100X Returns System: I Dominate the Age of Gods

Chapter 385: 385. Visiting the academy

"You have grown up," Andrea spoke with a faint smile on her face.

William simply nodded. "I still have a lot more growing to do," he replied.

Andrea smiled at that answer. There was neither arrogance nor false humility in his voice. It was simply an acknowledgment of reality. The William standing before her had changed tremendously compared to the reckless young man she had first met, but despite all his accomplishments, he still understood how much further he had to go.

The conversation naturally drifted away from serious topics afterward. Andrea asked about Anastasia and how she was adapting to life as an empress.

The moment the question was asked, William could not help laughing. Andrea raised an eyebrow.

"What?" William shook his head.

"Let’s just say that ruling an empire is not exactly my mother’s dream job."

He began recounting several incidents from the past weeks.

He described Anne’s increasingly irritated expressions whenever another stack of reports appeared on her desk. He described her dramatic sighs, her pouting whenever ministers came looking for her, and the death stares she frequently directed at him whenever she remembered whose fault all of this ultimately was.

Andrea laughed heartily throughout the stories. The image of Anastasia suffering beneath mountains of paperwork was simply too amusing.

For several minutes, the office was filled with lighthearted conversation. Eventually, however, William’s expression became serious.

"Miss Andrea, I actually came here to report something important."

The shift in his demeanor immediately caught Andrea’s attention. She straightened slightly in her chair.

William reached into his inventory and pulled out a detailed map. Unfolding it across the desk, he pointed toward a specific location deep within No Man’s Land.

Andrea followed the movement of his finger. The marked location was precisely where the ancient ruin connected to the outer worlds was hidden.

William had already decided on the false but believable story he intended to tell.

The truth behind the ruin was too complicated to explain directly. Instead, he would provide enough reasons for Andrea to ensure that the location remained under constant protection.

"It happened during my confrontation with Lux," William started speaking about a memory that never really happened.

Andrea’s attention sharpened immediately.

"Back when I forced everyone into a space to protect them and stayed behind to face Lux, he was quite furious at that time; I had repeatedly interfered with his plans."

"He was convinced that I was going to die anyway. Because of that, he became careless during the confrontation and revealed some things that he normally would have kept hidden."

Andrea remained silent and listened.

According to William’s story, Lux’s objective was to use a hidden ruin located somewhere on Aris. A ruin that contained a gateway leading into deeper parts of the Abyss than ordinary portals.

A gateway capable of allowing entities far stronger than ordinary Demon Lords to enter the world.

"As far as I could tell," William said, "his original plan was to manipulate Winston into opening the seal."

Andrea’s brows furrowed. "And why would he do that?"

"There were two reasons." William leaned slightly forward.

"The first reason was simple. He wanted chaos."

He tapped the map lightly.

"If countless people died during the resulting invasion, their souls would become fuel for his divine sword. At the same time, the devastation would allow him to spread fear throughout the world."

Andrea’s expression darkened.

William continued.

"He would allow the disaster to continue until people became desperate enough to seek salvation from him. Once enough people converted to his faith and accepted his authority, he would personally seal the gateway again."

A cold smile appeared on William’s face.

"In the eyes of the public, he would become the savior who rescued the world from a calamity. The same calamity he secretly created."

Andrea’s grip around her teacup tightened slightly. The more she listened, the more believable the scheme sounded. Because it was exactly the kind of thing Lux would do. William had chosen Lux as a scapegoat for this for the same reason.

He was someone who would create a disaster himself, harvest the benefits from it, and then parade around as humanity’s protector. The logic behind it was disturbingly consistent with his personality.

As a result, Andrea found herself becoming less skeptical of William’s account.

Naturally, she still questioned certain details. There were several parts of the story that seemed vague.

Whenever she pressed him for clarification, however, William always had an answer prepared. Sometimes he claimed that his focus during the battle against him had been entirely on survival.

Other times, he explained that certain memories had become fragmented after his resurrection. A few inconsistencies remained, but nothing significant enough to undermine the overall narrative.

By the end of the discussion, Andrea was fully convinced of one thing.

The ruin that existed somewhere represented a serious threat to Aris.

William then moved on to the next part of his report. He explained how Ethan and several other academy students had stumbled upon a misleading map.

According to the information they found, the ruin had been falsely labeled as an ancient treasure site. William recounted how the students had nearly succeeded in unsealing the location before he intervened.

Hearing that students from her academy had become involved immediately made Andrea even more concerned. Her expression gradually grew more serious as she processed the implications.

If a group of students could accidentally discover the location, then it was only a matter of time before someone else did the same.

The danger could not be ignored. Several hours later, Andrea personally drafted an official order.

The Celestial Army would establish permanent security around the ruin.

Not only that, she ordered multiple sealing formations to be installed throughout the area. Additional sealing artifacts would also be deployed as a precautionary measure.

William watched the process with quiet satisfaction. Honestly, the extent of her response exceeded his expectations.

At the very least, the burden of guarding the ruin was no longer his problem.

Once everything was finalized, William thanked her and prepared to leave.

Just as he rose from his seat, Andrea suddenly called out.

"Wait."

William paused and sat back down.

"Is something wrong?"

Andrea shook her head. "No. I just realized something."

She folded her arms. "Do you understand that you are now a leader of an empire?"

William blinked.

"Yes?"

"Then you also understand that attending the World Academy normally is no longer realistic."

William froze. Then realization finally struck him.

"Oh, I completely forgot about that."

Andrea closed her eyes and laughed softly.

"Don’t worry," she said. "We’ll simply arrange an early graduation."

William’s eyes widened.

"Really?"

Andrea nodded.

"At this point, there is nothing left in this academy that we can teach you."

A teasing smile appeared on her face. "You are fighting gods now, William."

William could only laugh awkwardly. "Fair enough."

After thinking for a moment, he asked another question.

"Won’t that decision cause problems with the other generals?" As far as he knew, the academy ultimately answered to the leadership of the Celestial Army.

Until now, he had only met Andrea and Marcus.

There was still a third general whom he had never encountered.

Andrea shook her head. "It won’t be an issue."

She seemed entirely unconcerned.

When William asked about the mysterious third general, Andrea merely chuckled. "He’s currently stationed inside the Abyss."

William raised an eyebrow.

"He established a fortress there years ago and spends most of his time defending it. Frankly, he rarely gets the opportunity to return to Aris."

That explanation only made William more curious.

"What’s his name?"

Andrea’s smile widened. "You’ll find out soon enough."

William narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"He’ll be returning in a few months. The academy invited him to appear as a special guest during the entrance ceremony."

Technically, William could investigate the person and his name if he truly wanted to.

Finding the identity of a Celestial Army general would not be particularly difficult for him anymore.

Still, he was not interested enough to spend time on it.

If the man were returning soon, he would meet him eventually.

There was no need to rush. After exchanging a final nod with Andrea, William left the office.

He walked through the academy grounds, passing the familiar buildings and training areas that had once occupied a significant part of his life.

Before long, he exited the academy entirely and continued toward his next destination.