Chapter 316: The Current Era: Part 2
Lin Sheng understood what they meant.
It was simply due to the school’s strength was lacking, and was not able to have absolute control of the entire situation, so they had to depend on the patrol teams to do their best.
Lin Sheng understood that arrangement.
He, too, had the same request, as long as these outsiders do not affect the completion of their academic mission, everything else did not matter.
With that in mind, Lin Sheng patrolled twice every day, once in the morning and once at night.
After the outsiders got a grip of the situation, nothing actually happened…
And time slowly pa.s.sed.
Baine University Administrative Bureau.
*Tap, tap, tap…*
Auldmandiller’s fingers tapped rhythmically on the seat armrest. His brows were slightly furrowed as he started at Vice Princ.i.p.al Suna who was sipping her tea.
And with him were three other professors. They were all originally doing their own research within their own hidden realms but the vice-princ.i.p.al suddenly called and requested them to gather within twenty minutes.
The atmosphere within the office was heavy.
“So we still have no idea which faction was taking aim at us?” The master of the Crystal Staff, an old man with a staff and a round hat rumbled.
“Without even seeing who’s. .h.i.tting us, we have lost a third of our strength? Vice-princ.i.p.al Suna, surely you jest?”
Auldmandiller’s expression was equally grim. The academy’s businesses and industries are closely linked with all of them at the nexus of the academy.
While Baine University was just a middling Crown Academy, it still had all sorts of properties and industries. Every great workshop’s produce was in an astronomical number, but once business was clamped upon, that would cause a glut in supply and affect profits.
“I have no intention of jesting,” Suna said coldly, her mood was equally foul.
“Due to that dark sect, for some reason, there’s increasing chaos within the jurisdiction of our university. The number of tutors we have sent to patrol and suppress has increased. We are already short-handed as it is, and then that scandal erupting.”
She crossed her hands as her fingers gently rested on the back of her hand, her gaze chilly.
“The case of Tutor Bartoia’s research of forbidden potions has badly affected our reputation, and the Migan National a.s.sembly has already pa.s.sed the motion to slash our research grant.”
No one spoke.
Even if Bartoia was just a mere tutor, but no one knew whether his research was personal, or a university-sanctioned one, so that motion was a given.
“What did the princ.i.p.al say?” the master of the Silent Volcano asked.
“He has already been in contact with a few councillors of the Moon Basin. The current situation is already the result of the efforts of many to contain the matter,” Suna said flatly.
The room went silent again.
“Then what’s the point of this meeting?” the master of the Silent Volcano asked.
“The point?” Suna chuckled. “The whole reason of me summoning you all here is, of course, we have one final chance to turn things around.”
“One final chance to turn things around?”
The few who were present exchanged glances before placing their gaze onto Suna as they waited for her to continue.
Suna too did not dither and quickly lay out the problem before them.
“I’m sure that all of you have already heard the matter about the Sevenlocks Tower?”
She said as she swept her gaze around, and soon found faces of understanding and dejection.
“As all of you have imagined, the government is requesting all of the academies to pick out their elites to form a coalition enforcement team in n unified effort against the Sevenlocks Tower.
“Usually, most academies will try to stay away from this headwind, but Baine… we have hit the unlucky lottery.”
“How many people do they need?” Auldmandiller had expected this.
“Our target is fifteen. The lowest being Four-wingers, and at least eight Five-wingers,” Suna responded.
The room then fell into a dead silence again.
Only after a long while, did the master of the Silent Volcano spoke.
“So that means we can only leave a few core people in the school while the rest have to join the enforcement team?”
“That is indeed the case.” Suna nodded slowly. “Also, this time around, no Palatinates in Miga could stay out of this. Sir has already set off, and may have already arrived at the capital.”
Even the princ.i.p.al had to take action, and that kept everyone present at a loss of words.
“The deadline is no later than two months. So let’s get prepared. This is peril, but also opportunity.” Suna threw down these last words before leaving.
Auldmandiller slowly gripped the armrest hard.
He was clear what sort of result this national draft would inflict.
The fight with Sevenlocks Tower would not be a small-scale affair, and casualties were to be expected. The last unified draft saw only barely one survivor out of ten from the elites that were drafted.
The death ratio was just too high.
Perhaps it would be better this time given that they have more time to prepare, but that did not mean Sevenlocks would not to the same.
…
Northern Miga, State of Shaelyn, River Moon.
The rapid currents surged into the distant lands away as the setting sun let out a gentle red light.
By the white banks, a group of white doves flapped their wings about as they feasted on the bird food on the ground.
Every evening, a number of people came to the river bank for a stroll and to relax as a couple of children ran about as they pulled the strings of the kite, their laughter could be heard from afar.
A puff of blue fire appeared as it lit a white cigarette, on the side of it had was a circle of golden writings on it, seemingly an expensive item.
The smoking man was large. He wore a black coat, and his gray hair was spiked up high like a wall of thorns. He was very pale, almost pallid as a golden earring hung by one ear and a golden cross on another.
The man looked on at the sunset as he took a deep puff, the evening wind send his coat fluttering in the air.
“Your Excellency, The Migan Enforcement Unit has been reestablished, and our men are ready.”
A lady with platinum-hair in white shirt and pants came and stood quietly behind the man, before speaking.
The lady’s face was impa.s.sive as if nothing would change her expression.
“Lingsha, don’t be so cold, you should smile more.”
The man pulled the cigarette from his mouth as the smoke flew by him with the wind. There was a mysterious allure to his pale yet handsome face.
“Now all of the sealing nexus have manpower gaps as the Palatinates have all gathered in the enforcement unit, I suggest that we can formally commence Operation Deep Abyss.”
“Don’t be so grim.” The man smiled. “This is all but a game, a game.”
“It may be a game to you, your Excellency, but to us, it is destiny,” the lady said, her voice ever stern.
*Hiss…*
The man took one last puff as he flicked the cigarette b.u.t.t away.
The remaining cigarette was put out midair as it disintegrated into black ash.
“Destiny itself is also a game,” he said in a serious tone. “If you take it too seriously, you might die.”
He turned around and gently ruffled the lady’s hair.
“And I’ll be sad if you die.”
“It is my honor, but theoretically, if I’m beside you, there will be no one is this world that is capable of killing me,” the lady with the platinum hair said.
The man smiled again and ruffled the lady’s platinum hair like a cat playing with a ball of yarn.
“You should properly enjoy this era. Thousands of years ago, I had called that age of powerful figures meeting and clashing, the Golden Age. But now, all of my juniors have become stronger, and they now have gathered again, against me, against the Sevenlocks Tower.
“Be it by will or by chance, destiny had allowed us to meet here once again, and this shall be a brand new age!” The man smiled.
“But compared to gold, the present folk may not be as resplendent as their forbearers, but they are still equally attractive.”
He took a deep breath as if trying to sniff out an intoxicating scent.
“What are you trying to say?” Lingsha asked.
The man smiled again.
“Don’t you feel… antic.i.p.ant? Seeing their hope and will radiating light before my eyes.”
He said as he held his arms open as if trying to hug something.
“So I shall name this age, the Platinum Age! To reward them for their efforts in entertaining me!”
“Platinum…” The platinum-haired lady looked down slightly as her gaze focused upon the man looking at the sunset before her.