At the same time, in an inconspicuous merchant warehouse about a kilometer away from the academy.
From the outside, this warehouse looked no different from the ordinary shops surrounding it. A few empty wooden crates were stacked by the door, making it look like it was closed for inventory. But inside, it was a different world—the warehouse had been converted into a temporary command post. Maps hung on the walls, magic communicators and crystal projection devices sat on tables, and the space was filled with people.
Two hundred elite soldiers were stationed throughout the warehouse, some checking their gear and others speaking in low voices. Every face bore a tense, cold focus. Their equipment was top-tier, featuring a uniform set of mana-enchanted weapons and armor; their overall quality was a step above even the Palace Guard. Four Rank 7 practitioners stood near the command platform: two fire mages, a warrior, and an agility-based assassin.
Lanqiu stood by a second-floor window, peering through the slats of the blinds toward the academy. The dark red barrier was particularly eyesore-inducing in the afternoon light, hanging over the academy like a filthy shroud.
He had been standing there for nearly an hour, a small pile of crushed cigarette butts accumulating at his feet. Such things were uncommon on the Ogu Continent; he had bought them from northern merchants and rarely touched them.
But today was an exception—Hogg had been inside for quite a while.
“Your Highness.” Lanqiu didn't turn around, his gaze still fixed on the dark red curtain of light. “Hogg is inside. If he’s still being pinned down now, his situation won't be good... If we don’t move now, I’m afraid there will be a major problem.”
Adrian von Augustus sat in a chair behind the command platform, one hand resting on the armrest and the other holding a cup of steaming black tea.
His expression was as calm as ever, his dark golden eyes showing no sign of anxiety or hesitation. The crystal projection device in front of him displayed a mana node distribution map of the academy’s surroundings. Out of the seven nodes, three were marked green and four were marked red.
“No need to rush,” he said, taking a sip of tea in an unhurried tone. “Hogg isn't that easy to kill. If a Heroic Spirit-rank powerhouse can’t even hold out for this long, then he’s lived a wasted life.”
Lanqiu’s brow furrowed deeper, and he finally turned to look at Adrian.
“Your Highness, if something really happens to the State Preceptor—”
“The barrier has a backdoor.” Adrian interrupted him, his fingers tapping the armrest for a moment. “I had someone tamper with the foundation back then. We buried reverse runes at three of the mana nodes. Once activated, a blank spot will appear in the barrier that allows entry and exit. I have plants among the people controlling those three nodes; there won't be any issues.”
Lanqiu fell silent.
“With this force, plus four Rank 7s, and myself—it’s enough,” the Second Prince said calmly, outlining the plan. “I will lead the men inside to clean up, and you will provide support from the outside, just as we agreed.”
Adrian set down his teacup and stood up to walk over to Lanqiu. He was half a head taller than Lanqiu; as they stood side by side at the window, their shadows overlapped on the wall.
“Five more minutes. We move in five minutes.”
Lanqiu glanced at him and said urgently, “But the civilians in the academy—”
“Wait until the barrier has drained most of the mana from those cultists inside,” Adrian’s tone remained flat. “That thing doesn't distinguish between friend and foe. Do you think they can stay in there without being drained? Once their condition drops, it will be much easier for us to charge in and finish things.”
Lanqiu withdrew his gaze and looked back out the window. He couldn't say exactly why he felt so uneasy, but everything Adrian said was indeed perfectly logical. Every step was extremely rational—every word he’d spoken and every action he’d taken from the beginning until now...
It was so rational it made one’s skin crawl.
He pulled out a fresh cigarette, put it in his mouth, and rested his hand on the window frame, his fingertips unconsciously tapping twice.
The warehouse was quiet, with only the occasional low-voiced report of the latest situation and Adrian giving brief instructions. The two hundred elite soldiers continued to wait for the order, the sound of their breathing and the faint clinking of metal intertwining like a beast poised to strike.
...
Inner City, a luxury hotel suite.
The curtains were half-drawn, and the afternoon sun sliced through the gap, casting a bright band of light across the carpet. Krieger leaned back in his chair, his breathing steady and long—he had fallen asleep again. Li Yuan stood by the window with a cup of freshly brewed green tea, his gaze fixed outside as his Divine Sense spread out soundlessly.
The Divine Sense of the Mahayana stage was like an invisible net, radiating outward from him. In an instant, it covered the entire Inner City, then the Outer City, and then even further. The scenes at the academy appeared clearly in his mind—burning buildings, scattered crowds, and corpses on the ground. Hogg’s aura was near the main road in the center of the academy, and the several auras clashing with him were not weak; each was at the level of the Foundation Establishment stage. However, one of them was particularly murky, carrying a heavy weight of karmic debt and an aura of death.
Li Yuan frowned slightly. He had smelled this aura before in the hotel suite—the person who had come to see Lanqiu that night had carried this same scent.
His Divine Sense continued to sweep across the academy, pausing for a moment at the Second Teaching Building. Setis’s aura was still there; though she was a bit weak, she was generally fine. The peace talisman she carried had not been triggered yet, meaning she hadn't faced any life-threatening attacks so far.
There were many civilians and students in the teaching building, and while most of their auras were chaotic, they were still stable.
Li Yuan withdrew his Divine Sense and took a sip of tea.
Even if Hogg was being suppressed, his total mana pool was still there; he wouldn't face a major problem in the short term. Although the situation at the academy was chaotic, the various defensive lines were still holding. Setis was safe for now, and as for that dark red light curtain covering the academy—he didn't know exactly what it was, but since Hogg had gone in, he believed the old dean should be able to handle the internal affairs.
The situation in the Outer City was equally messy. Napa’s aura was near the Seventh District, where the scenes were no less tragic than at the academy, and he was still fighting. Angela was a bit further away; her aura flickered but had not disappeared. The City Guard and Palace Guard were entangled with Blood Moon Cultists popping up everywhere. The entire capital was like a hornet’s nest that had been poked with a stick, buzzing everywhere.
All these things added together were indeed serious, but they hadn't reached the point of being irreparable.
Li Yuan placed his teacup on the windowsill and turned toward the room. He had been standing by this window for nearly half an hour; he had seen what needed to be seen, and all that was left was to wait. Wait for the chaos outside to subside, wait for Hogg to resolve the situation, and wait for the employer’s next arrangement.
He was just a tea master and an attendant—at least on the surface—and these matters of fighting and killing weren't for him to worry about. Besides, to be honest, during his years on the Kyushu Continent, he had seen scenes far grander than this. This... was at most a minor scuffle, the level of children brawling with each other.
Then, a sudden explosion rang out.
This explosion wasn't particularly loud, nor was it close—it was about seven or eight blocks away. But Li Yuan’s steps came to a dead halt, and his expression froze instantly. The green tea he had just placed on the windowsill was knocked over by his elbow; the tea trickled down the sill and soaked into the carpet, creating a small, dark stain.
The teahouse... is gone?! A very important connection had suddenly been severed.
Two years ago, he had personally hung the open sign on the door of that little shop. For two years, it was the roof he saw every morning when he opened his eyes. Those bookshelves, those tea sets, those jars and pots he had personally sourced—all gone! Even the tin of black tea he had left for Setis, and the new tea set he had prepared for the reopening after the curfew—all of it had completely vanished with that single explosion.
Li Yuan stood in place for several seconds, his expression shifting from frozen to stunned.
That was his hard-earned foundation, built with blood and sweat! He had poured almost all his passion into that teahouse, and after finally saving up for the shop, it was blown up just like that?!
Amidst a mind full of disbelief and shock, his figure vanished from the spot instantly.
Rate on N.U.
