Security Exchange
An old man with white beard sat on a stone by the lake, his eyes slightly closed, as if he was resting.
An unknown amount of time passed before the ripples of the seal loosening again came from behind, interrupting the old man's meditation and waking up the dead silent air around him.
Having sensed who was coming, he stood up slowly with his arms held high, but when he turned around he was instantly stunned.
Ahhh, this, this, this, this…what is this doing? ? ? ! ! !
What's with that team led by that toad-riding boy... Are they the battle puppets the academy has set up? Aren't they land-based models? When did they even learn to swim?
What are those things they are carrying?
—Is it the documents? The manuscripts he painstakingly wrote?! He was just going to let those weird things drag him over here, drizzling through water?!
—Hey! That pile over there is about to fall over! Help it up, help it up quickly!
Seeing that the team was in crisis and had to speed up due to limited time, the old man did not care about anything else and quickly cast a spell to stabilize the crumbling "book mountain". The roar in his mouth was about to come out, but he swallowed it back at the critical moment.
The look in the eyes of the two girls behind him...are they threatening him?
It must be! These two people have a blatant threat written all over them from head to toe: "If you dare to make a noise, we'll let go of your hands right now!"
The old man, who appeared calm but was actually sweating profusely, said nothing. Especially when he saw the black-haired boy leading the team with a hearty smile that said "Mission successfully completed", he felt his blood rushing up his face.
Only after all the information was safely on shore did the old man breathe a sigh of relief, his legs softened, and he sat back down silently.
Finally, he let out the fake cough that he had been holding back for a long time. He hummed twice, his eyes wandering for a while, and finally he got back to the main point.
"Well, I didn't expect you guys would actually use all my life's work. Not bad, not bad... But, those, those should be the mechanical puppets in the hospital, this, this..."
He kept saying "this" for a long time but still couldn't make any sense of it. However, from the old man's complex expression of surprise, confusion and a little fear, it was not difficult to see what a magnificent story he had made up in his mind.
"There's nothing we can do, Senior."
Ruixia didn't seem to think there was anything wrong at all. She patted a battle doll beside her and explained very naturally:
"You're asking for so much. If it were just the few of us, I wonder how long it would take to move everything in. Don't worry, we're just borrowing these mechanical puppets. I haven't completely altered their underlying structure, so they can be fully restored after use. But to be honest, I really think these puppets, as defense personnel, really need an update..."
Ruixia's old habit came back again. Every time he talked about topics related to mechanical engineering, he could always write a detailed paper of at least six pages of parchment.
Ximu and Molina were used to it. Although the former didn't understand it, she would subconsciously recite the whole text, which was a kind of instinctive intelligence gathering. The latter didn't listen at all and even started humming an incomprehensible little tune.
"No, no, no, wait, wait... I'm already outside the academy. You don't need to report this to me. I can't find anyone to approve my budget!"
Perhaps Ruixia's talk touched some nerves, the old man's expression became more and more distorted as he listened. Seeing that his companions had no intention of stopping him, he could only speak out to stop them.
"Ah...hahaha, sorry, sorry, look at me, I've unconsciously started rambling again."
Ruixia scratched her head, but did not rush to ask for payment. Instead, she started chatting.
"But after the war is over, you'll have to go back, right? Then you can talk to the dean about this. By the way, does your hospital have a dedicated equipment department?"
"This is a magic academy, not a military fortress. Why do we need that kind of department?"
When this was mentioned, the old magician seemed very unhappy and glared.
"The academy's internal security has always been handled by a group of royal knights dispatched from the Kingdom of Lun'ate. They were the ones who wanted to bring in the combat puppets, so the roof renovations and the associated wear and tear were paid for by our logistics department... Humph, if they're really as impressive as they say, they should be responsible for patrolling blind spots on the roof themselves! They're so rigid, looking around everywhere every night and constantly conducting inspections. Who do they think they are? As far as I'm concerned, since this is an institution that welcomes everyone regardless of nationality, these kingdom knights shouldn't have the sole authority!"
Listening to this speech, it seems that the two do not get along.
But from the perspective of outsiders like Ximu, it seemed that the dean did not really have any strong opposition to this matter.
After all, Dean Fises is from the royal family of Len'ate, so he also needs to find guards. If his family happens to send someone, then there is really no need for him to go far away, right?
