Chapter 390: Ilutaviel

Ansu quietly observed the old mage behind the desk.

Hoffman's expression was relatively calm, but the deep wrinkles between his brows remained tightly knit.

Ansu knew very well that this magic master wouldn't be so easily fooled. Given the current situation in the academy, with the Divine faction openly launching assassinations against his faction, any entity of unknown origin would be scrutinized repeatedly.

Who could guarantee that a “ghost” appearing at this exact critical juncture wasn't a spy planted by some other faction?

Ansu had to provide an explanation—a reason that would make the other party lower his guard, or even keep him around.

There was only one thing that only he and Hoffman knew, which could prove his uniqueness and irreplaceable value.

The quill slowly wrote two lines on the paper:

“The past cannot be changed; it can only be recorded.”

“However, mana can cross the wall of time and space to deliver information.”

The moment Hoffman saw these two lines, his expression changed instantly.

“You...!”

His gaze suddenly locked onto the empty seat, his lips trembling slightly. It took him a long while to squeeze out a single sentence.

“Could it be... my attempt actually succeeded?”

Then, he blurted out, “The Time Beacon?”

The quill immediately wrote:

“Indeed.”

The tip of the quill did not stop as Ansu continued to write.

“I have recorded this period of true history onto the Time Beacon to pass it down to future generations.”

“Should my struggle fail, I hope my future fellow mages will remember: always remain rational, and never worship gods.”

“Humanity's future must rely on humans themselves.”

Sunlight drifted slowly through the dust motes. The office remained silent for a long time.

Looking at those few lines of text, a momentary flash of emotion crossed Hoffman's aged eyes. The scrutiny and wariness in his tone were finally replaced by something much more solemn.

“My whim of an experiment back then... actually succeeded! To think that someone from the future would actually use my Time Beacon to return to...”

He paused and looked up.

“You are from the future—which era exactly? For you to seek me out through the Time Beacon... has what I feared already come to pass? That false god...”

The quill's movement was slightly slower than before.

“We did not kill it. I am sorry, Master Hoffman.”

Hoffman's gaze grew complex, and then dimmed for a brief moment.

He said in a low voice, “I figured as much. Otherwise, you wouldn't have appeared here.”

Ansu's mind raced.

There was no doubt he needed Hoffman's help. The elderly man before him was one of the premier magic masters of the current era, who would spend the rest of his life fighting that “God of Clamor and Filth” bred by humanity's own hands.

Judging by the words left in his alchemy notes, his values had never wavered: he always stood on the side of humanity, advocated rationality, and opposed the God-Making Project.

They were natural allies. Perhaps Ansu could obtain something from him.

At the same time, he had to remain cautious. The system had warned him that he was merely an observer and recorder; he could not court unnecessary trouble.

Thus, the quill moved slowly, continuing to write:

“I cannot reveal too much about the future. Otherwise, it could easily alter history and cause unpredictable harm to the world.”

Hoffman pondered for a moment, then nodded slowly. “I can understand that.”

“I need to find a way to combat it from this era.”

Hoffman leaned back in his chair, staring at the empty seat in front of him. “I can help you, but I don't have many ways to deal with a false god either. If I did, you wouldn't have needed to return to me from the future.”

Ansu immediately wrote:

“I have my own plan as well.”

Hoffman nodded slightly. “Very well, I will assist you. But first, we need to get you out of your current predicament.”

The quill moved back and forth across the paper as the two conversed in this manner for quite a while longer.

...

Just as Ansu was about to ask how to stabilize his spiritual body, a series of footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor—belonging to more than one person.

Then, a knock sounded at the door.

“Come in,” Hoffman called out.

The door pushed open, and Ansu saw three people walk into the office one after another. Interestingly, they belonged to three different races.

Leading them was a middle-aged human with refined features. Beside him was a sturdily built dwarf, and behind them stood a tall, handsome male elf.

The three of them had very different reactions upon seeing the quill moving eerily across the desk.

The middle-aged human instinctively looked at Hoffman, the dwarf's eyes went wide as his hand nearly drifted to the one-handed hatchet at his waist, while the elf tilted his head with interest, his eyes shining with curiosity toward this novelty.

“What... is this thing?” the dwarf spoke up first. “I can't feel any mana fluctuations at all. Is it a new spell our teacher is researching?”

“I called you here to introduce you to someone.” Hoffman didn't answer the dwarf's question directly, merely gesturing with his chin toward the empty seat. “This gentleman here is a ghost. He is a friend of mine, and he currently needs our help.”

Ansu put down the quill, using his gathered spiritual power to speak—a rare occurrence.

His voice drifted out, carrying the hollow echo characteristic of a spiritual body:

“Hello. You... can just call me Su.”

All three of them showed varying degrees of surprise.

The middle-aged human was the first to snap out of it, masking his surprise. “Uh... hello. I am Arnold, Master Hoffman's chief apprentice.”

The dwarf was much more straightforward. After a brief daze, she let out a hearty laugh, the sound shaking dust from the bookshelves.

“Hahaha! Since when did our teacher make a ghost friend? Fascinating, truly fascinating!”

“I am Talier Hammer, Master Hoffman's disciple and alchemy assistant. If you need anything, just let me know!”

At first, Ansu couldn't tell the dwarf's gender. After all, female dwarves actually grew beards... Though the one before him didn't have a large beard, she was built like a bear and had a rough personality, though her voice was slightly higher than Professor Duncan's.

So she was a female dwarf...

The elf was the last to speak. He gave a slight nod, pressing his right hand lightly to his chest in a simple elven salute.

Then, his emerald-green eyes gleamed with an undisguised “academic” curiosity.

“A pure spiritual body, yet able to maintain consciousness without dissipating... fascinating. What an intriguing life form.”

“I am Falco Starfall Ilutaviel, a magic apprentice under the master. It is an honor to meet you, Mr. Su.”

The moment Ansu heard the name, he was secretly astonished.

Ilutaviel?

Altina's full name was Altina Tidebreeze Ilutaviel.

He quietly sized up the young elf, wondering if he belonged to the same family as Altina. Given the current point in time, he was probably one of her distant ancestors.

Gathering his spiritual power once more, Ansu smiled and said to them:

“It is a pleasure to meet the three of you.”

...