Chapter 631 - 242: Oh, an Acquaintance?

"Hm?"

Boras snorted, and the red glow in his eyes flared. A dark, terrifying undead aura spread out like ripples, coalescing into a giant, illusory figure behind him. It slowly began to suppress Chahil’s pervasive Origin Power.

"Legendary Mage Chahil, do I need to teach you the meaning of ’negotiation’?"

"Whoa, are you two about to fight?"

"Legendary Mage Chahil, Vice Chairman Boras hasn’t made a decision yet. Please, calm down..."

The other Wizards who saw this felt their Origin Cores tremble. Their gazes were fixed on Boras, and they could all feel the terrifying pressure emanating from him.

’A Demigod?’

’When did that old undying bastard advance to Demigod?’

"Chahil, sit down."

Just then, Anenep stepped resignedly between the two. Blinking his red-dot eyes rapidly, he signaled for the Legendary Mage to not be so aggressive.

"Hmph, I’d like to hear how you plan to ’negotiate’!"

Chahil’s expression darkened. He, too, could feel the Origin Power radiating from Boras—a power far beyond that of a Legendary Mage. He took the opportunity to withdraw his own power and sat down.

Anenep breathed a sigh of relief and looked toward the old skeleton. "Vice Chairman Boras?"

"As per the school’s rules for Legendary council meetings, we will now vote." Boras remained motionless, his voice growing even colder as he addressed the assembly. "Raise your hand if you believe the Mechanical Undead project is on par with research like the ’Origin Trait Fusion’ topic."

WHOOSH...

In an instant, more than half of the Legendary Mages raised their hands.

"’Motion to approve...’"

"’Motion to reject...’"

Under Boras’s forceful direction, the three proposals were swiftly put to a vote, one after another, yielding a final result.

At this point, Anenep immediately announced the voting results:

"According to the results, a majority of the Legendary Mages have concluded that the Mechanical Undead project far surpasses the ’Origin Trait Fusion’ topic in importance. They do not recommend using it for the competition against the Shadow School. Furthermore, accessing and reviewing the research will require a significant amount of Contribution Points."

"In that case," Boras said, silently withdrawing his Origin Power and sinking back into his chair, "you will all provide a research topic to be used in the competition. Legendary Mage Chahil, you are responsible for this."

"Fine."

The corner of Chahil’s mouth twitched, but after a moment’s thought, he didn’t object.

"One more thing. Regarding Wei’en Mage, I have spoken with the Chief. While I am not at liberty to disclose the details of our conversation, I will tell you the outcome."

Boras scanned the room. "No one is to offer him any additional assistance. He needs more trials, not your protection."

"Why?" Chahil frowned.

"This is what Vaklaf wants. It is also a suggestion from Veraute."

’Veraute?’

’The one from the Undead World? They know about that kid too?’

The Wizards were stunned. ’Given Veraute’s current status, how could they possibly know about our school’s internal affairs?’

’Even Chief Vaklaf, who’s been away from the school for so long, doesn’t know the full details about Wei’en and needs Vice Chairman Boras to relay information. So how does the one from the Undead World know?’

"They know. And they knew about Wei’en Mage even before we did," Boras said tonelessly. "Vaklaf and I agree with their suggestion. We believe that since Wei’en Mage achieved his current level of power through his own abilities, he does not require our assistance."

"So we’re just supposed to watch as he gets pushed around by the Dawn Church? You know better than I what kind of entity Celestia is," Chahil demanded, his voice low.

"Regarding the Dawn Church, I will contact Saint Jobin XV on behalf of our school. As for Celestia... on this particular matter, she may not necessarily follow the Dawn Church’s orders..."

Boras paused, then waved his hand dismissively. "That’s all I have to say. Legendary Mage Chahil, prepare that research proposal as soon as possible. The Shadow School is waiting."

"Understood..."

"Meeting adjourned!"

A moment later, only Boras and Anenep were left in the meeting room, sitting together in silence.

"Wei’en... that kid’s power is growing frighteningly fast..."

