Paitt was ready to take action, but he received a veiled instruction from Vice Dean Victor and could only suppress his impatience, choosing to wait and see how things would unfold.
He did not take action, and Arian also refrained from doing anything unnecessary. Perhaps soon, he would get to see the adversary’s plan; he indeed wanted to scrutinize why it had won the favor of the academy’s upper echelon.
“What do you all think?” Ove looked to her left and right.
“If Sorcerer Ivan’s plan can be viewed, can the other two not also be made available? Should we not treat them all equally?” Christian countered with a question.
Just now, he had glanced over the other two repair plans and had to admit that both were extraordinarily complex, involving many elements, and he had not been able to make sense of them at the time.
He understood a principle, the more elements involved, the likelier it is for problems to occur.
Secondly, within the plans of the two, there were many explanations and messages about the defensive barrier that were naturally not suitable for public display.
“Chief Steward Christian, do you have any other insights?” Victor interjected.
“None,” Christian replied bluntly, shaking his head. He did not wish to voice those potentially offensive comments; after all, if he kept silent, someone else would speak up.
“Chief Steward Teresa, you are the leader of the Enchantment Group, what is your opinion?” Victor turned his head and asked.
“First, select one plan that everyone approves of; set aside the other two plans for now. Then, we can discuss whether it’s appropriate to disclose them.” Teresa was quite angry today, but fortunately, she was no ordinary person and had already managed to regain her composure.
“I agree,” Ove expressed her approval, “I support Sorcerer Ivan’s plan.”
“I’ve already said this before, I support Sorcerer Ivan’s plan,” Christian added.
The merits and flaws of the three plans were clear, and the vote was overwhelmingly one-sided. Ivan’s repair plan received unanimous approval.
The issue of public disclosure was also easily handled. After a brief discussion, Teresa took action to erase some critical information, then passed the Crystal Ball to Paitt.
“I am humbled.”
“Sorcerer Ivan, you have kept a deep secret.”
Having witnessed it with their own eyes, Peller and Arian had complex expressions and admitted that their own plans were inferior to Ivan’s.
The Crystal Ball was passed from one sorcerer to another; whether enchanters or not, everyone felt as if they had broadened their horizons and recognized the high level of Ivan’s enchantment prowess.
However, a plan is just a plan; its value is proven when implemented.
Sorcerers are known for their swift actions. Once the repair plan and the various details had been confirmed, the academy’s six senior members issued a decree to all sorcerers, instructing them to coordinate their efforts.
They would soon begin the next steps—validating and repairing.
From the enchantment workshop to the Core Black Tower, only a small number of people followed, including just two vice deans and two chief stewards. At Ivan’s request, Randall and Gina had come along as well.
Paitt and Arian also came, knowing that if Ivan’s plan did not proceed smoothly, their proposals might become relevant.
“Sorcerer Ivan, you wouldn’t mind if I arrange for some people to assist from the sidelines, would you?”
“Of course not, repairing the defensive barrier is not a trivial matter. However, we have to wait until I have set up the ‘Small Ant King Four Obelisks Array,'” Ivan replied.
“Naturally.”
Your next chapter awaits on empire
After discussing some minor issues with Teresa, Ivan once again stood by the runes obelisk encircling the halfway statue of an Ant Being, activated the runes obelisk, and his consciousness dove into the Ant Being barrier.
“Wolban, begin,”
“Understood, I definitely won’t hold you back.”
Through the Ant Being barrier’s defensive array, Ivan easily extended his senses to Wolban’s residence, giving him an order, and to three other sorcerers nearby he issued the same command.
In Mongna Ant Land Cottage, each sorcerer’s dwelling had a protection chamber, and within each protection chamber there was an array dais and runes obelisks, which allowed the sorcerers to borrow a small part of the power of the Ant Being barrier.
In fact, each protection chamber was akin to a small node of the Ant Being barrier, except that these nodes were strictly controlled and limited by the academy, thus their usefulness to the sorcerers was limited.
Once the academy lifted controls and limits, in Ivan’s eyes, it could be much stronger than those blind spots in the underground secret chambers.
While pondering the repair solution with the Light of Great Wisdom, he had considered all aspects of the academy, including those protection chambers. The new formation he deduced had ‘Four Obelisks,’ which was actually meant to utilize the power from four protection chambers.
He had also been inspired by that small space hiding the Ant Beings Sacred Altar and thought of creating an ‘Array on Array,’ which led to the birth of the ‘Small Ant King Four Obelisks Array.’
“Arise.”
The four nearby protection chambers gleamed brightly, and under Ivan’s guidance, four forces surged upward, spreading in reverse onto the Ant Being barrier. He immediately used this as a baseline, combined with the protection chambers below, and began arranging the new formation.
Lucky for him that the powers shared the same origin, for when he condensed the energy into semblances of runes lines, the Ant Being barrier did not trigger a significant backlash, but it did elicit layers of ripples on the defensive array.
The Ant Being barrier was situated above the academy, visible to all, and at that moment the unusual fluctuations caught the eye of the sorcerers, making one involuntarily anxious for him.
“The plan is indeed remarkable, difficult to implement, but let’s hope it doesn’t cause a chain reaction and further damage to the defensive barrier.”
“If he succeeds, henceforth, the title of the academy’s number one Enchanter will belong to none but him.”
“Those two master and disciple are really interesting—one the first Insect Control Master, the other destined to be the first Enchanter; an Enchanter taught by an Insect Control Master, that’s just too amusing.”
With the security of the academy at stake, how could the sorcerers have the mindset to conduct research? It was better to invite a few friends over, to witness this grand scene and share their own opinions.A secluded underground chamber.
Christian arrived here quietly, Andaya appeared as well, and there was also a white-haired sorcerer holding the Ant King’s Key. At this moment, the three of them had particularly grave expressions.
“We can begin now,” Christian said as he detected the commotion outside and nodded seriously to the white-haired sorcerer, indicating his resolve.
“Well, I’ll join in your madness. I just hope you achieve what you wish for,” the white-haired sorcerer said with a sigh.
“What are you talking about? That’s the Ant Beings Sacred Altar; of course Christian can become a Level 2 Sorcerer in one go,” Andaya retorted dissatisfied.
“We don’t have much time,” Christian emphasized.
“Understood.”
The white-haired sorcerer placed the Ant King’s Key onto the statue of an Ant Being in front of him while activating the special runes array surrounding the statue, and the small runes array converged a force, which traveled along the Ant King’s Key into the statue.
Seconds later, chaotic winds emerged all around, the statue of the Ant Being warped, and inexplicably, a crack appeared on its surface. The crack was dim and hazy, obscuring the view within.
“I will return successfully.”
Gazing at the mysterious rift just within reach, Christian showed not an ounce of hesitation; he snatched the Ant King’s Key from the white-haired sorcerer’s hand, charged into the crack, and in the blink of an eye was enveloped by the haze, vanishing from sight.