And as the old man said before, although this great sage is not close to the royal family, he is still the face of the country. If an armed force must be stationed in the academy, then the people from his own country should be more trustworthy than those from other neighboring countries, right?
Come to think of it, this might be the natural conflict between the lax magician and the disciplined knight...
If you are immersed in research and suddenly a group of people rush in and ask you questions like "What is your purpose in staying in the discussion room so late?", you will also think that they are somewhat crazy.
"But if that's the case, why do you have to leave the academy? The academy is protected by the Dean's seal and guarded by the Knights. Isn't it safer than outside?"
Every time a similar question was raised, the old man always acted pretentiously and was unwilling to answer.
But Ruixia refused to give up and continued to ask tentatively: "...Did the quarrel between the two deans earlier make you feel that something was wrong?"
"It's the dean and the vice-dean."
After making some corrections carefully, the old man realized that since he had already spoken, he would have to say a few more words.
"After that argument, the students privately speculated that Vice-President Mia Rhodes must have represented her country in trying to persuade the Dean, which was why he was so unhappy... But what do they know?"
He shook his sleeves, clasped his hands together, crossed his legs, and curled up on the stone like an old black cat with a white scarf.
"Mia Rhodes may seem humorous and approachable, but he's actually quite thoughtful. While the dean gets along well with him, they haven't always had disagreements. They've had some arguments... but it's common for magicians to disagree when sharing their experiences. They'll probably reconcile in a couple of days.
“But that time was really different.”
Having said that, the old man paused and his expression changed slightly.
Ximu's observation ability was the most meticulous. He could see a hint of barely perceptible fear on that face covered by white eyebrows and wrinkles.
"Were you there at the time?"
Ruixia asked at the right time.
"How could I possibly be!"
The old man's beard flew up from the disgust that erupted from his mouth. "That day, Mia Lloyds immediately closed the door as soon as she entered the dean's tower. No one heard what they said."
"Then how do you know they were arguing?"
Molina tilted her head to interrupt, and was immediately met with a glare from the old man.
"Do I need to explain this?! The aura, the pressure, the fluctuations of magical power... When your elders lecture you, do you have to wait for them to scold you personally before you know they're angry?"
Perhaps recalling the look on her head when her chief priest was angry, Morina understood immediately and instantly retreated to the middle of the team.
Too.
When great magicians of their level are enraged, the fluctuations of magic power they unleash must be astonishing. Even if they don't actually hear the content of their conversation, mature magicians can at least judge the emotions expressed through these fluctuations.
"So, you think this vice-president might do something unethical after breaking up with the dean, and that's why he's so hasty to leave the academy?"
The topic finally reached this stage, and Ximu, who had been relatively relaxed, stood beside Ruixia quietly.
"You left in such a hurry, you didn't even have time to take your life's work with you. Yet, after escaping, you lingered here, refusing to leave. You insisted on asking us, the passing adventurers, to go in and retrieve it for you... Now that we've made it out safely, don't you have any questions for us?"
Ruixia was actually a little nervous when the strangeness of this was pointed out directly.
Although the old man had never shown any clear hostility towards them, judging from his spellcasting speed, he was probably not someone who could be easily defeated.
Facing the three young men who were ready for battle, the old man's response was just a sidelong glance.
"...Why, were you guys being harassed in there?"
ah?
They didn't expect him to react like this. Ruixia and the others couldn't follow his train of thought for a moment, and couldn't help but show some surprise on their faces.
"Tell me, who caught you? The Knights or the teacher in the classroom? - I'm warning you, if you've already betrayed me, I won't pay you a penny!"
What is he talking about?
Do you not want to answer their questions and are deliberately avoiding the subject?
Or from his perspective, there really wasn't any unusual change in the academy, but he felt that they suddenly changed their tone in order to emphasize their hard work so that they could continue to bargain with him?
"I know everyone in this academy is arrogant and doesn't treat strangers well. It seems you suffered a little on the way, didn't you? However, since you made it out safely, and there wasn't anyone secretly following you, I guess you didn't betray me... So, in addition to what we agreed on, I'll give you something extra as compensation. How about that?"
Although it was a question, the old man had already started to search his pockets while speaking.
Ruixia wanted to say something, but Ximu put his hand on his shoulder and shook his head slightly without being noticed.
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