Chapter 316: 322. Chapter 322: In the Clouds and Mist

322. Chapter 322: In the Clouds and Mist

Resurrection?

Still a backup?

Lin Ke was truly shocked.

After thinking carefully, he realized that the most special thing about himself was the pay-to-win gacha system.

With a saint's power, creating such a system, Lin Ke thought it shouldn't be too difficult.

But his intuition told him that his loser system was unlikely to be the resurrection backup of Saint Nostradamus.

He couldn't say why; it was just a pure intuition.

Moreover, Lin Ke had another suspect.

That was the spherical lightning obtained after helping Ai Rui Si. Ke La Ke complete the first trial, which helped the 'small world' begin the chapter of organic life evolution.

Thunder symbolizes rebirth.

Resurrection is actually a form of rebirth!

Is it possible that when Saint Nostradamus truly resurrects, he will borrow some power from the real 'small world'?

These were just thoughts that quickly flashed through Lin Ke's mind.

He didn't show it on his face, but calmly asked, 'Dean, I don't understand what the saint's resurrection backup is. I only want to know whether helping Lady Lisandra out of her current situation will cause me any harm.'

Now is not the time to save face; the questions that need to be clarified must be clarified.

Otherwise, acting rashly would leave behind some hidden dangers that could have been avoided, and it would be too late to regret.

'No.'

Dean Friester first answered with certainty, then frowned and said, 'On the contrary, it might activate Saint Nostradamus's resurrection backup.'

'What impact would activating it have on me?'

A complex look flashed in Lin Ke's eyes, and he asked bluntly again.

This is especially important; we must ask more clearly.

Dean Friester thought carefully for a long time before saying:

'Saint Nostradamus wants to resurrect, but the conditions are extremely harsh.'

'Although I don't know exactly what the conditions are, there is one thing I can be certain of.'

'That is, the saint will not resurrect from your body, nor will he take away your life or consciousness.'

'The saint's life form is something even I cannot bear, let alone you.'

'If one really did that, the resurrected being would not be a saint, but merely a third-level wizard or sixth-level sage who possesses the saint's knowledge.'

'For Saint Nostradamus, that would be the worst choice.'

Saying that, Dean Friester thought of something and speculated:

'I suspect this backup is more likely to use your hand to send this bone fragment to some place.'

'For example, the trial in the special ruined world, or perhaps the parallel universe behind that special ruined world.'

Lin Ke listened silently and felt that Dean Friester himself was unsure about this matter.

After all, it's just that the saint's level is too high.

Even though Dean Friester is a peak sixth-level sage who can at any time promote to grand sage, and has a pair of eighth-level grand sage grandparents with a deep family legacy, he still cannot fathom the saint's thoughts.

Especially the meticulous layout of the mystic school wizard Saint Nostradamus, who is famous for prophecy.

After thinking, Lin Ke decided to stay silent and wait for Dean Friester's orders.

No matter what, the initiative today is not in Lin Ke's hands.

All actions must follow orders.

'Put the backup aside for now; first, let's save the person.'

Dean Friester again pondered long, reviewed all the information, and made this decision.

'Okay, Dean.'

Lin Ke immediately agreed and asked, 'What should I do?'

Dean Friester pointed at the withered yellow bone fragment and said, 'In a moment I will cut this thread; your task is to, at the instant of cutting, collect this bone fragment into your "small world".'

'Understood.'

This operation is not complicated.

The only difficulty is grasping the timing.

The only risk is whether the bone fragment will undergo any anomaly after entering the real 'small world'.

'Rest assured, it won't affect you or your 'small world' in any way.'

Dean Friester seemed to see Lin Ke's worry and comforted him, saying, 'Even if Saint Nostradamus's resurrection backup is activated, it's very likely not a bad thing, and you might even gain some benefits.'

'Mm-hmm.'

Lin Ke nodded without saying anything.

The reasoning is just that, and Lin Ke understands it.

But understanding the reasoning doesn't mean he isn't worried.

'Get ready, we're starting right away.'

Dean Friester saw that and, without saying more, gave a reminder.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Ke communicated with Fulan Duo.

Having confirmed that the channel between the real 'small world' undergoing apocalypse and the sea-of-consciousness 'small world' was completely shut, with other connections also temporarily severed, he signaled Dean Friester.

'Ready!'

Dean Friester extended his right hand's index and middle fingers, formed a sword gesture, and sliced the barely visible thread between the withered yellow bone fragment and Lady Lisandra's forehead, saying, 'Collect!'

