Chapter 392 Don’t let the Council think we are too presumptuous
Colin...
That’s the name again.
The humble mask on Alister's face showed slight cracks in an instant.
He raised his head in astonishment and almost blurted out a question.
His heart was full of surprise and sullenness.
Why should the Council of Sages hand over such a significant 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 Mage Towers, there are a large number of experienced and neutral fringe scholars within the Academy to choose from!
And why... it’s him?
Alister was roaring silently in his heart, and for a moment he couldn't tell whether he was jealous of those rich resources, or simply jealous that the guy got everything he dreamed of in such a short period of time.
Twenty years ago, he was the most outstanding new generation virtual realm researcher in this mage tower, and the only magician who relied on the resources in the virtual realm to be promoted to diamond level. Everyone had no doubt about his academic talent and status.
However, even for a genius like him, it took him five years to reach the first virtual realm of his own in his life!
And——
What he finds most unacceptable is that the proposal to reuse those frozen resources was clearly submitted to the council by him!
Facing Alister’s almost rude question, Dosuk just smiled kindly and said in a gentle tone.
"He did a good job, didn't he?"
That understatement was like a sap, hitting Alister's self-esteem hard and leaving him stunned.
As if he had expected his reaction, the great sage's voice became serious and thoughtful.
"Alister, sometimes we have to learn to look forward and give more opportunities to young people. I know that you may be dissatisfied with this arrangement, so I told you privately... I hope you can understand."
Alister was silent.
He slowly lowered his head, hiding all the unwillingness and resentment on his face in the shadows, and clenched his fists unconsciously.
Dosuk, who was concentrating on taking care of the plants, seemed not to notice Alister’s clenched fist.
He put down the scissors in his hand, took the kettle on the side, and leisurely watered the silver moon grass beside him with the sweet spring filled with the essence of the moon.
"I know you have always been arrogant," he did not look back, his tone was still the same ordinary and kind, but it was as if he could see his face, "Seeing a young man stand so easily on the platform that you have worked so hard to stand on, it is inevitable that there will be waves in your heart."
Alister suddenly unclenched his fist and lowered his head humbly.
"Teacher's words are serious, I did not..."
"No need to explain, I can understand," Dosuk smiled gently, with a hint of the gentleness of an elder and a hint of advice in his voice.
"But I still have to say that your structure should be bigger. Prince Colin is a nobleman of the empire and a rare genius. These two identities rarely appear in the same person. Being friends with him is good for both you and our School of Origin Law. It is good for him. Some tolerance is also an investment in our own future... You know, I have always been cultivating you as my successor, why do you care about this small gain or loss? "
If it were ten years ago, Alister would probably not be able to hide the ecstasy on his face when he heard this.
But he has heard this sentence for ten years. No matter how hard he pretends, it is difficult for him to show an excited expression anymore.
Dosuk 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 matter.
"Let's not talk about this. I came to you today. In addition to telling you the arrangements of the council, I have another thing to do."
Alister did not speak, waiting in silence for the great sage to continue speaking.
Dosuike paused and continued.
"The Bronze Pass is in a critical situation recently, and the empire hopes that I can go there. I need to leave the school for a while, and I'm afraid I won't be able to come back until next month."
Alister said absentmindedly
"...Is it serious?"
"It's not serious, I just went over to help, and maybe it won't be my turn to take action."
When he said this, Dosuk smiled, and his originally serious tone suddenly relaxed again.
"This year's All Souls' Day is coming soon. According to the rules, this labyrinth trial is our turn to be responsible for the Origin Law School. I heard that you have been very close to the apprentices recently, so I think I'll just let you preside over it and just relax."
The labyrinth trial is different from the Sage Trial. The latter is a graduation examination for magic apprentices, while the former is more similar to a sports meeting for students.
Although some professors or tutors will select and train favorite magic apprentices at the celebration, academic leaders like Alister who hold real power are not very interested in this activity.
This is like the annual winter enrollment.
After all, he does not need to be like Professor Hector, who immerses himself in learning while desperately trying to prove his presence in the Tower of the Great Sage.
But——
Alister suddenly raised his head, and an undetectable light flashed in his eyes hidden in the shadows.
