Novel Full Chapter 196: A Bureaucratic Trap
Chapter 196: Chapter 196: A Bureaucratic Trap
Chapter 196: A Bureaucratic Trap
Meanwhile, deep within the most luxurious sector of the Inner Palace.
In an extravagant, heavily warded courtyard, the atmosphere was completely serene.
That is, until the gates were pushed open.
CRASH!
Three panic-stricken Astral Alliance enforcers stumbled into the courtyard, sweating profusely as they carried the unconscious, jaw-shattered body of their leader, Trold.
"Senior Braxton!" One of the enforcers screamed as they threw Trold’s limp body onto the floor, "We... we were ambushed!"
Braxton had been lounging on a chair, lazily sipping spiritual wine.
The moment Braxton saw his men dragging Trold’s crumpled body into his pristine courtyard, the relaxed smile on his face vanished instantly.
"What happened?" Braxton’s voice was dangerously low.
The enforcers scrambled to their knees, their words tumbling over one another in a frantic rush to explain.
"Senior Braxton! We went to collect the monthly as ordered! But before we could finish, a Gold Badge disciple appeared! He struck Trold without any warning, knocked him unconscious with a single slap, and then and then he forced us to hand over all our spatial rings!"
The man’s voice trembled as he continued, "He told us to deliver a message. He said..."
The man didn’t dare to leave out Rhain’s warning, repeating it word for word.
Hearing that a newcomer had not only ruined his plans to corner Liana, but had also openly threatened his life, Braxton’s handsome face twisted with uncontrollable fury.
BANG!
Braxton’s hand slammed down onto the stone table beside his chair.
The massive slab of polished stone fractured from corner to corner under the impact of his fifth-level Spirit Manifestation essence, collapsing into a pile of rubble.
"A newcomer dares to humiliate my Astral Alliance?" Braxton roared, shooting to his feet.
His chest heaved with rage.
His first instinct was to march directly, and tear the arrogant newcomer limb from limb.
But Braxton, despite his arrogance, was not a fool.
Rhain was a Gold Badge disciple. Attacking another Gold Badge disciple within the Academy without an official duel or a valid cause was a severe violation of the rules.
The Academy’s rules on inter-disciple violence at the Gold Badge level were very harsh.
More importantly, everyone in the Inner Palace knew that Rhain was personally backed by Preceptor Fabian—a half-step Domain Master whose wrath Braxton absolutely could not afford to provoke.
"You think you can play the hero just because you have a Gold Badge?" Braxton sneered, a cruel, venomous light flashing in his eyes.
"Clean up this mess," Braxton snarled at the enforcers, "Get Trold to a healer. And speak nothing of this to anyone. I will handle it personally."
Without another word, Braxton stormed out of his courtyard,
_______________
A short while later, Braxton stood before a middle-aged man seated behind a heavy desk piled with disciplinary reports and patrol schedules.
The man was Outer Palace Instructor Zobek.
Level 9 Core Formation Realm.
As a peak Core Formation expert, Zobek possessed absolute authority over the daily operations and disciplinary matters of the Outer Palace.
And he had taken full advantage of this power.
Complaints that should have reached the Preceptors mysteriously vanished from his desk.
Disciples who crossed his favored students found themselves buried under fabricated disciplinary charges.
Resources meant for distribution were quietly siphoned into private accounts.
He was the invisible hand that ensured the Astral Alliance operated with impunity across the Outer Palace.
Braxton bowed slightly. "Uncle, I need your help."
Zobek didn’t look up from the scroll he was reading.
"What did you do this time?" Zobek asked, his voice was indiffrent, almost uninterested.
Braxton gritted his teeth and immediately began twisting the story.
"It is that new Gold Badge disciple, Rhain!" Braxton hissed. "My men were simply conducting routine alliance business in the Outer Palace. But that lunatic ambushed them without any provocation! He brutally crippled Trold and robbed them blind! He has no respect for the Academy’s rules, and no respect for our family’s face!"
Zobek listened quietly, his fingers gently tapping the surface of his desk.
"Rhain..." Zobek murmured, his sharp eyes narrowing. "The one Preceptor Fabian bypassed all protocol to elevate to the Gold Badge class."
Zobek shook his head firmly.
