Chapter 371 Unexpected Twists and Turns

The moment Luo Yan finished speaking, the researchers led by Miller suddenly panicked and their faces lost all color.

Use the "source power" housed in the stone tablet to grant the indigenous people in the virtual world a good harvest?

this……

What kind of joke is this prince playing?!

"Your Highness... No, Master!"

Miller hurriedly took a step forward, his voice incoherent due to nervousness, "Would you like to reconsider it? This is not how you use the source of power..."

Miller and his assistant coaches were not the only ones who were surprised.

Including Tafu, who was wrapped around Luo Yan's neck, and Youyou, who was sneaking around beside him, both showed surprised expressions.

Whenever he did something unconventional, Sarah was the only one who would stand firmly by his side and support his every decision, whether it was right or wrong.

Looking at the teaching assistant whose face was full of anxiety, Luo Yan just smiled faintly and asked back in a gentle tone.

"Oh, then please tell me, how should the so-called 'source power' be used?"

Miller swallowed and continued in a nervous voice.

"As I explained to you just now... we can first extract a small piece of matter from behind the virtual world, or wait for the prophets among the natives behind the virtual world to actively understand our existence and establish a stable communication mechanism with us... These are more prudent approaches. Only gradual contact can ensure the stability of the virtual world and maximize our interests in the virtual world."

As if worried that His Highness did not realize the seriousness of the problem, he immediately added another sentence.

"Professor Hector should have reminded you, right? There is a limit to our interference in the virtual world. Excessive interference may not only lead to negative consequences, but may also cause the passage that was opened with great difficulty to collapse! Even for the sake of the future of the magic world, please... be more cautious!"

There is actually nothing wrong with what he said. It never hurts to be a little more cautious in everything.

However, this is "someone else's treasure" after all, and Luo Yan certainly won't treat it with the same care as his own things.

Of course.

Having said that, he did not do it intentionally to cause trouble. On the contrary, he made this decision after careful consideration.

The magicians of these schools were completely unaware of what role they were playing on the other side of the virtual world.

as well as--

The energy attached to the stone tablet is not a "source of power" at all, but the root that transcends all extraordinary powers - the "wishes of the people" that have the power to change the world!

That is the power of God!

"Miller, I agree with you. We should indeed be more cautious."

Seeing that His Highness Colin finally listened to the advice, Miller and other assistant teachers breathed a sigh of relief.

However, before the expression on that face could relax, Luo Yan changed the subject and said "but" which made their hearts, which had finally been put down, rise back into their throats again.

"…But! This doesn't mean we should stop exploring!"

Looking at the panicked teaching assistants, Luo Yan suddenly raised his voice, changing his usual gentle tone. He spoke in a calm but unyielding voice with great force.

"If no one dares to make sacrifices to explore the boundaries of the virtual world, and everyone is hesitant and timid for the sake of the little profits in their hands, let alone a hundred virtual worlds, even if there are ten thousand of them - our understanding of the virtual world will always remain at the surface!"

"Since none of you dare to make changes, let me be the one who rushes to the front. If I lose the key to explore the virtual world because of this, I will feel honored and proud of my failure! Even if I cannot be a pioneer on this road of progress, I can cast my bones into bricks to pave this road of progress—"

“It’s all about science!”

It was almost easy for Luo Yan to come up with passionate speeches.

Although he did not deliberately try to convince these assistants, his words unexpectedly touched some of those who were wavering.

For example, Miller.

Even though this experienced teaching assistant believed in his heart that it was not wise to implement such a radical experimental strategy right from the start, he still had to admire the courage of His Royal Highness the Prince to be the first!

If it were any other professor in the school, they would never dare to make such a bold attempt using the virtual resources in their hands.

All along, their research on the virtual world has been just playing the role of a thief, stealing things from aliens or learning their knowledge from behind the virtual world.

Almost all theories about the virtual realm are built around this core goal, and the first priority of all professors is to seek breakthroughs in the soul level.

Although it cannot be said that they have made no achievements in the research of the virtual world itself, it would be absolutely laughable to say how great they are.

For a moment, Miller suddenly felt a sense of shame.

He asked himself, he was not a noble person. The reason why he dissuaded His Highness Colin was not for the benefit of the school or the future of the magic world. In the final analysis, he was just worried about his own future.

Although he was not responsible for the failure of the virtual realm exploration, the opportunity to explore the virtual realm was something he had fought for with great difficulty.

There is nothing wrong with being selfish. People should consider their own interests first and then consider others.

However, when this selfishness was placed before a noble soul, he almost immediately felt his own insignificance and pitifulness.

There is no doubt that the risk he took was nothing compared to that of His Highness Colin.

