Chapter 34 The Awards Ceremony: The All-Knowing Astrologer
"Ancia! Ancia!"
"The Light of the Priest!"
"A miraculous new beginning!"
...
Humanity's inherent tendency to admire the strong was on full display at this moment.
The audience always loves to watch a story of a weaker force defeating a stronger one, creating miracles, and reaching the pinnacle despite doubts and regrets.
After losing to Heligalo, a tense atmosphere hung over Verion. According to his plan, Siven should easily win the second round, and he would take the crown of victory in the third round.
No one expected that a mere two-star priest with no attack skills could defeat a four-star wood mage in a one-on-one battle.
The Forest of Myriad Things is fair; just as Xiwen discovered the Demon-Eating Dandelion, Ancia's spiritual power also found the dormant Lily of the Dream.
"When did she start hiding her trump card? From the moment she first appeared on the stage?" Verion's expression changed slightly, and an absurd guess surfaced in his mind.
Eve pursed her lips, confirming his guess, "I've watched every match Ancia has played, and it wasn't until today's team battle that she revealed her mental strength, which far surpasses ours."
Verion closed his eyes in slight frustration, having missed out on the glory he had previously gained so easily; this was the first time he had tasted defeat.
Eve spoke cautiously, "Brother, what about Grandfather..."
When he opened his eyes again, Velien had returned to his cold and aloof demeanor. "I will take responsibility. Do not return to the other palace in the near future."
Ancia disconnected from the match and saw only Skark in the preparation area. She frowned and asked, "Where's Heligalo?"
Skalk smiled and gave her a high five. "Congratulations!" He then scratched his cheek. "A minute before the end of the match, he received a carrier pigeon, read it, and left early."
Ancia's joy was dampened, and the smile on her face faded a bit. "She said she would explain things to me properly after the competition... but she's disappeared."
Skalk also noticed the conflict between the two teammates, but he was definitely on Ancia's side. "He probably has something urgent to deal with. Don't think about anything that's bothering you. The awards ceremony is coming up soon. Are you ready to receive the glory of victory?"
Ancia shook her head. "I'm not in the mood right now."
Skalk pushed her out of the preparation area. "Hey, our great hero Ancia, don't look so down. Listen, they're calling your name outside."
Ancia stepped out of the preparation area and walked towards the podium with Skalk. The applause and cheers from the noisy stands never stopped.
As she passed the teachers' section, her mentor Cheryl stood up and looked at her with a smile.
The change in the audience's attitude from doubt and regret to enthusiastic praise is insignificant to her, but Cheryl's affirmation can instantly lift her spirits.
The dean personally presented them with the awards. He snapped his fingers, and a golden bouquet representing victory floated in front of them, along with a slender weapon case.
Ancia opened the weapon case marked with her name. Inside was a wooden staff with an extremely rare magic gem at the top, a twin gem of light and wood elements. The base was decorated not with diamonds, but with sparkling magic crystals.
"Enter your magic power, and once activated, it will be bound to you," the Dean said.
Ancia gripped the staff handle, and the gem at the top of the staff emitted a faint golden and green light, while two of the nine magic crystals lit up.
[Item Description: An upgradeable staff handcrafted by Dean Gracia; no one knows the materials used in its creation.]
Attribute: All attributes +10%
A comfortable and warm magical energy circulated within the staff and Ancia's body, making it even more comfortable to use than the two-star priest staff given by the system, as if the staff were an extension of her body.
Ancia gently touched the twin gems. These materials looked hard to find, and given her special light and wood element, it was hard not to suspect that the dean had prepared the staff in advance.
But how could the dean have predicted that she would be the champion?
The dean chuckled, "Astrologers know everything."
Ancia turned her head in surprise and saw only a drifting nebula.
The mysterious dean, behind the nebula, tempted her again, asking, "Do you want to learn astrology?"
Ancia hesitated for a moment, but still chose to refuse, "I don't have that idea for the time being."
The dean said regretfully, "Alright." He flicked his wrist, and another weapon case floated over. "This is Heligaluo's staff. Could you give it to him?"
Ancia put the box into her system inventory. "Okay, Dean."
The dean seemed unsurprised by Heligaluo's absence, and before disappearing, he left a meaningful message: "If you have any questions, you can come to me, and the stars will unravel your confusion."
*
The celebration dinner lasted until midnight. After it started, Ancia was greeted by all sorts of unfamiliar classmates. She got a little numb from drinking, so she simply hid in the teachers' area.
Ancia's cheeks flushed, and she looked up at Cheryl, "Mentor, mentor, how did I do today?"
Cheryl replied without hesitation, "Very good, I'm proud of you."
When Yesika saw Cheryl's smile, she thought her old-fashioned colleague had been infected with an itchy herb.
