The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 392 Don't let the council think we're being too presumptuous.

Colin...

There's that name again.

For a fleeting moment, a tiny crack appeared in the mask of humility on Alistair's face.

He looked up in surprise and asked the question almost out of the mouth.

"why?"

His heart was filled with astonishment and anger.

Why would the Council of Sages entrust such significant power to an imperial prince who has only been at the Academy for less than half a year?
Even in order to balance the various factions of the thirteen mage towers, there are plenty of experienced and neutral fringe scholars to choose from within the Academy!
And why... of all people?
Alistair's heart was roaring silently. For a moment, he couldn't tell whether he was envious of the abundant resources or simply jealous that the guy had obtained everything he had dreamed of in such a short time.

Twenty years ago, as the most outstanding new generation researcher of the Void Realm in this mage tower, and the only mage to advance to the Diamond level by relying on the resources in the Void Realm, no one doubted his academic talent and status.

However, even a genius like him took a full five years to reach the first virtual realm that belonged to him in his life!
and--

What he found most unacceptable was that the proposal to reuse those frozen resources was one that he had submitted to the council!

Faced with Alistair's almost out-of-control questioning, Dolrich simply smiled kindly and spoke gently.

"He did a great job, didn't he?"

That casual remark struck Alistair like a blunt object, hitting him hard on the back of his head and leaving him stunned.

As if anticipating his reaction, the Great Sage's voice became earnest and meaningful.

“Alistar, sometimes we need to look ahead and give young people more opportunities. I know you might be unhappy with this arrangement, which is why I'm telling you this privately... I hope you can understand.”

Alistair remained silent.

He slowly lowered his head, hiding all the resentment and bitterness on his face in the shadows, his fists clenching unconsciously.

Dothul, focused on tending to the plants, seemed oblivious to Alistair's clenched fist.

He put down the scissors, picked up the water jug ​​beside him, and leisurely watered the silver moon grass with the sweet spring water full of the essence of the moon.

“I know you’ve always been proud and arrogant,” he said without turning around, his tone still as casual and amiable as ever, yet it was as if I could see his face. “Seeing a young man so easily stand on the platform you once struggled to reach, it’s hard not to feel a stir in your heart.”

Alistair abruptly released his fist and humbly bowed his head.

"Teacher, you're too kind. I didn't mean it..."

“No need to explain, I understand,” Dolph smiled gently, his voice carrying a hint of elder’s kindness and a touch of advice.

"However, I still have to say that you should broaden your perspective. Prince Colin is an imperial nobleman and a rare genius; these two identities rarely appear in the same person. Befriending him would benefit both you and our Source Law School. Showing him more tolerance is also an investment in our own future... You know, I have always been grooming you as my successor, so why should you care about such a small gain or loss?"

Ten years ago, if Alistair had heard those words, he probably wouldn't have been able to hide the sheer joy on his face.

He had heard those words for ten years, and no matter how hard he tried to pretend, it was difficult for him to show any excitement anymore.

Dolph put down the crystal pot in his hand and finally turned around, still with a gentle smile on his face, as if he were talking about a trivial family matter.

"Let's not talk about that. I called you here today not only to tell you about the council's arrangements, but also for another matter."

Arist remained silent, waiting for the great sage to continue.

Dolph paused for a moment, then continued.

"The situation at Huangtong Pass is critical, and the Empire hopes I can go there. I need to leave the Academy for a while, and I'm afraid I won't be able to return until next month."

Alistair absentmindedly said something
"...Is it serious?"

"It's not serious, I'm just going to lend a hand, I might not even have a chance to help."

At this point, Dolphin smiled, and his previously serious tone suddenly relaxed again.

"All Souls' Day is approaching this year, and according to tradition, it's our Source Law School's turn to be in charge of the labyrinth trial this year. I've heard that you've been getting quite close to the apprentices lately, so I thought it would be best if you took full charge of it, just to relax a bit."

The Labyrinth Trial is different from the Sage Trial, which is the graduation exam for magic apprentices, while the former is more like a sports meet for students.

While some professors or mentors would select their favorite magic apprentices to train during the celebration, powerful academic cliques like Alistair were not very interested in such events.

It's like an annual winter admissions process.

He didn't need to be like Professor Hector, burying himself in his studies while desperately trying to prove his presence in the Great Sage's Tower.

but--

Alistair suddenly raised his head, and a barely perceptible glint flashed in his eyes hidden in the shadows.

yes……

During this time, he had been busy accumulating the power of faith, and almost forgot about such an important matter as the labyrinth trial.

