Chapter 392 Don’t Let the Council Think We Are Too Presumptuous
Colin...
That name again.
The mask of humility on Ariste's face suddenly showed a slight crack.
He looked up in surprise and asked almost without thinking.
"Why?"
His heart was filled with surprise and anger.
Why would the Council of Sages hand over such great power to an imperial prince who has only been in Xuebang for less than half a year!
Even in order to balance the various factions in the thirteen wizard towers, there are plenty of experienced and neutral marginal scholars within the academy to choose from!
And why...it had to be him?
Ariste's heart was roaring silently, and for a moment he couldn't tell whether he was jealous of the abundant resources or simply jealous that guy got everything he had dreamed of in such a short time.
Twenty years ago, as the most outstanding new generation virtual realm researcher in this magic tower, and the only magician who was promoted to diamond level by relying on the resources in the virtual realm, no one doubted his academic talent and status.
However, even a genius like him took him five full years to reach the first virtual realm of his own in his life!
and--
What he found most unacceptable was that it was he who submitted the proposal to reuse those frozen resources to the council!
In response to Ariste's almost inappropriate questioning, Dosulfk simply smiled kindly and spoke in a gentle tone.
"He did a great job, didn't he?"
That casual remark was like a club, hitting Ariste's self-esteem hard and making him stand there in a daze.
As if anticipating his reaction, the great sage's voice became earnest.
"Alister, sometimes we have to learn to look forward and give young people more opportunities. I know you might be dissatisfied with this arrangement, so I'm telling you this privately... I hope you can understand."
Ariste remained silent.
He slowly lowered his head, hiding all the resentment and resentment on his face in the shadows, and clenched his fists unconsciously.
Dosulf, who was concentrating on taking care of the plants, seemed not to notice Ariste's clenched fist.
He put down the scissors in his hand, picked up the kettle beside him, and leisurely watered the silver moon grass beside him with the sweet spring water filled with the essence of the moon.
"I know you've always been arrogant," he said, without turning around. His tone remained as gentle as usual, yet it was as if he could see his face. "Seeing a young man so easily stand on the platform you once worked so hard to reach, it's inevitable that there will be some waves in your heart."
Ariste suddenly unclenched his fists and bowed his head in humility.
"Teacher, you are too kind. I didn't..."
"No need to explain, I understand," Dosuluke smiled gently, his voice carrying a hint of the kindness of an elder and a hint of advice.
"But I still have to say, you should have a broader vision. Prince Colin is a noble of the Empire and a rare genius, two identities rarely found in the same person. Making friends with him will benefit both you and our School of Source Law. Being more tolerant of him is also an investment in our own future... You know, I've always cultivated you as my successor, so why should you care about such a small gain or loss?"
If it were ten years ago, Ariste would probably not be able to hide the ecstasy on his face when he heard this.
But he had heard this sentence for ten years, and no matter how hard he tried to pretend, it was difficult for him to show excitement.
Dosulfoke put down the crystal pot in his hand and finally turned around, still with a gentle smile on his face, as if he was chatting about a trivial family matter.
"Let's not talk about that anymore. I called you here today not only to tell you about the council's arrangements, but also for another matter."
Ariste said nothing, waiting silently for the great sage to continue.
Dosuluke paused and continued.
"The situation at the Bronze Pass is urgent, and the Empire hopes I can go there. I need to leave the Academy for a while, and I'm afraid I won't be back until next month."
Ariste said absentmindedly
“…Is it serious?”
"It's nothing serious. I'm just going over there to help. Who knows, it might not even be my turn to help."
When he said this, Dosulfuk smiled, and his originally serious tone suddenly relaxed again.
"This year's 'All Souls' Day' is approaching. According to the rules, it's our School of Source Law's turn to be in charge of this labyrinth trial. I heard that you've been getting close to the apprentices lately, so I thought we'd just let you take full charge and relax for a bit."
The labyrinth trial is different from the sage trial. The latter is the graduation test for magic apprentices, while the former is more like a sports meeting for students.
Although some professors or mentors would select their favorite magic apprentices for training at the celebration, powerful academics like Ariste did not have much interest in such activities.
It's like the annual winter enrollment.
After all, he didn't need to be like Professor Hector, burying himself in academic research while desperately trying to prove his presence in the Tower of Great Sages.
but--
Ariste suddenly raised his head, and a barely perceptible gleam of light flashed in his eyes hidden in the shadows.
yes……
During this period of time, he was busy accumulating the power of faith and almost forgot about such a big thing as the maze trial.