That's right...
Him He has been busy accumulating the power of faith during this period, but he almost forgot about such a big thing as the labyrinth trial.
He immediately remembered Skye's report a few days ago - a talented apprentice under Colin seemed to be in trouble.
Although the apprentice itself is insignificant, she seems to have a close friend who happens to be the daughter of the Castellon family.
Coincidentally, this daughter happened to be Colin's apprentice as well.
And he vaguely remembered hearing Skye mention that the Duke of Castellon personally entrusted this man to Colin.
A wave of ecstasy instantly washed away all the jealousy and unwillingness in Alister's heart, and was replaced by a twisted and hateful thought.
This is an excellent opportunity.
Colin does not belong to the school after all, the Holy City is his "home".
If there is a fire in the backyard, he will definitely not be able to leisurely stay in the northern wilderness to do his ridiculous knowledge...
He has to bear the wrath of the Castellon family first!
"Alister? Are you listening to me?" Seeing that his student seemed to be distracted, Dosuk glanced at him with concern.
Facing the great sage's concerned eyes, Alister quickly came back to his senses and took the order respectfully and obediently.
"Teacher... I'm thinking about your proposal. Although I would like to share your worries personally, but as you said, we should give young people more opportunities."
He paused and said.
"I would like to recommend a candidate."
"Oh?" Dosuk smiled and said gently, "I thought you would be interested in doing this yourself."
Alister smiled sheepishly.
"This is my recent interest...but to be honest, I haven't dealt with those little guys for too long. I may not be good at planning such activities."
"Then who is the person you recommend?"
Alister thought for a moment, then spoke after a moment.
"Merck, he is the mentor of the Source Law School. I have worked with him. I am deeply impressed by his unique insights in management and academic vision. In addition, in terms of extraordinary power, he has a high gold level Although his strength is not as good as mine, he is more than capable of presiding over the labyrinth trials of magic apprentices."
"I believe that with his ability and knowledge, he will not disgrace our school, let alone disappoint you!"
"Haha, it doesn't matter whether it's embarrassing or not. Originally it was just a celebration for young people, so it would be better if it was more lively."
Dosuk smiled and signaled his beloved disciple to relax, then paused and said.
"I believe in your vision. Since you think so highly of him, let him go."
"...I will inform him of the good news."
Suppressing the flash of ecstasy and killing intent in his heart, Alister nodded humbly.
The humility was the same as when he first stepped into this mage tower more than thirty years ago, and the same as when Skye faced him.
"Well, I'll leave it to you." Dosuk said casually, and then returned his attention to taking care of his garden.
This is one of the few hobbies he still retains 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 chatting with the tutor for a few more words, Alister turned around, bowed humbly again, and then left the garden without saying 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 a charming purple vine, a colorful magic light butterfly flapped its phosphorescent wings and landed lightly on a blooming flower.
The stamens seemed to be soft and harmless, allowing you to pick them, but at the moment when the magic light butterfly retracted its wings, it suddenly opened up, like a small mouth full of mucus and swallowed it in one gulp!
However——
That phosphorescent butterfly is no ordinary creature.
At the moment it was swallowed, the delicate petals lost their luster at a speed visible to the naked eye, quickly withered and withered, and finally turned into fly ash silently.
Alister's back disappeared behind the glass door of the garden, and with his departure, the garden returned to silence.
The great sage Dosuk, who was concentrating on gardening again, hummed an unknown ditty and walked slowly to the side of the flowers.
Suddenly he noticed the withered remains. His steps paused slightly, with a hint of surprise on his face.
However, he was just surprised.
It is true that it was his favorite work cultivated by his own hands, but he had many favorite works, and this one was not missing in this colorful garden.
He picked up the silver garden scissors and skillfully cut off the withered vine, as if it was a trivial matter.
Looking at the ashes scattered in the soil, Dosuk sighed with regret, but there was not much regret in his cloudy eyes.
…
As All Souls' Day approaches, even the Tower of the Great Sage, which has a rigorous academic style, is gradually filled with a festive atmosphere.
Apprentices gather together in small groups to communicate. The most hotly discussed topic is undoubtedly the annual event - the "Maze Trial".