"Boras, are you worried?"

"Worried? Of course I’m worried."

"A Wizard with Wei’en’s level of power is indeed in great danger..."

"No, I’m worried those bastards *won’t* show up, and I’ll miss my chance to see them for who they really are!"

Boras let out a low, rattling laugh. CLICK. CLACK. "I’ve waited fifteen hundred years for a kid like this to appear. And a genius Wizard of the Secret Technique discipline, no less..."

"Aren’t you afraid he’ll be killed by those people?"

"Afraid? With that one watching over him, unless a god descends... no one in this world can harm him!"

"’That one?’" The red glow in Anenep’s eyes flickered violently. "Boras, are you saying..."

"Just wait. We’ll see the results soon enough."

Boras shook his head, refusing to say more. Instead, he changed the subject. "How many Great Mages have gone to the Southern Shore?"

"Thirty-three Great Mages and two Legendary Mages," Anenep replied with a click, giving Boras a long, searching look.

"Not enough! Send word to all those Great Mages and Legendary Mages who are off fooling around. Tell them to head to the Cordo Sea Region at once. Since we made a promise to the kid, we might as well make a real scene of it."

"Good. I agree."

"The Dusk Sect, the Devourer, and that false god, the ’Master of True Slaughter’..." Boras rose to his feet. "Perhaps we’ve been dormant for too long, allowing all these shadowy bastards to crawl out of the woodwork."

"Good. It’s about time they were reminded of the power of Wizards!"

CLICK. CLACK.

...

...

「Aleksey Island, Trading District.」

Wei’en strolled calmly through the bustling crowd. His gaze swept over the stalls lining the road, affecting the same curiosity as any other sailor or merchant arriving here for the first time.

In truth, he did find the place fascinating.

Unlike the stable Caster City State, this Aleksey City State, controlled by the Black Pearl, gave him a strange feeling—orderly and yet extremely chaotic.

Take the stalls in the trading district, for instance. Everything had a clearly marked price, yet most of the goods were counterfeit junk. Buyers and sellers alike distinguished themselves primarily by the volume of their voices.

Shouting matches seemed to be a standard feature of the place, and for some reason, the noise was enough to put anyone on edge.

Yet, no matter how heated the arguments became, no one ever reached for the weapons at their belts. This, in turn, was a testament to the underlying order...

This gave Wei’en a deeper understanding of the people who sailed the Cordo Sea and a much clearer picture of the Black Pearl’s power.

Order, more often than not, is synonymous with power.

[You have been locked onto by Budala Reva’s killing intent. Evaluation: Weakling. Reward: Survival Points +1.]

[...]

[You have been scanned by Ricardo Giniones’s mental perception. Evaluation: Hmm, a whiff of abyssal decay. Reward: Survival Points +10.]

Of course, he was also aware of the things lurking in the shadows.

For example, there was the old pirate ahead and to his left with the shifty eyes, the Extraordinary behind and to his right who kept adjusting the brim of his hat, and the intense gazes cast from the shop district behind him...

For Wei’en, who had been away from civilization for some time, it gradually brought back memories of his life in Caster. It all felt so familiar.

Until—

[You have been probed by the Origin Power of Mitra (Favored One of the Lord of Desire). As your Origin Power exceeds 500, she received no feedback. Evaluation: I’m sure this one needs no introduction, right? Reward: Survival Points +1.]

’Mitra? A Favored One?’

Wei’en stared in surprise at the notification on the panel. He never expected to see a familiar name nearly ten thousand kilometers from Caster City State.

He remembered that before he left Caster City State, the Nocturnal City, not far from Basil District, was supposed to have been hit by the pirate raid from the harbor.

’Or had this Favored One abandoned the Noble Committee and slipped away ahead of time?’

"Tsk, I’m overthinking it again."

Wei’en’s mental perception instantly spread out, enveloping the entire city-state.

’Since I’ve run into her, I might as well pay this old acquaintance a visit.’

’Besides, I have a few questions for this key figure from the Caster City State incident...’