"We cannot attack him directly, Braxton," Zobek warned, his tone turning strict. "Preceptor Fabian’s backing is not something we can ignore. If you lay a hand on that boy without a justification, Fabian will have your head, and I will not be able to protect you."
Braxton’s face flushed with ugly indignation. "Then we do nothing? We just let him step all over us?"
"Who said we do nothing?" Zobek let out a slow chuckle, "I just said you should not attack him directly. There are far more elegant ways to destroy a man than brute force."
Braxton’s eyes instantly lit up as he understood his uncle’s implication.
"Leave it to me." Zobek sneered, "By the time the sun sets, that silver-haired girl will be begging on her knees for your mercy."
___________
Back at Liana’s courtyard in the Outer Palace.
The atmosphere had finally settled into warmth and peace.
Rhain, Seris, Liana, Sylvan, and the other Outer Palace disciples sat around a stone table in the courtyard, sharing a simple pot of spiritual tea.
Seris held Liana’s hand, softly comforting her and catching up on all the trivial matters they had missed since arriving in Stormveil City.
For the first time in weeks, Liana’s anxiety had dissolved in the presence of her friends.
With Rhain and Seris sitting beside them, the crushing pressure of the Astral Alliance had finally alleviated.
Even Sylvan, despite the lingering bitterness in his heart, managed a few polite words.
He couldn’t deny that without Rhain’s intervention, they would have lost everything today.
"Sister Liana," Seris smiled warmly, "you should focus entirely on your breakthrough now. With the Epic-Grade pill husband helped you get, you will definitely reach the eighth level safely."
Liana nodded, a genuine, radiant smile blooming on her flawless face. "I will. Thank you, Seris. And thank you, Rhai—"
BOOM!
A mountain-like pressure violently crashed down upon the courtyard.
The sudden spiritual suppression was so overwhelmingly heavy that the stone tables began to crack.
The teacups shattered into dust.
The weaker Outer Palace disciples were forced to their knees, their faces turning deathly pale as their bodies refused to obey their commands.
Sylvan gasped as the overwhelming force pressed down on his shoulders like an invisible titan.
Even Liana staggered, her face turning white.
The courtyard gates exploded inward.
"NOBODY MOVE!"
A commanding, authoritative voice thundered through the courtyard as a few figures marched through the shattered entrance.
Leading them was a middle-aged man with thin, hawkish features and calculating eyes.
His crimson-trimmed robes marked him as an Outer Palace Instructor, and the dense, oppressive aura rolling off his body clearly belonged to a Level 9 Core Formation Realm expert.
Instructor Zobek.
Flanking him on either side were two of his subordinate guards, both radiating Core Formation Realm pressure, their faces stern and grim.
Behind the three men, being carefully supported by attendants, were three young Outer Palace disciples.
Their condition was pitiful.
One had his arm bound in a splint, the bone clearly fractured.
Another had deep, purple bruises covering his face and neck.
The third was limping heavily, blood staining the fabric around his thigh.
The moment they entered the courtyard, the injured disciple with the purple bruises raised a trembling finger and pointed directly at Liana and her group.
"That’s them, Instructor Zobek!" the disciple cried out, "Those are the ones who attacked us! We were just walking through the Outer Palace grounds, minding our own business, when they jumped us without any warning!"
The limping disciple collapsed dramatically to one knee, bowing his head toward Zobek. "Please, Instructor! We beg for justice! These violent disciples must be held accountable!"
Their performances were polished, and anyone would hardly find any flaw in their acting skills.
Zobek’s shrewd eyes swept across the courtyard, lingering briefly on Rhain and Seris before settling on Liana and the cluster of Outer Palace disciples behind her.
He stepped forward, his hawkish eyes carrying a professionally stern expression.
"I have received a formal complaint from three Outer Palace disciples who have sustained severe physical injuries," Zobek declared, "They have identified specific members of your group as their assailants."
He swept his gaze across Liana, Sylvan, and the others.
"Under Academy’s disciplinary code, any disciple formally accused of initiating violent assault upon a fellow disciple is subject to immediate detainment and formal investigation. Until the investigation is concluded, the accused shall be confined within the disciplinary holding chambers under my supervision."
Zobek turned his head toward his two subordinate guards.
"Arrest them."