NOVEL NEXT Chapter 219: Aftermath
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Outside the jungle, one flying beast after another soared into the sky, commencing a massive search.
Ivan followed Steward Andaya, with Wolban also in the squad; the three shared an unspoken understanding, and no one mentioned the earlier incident.
Half a day passed, and they still didn't know where those people were hiding; despite using various methods, they failed to find any trace of the enemy.
The search continued, but their actions were no longer as proactive as before.
Everyone was aware that the academy's territory was not small, and if the enemy was intent on hiding, it would certainly be very difficult to find any clues after the initial failure.
"Ivan, who do you think it could be?"
"Other than the Star Moon Alliance, who else would dare to do such a thing."
Faced with Wolban's inquiry, Ivan's first thought was of the Star Moon Alliance.
It wasn't hard to understand that the people from the Star Moon Alliance had information about the Ant King Barrier Array; it probably came from the Five Leaves Spear, which not only knew of the more secretive Ant Beings' secret vault, but also knew it contained a special Ant Beast.
"You're right, apart from the Star Moon Alliance, I really can't think of any other power that would be so bold," Wolban agreed.
The two also remembered the Twilight Stele they had brought back last time and wondered if it was related to this incident.
As time ticked by, after searching for a day and night, they had turned the academy's territory and the adjacent areas upside down two or three times, still to no avail.
The enemy had fled, but the influence left on Mongna Ant Land Cottage was still fermenting.
"Investigate! I want a thorough investigation; I need to know who betrayed the academy."
"Whether it's someone from any branch or any family, once the traitor is discovered, there will be no leniency."
At the emergency high-level meeting, two vice deans were engulfed in rage, their roars echoing through the conference hall.
Allowing someone to come and go as they pleased, stealing something very important, and even breaking the academy's survival linchpin – the defensive barrier – was a blatant slap in the face of everyone, especially the Three Great Families. Experience new stories on empire
When it came to balancing and suppressing other sorcerers, the Three Great Families believed they were doing well; the occurrence of this incident indicated that someone within their family leaked information.
The preliminary result of the accident investigation came out quickly. The potion group lost one sorcerer and two 3rd Class apprentices, who were replaced by impostors infiltrating the academy. If it wasn't for the triggering of the hidden alarm, the academy wouldn't even know that someone had already snuck in.
After being discovered, the enemy outside decisively struck the Eight-legged Black Spider clan with a thunderous blow, then coordinated from inside and outside, breaking the defensive barrier to help those inside escape the academy.
The mole wasn't found out; it was unclear whether they had truly failed to find them or if there was a concealment.
Next came the assignment of responsibility.
These matters weren't related to Ivan, it was not something an ordinary sorcerer like him could be involved in.
He realized he had been somewhat neglecting Justine lately, so he spent a good week with Justine and took the opportunity to guide his main apprentice, Nora, and his second apprentice, Lorna.
At this time, both apprentices had become 2nd Class apprentices.
After observing them, Ivan noticed that Nora was more adept at Enchantment, while Lorna had a certain talent for apothecary; considering the close relationship between the two, Ivan simply had one study Enchantment and the other concentrate on apothecary.
As for the rest, they would wait until both became 3rd Class apprentices.
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Not long after, the results of the accident investigation were announced, and two stewards from the academy had been dismissed: one from the Enchantment Group and one from the Patrol Team, both directly related to the defensive barrier.
Ivan speculated that the two were scapegoats offered up by the Three Great Families to appease the aftermath of the incident. Both merely lost their positions as stewards and, reportedly, did not suffer any other punishments.
"Sorcerer Ivan, the Twilight Stele has been stolen, and the situation hasn't completely settled down yet. We can't continue the previous research for now," Christian contacted Ivan secretly. "I forgot to ask, how is that investigation going, and how much longer do you need to stay in the secret chamber?"
"That place is no longer necessary," Ivan replied.
"Oh, you mentioned before that you needed to make a key. Could it be that you've already finished it?"
"Indeed, I've completed the final steps in my spare time. Please, have a look; this is the key I mentioned." Ivan motioned with his hand, and an item floated over to him.
The Ant King's Key, a mid-level magicalized item with only six runes bundles, wasn't as impressive-looking as the small Multi-changing Star Spike. It looked more like an oversized file, and he casually named it after the Formation it corresponded to.
Under Christian's watchful eye, Ivan simply demonstrated how to use the Ant King's Key.
"Very well, Sorcerer Ivan's prowess in Enchantment commands my admiration. I'll have Wolban come over to retrieve it," Christian said eagerly.
"That's fine, but there is one thing I must clarify beforehand: once made, it should be continuously adjusted in application, and the academy clearly won't give us that opportunity. We'll just have to leave it".
The Ant King's Key was a product of Ivan's deduction based on the Multi-changing Star Runes Array and the power of the Ant King Barrier Array. Without concrete blueprints, he could not guarantee there wouldn't be issues during its use.
"Seeing you so meticulous, what does it leave for me to worry about?" Christian praised unabashedly before broaching another subject, "After the incident, a steward position in the Enchantment Group is vacant. Are you interested?"
"The Enchantment Group has always been the Lidia family's territory. The position of steward would hardly ever fall to others," Ivan said, furrowing his brows slightly.
"How to select has not been determined yet. If you could become a steward of the Enchantment Group, you would have legitimate access to the defensive barrier—a great opportunity indeed. On the downside, you'll be under strict surveillance by the Three Great Families, and future actions won't be as free as now."
Christian did not hide his hesitance about supporting Ivan for the stewardship, having quite a few concerns of his own.
Both were aware of another disadvantage: if the position fell to Ivan, he would become the proverbial thorn in the Lidia family's side. It was very likely that the Lidia family might employ ruthless measures against him.
"Let's wait until the situation becomes clearer."
"There's another piece of undisclosed news: those people took a hard line, contaminating the defensive barrier, which has not been fully cleared and has caused a chain reaction. If the Lidia family cannot address this promptly, the originally 23 bundles of runes might drop to 22."
"That serious?"
Ivan was taken aback by his words.
In recent years, the situation on Moon Pincer Peninsula has been unstable. In such a climate, the academy's defensive barrier has become an increasingly crucial safeguard for sorcerers.
If the barrier's defensive strength were to decrease instead of increase, it would not only cause dissatisfaction among ordinary sorcerers but also within the ranks of the Three Great Families, especially since the example of Night Forest was not that far past.
"The academy will certainly need to repair the defensive barrier, and this matter is closely related to Enchantment. It's very likely that this will determine the steward position."
"I understand. I will consider it carefully."
The incident was sudden and to some extent disrupted Christian's plans, which had both advantages and disadvantages. Overall, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks, allowing him to fish in troubled waters.
For Ivan, the situation was similar.
If the academy had remained stable, he wouldn't have dared make such a significant move on the defensive barrier. Without engaging the defensive barrier, he couldn't find the Ant Beings' secret vault and complete the assessment for the Five Leaves Spear.