Under Ivan’s repeated concealment, Christian’s issue went unnoticed by anyone, and everything within the academy appeared normal, as many sorcerers looked forward to their repairing of the Ant Being barrier.
Of course, there were those who begrudged Ivan’s success and were trying to analyze the method he used for constructing the Small Ant King Four Obelisks Array.
Ivan was aware of this but had no intention of pointing it out.
The night after he was rescued, Christian personally visited to express his gratitude. Other than a few more strands of white hair, his complexion had returned to normal, at least on the surface.
“Sorcerer Ivan, I hardly know how to start. To put it simply, thank you for not minding my shortcomings, for reaching out to save me from danger, and for helping me conceal the traces,” Christian said earnestly.
“In the Night Forest, didn’t you also step in to help me deal with those petty foes? It’s just mutual assistance,” Ivan said generously, aware that everyone has secrets, which was only human nature.
“It’s not the same, without your help, I would have had my path cut off this time and I would have lost any hope of advancing to Level 2,” Christian said sincerely, still feeling uneasy about the past events.
Had it not been for Ivan’s timely intervention, he would have definitely suffered a severe blow to his origins, likely losing the potential to advance to a Level 2 Sorcerer, which he could not allow to happen.
Thinking back to that moment, he was full of gratitude towards Ivan, and he also harbored deep hatred for the person who set up that scheme, thinking that his great grandfather had also been deceived by those people.
“How are you feeling now?”
“My strength is about halved, a full recovery will need at least a year of rest.”
“What do you plan to do with the Ant Beings Sacred Altar?”
“I think it is likely a fake Ant Beings Sacred Altar, just a deceit, those people are despicable,” Christian said through gritted teeth, dismayed by the hard fall he took this time.
Fake?
Ivan’s knowledge of the ‘Ant Beings Sacred Altar’ all came from Christian, and since he had never entered the small space himself, he couldn’t judge the accuracy of his words.
“I really don’t know where it is hidden,” Christian continued. “Sorcerer Ivan, I can’t resign to this. Can I ask you to keep an eye out for the real Ant Beings Sacred Altar while repairing the defensive barrier?”
“A small matter, but I don’t know how to look for the Ant Beings Sacred Altar, nor can I discern its authenticity.”
“I have quite some information here, shamefully, I shouldn’t have kept it from you. Otherwise, with your Enchantment skills, you might have noticed something wrong with that thing.”
This visit was for Christian to express his thanks and to hope that he could leverage the convenience to search for the real Ant Beings Sacred Altar. From the lessons learned before, he himself didn’t dare to act recklessly anymore.
He left behind a wooden box, then left the Twin Towers.
After he left, Ivan opened the wooden box to check its contents, which included a scroll and a set of potions.
The scroll was a Transfer Sealing Scroll, and the potions were mental power potions.
“This is really considerate.”
Christian was a man who remembered favors and sought to repay them. To thank him for his assistance, he specifically sent a set of mental power potions, which Ivan happened to know by name as ‘Alva Night Spring’.
Alva Night Spring was produced only in one place, from the ruins of the destroyed Alva Academy, and its quality was among the top in Class 1 Mental Power Potions, suitable for the entire Level 1 Sorcerer stage.
For a Level 1 Sorcerer, Alva Night Spring was an incredible rarity, invaluable.
Ivan was at the stage of elementalization and could also use this set of Alva Night Spring potions.
Recently, he had been continuously merging element crystals, having fully elementalized the spiritual power he increased at the Solo Magic Stone Mine, and this Alva Night Spring would come just in time.
As for the Transfer Sealing Scroll in the wooden box, it contained information related to the Ant Beings Sacred Altar, including methods to find it.
…
On the Ant Being barrier, the repair work was progressing vigorously.
“Everyone, please step back a bit, we need to switch positions now.”
“Sorcerer Ivan, thank you for your hard work.”
The others stepped aside to give space, then stood by to watch Ivan dismantle the Formation and then build a new Small Ant King Four Obelisks Array elsewhere.
In fact, aside from the few involved in the repairs, he could sense others stealthily observing, watching his actions of dismantling and constructing the array, trying to decode the secrets, those people were hiding in the protective chambers of their dwellings below.
Ivan paid no attention to these overt and covert actions; if someone could easily learn just by watching a few times, then his rune concealing methods would be in vain.
Any high-level Enchanter would have exceptional encryption methods; he was no exception, especially since his knowledge of Advanced Enchantment came from Chairman Narnya of the Five Leaves Spear, which was deeper and more unique than the academy’s Advanced Enchantment Skill.
Soon, a wave stirred over the Ant Being Barrier, quickly settling down, forming yet another Small Ant King Barrier Array.
Inside a protection chamber of a certain sorcerer tower, Sorcerer Barton, who snapped back from his deep thoughts, had an unsightly expression, and after leaving the host of the tower, he went to the Deputy Dean’s office to report the situation.
