Dean Watkin did not hurriedly announce his return. The next day, he left Mongna Ant Land Cottage, preparing to deal with the affairs of the offshore islands and, by the way, to inform this land of his return.
A flying beast steadily headed south towards the Flash Vortex Academy Alliance. Read the latest on empire
In the blink of an eye, another flying beast swooped down from the clouds and abruptly blocked Dean Watkin’s path. A sorcerer in a black robe stood on the back of the flying beast, his presence a clear sign of ill intent.
“Monde Watkin of the Mongna Ant Land Cottage, I’ve been awaiting you for a long time,” the man said courteously.
“Who are you and why are you blocking my way?”
A chill rose in Monde Watkin’s heart. Not many knew of his whereabouts, and he had not expected his movements to be exposed so quickly. It seemed it was time for a thorough investigation within the academy.
“I merely wish to borrow your head for a moment,” the man said indifferently.
“Arrogant!” Monde bellowed angrily.
The enemy before him sought his life, and he knew exactly what to do. As a veteran Level 2 Sorcerer who had roamed the Moon Pincer Peninsula without fear, he was not about to start now.
Their murderous intents collided, and the battle erupted in an instant.
Both parties employed advanced tactics—spells, secret techniques, magicalized items, puppets, and so forth—causing continuous explosive noises in the air and almost changing the color of the region.
At a certain moment, Monde Watkin was struck hard and his form uncontrollably fell from the sky. The flying beast beneath him was already reduced to a mist of blood.
“I know now! I know now, you are from ‘Archibald’s Spear.’ You sorcerers-turned-traitors dare to set your sights on Moon Pincer Peninsula—you—you don’t fear the sanctions of the supreme council?”
During the course of battle, Monde Watkin noticed a clue that led to this conclusion. His face drastically changed as he accused the enemy of their identity.
As far as he knew, Archibald’s Spear was a group of madmen notorious for their deeds, yet their power was formidable, which was the reason for the change in his expression.
“So what if I am? What if I’m not?”
Having their identity revealed, the man’s expression did not change in the slightest, treating it as a trivial matter: “Remember this name, Doug Boyton, for I will pluck out this rotten nail, cleansing a patch of pure land for our sorcerer world.”
“Your foul language— you—you will not succeed!”
Doug’s response was met with an explosion of high-temperature flames that instantly covered a vast swath of forest with booming sounds that blocked his vision.
When the ground returned to some semblance of calm, there was no trace of the person who had been on the ground.
“He must have used a secret technique to escape. Even if not dead, he’s surely seriously injured,” Doug surmised as he surveyed the surroundings. The enemy used scorched earth to conceal their tracks, leaving him unable to pursue.
However, the opponent was undoubtedly seriously wounded, if not dying, so it would likely not affect his subsequent plans. After a moment of thought, he decided to leave the matter be for the time being.
Respect must sometimes be given where it is due.
…
At Mongna Ant Land Cottage, news of Dean Watkin’s return to the academy had already circulated within a small circle.
That morning, Ivan received instructions from Deputy Dean Teresa to stop by the office. Following the order, he arrived to find Teresa alone inside.
“Steward Ivan, tell me truly, have you been diligent in your work repairing the Ant Being barrier?”
“Of course. I believe I’ve given it my utmost, not daring to slacken in the slightest,” Ivan thought with a start, though his expression remained unchanged, offering a perfunctory response.
“Very well.”
Teresa nodded with an unreadable expression, seeming to acknowledge his words. “Based on your contributions to repairing the Ant Being barrier, after deliberation, we have decided to grant you a clear passage token that will allow you entry to and exit from the Core Black Tower at will.”
Could this be a pie falling from the sky?
Upon hearing her words, Ivan was genuinely perplexed. Normally, it would take two high-ranking academy officials to open the Core Black Tower—it was a cumbersome but secure process.
“This is also the wish of Dean Watkin. I hope you will use it with caution,” Teresa added.
“I appreciate the academy’s trust and will not let you down,” Ivan could only agree for the moment, while his thoughts raced, considering their intentions. Could it be that Dean Watkin had seen through his true motives?
“There’s one more thing. Steward Madeline and her team have other pressing matters and can no longer assist you with repairing the Ant Being barrier. If you find the manpower insufficient, you may recruit from the Enchantment Group as you see fit.”
“Understood.”
Leaving the office, Ivan pondered Teresa’s new instructions, feeling that some event had triggered the current changes.
Ivan first returned to his Twin Towers.
From the swamp ants, he had gleaned new information—it seemed several from the Three Great Families were packing their belongings, appearing ready to leave Mongna Ant Land Cottage.
“Could it be that the Star Moon Alliance has acted against Dean Watkin? Their actions are certainly swift,” Ivan mused for a moment before jumping to a bold conclusion.
If things were indeed as he analyzed, then Dean Watkin’s current situation was likely not good, otherwise, the Three Great Families wouldn’t need to retract their forces to minimize risk.
After coming to a conclusion, he once again went to the Core Black Tower, leading his people to repair the Ant Being barrier—now reduced to just the four of them.
Mauline’s previously spirited demeanor had changed to one of worry, clearly concealing something troubling.