As a preview of the Sage Trial, senior mages will join the maze as maze challengers in the maze designed by the senior mentor.
Throughout the entire challenge, they will not only be able to obtain valuable magic props as rewards in the maze, but they may also be favored by their instructors for 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 the person in charge of this trial would be Instructor Merck, the atmosphere of anticipation instantly turned to wailing.
In the cafeteria, Ilana looked at the frowning apprentices around her and asked confusedly to Anjie, who was enjoying her meal next to her.
"Senior Anjie, the person in charge of the labyrinth trial is Instructor Merck... Is there any problem? Why do everyone look so disappointed?"
She vaguely remembered hearing His Highness Colin mention this name, and His Highness Colin's impression of this scholar did not seem to be bad?
Anjie's face was drooping, she weakly poked at the food on the plate with her fork, and whispered her frustration in a complaining voice.
"It's not just a disappointment... Instructor Merck is famous for being meticulous. The exams he is responsible for have always been the most difficult to pass. The same is true for 80% of his mazes. Any tricks are useless. We can only consider the safest strategy..."
I'm afraid it won't be that easy to take Ilana to the depths of the maze. They might have to find some outside aid.
But this will create new problems.
Miss Rastina is going to use some expensive magic props, and now she can only hope that these magic props will come in handy.
Seeing the worried look on Ilana's face, Anjie suddenly remembered the task assigned to her by Miss Rustina.
She immediately put on a sweet smile, approached Ilana affectionately, and coaxed in a honey-like tone: "But don't worry, Ilana! I'm here! You just need to follow me in the maze, and I guarantee that you will be safe!"
Looking at Anjie's vow, Ilana became even more uneasy.
In her memory, contestants who boasted about Haikou before the competition even started often ended badly in the end.
Especially because she has been busy with her thesis recently and can't find time to prepare for this trial, so she has given up.
By the way, registration for the maze trial can be canceled at any time. I heard that the "designer" of the maze is Mentor Merck, and there are many apprentices who quit the competition in silence.
Ilana whispered: "It really doesn't matter? This maze trial is very important to you and your friends, right? I'm just a preparatory student. It doesn't matter if I don't participate...and I always feel that it's not good to sneak in like this."
br/> Looking at Ilana who was still hesitating, Anjie hurriedly held her hand, suddenly pretending to be hurt on her plump face, "Ilana, I think no matter how big the thing is, it's not as big as our friendship! Or...you don't believe me?"
Looking at Anjie's "ready to cry" look, Ilana was at a loss and waved her hands in confusion.
“No, no, that’s not what I meant...”
As the words fell, she sighed softly in her heart.
I am really not good at rejecting requests from others, especially requests from friends.
Looking at Anjie who still looked sad, she calmed down and continued.
"I know, I will go...I'll leave it to you then, Senior Anjie."
Anjie received a positive answer and gave her a big hug in surprise. The heavy surprise almost made Ilana faint on the spot.
While the apprentices were gearing up for the labyrinth trial on All Souls' Day, the respected mentor Colin was not idle either.
But he is not planning a maze. That thing is too childish for him. He has been busy with the work of the "Special Committee" recently.
According to Professor Hector, Professor Alister, a disciple of the Great Sage, is usually responsible for these matters. I don’t know why the Great Sage considered him this time.
Although I don’t know what the great sage is planning, it is undoubtedly a rare opportunity for Luo Yan, who is obsessed with spreading the corruption of the devil.
As long as it is used properly, it will lay the foundation of the "scientific" school in the virtual realm!
This is why Luo Yan also put a lot of energy into it.
He first changed the name of the committee to the more purposeful "Virtual Realm Asset Restructuring Committee" and officially started work as the executive chairman.
The temporary office of the committee is located on the top floor of the archives management room. The huge bookshelves are filled with dusty old files, and the air is filled with the dry smell of parchment and time.
A group of researchers transferred from Corinta are preliminary screening and classifying the massive original files.
This 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 Xuebang!
Although people may not remember their names, their achievements are definitely worthy of a special mention in the history of Xuebang!
However——
It is easy to say nice things, but it is not easy to actually do this work.