“Barton, still nothing?”
“There’s no way; his rune line concealment techniques and enchantment skills are as unfathomable as ever, far beyond what I can compare; this method is utterly unworkable.”
Upon hearing Teresa’s inquiry, Barton shook his head in desperation, desiring more than anyone to obtain the construction method of the Small Ant King Four Obelisks Array and even stooping to the lows of sneakiness.
Yet, even after continuously tracking the other party’s Formation, he still felt completely baffled and couldn’t help feeling defeated.
“Sorcerer Barton, are you suggesting that a position in the Lidia family should be conceded to a person from the remote Tidal Island?” Teresa’s gaze was darkly fixed upon him.
“At this point, our Lidia family has no room for regret. Let him first become the steward of the Enchantment Group; we can sort out the rest in a few years.” Barton whispered.
“Useless, you are all useless.” Teresa couldn’t help but curse them out.
So many enchanters in the Lidia family, yet none could outdo a single outsider—what else could they be but useless?
After her outburst, she had to face the reality and proceeded according to Barton’s plan, watching that man divide the power of the Lidia family.
Ivan was unaware of Deputy Dean Teresa’s impotent fury.
Days after obtaining information about the Ant Beings Sacred Altar, he repaired portions of the Ant Being barrier and quietly searched for other possible Ant Beings Sacred Altars.
Before long, he made a new discovery.
A second dimly lit small space appeared, containing an Ant Beings Sacred Altar identical to the one Christian had found, like a duplicate.
This led him to speculate on the existence of a third, or even a fourth, Ant Beings Sacred Altar.
In order to find the answer sooner, Ivan did not hesitate to modify his repair plan.
“Sorcerer Ivan, why have you switched to this area? It’s quite a distance from where we were earlier.”
“Didn’t you see the signs of wear in the area we repaired earlier? This suggests we might need to face more complex situations, so it’s better to observe and try more. Trust me, it’s the right way.”
“Understood.”
In the realm of enchantment, Ivan had already established his authority; his words naturally convinced others, including Madeline, the steward, who had no choice but to comply.
Four days later, Ivan found the third Ant Beings Sacred Altar; the three altars formed a triangular arrangement as if guarding something of a higher order.
From Christian’s previous encounter, it was clear the Ant Beings Sacred Altars served a sacrificial function, offering energy to an unknown creature at an unknown location. He couldn’t help but suspect it was the King Blood Ant Beast in the Ant Beings’ secret vault—the very target he was seeking.
In the following days, he began a more detailed search based on the locations of the small spaces but found nothing and did not locate the fourth Ant Beings Sacred Altar.
Ivan did not conceal this and immediately shared his findings with Christian.
“Three altars?”
“Yes, exactly. The shape and runes are nearly identical.”
“Could they all be fakes, or is there some other trick?” Christian furrowed his brow, his records never mentioned multiple Ant Beings Sacred Altars.
“If you don’t know, then I know even less.” Seeing that he couldn’t get additional information from him, Ivan felt somewhat disappointed: “I’m being closely watched now and cannot explore the small spaces. Maybe —”
“Sorcerer Ivan, don’t laugh, but I truly don’t have the capability to find anything more from that thing. My surrounding enchanters are no different.” Christian hurriedly waved his hands, not wanting to repeat his previous ordeal.
“Well then, I’ll discuss it once I become the steward.” Ivan felt helpless.
This matter couldn’t be rushed; he only hoped that once he became the steward of the Enchantment Group, he would have the opportunity to study the Ant Beings Sacred Altar in the small space, then see where the sacrificed energy went and whether he could find the Ant Beings’ secret vault.
In the meditation room, Christian’s half-illusion dissipated, leaving only a floating Crystal Ball.
“According to gathered data, the Alva Night Spring potion is a very romantic potion; I wonder what kind of romance it is?” Ivan put away the Crystal Ball and took out a distinctly colorful potion. The gray potion seemed to mix with the pure moonlight.
After days of testing, these Alva Night Spring potions hadn’t deteriorated or been contaminated with anything improper, making them suitable for enhancing his own strength.
He poured the potion into his mouth and swallowed it.
After a moment of disorientation, an abrupt nighttime hue covered the light, altering the appearance of the meditation room.
A spring with a crescent moon appeared above his head, reflecting in the water. The moon emitted a gentle glow that shone onto him.
As the moonlight touched him, he felt a unique clear energy form inside him, rising to his mental ocean and continually increasing his spiritual power.
“Silent and deep nourishment, what a splendid Alva Night Spring. I wonder what ingredients were used to concoct it.”
After a while, the various phenomena around Ivan vanished. This potion was unique compared to other mental power potions he had taken before, the process of taking it was like enjoying the moon in a spring, truly remarkable.
After one dose of the Alva Night Spring potion, his spiritual power increased from 69.8 to 74.6 graduated degrees, a noteworthy gain for someone of his level.