This left Randall and Gina exchanging glances, persistently seeking answers from Ivan. Ivan said little, simply advising them to remain calm.
After their shift ended, the mentor and his two apprentices returned to the Twin Towers.
“Ivan, what exactly is going on?” Randall asked impatiently.
“Teresa said I did well, and, under Dean Watkin’s instruction, she gave me a clear passage token to enter the Black Tower. Steward Madeline and the other two have other important matters to attend to; it seems they will have to leave the academy for a while,” Ivan explained briefly.
“This is a big deal,” Gina exclaimed. Having been a sorcerer for some time, she had a deep understanding of the academy. “Our academy wouldn’t possibly fall to the state of Night Forest, would it? Otherwise, the Three Great Families—”
She didn’t finish her sentence, but the other two present understood what she meant.
Ivan was momentarily stunned. He wanted to say it probably would not happen, since he had an agreement with the leader of the Star Moon Alliance, but this matter was difficult to discuss openly, as it could easily lead to misunderstandings.
“Ivan, what’s your take on this?” Randall said, frowning.
“As Gina said, there might have been some changes with the Three Great Families,” Ivan pondered and then added, “We are few and weak in power. There isn’t much we can do except to repair the Ant Being barrier as quickly as possible. As for the rest—”
“We’ll play it by ear. If things become impossible to handle, we’ll leave together,” Randall followed up with his own suggestion.
“Big brother Ivan, how much longer do we need for the Ant Being barrier?” Gina couldn’t help asking.
“If we recruit some more Enchanters, around twenty days or so,” Ivan replied.
“That long, huh.”
“The Ant Being barrier covers a medium-sized city; no matter how fast we work, we cannot speed up significantly.”
After a long discussion, the mentor and his apprentices tentatively agreed on a strategy: they would fight if they could, and flee if they could not.
Several more days passed, and the academy did not lack for clever people who noticed that the Three Great Families were relocating and consolidating their forces. With Dean Watkin returning and then disappearing again, one couldn’t help but speculate.
Some said that the Star Moon Alliance had set their sights on Mongna Ant Land Cottage and would soon attack.
With some intentionally stoking the flames, the news spread quickly and became common knowledge, leading to widespread rumors and unease throughout the academy.
When Ivan’s apprentices, Nora and Lorna, asked him about it in a roundabout way, he realized that the news had even reached the apprentice group, causing them to become anxious as well.
Ivan couldn’t possibly reveal the insider information to them, merely advising them to focus on their training and reduce their outings for the time being. After all, the Star Moon Alliance’s pursuit of the Power of Flash Vortex was not yet over and was likely not a trivial matter.
The next day,
The academy held a high-level meeting. Not many people attended; Chief Steward Ove was not there, being occupied with some matters on the islands.
Several members from the Three Great Families were also absent.
“The Black Reef Sanctuary and other academies are urging us to use the Power of Flash Vortex together to teach the increasingly rampant Sea Race a lesson. What are your thoughts on this matter?” Vice Dean Victor outlined the purpose of the meeting.
“The Star Moon Alliance is about to attack us, and you still think we have the spare energy to deal with the Sea Race? We should call back the two chief stewards first,” one of the Hunting Team stewards interjected.
“Who said the Star Moon Alliance is going to attack us?”
“Don’t try to hide it. Everyone knows about it,” someone retorted.
Upon hearing this, the complexions of the two vice deans soured, and they cast a disapproving glance at the silent Christian, suspecting that he had instigated members of the Hunting Team to cause trouble.
“Since everyone wants to know, why don’t the two of you explain why we absolutely have to use the Power of Flash Vortex? Perhaps there’s some other treasure out at sea?” Christian spoke at a leisurely pace.
Among those attending the meeting, Ivan fell into deep thought, wondering why things were unfolding in such a strange way. It seemed the vice deans were in favor of using the Power of Flash Vortex, possibly with ulterior motives, although it might just be a stroke of fortune.
“Stop making a fuss. It was made clear when the Power of Flash Vortex was established—it’s meant to eliminate the Sea Race. The academy has no reason to refuse that,” Teresa spoke sharply.
“You’re not planning on overlooking the safety of the academy for some underhanded reason, are you?” Christian mocked.
“It’s been peaceful at sea for a long time, and the Power of Flash Vortex has plenty of reserve. We can keep a small part for ourselves.”
“That is disregarding the safety of all sorcerers.”
“You really are unreasonable.”
The confrontation with Christian’s adamant opposition led to an inconclusive end to the mid-high level council meeting.
After the others left, only Vice Dean Victor and Deputy Dean Teresa remained in the meeting room.
“It doesn’t look like talking will help.”
“In that case, we’ll have to use the Dean’s authority to forcefully utilize the Power of Flash Vortex,” Teresa said resignedly.
“Sigh, let’s hope they take the bait.”
The two harbored their own thoughts—using the Power of Flash Vortex would make others believe the academy was in a weakened state, allowing them to use the academy as bait to test the Star Moon Alliance’s attitude and strength.
If the enemy dared to come, they would strike them hard first.
They naturally valued their own residence over Mongna Ant Land Cottage.
As for the meeting, it was intended to reassure the public and prevent anyone from acting rashly out of desperation, but it seemed that this approach was no longer viable.