No sooner said than done.

In the instant the thread was severed, Lin Ke drew the withered yellow bone fragment into the real 'small world'.

Without bothering to report to Dean Frister, Lin Ke immediately closed his eyes, focused all his mental power and attention, sealed off the real 'small world', and cut its connection with the sea-of-consciousness small world.

As soon as the withered yellow bone fragment entered the real 'small world', the ongoing apocalypse, as if hit by a pause button, suddenly became sluggish and halted.

The blazing earth-fire that had almost engulfed the entire planet was pressed flat against the ground by an invisible mighty force.

The entire planet's sky began, in an instant, to show a scene of thick overcast clouds.

Crackle—

Minute arcs of electricity sparked and rubbed between the cloud layers.

The arcs continually gathered, forming thunder.

The ball-shaped thunder kept growing as it gathered, unreleased, and soon reached a size nearly half that of the moon.

Heavenly thunder above, earth-fire below, the bone fragment, having shed its withered yellow hue and returned to a white-moistened form, lay stretched across the middle.

Though the bone fragment was tiniest in size, the aura it emitted overwhelmed the heavenly thunder and earth-fire.

Faintly, it exuded an overbearing aura of supremacy over heaven and earth, as if it alone were exalted.

At this moment, the bone fragment no longer felt to Lin Ke like merely a bone fragment.

He seemed to see the figure of a supreme powerhouse who had reached the end of the great path's smooth road, solitary and aloof, dictating the ages.

That figure had its back to Lin Ke and never turned around.

"Alas!"

A sigh sounded.

The heavenly thunder quietly dispersed, and the dark clouds seemed never to have appeared.

The earth-fire no longer lay prone on the ground, returning to its previous apocalyptic fury.

The white-moistened bone fragment vanished without a trace.

Everything that had just happened seemed like an illusory dream.

Lin Ke couldn't really understand what was going on, and he harbored many doubts.

Opening his eyes, Lin Ke met Dean Frister's probing gaze, opened his mouth, and wanted to describe what had happened in the real 'small world'.

He hoped to get some explanation from Dean Frister.

However, his mouth opened, but the words he wanted to say just wouldn't come out.

He felt a mortal danger if he failed to speak.

It was merely that he could not describe that previous scene, especially that figure and that sigh.

"You needn't try; the will of the wizard world forbids you from saying what you cannot say."

Dean Frister, seeing this, quickly guessed the reason for Lin Ke's situation. "The will of the wizard world?"

Lin Ke was puzzled.

Isn't this the posthumous means of Saint Nostradamus' resurrection?

How did we end up dragging in the will of the wizard world?

"You're not yet ready to know these secrets; you only need to know that this is for your own good."

Dean Frister explained, "Many things, once known, become a burden that hinders your future development."

"All right, thank you for the reminder, Dean."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ke immediately ceased his desire to investigate further.

He who listens to advice eats his fill.

Especially Dean Frister's advice—you must heed it.

"Maintain your present mindset, and you will achieve something."

Dean Frister smiled with satisfaction, "I've always had high hopes for you. Hmm…"

After a pause, Dean Frister continued:

"Since you've exerted effort and borne risk this time, I certainly won't let you return empty-handed."

Thus, I'll expand the main-force unit you applied for to eighty people.

Furthermore, the academy will equip you, according to the top-tier standard for a sage-level legion's main force, with all the warships and arcane gear of an interstellar fleet.

"Moreover, once Lysandra awakens, I will have her personally give you an additional token of thanks."

"Dean, your kindness is great; to refuse would be rude, so I won't stand on ceremony—I'll accept it directly."

Lin Ke didn't know what modesty or being thin‑skinned meant; upon hearing the dean's words, he immediately declared his acceptance.

"Heh…"

Dean Frister chuckled, "There's no need for ceremony; this is all you deserve."

Speaking thus, Dean Frister seemed to have just remembered, adding, "Oh right, while the High Council's selection hasn't begun yet, go to a cultivation secret realm. A sage‑level one will help you comprehend the rules."

"Thank you, Dean!"

Lin Ke immediately offered his heartfelt thanks.

Although he had just advanced to third‑circle wizard, what he needed to make up for was not third‑circle spells but fourth‑circle spells involving the rules.

The real 'small world', besides undergoing apocalypse, also housed a missing bone fragment that might carry one of Saint Nostradamus' posthumous resurrection means; Lin Ke dare not, for the time being, use the special link between his sea‑of‑consciousness small world and the real small world to ponder the rules.

