The magic airship soared swiftly and steadily through the high skies.

Just like the current overall situation in the Flame Realm, it seemed as if true peace had returned after the dual-fire war.

It looked like the next step would be special training with the help and guidance of Dean Charlie and President Beiru, getting ready for the real confrontation with Capella and the Magic Guild after arriving at the Royal Court.

But... is that really the case?

On the airship, Andrew followed Dean Charlie into a training room as they prepared to begin the special training—

Meanwhile, in Warm Fire City, Lady Yi Lian was descending from the top floor of the Deep Blue Magic Tower at the city center.

She first delved deep into the underground of the Magic Tower.

Then, after reaching at least a hundred meters underground, she moved laterally along an underground tunnel.

Just like that, Lady Yi Lian quickly left the bounds of the island where Warm Fire City was located, entering the waters surrounding the island.

The evidence was that the underground tunnel was made of a transparent material, allowing views of the underwater world through the glass. It felt like being in a vast blue aquarium!

At the end of the blue tunnel, there was a door.

This was the entrance to a secret underwater lair.

This underwater lair was where President Beiru had been healing since the dual-fire battle.

"Open the door, it's me."

Lady Yi Lian stood before the door at the end of the tunnel.

Her expression didn't look well, appearing somewhat angry.

The door soon opened by itself, and a tall, slightly plump man stepped out: "Hm? Lady, why are you here? Didn't you just communicate with Charlie through the 'Heart Net'? All the arrangements for the new intel have been finalized, so what's going on?"

Even as he asked, "What's going on," he couldn't help but smile.

Since the death of the Commerce Association's heiress, the relationship between the president and his wife had been tense, seemingly living in separate worlds.

Though their relationship had somewhat eased lately, it was still limited to communication and interaction via the "Heart Net."

Beiru never expected that Lady Yi Lian would come here personally to see him!

He saw Lady Yi Lian's unfriendly expression and heard her say coldly, "Stop joking around. I want to know why you are deceiving people?"

President Beiru scratched his head: "I... who did I deceive?"

"Still playing dumb?"

Lady Yi Lian said angrily, "You had Charlie help Andrew with his special training, but why didn't you have Charlie explain exactly what that training entails?

The special training plan you arranged for Andrew is actually a modified version of the Magic Guild's 'Blood Refining' project—why didn't you make Charlie explain that to Andrew?!"

The so-called "Blood Refining" was a secret project within the Magic Guild attempting to enable Flame Warriors to acquire the Eight Strange Fires, but it was abandoned due to its extreme cruelty and bloodiness.

Before the new Dragon Transformation Combat Technique was developed, it was the only known way in this Flame Realm that could potentially allow a warrior to acquire the Eight Strange Fires.

According to Lady Yi Lian's words, the so-called "special training that could make Andrew the strongest Tier Four genius in history within three days" arranged by Beiru was a modified version derived from the "Blood Refining"!

The key was that Dean Charlie knew about this but deliberately hid the relevant information while conveying Beiru's intentions to Andrew!

If Andrew were at this underwater tunnel site right now, he would probably be very shocked—

Considering that the one who had targeted him, oppressed him, and scolded him before was Lady Yi Lian.

Now, Lady Yi Lian seemed to be the one thinking for him and speaking on his behalf.

In contrast, President Beiru, who previously valued Andrew greatly, to the extent of once saying, "As long as the lady treats Andrew well, I can completely relinquish my rights," deliberately withheld some important information about the special training while preparing it for Andrew!

"...I'm sorry."

After a moment of silence, President Beiru sighed, "I did indeed specifically instruct Charlie not to tell Andrew the origin of the special training project. The claim that 'Barbara had undergone similar training' was also my instruction, a deliberate lie told to Andrew by Charlie to motivate him. But my reason for doing so is that I value him greatly."

"Value?" Lady Yi Lian sneered, "You value him but don't tell him in advance that the training project could end up being fatal?"

Beiru's training plan originated from obtaining the original document of a "Blood Refining" plan from the Magic Guild under fortuitous circumstances.

Although Beiru had made alterations and adjustments, the new training plan was no longer as bloody and cruel, it still posed significant risks!

This wasn't what Lady Yi Lian found most incomprehensible.

What she really couldn't understand was, "This training plan was originally meant to emulate the Magic Guild's approach, to see if we could let the Crimson Knight from our Commerce Association acquire the Eight Strange Fires, hence modified and arranged based on 'Blood Refining', right?

This is a training plan specifically prepared for warriors and Crimson Knights!

A training plan that only a warrior might be able to endure and withstand, why would you give it to Andrew, a mage, to undertake?" Lady Yi Lian asked, suppressing her voice, while staring firmly into her husband's eyes, demanding an explanation.

There was something that no one knew, except the president and his wife.

That is, the increasingly tense and rigid relationship between the couple after the death of the Commerce Association's heiress was actually... a façade deliberately created by the couple!

So, in fact, the "pummeling" that Andrew felt from Lady Yi Lian when he first arrived in Warm Fire City, and the ideological conflict and tension between Lady Yi Lian and President Beiru that he perceived, were all—fake!

The tidal wave of sorrowful emotions that were felt while counseling Lady Yi Lian and helping her to untie her emotional knots were genuine.

But the various difficulties imposed on Andrew and the seemingly unreasonable pummeling were fake.

Lady Yi Lian's true inner intent had never been to torment Andrew.

The person who instructed Lady Yi Lian to deliberately create obstacles for Andrew was, on the contrary, President Beiru himself, who was ardently supporting Andrew!

"...Was that necessary?"

At that time, Lady Yi Lian once expressed her lack of understanding, "Even if you and I need to continue creating the appearance of discord to show that person, there is no need to make a big deal out of Andrew's arrival, right? From the messages Barbara sent back, and from Falk's observations and evaluations lately, this Andrew seems to be a good kid, don't scare him."

Since their discord was feigned, Lady Yi Lian's poor attitude towards Barbara was naturally also feigned.

The real Lady Yi Lian had never changed, always being the gentle, kind, and considerate person she was.

"It is necessary." Beiru responded, his attitude very firm, "This is not just to continue the façade to show that person but also for Andrew. He... is very important."

Although Beiru indeed deceived Andrew, he valued Andrew very much, and this was true.

Even now—

Faced with Lady Yi Lian's question: "Why let Andrew, a mage, undergo a special training that even a warrior's physique might not withstand?"

President Beiru's answer was: "Because Andrew... is not an ordinary mage."

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