Novel Full Chapter 680: The Not-So-Clear-Headed Maxwell
Chapter 680: Chapter 680: The Not-So-Clear-Headed Maxwell
While Charles was using the time-space turbulence to subdue the Sandworms, the members of the Ancient Academy weren’t exactly busy either.
By now, they had basically finished preparing for the final battle.
And with only about ten days left, there was no way they could greatly improve their strength in such a short time.
That left most of them with nothing to do.
Naturally, Harbor wasn’t happy about that at all.
He called Maxwell over right away.
“Senior, please don’t worry. We’ve already finished our preparations for the upcoming battle. We’ll give it our all when the time comes!”
Maxwell assumed Harbor had called him over just to check whether everything was ready.
So the moment he saw him, he rushed to flatter him with that answer.
Harbor didn’t respond.
He just stared coldly at Maxwell.
That icy look made Maxwell’s heart tighten.
Cold sweat began to bead on his forehead.
He could tell Harbor was very displeased with him, but he had no idea why.
So, nervously, he forced himself to ask,
“Senior… did we do something wrong?”
The question had barely left his mouth when Harbor shot back in a frosty tone:
“Do you people really have nothing to do right now?”
Maxwell froze, not sure how to answer.
From his point of view, what else was there to do?
Wasn’t preparing for the coming battle the only thing that mattered in the Atacama Desert right now?
He honestly couldn’t think of anything else.
But, of course, he couldn’t say that out loud.
After a moment of awkward silence, he asked cautiously,
“Then… what do you think we should be doing?”
“If you truly have nothing else to do,” Harbor said flatly,
“then you should make yourself useful—find ways to weaken the enemy. Even if you can’t defeat Charles, surely you can handle a few Serpent Empire soldiers.”
By this point, Harbor was completely disappointed in Maxwell.
He didn’t bother hiding it.
Only then did Maxwell finally understand what he meant.
“You’re absolutely right!” he said quickly.
“We really should weaken the enemy before the final battle! I’ll send everyone from the Ancient Academy to hunt down any isolated Serpent troops right away!”
With that, he turned around and hurried off, trying his best to look decisive.
Harbor watched Maxwell’s back as he left and slowly shook his head.
“What a fool,” he muttered. “I really don’t understand why Everettdean values someone so stupid.”
Harbor was an arrogant man.
He firmly believed that he alone was the true genius worthy of Everettdean’s attention.
Because of that, he naturally looked down on all the other members of the Ancient Academy.
Normally, that kind of attitude wouldn’t cause too much trouble.
After all, the Ancient Academy was a powerful and deep-rooted organization—few people dared to challenge it openly the way Charles had.
But when the Academy found itself in crisis, Harbor’s pride would only make things worse—for both him and the organization.
That same arrogance was also the reason his partnership with the Stellar Empire’s crown prince never worked smoothly.
Both men were proud, both thought they were smarter than the other,
and both secretly blamed each other for every failed operation.
Meanwhile, Maxwell had hurried back to the area where the Academy’s members were staying.
He immediately shouted at the top of his lungs:
“Everyone, get out here! Stop being lazy! I know you’ve all made your preparations, but that doesn’t mean we can waste even a second!”
His shouting drew not only the attention of the Ancient Academy members but also the nearby soldiers of the Stellar Empire.
One by one, the Academy members stepped out of their quarters, confusion written all over their faces.
“Why are you all staring at me like that?” Maxwell barked.
“Don’t you realize there are only about ten days left before the final battle? Shouldn’t we be using this time to weaken the enemy?”
His tone was harsh and full of authority—but every word he spoke was lifted straight from Harbor’s lecture.
The members quickly understood what he was getting at.
Still, they exchanged uncertain glances.
Going out on their own seemed too dangerous, and the enemies they could actually defeat weren’t strong enough to make any real difference.
In their eyes, it was pointless.
Finally, one of them stepped forward and asked,
“Do you mean… we’re supposed to go into the desert and hunt down hidden enemies?”
“Of course!” Maxwell snapped without hesitation.
“There have to be some damned Serpent Empire soldiers hiding out there somewhere!”
