard, each has its own characteristics.

From the outside, aura, and temperament, it is relatively easy to distinguish.

The aura emitted from Molly's body was completely different from before and did not fit the characteristics of an Elemental Wizard.

Wizard Celine asked because of this.

"Yes, under helpless circumstances, I had to switch."

Molly didn't detail the suffering she endured in the Cultivation Secret Realm and the opportunities she obtained, but directly summoned her companion spirit beast, the "God-Eater Insect" cub that looked like a silkworm baby, and showed it to Wizard Celine.

"God-Eater Insect?"

Seeing the silkworm baby, Wizard Celine recognized it and immediately exclaimed, "How did you get it?"

Molly replied gloomily, "According to the information I received when I switched my cultivation path, the 'Bone-Chattering Insect' is something the 'God-Eater Insect' actively degenerated into in order to seek continuation."

Wizard Celine, upon hearing this, was greatly shocked.

After she obtained the "Bone-Chattering Insect," she also consulted a large amount of data and didn't find any relevant records at all.

The tests she did also didn't find the slightest connection between the "Bone-Chattering Insect" and the "God-Eater Insect."

It can only be said that the "God-Eater Insect," as the wisdom crystallization of the Zerg World royal family, a killing weapon used to deal with the gods of the God World, and known as the natural enemy of the gods of the God World, naturally has its own extraordinary aspects.

And after the Supreme Council of the Wizard World made the decision that the "God-Eater Insect" could not be promoted on a large scale, they sealed the relevant data.

If one's identity, status, and level are not enough, naturally one cannot find it.

Wizard Celine said thankfully, "Fortunately, it didn't cause bad results, otherwise Lin Ke would probably hate me to death."

Molly asked along the way, "Is Lin Ke's matter just going to be left like this?"

Obviously, Molly did not accept the academy's handling.

She was not at peace.