Nova's words made Ynsara arch a brow. "You've been silent this whole time, I assumed you had nothing to ask."

'Is she serious?'

For a moment, Nova could only stare at her, too stunned to respond.

'I've asked plenty of questions—you just ignored every single one,' he thought, his lips twitching with restrained disbelief. The audacity was almost impressive.

Drawing in a steadying breath, he finally spoke. "If what you're saying is true—that Jonathan's relying on money from the academies—then I need to know: will this academy continue to fund him? Or better yet... will you?"

A soft chuckle slipped from Ynsara's lips. She wasn't sure if Nova was trying to confirm something or if he truly didn't understand the situation. In truth, he might as well have asked her to choose between Jonathan and her daughter.

Even so, she answered without hesitation. "I began withholding half the academy's earnings from him months ago. And when the time is right, I won't send him another coin."

Noticing the pensive look on Nova's face, Ynsara spoke again. "In fact, the moment I stop sending the president anything, you'll be the one receiving his share."

It sounded better the more Nova heard, yet a faint frown crept onto his face. Something didn't sit right.

"You said, 'when the time is right'. But I need to know what that means to you. If that moment's too far off, I might not even need whatever coins this academy can offer."

Under Ynsara's steady gaze, Nova leaned in slightly, his voice dropping in volume. "If you think that just because Jasmine joined me, you can hop on board whenever it suits you, then you're mistaken. Offer me something after I have no use for it, and I'll reject it without hesitation. Keep that in mind."

With that, he slouched back into the sofa, his expression unreadable.

He didn't know exactly why, but he had a hunch that a million Gold coins wouldn't mean much to him soon. Just thinking back to the Store—how the strongest spear there had been priced far beyond ordinary means—he could already tell: in this new Era, even millions were mere drops in a vast ocean. After all, he had spent nearly half a million in the blink of an eye only a few weeks ago.

A sudden urge to check the Store for prices on weapons similar to the ones he could craft surged within him—but he pushed it down. 'Now's not the time. I need to deal with this woman first. If I really end up needing money... then maybe I'll consider entering my first Purple portal.'

With his thoughts settling, Nova's gaze slid to Ynsara, waiting for her response.

It didn't take long—but it wasn't what he expected.

A burst of laughter echoed through the room, light and melodic. Amusement danced openly across her face. "Alright, alright—I'll stop joking."

As her expression returned to a more composed calm, she continued, "When your generals return, I'll come visit your place. I'm curious about them. And if I see a real chance of winning against Jonathan, I'll start sharing the academy's Gold coins with you. Is that acceptable?"

"Am I not enough of a guarantee?"

Ynsara shook her head "I want to see your so called generals with my own eyes."

Nova let out a quiet sound of acknowledgment. As he rose to his feet, he muttered aloud, "I originally came here to ask you to recommend the best students to join me... but there's no need to say that now. You'll do it anyway."

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He then turned his gaze to Ynsara—just in time to see her expression falter at his words.

"We're done here, right?" he asked.

Ynsara gave a slight nod in response.

Nova walked over to the door, opened it, then glanced back one last time. Ynsara wasn't looking at him—her eyes looking somewhat distant. The corner of his lips curled into a faint, unreadable smile before he stepped out and left the office behind.

As he made his way through the quiet corridors, his thoughts drifted back to her. 'She warned me about Jonathan, then immediately tried to play both sides without sacrificing a thing. No wonder she became a Dean.'

Stepping out of the building, Nova shook his head.

'People like her are always scheming... but they tend to forget the most important truth: schemes mean nothing in the face of overwhelming strength.'

"TRESPASSER!"

The sudden shout snapped him out of his thoughts.

'You've got to be kidding me…'

Turning toward the voice, he saw the same petite teacher he'd encountered outside Ynsara's office.

'Has she really been waiting out here this whole time? Doesn't she have classes to teach? I was in there for over an hour.'

He sighed internally, already exhausted by her presence.

Before she could get a word out, Nova vanished from sight—leaving only a faint breeze in his place.

Staring at the empty spot where he had stood, the teacher blinked in confusion. "Did I... imagine that? I don't think I'm crazy though…" she murmured.

Several kilometers away, Nova came to a stop. His organs still shaking slightly from the sudden movement, he winced and muttered, "Please let that be the last time I see that woman."

With a deep breath, Nova cast aside any lingering thoughts about what had happened at the academy. His face relaxed, and without haste, he strolled through the city streets, making his way back to the base.

Meanwhile, in a dim underground room, five figures sat around a table. The atmosphere teetered between awkward silence and simmering tension.

"Why are there only five of us? Where are the other three?" Carter asked, his eyes scanning the room and the three conspicuously empty seats.

At his question, Hannah shot a sidelong glance at Sophia, who sat beside her with an air of complete indifference, saying nothing.

Across the table, Slade flipped a page in his book, entirely unbothered, as if the outcome of this meeting held no relevance to him.

Erevan looked at the four, each unique in their own way, and let out a quiet sigh.

With a sharp clap of his hands, he drew the attention of three heads at the table. The fourth—Slade—remained as he was, his head still lowered, eyes darting left to right as his fingers calmly turned another page.

Erevan didn't bother addressing him.

"I tried contacting Ren, Colin, and Micah," he began, "but none of them responded."

"Did they die?" Carter asked, brows raised. It was hard to tell if he was the only one genuinely concerned—or simply the only one still in the dark.

Rather than directly answering, Erevan turned his gaze. "Hannah."

With a polite nod, Hannah rose smoothly to her feet. From the small stack of papers in her arms, she picked one and began reading.

"Two days ago, Micah was last seen leaving his base. According to one of his subordinates who last saw him,Micah felt too stifled—frustrated at sitting idle while others handled the work. So, he left. Since then, there's been no further information. It's as if he vanished from Quarath altogether."

Setting Micah's report aside, Hannah turned to Erevan, silently awaiting his next instruction.

Carter let out a laugh. "Sounds to me like that prick just wanted an excuse to screw around. Called it 'work' and dipped. He'll get bored and come crawling back in a week."

"Probably off enjoying himself while we're stuck here talking about him," Sophia added lazily, not even bothering to look up as she examined her nails.

Hearing that from her made Hannah's hands tighten into small fists, her knuckles paling as tension crept up her arms. But she said nothing. Not yet. This was Micah's report—not hers.

After a moment of thought, Erevan finally spoke. "If Micah doesn't respond within the next three days, we'll have to assume something's happened to him. For now, instruct your subordinates to keep an eye out. The moment they spot him, I want to be informed."

His voice remained steady, but a flicker of anger betrayed him. His eyes flashed briefly with a tinge of red as he added, "And if it turns out he's just been fooling around and deliberately ignoring my messages—he won't escape the consequences."

Carter gave a nonchalant shrug.

Sophia waved a dismissive hand without even glancing up.

Hannah, in contrast, gave a sharp, resolute nod.

Well accustomed to this kind of responses from his team, Erevan didn't take offense. As long as they understood his meaning, that was enough.

Calmly he turned back to Hannah. "What about Ren and Colin? Any information on them?"

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