He immediately recalled Skyein's report from a few days earlier—that one of Colin's most talented apprentices seemed to be in trouble.

Although the apprentice herself was insignificant, she seemed to have a close friend who happened to be the daughter of the Castellion family.

Coincidentally, this young lady was also Colin's apprentice.

He vaguely remembered hearing Skyein mention that the Duke of Castellón had personally entrusted this man to Colin.

A surge of ecstasy instantly dispelled all the jealousy and resentment in Alistair's heart, replacing it with a twisted and venomous thought.

This is a great opportunity.

Colin ultimately did not belong to the academic community; the Holy City was his "home."

If trouble breaks out in his own backyard, he certainly won't be able to leisurely stay in the northern wilderness doing his ridiculous academic work anymore...

He has to bear the wrath of the Castellion family first!

"Alister? Are you listening to me?" Dolrich looked at his student with concern, noticing that he seemed to be lost in thought.

Upon seeing the great sage's concerned gaze, Alistair quickly regained his composure and respectfully and obediently accepted the order.

“Teacher… I’m thinking about your suggestion. Although I would love to share your burden, as you said, we should give young people more opportunities.”

He paused for a moment, then said.

"I would like to recommend someone."

“Oh?” Dolrich smiled and said gently, “I thought you would be interested in doing this yourself.”

Alistair smiled sheepishly.

"This is my recent interest... but to be honest, it's been too long since I've dealt with those little guys, and I might not be good at planning this kind of event."

Dolphin nodded in understanding, then asked in a gentle tone.

"So, who did you recommend?"

Alistair pondered for a moment before speaking.

“Merck, he is the mentor of the Source Law School. I have worked with him and I am impressed by his unique insights into management and his academic vision. In addition, in terms of supernatural power, he has the strength of a high-level gold-level expert. Although he is not as strong as me, he is more than capable of presiding over the labyrinth trials for magic apprentices.”

"I believe that with his abilities and knowledge, he will certainly not bring shame to our school of thought, nor will he disappoint you!"

"Haha, it doesn't matter if it's embarrassing or not. It was just a celebration for young people anyway, so it's good to make it lively."

Dolph smiled, signaling his beloved student to relax, then paused before speaking.

"I trust your judgment. Since you think so highly of him, let him go."

"...I will tell him this good news."

Suppressing the fleeting elation and murderous intent within him, Alistair humbly nodded slightly.

That humility was the same as when he first stepped into this mage tower more than thirty years ago, and it was the same as when Skyein faced him.

"Okay, it's up to you." Dolph said casually, then turned his attention back to tending his garden.

This is one of the few hobbies he still retains after advancing to demigod status.

Although some things can be accomplished with a spell, and even better, he still prefers to protect his precious child with his own hands.

He enjoys the process more than the result.

After exchanging a few more words with his tutor, Arist turned around, bowed humbly once more, and then left the garden without saying a word.

His steps were steady, his expression calm, as if the conversation about power and glory that had just taken place was nothing more than a casual greeting.

Just as he passed a bewitching purple vine, a colorful magic butterfly fluttered its phosphorescent wings and landed lightly on a blooming flower.

The flower stamens seemed delicate and harmless, ready to be picked, but the moment the magic butterfly folded its wings, they suddenly opened, like a small mouth covered in sticky mucus that swallowed it whole!
however--

Those phosphorescent butterflies were no ordinary creatures either.

The moment it was swallowed up, the delicate petals lost their luster at a speed visible to the naked eye, withered and died rapidly, and finally turned into ashes silently.

Alistair's figure disappeared behind the glass door of the garden, and with his departure, the garden returned to silence.

The great sage Dolrich, who had once again devoted himself to gardening, hummed an unknown tune and strolled slowly to the side of the flower bed.

Suddenly noticing the withered remains, he paused slightly, a hint of surprise on his face.

However, he was merely surprised. It was indeed one of his prized creations, cultivated by his own hands, but he had many such creations, and this one was not out of the question in this garden vying for attention.

He picked up the silver gardening shears and skillfully cut off the withered vine, as if it were a trivial matter.

Gazing at the ashes scattered in the soil, Dolph sighed softly with regret, though his cloudy eyes showed little remorse.

"Pity."

……

As All Souls' Day approaches, even the Great Sage's Tower, with its rigorous academic atmosphere, is gradually filled with the festive spirit.

The apprentices gathered in small groups to exchange ideas. The most hotly debated topic was undoubtedly the annual grand event – ​​the "Maze Trial".

As a rehearsal for the Sage's Trial, senior mages will join the dungeons designed by high-ranking mentors as dungeon challengers.