Being able to visit a sage‑level cultivation secret realm can quickly help Lin Ke make up his deficiencies.

This time, Lin Ke undertook work for Dean Frister and bore considerable risk.

Receiving such recompense is only natural, yet he also needs to thank Dean Frister.

Not every superior is so generous.

At this moment, Lady Lysandra, freed from the bone fragment's influence, slowly awoke.

A fleeting look of confusion flashed in her eyes, and Lady Lisandra quickly recalled what had happened today.

Old thing! Fuck!

A vulgar curse burst out angrily.

Lady Lisandra's whole person floated up, fury blazing, as if she wanted to rush over and fight to the death with the scheming Archmage Michelle.

Lin Ke remained unmoved.

Dean Frister's mouth curled into a cold smile as he watched silently.

"Why didn't you stop me?"

She glanced at Lin Ke, who was trying hard to lower his presence, then glared fiercely at her brother, gnashing her teeth as she snapped, "Are you just going to sit there and watch your sister go to her death?"

"You even know you're going to your death, huh?"

Frister coldly retorted, "Since you know, yet you still want to do something foolish, why should I advise you?"

"You..."

Lisandra was momentarily speechless.

"What about me?"

The cold smile on Frister's lips grew more pronounced as he said, "Didn't I warn you not to meet Archmage Michelle alone? Did you listen?"

"Hmph!"

Lisandra had no retort, so she could only let out a cold snort to show her displeasure.

"Alright, what's past is past."

Frister waved his hand at this point, saying, "Archmage Michelle doesn't really mean to do anything to you; she's just using you to give me a warning."

Before Lisandra could speak, Frister shifted the topic:

"This time, to help you get away from Archmage Michelle, Linke Grand put in a lot of effort."

"Without his help, I would have had to ask my grandfather or grandmother to intervene."

"That would possibly let Archmage Michelle discover some details about my grandfather or grandmother."

"So, no matter how you look at it, you should thank Linke Grand and make up for it with a gift."

Lin Ke remained silent, as if he were a wooden puppet.

Lisandra glanced indifferently at Lin Ke, said nothing, and her figure vanished in an instant.

Seeing this, Frister chuckled a few times.

His second sister is a classic example of someone who would rather die than lose face.

"Don't resist."

Dean Frister said, lowering his mighty power, and in the blink of an eye brought Lin Ke to the outside of Lin Ke's villa.

"Just wait; her gift will be delivered to your door soon."

After the spatial teleportation power dissipated, Dean Frister said, "If you have any new developments, contact me anytime."

As his words fell, Dean Frister vanished.

Lin Ke stood outside for a while before returning to the villa.

He went straight up to the second floor, entered the study, and Lin Ke reflected on what had just happened, his thoughts deep and subtle.

One thing must be admitted: Dean Frister treats him generously and is quite frank, not deceiving him, at most concealing a few things.

That's also normal.

However, Lin Ke's desire for power, stimulated by this, has become even more fervent.

Letting his thoughts run wild, he scattered them aimlessly for a while, easing some mental pressure, then Lin Ke gathered his thoughts and got down to business.

Taking out his Portable Smart Brain, Lin Ke first looked at Mo Li's reply.

The envoy team sent to Shadow City has encountered some difficulties; to complete their mission, they still need a few more days.

Mo Li won't be able to return for a while.

Lin Ke thought it over, left her a message, telling her he was about to go on a cultivation retreat, unsure how long he would stay.

Afterwards, Lin Ke also told Sandra, Lanny, and Tiffany the temporary schedule he had made and the change of expanding the main force's roster to eighty people.

He asked them to, while he was in the cultivation retreat and Mo Li had not yet returned to the academy's main campus, continue handling the preparations of the main force and stay in contact with the academy.

After receiving an affirmative reply, Lin Ke did not delay but directly contacted the academy to apply for entry into the Sage-level cultivation retreat.

This was something Dean Frister had promised.

The academy's response came quickly.

Within ten minutes, the transport vehicle that would pick Lin Ke up to go to the secret location via a special teleportation gate pulled up outside the villa.

After some hassle, Lin Ke's figure appeared outside the Sage-level cultivation retreat.

The sixth‑sage Rosenthal, who had been guarding several cultivation retreats while waiting for death, recognized Lin Ke at a glance.

He also noticed that the strike he had once dealt could no longer be found any trace of on Lin Ke.

He couldn't help but feel a bit curious, muttering to himself:

"This little guy is quite interesting!"