Ave found herself in the midst of a heated dispute, feeling as though her head had grown a size larger.

The golden fur at the top of her head had long since retreated into the hair, playing dead. Now, all the cabinet members awaited her word.

Everyone hoped to get firsthand news about Ethan from her.

The problem, however, was that she knew nothing about the upheaval in the bottomless abyss. Ever since Ethan and Lindong had entered the festival, the telephone had lost its function, leaving them unreachable by anyone.

The news brought back by Xiangwei and Nightmare also made her a part of the anxiety army.

Even more anxious than the other members of the cabinet.

The telephone might be the greatest invention of this era, but its convenience highlighted another issue for Ave.

When they could no longer reach Ethan, the anxiety about the unknown multiplied.

What was even worse was that shortly after Ethan and Lindong departed, Pi'an returned to Neseriel Sanctuary, where she found some anomalies in the Heroic Spirit Hall and couldn't return to the Empire for a while. Meanwhile, Rowena, as the liaison of the Astrology Guild, went to the academy to discuss matters related to rebuilding the magic net.

The negotiations with the academy were not progressing smoothly. The elemental shapers' grievances with the Magic Masters and Astrology Guild were deeper than they imagined.

Though the academy received Rowena's team with dignity, they then left them hanging, employing delaying tactics. Every time Rowena tried to continue the discussion, the topic was brushed aside.

"Go back and wait for news."

Ave ended the meeting physically and mentally exhausted. Recently, things seemed to be deteriorating ever since Ethan left, like a string of bad news.

The moment Ave returned to her residence, she dialed Rowena's number to convey the news brought back by Xiangwei and the Nightmare Witch.

"Really?"

Rowena's voice instantly rose from the other end of the line, forcing Ave to hold the phone a bit away from her ear.

But soon, Rowena amended her tone, "This is just a phase of upheaval. If it's Ethan, you can rest assured a hundred times over."

Clearly, the "Ethan Can Do Anything" theory was concocted by Rowena and had a profound impact on the high society of the Empire.

Belief requires no reasoning.

Just like before.

Ave lay on her bed, at which point that tuft of golden fur popped up cautiously.

"Enough about this, how are things on your end?"

"There's been some new progress."

When it came to this topic, Rowena lowered her voice, "The academy seems to be conducting some shady research behind our backs, and I'm investigating it."

"Stay in touch."

"Okay."

...

The communication ended.

Rowena, on the other end of the line, mirrored Ave's posture, lying flat on the soft and comfortable bed prepared by the academy, adorned with dazzling energy-crystal decorations on the ceiling, which emitted colorful lights every night.

The building adopted the courtly style, and the elemental shaper guiding them mentioned that most structures dated back to the First Epoch, with some areas having been renovated after the disaster of magic addiction.

The reception was of the highest standard, impeccable in every aspect of ceremony, except for never addressing the actual business—Rowena couldn't find a single fault.

The news Ave brought inevitably impacted her, sparking a fearsome thought in her mind—what would life be like if one day Ethan suddenly disappeared?

Lately, she'd been working on tasks Ethan had managed before his departure, faced with numerous obstacles.

Had it been Ethan, he might have persuaded the academy's leaders on the first day, allowing them to focus their time on discussions about the magic net rather than enjoying academy life and wasting time here.

Rowena had made progress, but it was very limited.

This was achieved after consuming several bottles of invisibility potions and lurking everywhere to obtain results—the seemingly amicable elemental shapers seemed to have concealed something from her. But this was, after all, the domain of the elemental shapers, rich with ancient magic, touching many blind spots in Rowena's knowledge.

Invisibility potions were not omnipotent here. Every day, students who drank invisibility potions in attempts to sneak into restricted areas got caught.

Were she, as an emissary from the Empire, caught while lurking and triggering a spell, the academy would have plenty of reasons to expel her from here.

Rowena clenched her fists.

This was all Lindong's doing.

These days, she'd heard many tales of Lindong's "exploits" from the guiding mentor, including blowing up the dean in the library. It was a miracle he hadn't been expelled, the consequence being that after Lindong graduated, the academy fully strengthened its ban, even creating a new department to regulate student conduct.

This discipline team, composed of mentors and students well-versed in alchemy and electrical elemental magic, being part of the team is one of the highest honors a student can achieve, with direct positions provided by the Ministry of Magic every year.

In terms of alchemy and infiltration, Rowena considered herself far from experienced.

But perhaps...

Rowena's eyes lit up.

Her lack of skill didn't matter; she could have someone skilled handle it!

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