Throughout the challenge, they can not only obtain valuable magical items as rewards in the maze, but also potentially gain the favor of their mentors due to their outstanding performance in the maze.

Many people have been preparing for this grand event for a full month!

However, when the notice on the bulletin board announced that Mentor Merck would be in charge of this trial, the atmosphere of anticipation instantly turned into wailing.

In the canteen, Ilana looked at the gloomy-faced apprentices around her and asked Ange, who was eating heartily beside her, with a puzzled expression.

"Senior Ange, the person in charge of the maze trial is Instructor Merck... Is there a problem? Why does everyone look so disappointed?"

She vaguely remembered hearing His Highness Colin mention this name, and His Highness Colin didn't seem to have a bad impression of this scholar.
Anjie looked dejected, listlessly poking at the food on her plate with her fork, and muttering her frustration in a low voice.

"It's more than just disappointment... Instructor Merck is notoriously meticulous, and the exams he's in charge of are always the hardest to pass. It's probably the same in his maze; any shortcuts won't work, we can only consider the safest strategy..."

It probably won't be easy to get Ilana deeper into the labyrinth; they might have to find some outside help.

But this will create new problems.

Miss Rastina is preparing to use some expensive magical items, and now she can only hope that these magical items will come in handy.

Seeing the worried look on Ilana's face, Ange suddenly remembered the task Miss Rastina had given her.

She immediately put on a sweet smile, moved closer to Ilana, and coaxed her in a honeyed tone, "But Ilana, don't worry! I'm here! Just stick close to me in the maze, and I promise you'll be safe and sound!"

Seeing Ange's confident demeanor, Ilana became even more uneasy.

In her memory, contestants who made grand promises before the competition even started often ended up with bad results.

Especially since she's been busy with her thesis lately, she simply hasn't had time to prepare for this trial, to the point that she's almost given up.

By the way, you can cancel your registration for the maze trial at any time. I heard that the "designer" of the maze is Mentor Merck, and quite a few apprentices have quietly withdrawn from the competition.

Ilana whispered, "Are you sure it's alright? This maze trial is important to you and your friends, right? I'm just a prospective student, so it's okay if I don't participate... Besides, I feel like it's not a good idea to sneak in like this."

"Oh, no way! Don't think so much, a mere mentor like Merck is nothing... a piece of cake!"

Seeing Ilana still hesitating, Ange quickly grasped her hand, her chubby face suddenly contorted into a hurt expression. "Ilana, I think nothing is more important than our friendship! Or... do you not trust me?"

Seeing Ange's "on the verge of tears" appearance, Ilana was at a loss and hurriedly waved her hands, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"No, no, that's not what I meant..."

As she finished speaking, she sighed softly to herself.

I realize I'm still not good at refusing other people's requests, especially those from friends.

Seeing that Anjie still looked heartbroken, she composed herself and continued.

"Okay, I'll go... I'll leave it to you then, Senior Anjie."

Upon receiving a positive response, Ange gave her a big hug, the overwhelming joy almost making Ilana faint on the spot.

"Oh! Ilana, you're so kind! I love you so much."

Ilana: "???"

……

While the apprentices were gearing up for the All Souls' Day maze trial, their respected mentor, Colin, was also busy.

However, he wasn't preparing a maze; that was too child's play for him. He had been busy with the work of the "Special Committee" lately.

According to Professor Hector, these matters were usually handled by Professor Aristotle, a disciple of the Great Sage, but for some reason, the Great Sage had considered him this time.

Although it was unclear what the great sage was planning, it was undoubtedly a rare opportunity for Luo Yan, who was obsessed with spreading the corruption of the demon king.

If used properly, it will lay the foundation for the "scientific" school of thought in the virtual realm!

Luo Yan also devoted a great deal of energy to this.

He first changed the committee's name to the more purposeful "Virtual Realm Asset Restructuring Committee" and officially began working as its executive chairman.

The committee’s temporary office was located on the top floor of the archives room, where huge bookshelves were piled high with dusty old files, and the air was filled with the dry smell of parchment mixed with time.

A group of researchers drawn from Corinth are conducting preliminary screening and classification of a massive amount of original archives.

The work was tedious and demanding, but everyone was full of enthusiasm.

This is not only because of their faith and loyalty to His Highness Colin, but also because they know that they are participating in a great cause that will change the history of the Academy!
Although people may not remember their names, their achievements are absolutely worthy of being recorded in the history books of Xuebang!
however--

It's easy to say nice things, but doing this job is actually not easy at all.

In particular, these researchers only realized when they actually started working independently that they had relied too much on the prince's wisdom, so much so that they were at a loss when there were no examples to refer to.