But his answer only drew even more doubtful looks from the crowd.
From the perspective of most Ancient Academy members, after losing the Withered Tree Fortress battle, the Serpent Empire must have already pulled all their forces back to the Serpent’s Eye Lake Oasis.
Everyone knew that was the Serpent’s last stronghold.
“I don’t think any Serpents are hiding in the desert,” one of the members said bluntly. “They’ve probably all gone back to their nest, getting ready for the final fight.”
Those words immediately enraged Maxwell.
“Who said that? Stand up right now!” he roared, glaring around at the group.
No one moved.
None of them were stupid—they all knew Maxwell had a petty and vindictive nature, the kind of man who never forgot a slight.
“If no one’s going to speak up,” Maxwell snapped, “then I’ll take that as agreement! Which means you’ll all follow my order! Every one of you must kill at least one Serpent. If, within three days, someone fails to bring back a Serpent’s head—don’t blame me for what happens next!”
With that, he turned and stormed off, not giving anyone the chance to argue.
As far as he was concerned, he had completed Harbor’s orders.
Whether the task made sense or not wasn’t his problem.
And the trouble it might cause for the ordinary members wasn’t his concern either.
His behavior sparked a wave of complaints among the Ancient Academy members.
“What is wrong with him? The Serpents are hiding—how are we supposed to bring back a head from every single one of us?”
“He’s right! Maxwell’s just stirring up trouble for no reason!”
“Complaining won’t help. We’d better start searching for any stragglers hiding out there. If we don’t bring something back in three days, Maxwell will definitely punish us.”
“Won’t Senior Harbor step in? Shouldn’t he stop this stupidity?”
“Senior Harbor’s focused on preparing for the final battle. He doesn’t have time to deal with Maxwell’s madness. So, for now, we’re stuck being tortured by that brainless idiot.”
Most of the Ancient Academy members agreed—Maxwell’s mind wasn’t clear at all.
And it wasn’t just them who thought that way.
Even the Stellar Empire generals saw it the same.
At that very moment, they were gathered together, discussing their next tactical move.
“We can’t keep letting those Ancient Academy fools drag us down,” one general said flatly.
“Working with them is only going to bring us more trouble.”
A Stellar Empire general with a vicious scar running across his face stood up and shouted angrily.
His army had suffered heavy losses during the Withered Tree Fortress battle.
In his eyes, the Ancient Academy’s reckless actions were the main reason for that disaster.
By now, his hatred toward the Academy ran deep.
The other generals all voiced their agreement.
Only the crown prince, sitting at the head of the table, remained silent.
Of course, the crown prince also believed the failure of their last operation was the Academy’s fault.
But he knew he couldn’t deal with Charles on his own.
To defeat Charles, he still needed the strength of Harbor—the most powerful among the Academy’s ranks.
So, like it or not, he couldn’t simply drive them all away.
After a long moment with his eyes closed, the crown prince finally spoke.
“The people of the Ancient Academy truly are fools,” he said slowly.
“But some of them are undeniably strong. Tell me, can any of you defeat Charles?
If none of you can, then I have no choice but to rely on them.”
His words silenced the room.
Every man there had witnessed Charles’s overwhelming power at Withered Tree Fortress.
Even Harbor hadn’t been able to bring him down—how could any of them?
As the tense silence hung in the air, the crown prince spoke again.
“In the next battle, we must win.
Only a decisive victory can finally end this endless war in the Atacama Desert.
The Empire is facing mounting pressure on other fronts.
We can’t afford to waste any more time.”
He said this because the night before, he had received an urgent letter from Calivia, the imperial capital.
In it, the Emperor himself described the dire situation the Empire was in.
That message made the crown prince realize he had to win—no matter what.
He couldn’t allow more of the Empire’s troops to remain trapped in the desert.
When he finished speaking, the weight of his words filled the room.
Everyone could feel the pressure bearing down on them.
Each of them began racking their brains, desperate to find a strategy that could guarantee victory in the final battle.
For now, they had only one bit of good news left—
they still had ten days to come up with the perfect plan.