He immediately remembered Skain's report a few days ago - a talented apprentice under Colin seemed to be in trouble.
Although this apprentice herself is insignificant, she seems to have a close friend with whom she has a good relationship, who happens to be the daughter of the Castellón family.
Coincidentally, this rich girl is also Colin's apprentice.
And he vaguely remembered hearing Skain mention that the Duke of Castellón personally entrusted this person to Colin.
A surge of ecstasy instantly washed away all the jealousy and resentment in Ariste's heart, and replaced them with a twisted and resentful thought.
This is a great opportunity.
After all, Colin does not belong to Xuebang, and the Holy City is his "hometown".
If the backyard caught fire, he would surely not be able to leisurely stay in the northern wilderness and do his ridiculous research...
He has to bear the wrath of the Castellón family first!
"Ariste? Are you listening to me?" Seeing that his student seemed distracted, Dosulfk looked at him with concern.
Meeting the great sage's concerned gaze, Ariste quickly came to his senses and accepted the order respectfully and obediently.
"Teacher... I've been thinking about your proposal. Although I'd like to share your concerns personally, as you said, we should give young people more opportunities."
After a pause, he said.
"I'd like to recommend someone."
"Oh?" Dosulfk smiled and said gently, "I thought you would be interested in doing this yourself."
Alistair smiled sheepishly.
"This is my latest interest...but to be honest, I haven't dealt with those little guys in a long time, and I may not be good at planning this kind of event."
Dosulfuk nodded in understanding, then asked in a gentle tone.
"Who do you recommend?"
Ariste thought for a moment and then spoke.
"Merck, he's the mentor of the Source Law School. I've worked with him before, and I'm impressed by his unique management insights and academic perspective. Furthermore, in terms of supernatural powers, he possesses upper-gold-level strength. While not as strong as me, he's more than capable of presiding over the maze trials for magic apprentices."
"I believe that with his ability and knowledge, he will not bring shame to our school, nor will he let you down!"
"Haha, it doesn't matter whether it's embarrassing or not. It's just a celebration for young people, so just make it lively."
Dosulfuk smiled, signaled his beloved disciple to relax, then paused and spoke.
"I believe in your judgment. Since you think so highly of him, let him go."
"...I will inform him of the good news."
Suppressing the fleeting ecstasy and murderous intent in his heart, Ariste nodded humbly.
That humility was the same as when he first stepped into this wizard tower more than 30 years ago, and the same as when Skain faced him.
"Well, I leave it to you." Dosuluke said casually, and then turned his attention back to taking care of his garden.
This was one of the few hobbies he still retained after becoming a demigod.
Although some things can be done with a spell and can be done better, he still prefers to use his own hands to care for his baby.
He enjoys the process more than the result.
After speaking a few more words with his mentor, Ariste turned around, bowed humbly once more, and then left the garden without a word.
His steps were steady and his expression was calm, as if the conversation about power and glory just now was just an ordinary greeting.
Just as he passed by a gorgeous purple vine, a colorful magic butterfly flapped its phosphorescent wings and landed lightly on a blooming flower.
The pistil seemed weak and harmless, waiting to be picked, but it suddenly opened at the moment when the magic butterfly retracted its wings, like a small mouth covered with mucus, swallowing it in one gulp!
However--
That phosphorescent butterfly is no ordinary creature either.
At the moment it was swallowed, the delicate petals lost their luster at a speed visible to the naked eye, quickly withered and died, and finally turned silently into ashes.
Ariste's back disappeared behind the glass door of the garden, and with his departure, the garden returned to silence.
The great sage Dosulfuk, who had once again devoted himself to gardening, hummed an unknown tune and slowly walked to the side of the flowers.
Suddenly noticing the withered wreckage, he paused slightly, a hint of surprise showing on his face.
However, he was just surprised.
It is true that it is his masterpiece that he cultivated with his own hands, but he has many masterpieces, and this one is not missing in this garden full of colorful flowers.
He picked up the silver garden shears and expertly cut off the withered vine, as if it were a trivial matter.
Gazing at the ashes scattered in the soil, Dosulfuk sighed with regret, but there was not much regret in his turbid eyes.
“What a pity.”
…
As All Souls' Day approaches, even the Tower of Great Sages, which has a rigorous academic atmosphere, is gradually filled with the festive atmosphere.
Apprentices gathered in groups of three or five to discuss things. The most heated topic of discussion was undoubtedly the annual grand event - the "Maze Trial".
As a preview of the Sage Trial, senior mages will join the maze designed by senior mentors as maze challengers.