Fear of taking responsibility and difficulty in making choices between advantages and disadvantages are common problems among almost every scholar trained in the Tower of Great Sages.

When faced with choices, these experienced teaching assistants may not be as composed as the apprentices in the Magic Science Laboratory.

"tutor."

With a troubled expression, Teaching Assistant Velich presented a file on Virtual Realm 204—[Ember Plains of the Flagbreakers]—to Prince Colin, and reported the preliminary conclusions he and his team members had reached after repeated discussions.

Although he didn't put the conclusion at the beginning, judging from his hesitant attitude, Luo Yan could guess what he was going to say.

"...The situation in this virtual realm is very complex. According to the archives, the previous researchers, in order to plunder the 'Battle Soul Crystal,' broke the balance between the various forces, leading to a prolonged civil war. We believe it has the potential to recover because its internal civilizations have a strong desire for unification, and their ideologies are all inclined to idealism to some extent."

"However, the risks remain great. The only solution we can think of is to support a warlord, but with our current strength, we are afraid we can hardly help him much and may instead push him into the abyss of destruction."

He swallowed hard and continued.

"So...wouldn't it be better to maintain the freeze for now?"

Luo Yan took the file but did not immediately check their conclusions. Instead, he turned straight to the last few pages of the inconspicuous appendix, which contained records of the civilization's myths and legends.

While most researchers at Xuebang don't care about these minor details, scholars who want to produce low-quality papers won't let go of any possible clues.

Regardless of whether the Wise Man's Report wanted it or not, they submitted it anyway, since ink and teaching assistants were the least valuable things on this snowy plain.

While this trend of producing academic garbage is not something to be encouraged, objectively speaking, it did make it easier for Luo Yan to quickly take over unfamiliar research.

He pointed to a passage of text above with his finger and spoke calmly.

“Your thinking is too limited. Why must you make a ‘difficult choice’ among the existing powers? If you are worried about breaking the balance of the existing order and causing the virtual passage to be backfired, we can create one ourselves... just like we did in Virtual 178. The divine messenger we chose was not some great figure.”

Vilitch said nervously in a low voice, "But... this is a savage world after all, and we're worried that the seedlings we've chosen won't even have a chance to grow up."

“The 178th virtual realm isn’t very civilized either, it just has a lot of tall towers. Moreover, the barbarity you’re talking about is exactly the soil that the seeds of ambition need.”

Luo Yan paused for a moment, then continued.

"The appendix mentions their native beliefs. Before the 'God of War' fell, there was a council of 'Fire Bearers' composed of priests, responsible for interpreting the 'God of War's' oracles. Although this class was suppressed during the war, it did not completely disappear. By finding the descendants of the 'Fire Bearers' and restoring their divine authority in the name of 'the return of the God of War,' we can encourage them to preach in the war-torn land. By using the power of religion to reconstruct their social order from the bottom up, we don't need to get involved in their war at all. It doesn't matter to us who wins."

Velich paused for a moment, then subconsciously asked, "The God of War...returns? Don't we need to make them believe in Colin?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Yan couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing.

"Don't blindly follow their example. Just because they're preaching doesn't mean you should go preach too. All we need to do is get them to acknowledge the importance of the soul in the universe, the irreplaceable nature of the spirit, and help their fragmented spirits return to stability, as well as eliminate their hostility towards the void... As for what the name of the god they worship is, that's not important to us."

The researchers who had gathered around to listen suddenly realized what was going on, and their faces immediately showed expressions of immense admiration.

I see--

They only remembered the methods to solve the problem, but forgot to think about the principles behind them. Now that His Highness Colin has explained it this way, they have finally grasped a bit of the key.

In that moment of realization, the adoration written in everyone's eyes grew even stronger.

As expected of Your Highness!
It’s so powerful that it’s terrifying!
Verich, too, was filled with a mixture of awe and admiration, but also a look of shame on his face.

He scratched the back of his head and lowered his head sheepishly as he spoke.

"Yes, I'm sorry... I..."

"Don't apologize to me. Rather than saying sorry, I hope you really remember what I taught you. I don't belong here after all... The future of my teachings ultimately depends on you young teaching assistants."

Luo Yan spoke earnestly, returning the report to him, and then emphasized it again in a serious tone.

"Let me repeat myself: these virtual realms we are reviewing are research projects prepared for other professors, not for ourselves. We will not directly participate in the research of these virtual realms, and I do not want my surname to appear in... places that are completely unnecessary."

"Don't let the council think we're being too presumptuous!"

(End of this chapter)