She patted Anciya's shoulder with a hint of reproach, "As your wood-element course teacher, I didn't even know you had full affinity for wood. Sigh, calling you 'teacher' feels a bit formal, why don't you call me 'mentor'?"
“Esika Portland.” Cheryl’s smile vanished instantly, and she called out Esika’s full name seriously.
"Just kidding." Yesika shivered, raised her hands, and kept her distance from Ancia.
Ancia blinked slowly, then smiled sheepishly, "Professor Cheryl is very good, and I have no intention of changing mentors."
Cheryl breathed a subtle sigh of relief. When Ancia said those words on the field, her first thought was, "Would Yesika try to steal my apprentice?"
After all, Yesika had been rejected the last time she tried to take on an apprentice, and had been disappointed for a long time. Even she had heard about it.
The obedient and sensible apprentice dealt with Yesika, who coveted her, on her own. Cheryl then noticed the thoughtful expression on Mortley's face. There was still one persistent and most difficult one to deal with.
Cheryl was somewhat displeased. "Don't you have your own apprentices?"
In her semi-drunken state, Ancia reacted much slower than usual and appeared dazed.
Merri stood to one side, his fingers twitching slightly; he longed to pat Ancia's head.
"The dagger is really useful, thank you, Professor Merri." Ancia also thanked him. The modified health bar increased her damage, although her basic attacks, which were barely scratching the surface, didn't kill Siven by the end of the match.
“What truly determines victory is your own ability. As a priest, your dagger skills are already satisfactory to me.” Murtrie’s voice was deep. “I also feel that the title ‘teacher’ is a bit too formal. If you really want to thank me, just call me by my name.”
“Okay, Merriel,” Ancia said slowly.
"The dean said there's a teachers' meeting tonight, we should head to the Moon Tower now," Cheryl suddenly pulled out her pocket watch and urged her two colleagues on.
"Huh? But didn't the dean say it would start after the banquet?" Yesika asked doubtfully. "Did I remember wrong?"
"Hmm, you're mistaken." If she stayed any longer, her apprentice would be kidnapped.
Cheryl's calm tone was convincing, and Yesika put aside her doubts, picked up the half-finished wheat juice and followed her, also calling Murtrie along.
Ancia went out onto the balcony for some fresh air, where she could see the top of the Light Dome glowing faintly in the night sky.
The sound of unhurried footsteps came from behind, the long boots tapping the ground steadily, each step precise and elegant.
"Ancia," Verion called her name coldly and emotionlessly.
"Oh, it's you." Ancia glanced at him briefly before turning back.
Verion stated his purpose directly: "Eve recommended you to me. The Royal Family is willing to pay double the price the Holy See paid to recruit you."
Ancia thought for a moment, "The Holy See? I haven't joined the Holy See."
Verion frowned. "You're not from the Church of Light, so why would Heligaluo team up with you?"
Ancia replied matter-of-factly, "Because we're friends."
Verion raised an eyebrow, his grey eyes calmly scrutinizing Ancia's expression. After confirming that she wasn't faking it, the slight ripple disappeared, and he returned to his usual indifference. "It seems I underestimated this generation's Holy Son, who actually uses emotions instead of interests to win over geniuses. So, what conditions will this friendship require to make you switch sides to the royal family?"
Ancia waved her hand dismissively, "If Eve were here, we could have a chat, but there's no point in talking to someone like you."
The deal negotiations failed.
Vilian wasted no more time, leaving with a cold, polite smile. "We'll meet again if the opportunity arises."
After he left, Ancia sighed. He truly lived up to his reputation as the Crown Prince of the Empire.
As the last male protagonist to appear in the main storyline, Verion is the most difficult of the five male protagonists to win over. Players who choose Verion cannot make a single wrong move and must spend several times more effort than the other male protagonists' individual routes in order to get even a trace of warmth from him, who only believes in self-interest.
Only now that I've truly gotten to know him can I realize how difficult it is to reach a happy ending with him.
"I definitely have to give Heli a good rant after class tomorrow. That pretentious guy is making it hard to breathe just standing there," Ancia muttered to herself. "Wait, is it too easy for me to forgive him if I talk to him so soon?"
Ancia's dilemma didn't last long, because in the "Basic Theory of Magic" class the next day, Heligaluo's seat was empty, and when Ancia went to find Erlan, he also knew nothing about Heligaluo's whereabouts.
On the third day of the "Radiant Inscription" class, Heligalo still did not appear. Ancia released a telepathic spell, but the magical fluctuations disappeared without a trace.
Her magic could reach everyone within the entire Eternal City, which meant that Heligalor wasn't even in the Eternal City.
Anxiety gripped Ancia's heart; Heligalo had never been gone for so long.
When Verion reappeared in Ancia's sight, her unease suddenly tightened and reached its peak.
"Suppose Heligalo were dead, would you reconsider?" Vilian's tone was calm, yet it was like a thunderclap.
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