The remaining three mages were taken to a side hall of the castle.
Their faces were deathly pale, and they were trembling uncontrollably. The silent "disappearance" of Carthus after he was taken away alone, as well as the despairing silence stone equipment on the guards, completely shattered their psychological defenses.
When Linde reappeared in front of them, the three of them almost collapsed to the ground.
"Spare me! Your Excellency, spare me!"
One of them pleaded with tears streaming down his face.
"We know nothing! It was all Carthus's doing! We were just following orders!"
Lind ignored their wailing and simply placed a sealed, unmarked ordinary envelope on the table in front of them.
The envelope looked unremarkable.
"Please personally hand this to Dean Lurie Erna of the Royal Academy of Magecraft."
Linde's voice regained its usual composure, but its authority remained unquestionable.
"Remember, it must be done personally, directly to her. If it passes through someone else's hands, or if you try to peek..."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the three of them like a tangible icicle.
"Cassas's fate serves as an example. I will know whether you follow suit."
"Yes! Yes! I will definitely hand it over to the Dean myself!"
The three men, as if grasping at their only lifeline, hurriedly kowtowed and agreed.
"Get lost." Lind waved his hand as if shooing away flies.
The three mages, as if granted a pardon, scrambled to grab the envelopes from the table and, under the cold gaze of the guards, stumbled and fled Blackrock Fortress, escaping this terrifying place they would never forget.
…………
About half a month later, in the Kree Empire, at the Royal Academy of Mages, in the Dean's Tower.
Lurie Erner sat alone behind her large desk, her fingertips tapping unconsciously on the surface, her brow furrowed with deep weariness and barely concealed anxiety.
After Carsas and his party went to Blackrock Territory, they disappeared without a trace, which made her feel increasingly uneasy.
She worried that the letter hadn't been delivered, and even more so that Alice might have been exposed or even met with misfortune.
Just as she was feeling uneasy, a servant announced that the three mages accompanying Casas requested an audience, saying they had important matters to report.
Lurie's heart sank! Carthus hadn't returned? Only the three of them?
She suppressed her turbulent emotions and tried to keep her voice as steady as possible:
"Let them in."
The three monks walked into the dean's office with trepidation, their faces pale, their eyes darting around, and they still carried the disheveled look of a long journey and the lingering fear of being shaken.
"Dean...Dean!"
The leader's voice trembled as he held the ordinary envelope in both hands as if it were a red-hot branding iron, and respectfully presented it.
“This…this is from Viscount Linde…who instructed us to personally deliver it to you…”
Lurie's gaze instantly locked onto the envelope. No House mark, no Carthus's signature! Her heart clenched.
She calmly took the envelope, her fingertips able to feel what seemed to be something tucked inside.
She didn't open it immediately, but instead scanned the three of them with eyes as sharp as a hawk's:
"Where is Casas? Why hasn't he returned?"
The three men froze, their faces drained of color. The leader stammered, his voice trembling with tears:
“Ka…the mage Carthus…he…offended the Viscount…and was…executed…The Viscount said…he touched someone he shouldn’t have…”
"Execution?!"
Even with her deepest composure, Luli couldn't help but gasp, her pupils contracting sharply! Carsas was dead? Killed by that viscount of Blackrock Territory?!
A chill instantly shot from the soles of my feet to the top of my head!
She forced herself to calm down, her voice carrying an undeniable authority:
"Tell me everything that happened to you in Blackrock Territory, without omitting a single word! You know the consequences if you dare to utter even a single falsehood!"
Amidst the three sorcerers' incoherent and fear-filled narration, Luli heard a story that sent chills down her spine:
The anti-mage Silence Stone Guard, Carthus's "disappearance" after being taken away alone, Lind's cold-blooded "execution" order, and that letter that was the only way out...
Lurie listened in silence, her fingertips icy cold.
She hadn't expected Lind's methods to be so ruthless and unscrupulous! She also hadn't expected that Carthus would actually be involved in a conspiracy against Alice!
Upon hearing the term "Whispers of the Ghosts," a chilling killing intent instantly flashed in Luli's eyes! It really was those people's doing!
"Get out." After listening to the story, Lurie's voice was icy cold and devoid of any emotion.
The three monks, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, scrambled out of the room.
Lurie was the only one left in the office.
She took a deep breath, and a wisp of pure magic gathered at her fingertips as she carefully examined the envelope—there were no tracking marks, no magical traps, only a simple physical wax seal.
She broke the wax seal and took out the letter inside.
The letter paper was ordinary, with only a few words on it, written in strong, powerful handwriting, conveying an unquestionable determination:
To Dean Luli:
Carthus arrived with a poisoned letter, intending to harm Alice; his intentions were despicable, and his actions were utterly reprehensible.
Alice is well, residing in Blackrock, just as she resides in my heart.
The Black Rock Wall is also known as the Alice Wall.
Those who attempt to seize power will be like Casas—they will never return.
This item serves as proof; do not worry.
— Lynd Truk
There were no flowery words, no hypocritical pleasantries, only a naked declaration and a chilling killing intent!
The phrase "its existence has been extinguished" further confirmed the account of the three monks, sending a chill down Luli's spine.
However, what truly froze her gaze and made her gasp for breath was something that slid off the letter and rolled onto her desk—
That was a crystalline remnant!
But it is by no means any natural crystal that Lourdes knows of!
It is about the size of a pigeon egg, and it presents an unprecedented, near-perfect icosahedral structure with distinct edges and corners so sharp that they seem to be able to cut light.
Its color is an extremely deep, dark blue. Its interior is not the flocculent or cloud-like energy structure of natural crystals, but rather uniform, pure, like a solidified liquid starry sky, radiating a stable energy fluctuation that is breathtaking.
There is not a trace of impurity, nor any sense of instability from energy leakage!
Its very existence is a subversion of the existing understanding of crystallography!
Lurie reached out with trembling hands and carefully picked up the artificial crystal.
The touch from the fingertips is as warm and smooth as jade, yet it contains unimaginable, boundless energy.
She could clearly sense the terrifyingly pure magic contained within, as well as its absolutely stable structure.
"This...this is..."
Lurie's voice trembled with disbelief.
She instantly understood what Lin Dexin meant by "this thing serves as proof".
This is not just a crystal remnant; it is proof of Lind's power! Proof that he has the ability to protect Alice!
He not only uncovered the conspiracy against Alice and ruthlessly eliminated the threat, but also possessed crystal skeleton manufacturing technology that was ahead of its time and could drive the entire mage world crazy!
Linde used Carsas's blood and this mind-blowing artificial crystal to convey an incredibly clear message to her:
With Alice by his side, he felt safer than anywhere else.
He has the ability and the determination to build a wall of flesh and steel for her that no force can cross! Whether it's infighting within the academy or the conspiracies of the Orks!
Looking at the artificial crystal in her hand, which was as perfect as a work of art yet contained terrifying power, Dean Luli's long-tense nerves finally relaxed for the first time.
Despite the fatigue and the ongoing storm, an unprecedented sense of peace washed over me like a warm current.
She held the cold, crystalline relic tightly in her palm, as if she were holding the hope for her daughter's future.
"Alice...it seems you really...have found an amazing person to rely on."
Luli murmured to herself, a long-lost, relieved smile finally appearing on her lips.
Outside the window, the sky over the capital was still overcast, but in her eyes, she seemed to see the indestructible barrier in the direction of Black Rock Territory, and behind the barrier, her daughter's safe and sound figure.
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