During the entire challenge, they can not only obtain valuable magic props as rewards in the maze, but may also gain the favor of the instructor because of their outstanding performance in the maze.
Many people have been preparing for this event for a whole month!
However, when the notice on the bulletin board announced that Mentor Merck would be in charge of this trial, the atmosphere of anticipation instantly turned into wailing.
In the cafeteria, Ilana looked at the apprentices around her who were all frowning, and asked Anjie, who was eating heartily beside her, in confusion.
"Angie-senpai, the person in charge of the labyrinth trial is Instructor Merck... Is there a problem? Why does everyone look so disappointed?"
She vaguely remembered hearing His Highness Colin mention this name, and His Highness Colin didn't seem to have a bad impression of this scholar?
Anjie sulked, poking the food on her plate listlessly with her fork, and whispered her frustration in a complaining voice.
"It's more than just disappointment... Instructor Merck is known for his meticulousness. The exams he presides over are always the most difficult to pass. It's likely the same in his maze. Any tricks will be useless. We can only consider the most reliable strategy..."
It may not be easy to bring Ilana to the depths of the maze, and they may have to seek some external help.
But this will create new problems.
Miss Lastina is planning to use some expensive magic items, and now we can only hope that these magic items will come in handy.
Seeing the worry on Ilana's face, Anjie suddenly remembered the task that Miss Lastina had given her.
She immediately put on a sweet smile, approached Ilana affectionately, and coaxed her in a honey-like tone, "But don't worry, Ilana! I'm here! When the time comes in the maze, just follow me closely, and I'll make sure you're safe!"
Seeing Anjie's confident look, Ilana became even more uneasy.
In her memory, players who make big promises before the competition even begins usually end up in a bad situation.
Especially since she has been busy with her thesis recently, she really has no time to prepare for this trial, so she is a little discouraged.
By the way, registration for the maze trial can be cancelled at any time. I heard that the "designer" of the maze is Mentor Merck, and many apprentices have withdrawn from the competition without saying a word.
Ilana whispered, "Is it really okay? This maze trial is very important to you and your friends, right? I'm just a reserve student, so it's okay if I don't participate... Besides, I always feel that sneaking in like this is not a good idea."
"Oh, that's impossible! Don't overthink it. Mentor Merck is just... no problem at all!"
Seeing Ilana still hesitating, Anjie hurriedly held her hand, and a hurt expression suddenly appeared on her chubby face. "Ilana, I don't think any big thing is bigger than our friendship! Or... you don't believe me?"
Seeing Angel's tearful expression, Ilana was suddenly at a loss, and waved her hands quickly, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"No, no, that's not what I meant..."
As she finished her words, she sighed softly in her heart.
I'm really not good at rejecting other people's requests, especially those from friends.
Seeing Anjie still looking sad, she calmed herself down and continued.
"I understand. I'll go... I'll leave it to you then, Anjie-senpai."
After receiving a positive answer, Anjie gave her a big hug in surprise. The heavy surprise almost made Ilana faint on the spot.
"Oh! Ilana, you're so sweet! I just love you so much."
Ilana: “???”
…
While the apprentices were gearing up for the All Souls' Day maze trial, the respected mentor Colin was also busy.
But he was not preparing a maze, that was too easy for him. He had been busy with the work of the "Special Committee" recently.
According to Professor Hector, these matters were usually handled by Professor Ariste, the disciple of the Great Sage. It was unknown why the Great Sage considered him this time.
Although no one knows what the great sage is planning, it is undoubtedly a rare opportunity for Luo Yan, who is obsessed with spreading the corruption of the Demon King.
As long as it is used properly, it will lay the foundation for the "scientific" school in the virtual realm!
Luo Yan also devoted a lot of energy to this.
He first changed the name of the committee to the more purposeful "Virtual Realm Asset Restructuring Committee" and officially started working as executive chairman.
The committee's temporary office was located on the top floor of the archives management room. The huge bookshelves were filled with dusty old files, and the air was filled with the dry smell of parchment and time.
A group of researchers transferred from Corinta are conducting preliminary screening and classification of massive amounts of original archives.
The work is boring and arduous, but everyone is very motivated.
This is not only because of their faith and loyalty to His Highness Colin, but also because they know that they are participating in a great cause that will change the history of the university!
Although people may not remember their names, their achievements are definitely worthy of being recorded in the history of our country!
However--
It's easy to say nice things, but it's not easy to actually do this job.
In particular, it was not until these researchers really started working independently that they suddenly realized that they had relied too much on the wisdom of His Highness, so that once there were no examples to refer to, they seemed at a loss.