After all, even if this exploration of the virtual realm fails, he can still enter other wizard towers based on his experience of participating in the exploration of the virtual realm, but His Highness Colin may not have a second chance to explore the virtual realm.

Somehow, he suddenly understood what the scientific theory that His Highness Colin had explained in class was.

As His Royal Highness said, science is not theory.

It’s a thought!

With an unprecedented seriousness on his face, Miller took a deep breath and looked at His Highness Colin solemnly and said.

"Teacher. Not long ago, I was often confused about what science you were talking about, but now... I think I may understand what it is."

"Please go for it! I'll support you!"

oh?

Luo Yan looked at Miller in surprise, not knowing how the topic had turned to science, and he didn't understand how he had gained another loyal subordinate.

But this is undoubtedly a good thing, he said with a hearty smile.

"Very good! This is the spirit I want to see! Miller, let's go for it!"

"Yes! Mentor!" Miller nodded excitedly and returned to his seat.

Those standing here were all assistant teachers of the Source School, and they were not good at using life spells to accelerate plant growth. And generally speaking, simply accelerating the growth of plants would have a negative impact on farmland.

But that doesn't matter.

The one who led them to explore the virtual world was His Highness Colin, who possessed platinum-level strength!

Although they don't know what to do, I think His Highness Colin must know!

Coincidentally, Luo Yan really knew how to do it. The players in the cemetery and the night elves had solved this problem long ago.

If Professor Hector were to do this, he might not be able to accomplish it, but for him it's just a matter of saying a word.

He didn't need to immediately ask the other side of the virtual world for a miracle to come down. He just needed to let those poor and pious "Solipsis" have a bigger harvest than last year in their barren farmland.

"Youyou, can you sense the power of faith on the boulder?" The magic wand slipped into his hand, and Luo Yan communicated silently with his own divine nature in his heart.

"No problem!" An energetic voice came from beside Luo Yan. It was a voice that came from the deepest part of his soul and only he could hear.

Luo Yan raised his wand and nodded slightly.

"very good--"

"Leave it to you!"

Looking at His Highness Colin pointing the tip of his staff at the virtual realm, all the assistant teachers present held their breath and watched his every move nervously.

Most of the virtual realms discovered by the Source Law School are based on "source power".

Logically speaking, the Source School does not have a spell to activate the growth of living things, and they are all very curious about how this prince intends to activate the source power attached to the boulder.

Just when everyone thought that this prince would chant some earth-shattering spell, His Highness Colin, who was standing in front of the virtual world, did not move at all.

Miller was confused and didn't understand what the prince was doing, but he was too embarrassed to ask, and he didn't dare to disturb his "casting".

It was normal that he couldn't understand, because only Luo Yan could see Youyou's movements.

From his perspective, the milky white fog had completely enveloped the virtual world, and the tentacles of his mental power were penetrating toward the back of the mirror like countless thin threads.

The interference with the virtual world has begun!

Luo Yan's expression changed slightly.

He felt that the tentacles of his spiritual power were like invisible roots, penetrating the barrier of the virtual world, passing through the bustling pilgrims, and gently touching the soft and barren land under their feet.

He did not try to force the sparse crops to grow, as that would have only forced their growth.

What he wants to do is to change the land itself, and through silent nourishment, show his miracles to the world behind the virtual world!

The pure power of faith began to undergo subtle changes under the interference of his divinity, guiding the nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium salts and other substances floating in the minerals and air to slowly settle on the barren land under the feet of the Solipsis!

It was like an invisible rain that, in the afternoon when no one knew about it, brought about earth-shaking changes in the world of the Solipsis.

And this power does not come from behind the virtual world——

But it comes from themselves!

On the other hand, in the eyes of the teaching assistants, the world behind the virtual world has not changed at all.

The connecting channel remained as stable as before, and the Solipsis on the opposite side seemed unaware of it, still bowing their heads in prayer devoutly over and over again.

Time passes by every second.

Everything is calm and peaceful.

Miller and the others finally relaxed their tense nerves. They looked at each other, and although they felt regretful, they also felt relieved.

It seems that His Highness finally adopted a cautious plan and did not actually carry out large-scale interference.

Perhaps what I said just now was just to test their determination...

Miller sighed softly in his heart.

For some reason, at this moment when he should have been feeling thankful, he felt a little lost.

He had thought that His Highness Colin was different from other professors, but now it seemed that this Highness was also a mediocre person, and those passionate speeches were just to test their loyalty.

But Miller admitted that the moment he opened his mouth just now, he did awaken the hidden desire in his heart for a moment -

That is the desire to explore the unknown.

They are scholars, and they should not be like tyrants in a castle, guarding the treasures given by God without making any progress, calculating against each other, and thinking all day long about squeezing more resources from people who are far weaker than them to fill their insatiable greed.