Especially when these researchers really started to work independently, they suddenly discovered that they usually relied too much on the wisdom of His Highness, so that once there were no examples for reference, they seemed at a loss.
· Fear of taking responsibility and difficulty in making choices in the face of pros and cons are common problems shared by almost every scholar trained by the Tower of the Great Sage.
When faced with a choice, these experienced teaching assistants may not be as calm as the apprentices in the Magic Science Laboratory.
ifier.
Assistant coach Velic presented a file about Void Realm No. 204 - [Flag-Smasher's Ember Plain] to His Highness Colin with an embarrassed look on his face, and reported his preliminary conclusions after repeated discussions with the team members.
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 files, the previous researcher broke the balance between the forces in order to plunder the "War Soul Crystal", causing it to fall into a long-term civil war. We believe that it has the potential to recover, because its internal civilization has a strong desire for unity, and their thoughts are biased toward idealism to a certain extent. "
"However, the risk is still very high. The only way we can think of is to support a warlord. However, with our current strength, it may be difficult to provide it with great help. Instead, it may push it into the abyss of destruction."
He swallowed and continued.
"So... would it be better to keep the freeze temporarily?"
Luo Yan took the file and did not check their conclusions immediately. Instead, he turned directly to the inconspicuous appendix on the last few pages - a record of the myths and legends of the civilization.
Although most researchers in Xuebang do not care about these minutiae, for those scholars who want to write a thesis, they will not let go of any possible clues.
Whether "The Sage" wanted it or not, they voted first and then decided. Anyway, in this snowy field, ink and teaching assistants were 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 tapped the text above with his finger and spoke calmly.
"Your thinking is too limited. Why do you have to make "difficult choices" among the existing forces? If you are worried about breaking the balance of the existing order and causing the virtual realm channel to be backlashed, we can also create one ourselves... Just like what we did in Virtual Realm No. 178, the envoy we chose is not a great person."
Weilic whispered nervously: "But... this is a barbaric world after all, and we are worried that the seedlings we chose will have no chance to grow up."
Void Realm No. 178 is not much civilized, but there are more towers. Moreover, the barbarism you mentioned is exactly the soil needed for the seeds of ambition."
Luo Yan paused and continued.
"Their local beliefs are mentioned in the appendix. Before the fall of the 'God of War', there was a council of 'Fire Bearers' composed of priests, responsible for interpreting the oracles of the 'God of War'. Although this class was suppressed during the war, it did not disappear completely. Find the descendants of the 'Fire Bearers', re-give them their divine rights in the name of the 'Return of the God of War', and encourage them to live in a land ravaged by war. Preaching. Use the power of religion to reconstruct their social order from the lowest level. We don’t need to get involved in their wars. Whoever wins is the same to us."
Weilic was stunned for a moment and subconsciously asked: "The God of War...has returned? Don’t we need to let them believe in Colin?"
After hearing this, Luo Yan couldn't help but feel a little funny.
"Don't be mechanical. They are preaching, and you are also preaching? We just need to let them, like us, recognize the weight of the soul in the universe, acknowledge the irreplaceability of the spirit, return their divided spirit to stability, and eliminate hostility to the void... As for the name of the god they believe in, it is not important to us."
So that’s it——
They only remember the method to solve the problem, but forget to think about the principle behind it. Now that His Highness Colin said this, they had learned a little bit about it.
Suddenly, the admiration written in a pair of eyes became even stronger.
As expected of His Highness!
It’s simply terrifyingly strong!
The same goes for Velic, who was stunned and admired, but also had an expression of shame on his face.
He scratched the back of his head and lowered his head in embarrassment.
ifier than saying sorry, I hope you really remember what I taught you. After all, I don't belong here... …To carry forward my teachings, I ultimately have to rely on you young teaching assistants.”
Luo Yan said earnestly, returned the report in his hand, and then emphasized it again in a serious tone.
"Also, let me say it again, these virtual realms we reviewed are research projects prepared for other professors, not for ourselves. We will not be directly involved in the research of these virtual realms, and I don't want my own surname to appear in... places where it is not necessary."
"Don't let the council think we are too presumptuous!"
(End of this chapter)