Fear of taking responsibility and difficulty in making choices between pros and cons are common problems for almost every scholar trained in the Tower of Great Sages.
When faced with choices, these experienced teaching assistants may not be as calm as the apprentices in the Magic Science Laboratory.
"tutor."
Assistant Instructor Velich submitted a file on Virtual Realm No. 204 - [Flag Smasher's Embers Plain] to His Highness Colin with difficulty, and reported the preliminary conclusions he and the team members had reached after repeated discussions.
Although he did not put the conclusion at the beginning, looking at his hesitant attitude, Luo Yan could guess what he was going to say.
"...The situation in this virtual realm is very complicated. According to the archives, previous researchers disrupted the balance between various factions in their quest to plunder the 'War Soul Crystal', causing it to fall into a long civil war. We believe it has the potential to recover, as the civilizations within it have a strong desire for unity, and their ideologies all lean towards idealism to a certain extent."
"However, the risks are still great. The only solution we can think of is to support a warlord, but with our current strength, I'm afraid it will be difficult to provide him with much help. Instead, we may push him into the abyss of destruction."
He swallowed and continued.
"So...would it be better to keep it frozen for now?"
Luo Yan took the file, but did not immediately check their conclusions. Instead, he turned directly to the last few pages of the inconspicuous appendix - a record of the myths and legends of the civilization.
Although most researchers at Xuebang do not care about these details, for those scholars who want to publish water papers, they will not miss any possible clues to dig up.
Regardless of whether the Sage Newspaper wants it or not, they will submit it first. After all, in this snowy field, ink and teaching assistants are the least valuable.
Although this trend of producing academic garbage is not worth encouraging, objectively speaking, it does make it easier for Luo Yan to quickly take over unfamiliar research.
He pointed at a piece of text above with his finger and spoke calmly.
"Your thinking is too limited. Why must we make a 'difficult choice' among the existing forces? If you're worried about disrupting the balance of the existing order and causing the virtual realm channel to backfire, we can just create one ourselves... Just like we did in Virtual Realm No. 178. The divine envoy we chose wasn't some great figure."
Vilic whispered nervously, "But... this is a barbaric world after all. We're worried that the seedlings we choose won't have a chance to grow up."
"Void Realm No. 178 isn't particularly civilized, it just has a lot of towers. Furthermore, the barbarism you're talking about is exactly the soil the seeds of ambition need."
Luo Yan paused and continued.
"The appendix mentions their native beliefs. Before the fall of the 'God of War,' there existed a council of priests called the 'Fire Bearers,' responsible for interpreting the 'God of War's' oracles. Although this class was suppressed during the war, it did not completely disappear. Find the descendants of the 'Fire Bearers,' and, under the name of 'the return of the God of War,' re-grant them divine authority and encourage them to preach in the war-torn land. Use the power of religion to rebuild their social order from the very bottom. We don't need to get involved in their wars; whoever wins will be the same to us."
Weiliqi was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously asked: "The God of War... has returned? Doesn't it require them to believe in Colin?"
After hearing this, Luo Yan couldn't help but find it a little funny.
"Don't force things. They're preaching, so why are you following suit? We just need them to recognize, like us, the importance of the soul in the universe, the irreplaceable nature of the spirit. We need to restore stability to their fragmented minds and eliminate their hostility towards the Void... As for the name of the deity they believe in, it's unimportant to us."
The researchers who gathered around to listen suddenly understood, and then their faces showed expressions of great admiration.
I see--
They only remembered the method to solve the problem, but forgot to think about the principle behind it. Now that His Highness Colin explained it, they finally understood a little bit.
Suddenly, the admiration written in each pair of eyes became even stronger.
As expected of His Highness!
It’s so powerful!
The same went for Velich. Besides being surprised and admiring, he also had an expression of shame on his face.
He scratched the back of his head and said with his head down embarrassedly.
"Yes, I'm sorry... I..."
"No need to apologize to me. Rather than saying sorry, I hope you truly remember what I taught you. After all, I don't belong here... Ultimately, it's up to you young assistants to carry forward my teachings."
Luo Yan spoke earnestly, returned the report in his hand to him, and then emphasized it again in a serious tone.
"Also, let me say this again: the virtual realms we're reviewing are research projects for other professors, not for us. We won't be directly involved in the research on these virtual realms, and I don't want my last name to appear... where it doesn't need to be."
"Don't let the Council think we're being too presumptuous!"
(End of this chapter)
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