However, just as Miller calmed down and was about to ask His Highness Colin about his next plan, something strange happened suddenly -

The virtual world in the center of the magic circle began to shake violently, just like a lake with countless stones thrown into it.

Looking at the gradually blurred mirror, Miller was stunned at first, and then his expression suddenly changed!

"This is……"

The source of power gathered on the boulder——

Used up?!

In just a moment, the azure blue mirror was like a TV that suddenly lost power, and it returned to deathly silence with a beep.

There was dead silence in the Mage Tower. The teaching assistants standing on the magic circle looked at each other, and then whispers were heard.

"Good fellow, what have you done?"

Curled up on Luo Yan's shoulder, Tafu looked at his handsome profile in surprise. She seemed to be aware of the seriousness of the problem and did not dare to gloat this time.

Luo Yan ignored her and turned his gaze to Youyou who was floating aside.

"Have you used up all the other party's power of faith?"

"How is that possible, Lord Demon King? I... I used some, but there is clearly a lot left." Youyou's voice was filled with confusion and helplessness. She buried her head like a child who had made a mistake, not knowing what was going on.

Luo Yan did not blame Youyou. He just thought about it for a moment, then looked at Miller, who looked like he had lost all hope in life, and said calmly.

"Don't be nervous. The virtual realm passage is still there. Our exploration has not failed. Maybe it's just that the energy is insufficient, or something happened behind the virtual realm that we don't understand."

After a pause, he continued.

"The exploration of the future cannot always be smooth sailing, and various twists and turns are inevitable."

"Anyway, just keep observing."

…

Although Miller had a look of despair on his face, Luo Yan, as his mentor, was much more optimistic than him.

The unexpected situation occurred. Doesn’t it prove that the research strategy he adopted was effective?

Otherwise what is research for?

Is it just to repeat what has been done over and over again, and steal some tributes from the aliens on the other side?

He doesn't care about those junks.

Of course, Luo Yan also understood that for these magicians struggling at the bottom of the Great Sage's Tower, the actual significance of the virtual world is far more than just research material. It is more of a ladder for these magicians to climb the tower.

Even in most cases, "a little soup from the respected mentor is enough to fill my mouth" is just a beautiful fantasy.

They completely forgot that their respected mentor and they were all fruits grown on the same vine, so how could any of the soup leak out?

Then you must lick the plate after drinking the soup.

After giving the order to continue observing, Luo Yan placed a crystal ball near the magic circle, then got on Professor Hector's carriage and left Colin Tower standing in the snow like a gust of wind.

And soon after he left Colin Tower, the news that "the source power of the No. 440 virtual realm was exhausted by Prince Colin" spread like wildfire.

Regardless of whether there was someone fanning the flames behind the scenes, this piece of news was like a huge rock thrown into a tranquil lake, causing an uproar in the entire Tower of Sages!

As we all know, the virtual world is the most valuable strategic resource of the school nation.

Such a precious "holy object" was squandered by a newly arrived "outsider". It is hard not to make countless mentors and teaching assistants who had high expectations of him sigh with regret.

"I don't know what the Council is thinking... They would rather give it to an outsider from the Holy City than to one of their own."

"Haha, isn't that normal? Your friendship is not as important as the friendship in the Holy City. You might be the 'outsider'."

"If that virtual realm is really destroyed, Professor Hector will be in trouble."

"That's not necessarily the case. It's not just Professor Hector who pushed this matter, but also Professor Ariste. Professor Hector is a little bit off, but that gentleman can't be considered an 'outsider'. The Great Sage Tower is still very kind to 'real people'."

"Saint Sith, please take this prince back to me!"

Inside the Great Sage's Tower, from the cafeteria to the corridor, and from the corridor to the classroom, there were whispered discussions everywhere.

Only in public libraries, where absolute silence is required, can one not hear any discussions of regret or gloating.

Of course, not being able to hear does not mean that the voice does not exist, maybe it’s just that the voice is very low.

For example, Coors, who was studying, was obviously a member of the group that gloated over other people's misfortunes.

Most people who have no self are like this. Extreme love and extreme hate are like the two sides of a coin, which can be flipped seventeen or eighteen times with a casual toss.

Although he admired that prince very much in the beginning, not only because that prince not only entered the Tower of Great Sage based on his own strength, but also because he protected the interests of the candidates, but after the "60-point incident" and the "99-point incident", he felt neglected and immediately turned from a fan to a hater.

He secretly glanced at Ilana who was sitting opposite him, and out of jealousy and gloating, he lowered his voice and complained to Finn beside him.

"...I knew that the prince was a grandstanding guy! Now, he really messed up everything!"

Finn looked up with a confused look on his face, looking at the senior with confusion, especially the expression that said "See, I'm really fucking smart."

You didn’t say that before...

Not understanding the confusion in his junior's eyes, Kurth felt that his criticism was not sharp enough and did not attract Ilana's attention, so he added another sentence at the end.

"What about platinum-level strength? I don't know if it's true or not. Anyway, no one dares to test the strength of a prince, right? Has anyone seen him use magic above bronze level in class? What about science? I think it's a waste of time!"

His groundless speculation finally succeeded in attracting Ilana's attention.

She gently put down the book in her hand and spoke in a tone that brooked no argument.

"Senior Coors, I believe that Mr. Colin must have his own plan for doing this. As for your criticism of his doctrine...if you think it is a waste of time, why don't you use your time on more valuable things?"

Coors's face froze.

Of course he was too embarrassed to say that he didn't want to attend that boring science class at all and was only there because someone was in it.

However, compared to the unspeakable reason, he was more angry that a mere preparatory student dared to refute himself as a mage.

"Haha, you've already started to speak up for him. It seems like you guys are developing very quickly," Coors, who was humiliated and angry, blurted out a sarcastic remark in a sour tone, "But it's no wonder. After all, he has given you so many benefits. Am I right? Assistant Coach Ilana, or should I consider changing my name?"

He regretted it the moment he said it, but it was too late to take it back now, and it would only make him look even more embarrassed.

Ilana looked at Kurs in surprise, her eyes first showing shock, then turning into a trace of pity, "How did you become like this?"

Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, Finn quickly tried to smooth things over.

"Calm down, everyone... Professor Colin's behavior is indeed a bit... uh, not appropriate? But I think Ilana is right. He has no obligation to disclose the details of his research to irrelevant people, right? That is his research... As for the benefits, I believe Ilana is definitely not defending him for that reason-"

“That’s enough!”

With jealousy swelled, Kurth rudely interrupted Finn's words, straightened his chest, and pretended to defend the truth.

"I have always been this kind of person! I'm glad you can get to know me again. Besides, this is a city of learning, not a holy city! And it's certainly not a castle in the Kingdom of Rhodes! No matter if you are a prince or a duke, you are just a scholar in my eyes, and there is no one you cannot criticize!"

The noisy sound attracted dissatisfied glances.

Although Coors lowered his voice, it was still clearly heard by the apprentices who were studying nearby.

This is actually true. In Xuebang, people don't have to care about status, at least not in name. But this doesn't mean they are obligated to listen to the nagging of an incompetent and angry guy.

Ilana, on the other hand, was amused by Kurth's hypocritical remarks.

He had no idea that he was not only offending His Highness Colin, but also offending those who were interested in his doctrines.

She hit back sharply.

"Then you should at least criticize specific issues, or have better ideas, such as how to study the virtual realm, instead of using groundless speculation to deny everything about it."

She paused, and her eyes became even colder, just like the howling cold wind outside the Great Sage's Tower.

"Also, don't think you're so noble. You dare to say that only because His Royal Highness Colin is a good person. Even if you say bad things about him behind his back, he won't make things difficult for you. It's not a heroic act to say the harshest words in the safest place. I hope you can be so tough when facing Professor Hector. He is not a duke or a prince. You can criticize him boldly without any worries."

"I……"

Coors' face flushed red instantly, and he spoke in a tough but cowardly manner.

"How should I know how to study the virtual world? I'm just an apprentice and I don't even have the chance to touch that thing! And... why would I criticize Professor Hector? I think everything he does is right! I can't praise him enough!"

This time Finn didn't dare to smooth things over.

Ilana was right. His Highness Colin was indeed a nice person and never made things difficult for his students. But Professor Hector was different.

Even among the freshmen, there were rumors about how narrow-minded that old gentleman was.

I heard that last month, a young man was punished to clean an entire potion laboratory just because he complained privately about too many tasks.

Furthermore, the use of golems is prohibited, let alone the use of magical powers.

Looking at Kurth's cowardly and stubborn appearance, Ilana's eyes flashed with a last trace of contempt, and she threw out a sarcastic remark.

"Really? Even if he made you lie in the snow and freeze like a dog, he still called it 'training your will'? And at the end he hypocritically said that this was for your own good? Winter recruitment is not available only on the first day. Don't tell me that you came in with a letter of recommendation three years ago and didn't have to experience Professor Hector's care."

Her voice was not loud, but it reached Coors' ears clearly.

"At least... His Highness Colin thinks this is wrong!"

That was what he had said in the first class, although many apprentices didn't remember it at all, or had forgotten it long ago.

After saying that, Ilana stopped looking at Kurs's face, which had instantly turned pale because of its lividity. She put away the book neatly and walked away without looking back.

(End of this chapter)