Chapter 136: A Complex Situation

Lorna's office.

Lorna, dressed in white wizard robes, sat at his desk. Lin Wei, having just emerged from Ambis's room, stood before him.

"Lin Wei?" Lorna smiled. "If it weren't for the familiar fluctuations of your wizard power, I wouldn't have recognized you at all."

"I have a question: why has your strength increased so rapidly?"

Rather than using the special effects of the Shadow of Holy Light to mask his power as he had before, Lin Wei had released his full strength, which Lorna had instantly detected.

"Stone-Milk Flower Seedlings..." Lin Wei replied.

"Stone-Milk Flower Seedlings?" A look of shock appeared on Lorna's face.

Lin Wei repeated the lie he had crafted for Kibul to Lorna. Lorna did not doubt the truth of Lin Wei's words, as no other explanation could clarify the phenomenon of Lin Wei's sudden surge in power.

Lorna snapped his fingers. A ripple of wizard power emanated outward, and an invisible, transparent barrier enveloped the room, sealing off all sound from within.

"Lin Wei, if Lord Gries knew of your progress, he would be very pleasantly surprised." Lorna said with satisfaction. "Your strength is growing quickly; perhaps you can do more for our Fang of Bloodshadow."

"Such as?" Lin Wei sensed that there was more to Lorna's words.

"Due to the raid, the Sacred Pearl Sacrifice has been postponed for two years. We originally intended to use other means to stimulate your growth so you could play a greater role in the ceremony. Now that you have improved through actual combat, it has effectively shortened our timeline," Lorna explained.

"Master Lorna..." Lin Wei began, feeling uncertain.

Lorna waved his hand and smiled. "No, call me Mentor Lorna."

"Mentor Lorna..." Lin Wei corrected himself. "Could you tell me more about the Sacred Pearl Sacrifice?"

When Gries had first approached him, he had only mentioned the origin of the Sacred Pearl and the reason for the sacrifice; Lin Wei remained entirely ignorant of what he would be expected to do.

"You don't need to know for now." Lorna showed no intention of revealing anything. "However, you need not worry. In our plans, you will not come to any harm."

Lorna's tone was sincere. "But after the Sacred Pearl Sacrifice concludes, you may lose your status within the Shadow Forest wizard camp and become known as a traitor."

"Then where shall I go?" Lin Wei asked.

"Join the Fang of Bloodshadow!" Lorna replied. "At that time, you will officially join the organization and become a wizard of the Fang of Bloodshadow!"

Hearing this, a flicker of anticipation crossed Lin Wei's heart. He held a deep interest in this organization that dared to challenge the alliance of the twelve wizard academies.

"Mentor Lorna, there is one more thing I wish to understand." Lin Wei met Lorna's gaze.

"Speak." Lorna gestured for him to continue.

Lin Wei paused to collect his thoughts. "Regarding the death of Mentor Seres..."

Lin Wei only got halfway through his sentence, but Lorna caught the implication. "Do you suspect I killed him?"

"Theoretically, such a possibility exists, but I feel it is highly unlikely," Lin Wei answered.

Lorna chuckled. "Your intuition is correct; Seres's death has nothing to do with me."

"How did you know there was something suspicious about Seres's death?" Lorna asked in return.

"Wizard Kibul told me," Lin Wei admitted without concealment.

Lorna nodded. "He only knows the gist of it, then."

"Then who dealt the fatal blow to Seres?" Lin Wei's brows furrowed.

"This is a question not only you are concerned with; Lord Gries and I are also investigating the matter." Lorna stood up from his desk and looked at Lin Wei, his expression grave. "What is certain is that his death is linked to the elders in the upper echelons of the Shadow Forest."

"Elders?"

This was the pinnacle of power within the Shadow Forest Academy.

"Seres did not die due to a personal vendetta, but as a result of a scheme by the high-ranking members of the Shadow Forest—a scheme whose nature we still do not know," Lorna said, showing little restraint toward Lin Wei. "This plan was so meticulous and subtle that we didn't even notice it until after Seres died."

"Regrettably, the forces we have infiltrated into the Shadow Forest have yet to uncover anything about this scheme." Lorna's tone grew uncharacteristically heavy. "This will be a major problem for us. Lord Gries attaches great importance to this matter and has ordered myself and other intelligence agents to investigate it thoroughly."

Lorna's explanation caught Lin Wei completely off guard. He had not expected Seres's death to involve such complex machinations. It not only reached the level of the Shadow Forest's elders, but even Gries, a high-ranking member of the Fang of Bloodshadow, had taken notice.

*A wizard academy that has settled for thousands of years is truly not as simple as it appears on the surface. Until one becomes a formal wizard, one can never touch the core secrets.* A sudden realization dawned on Lin Wei.

Everything he had seen and touched so far was merely the tip of the iceberg. Whether it was the Shadow Forest or the Fang of Bloodshadow, both were entities so vast they were impossible to fully fathom. Lin Wei himself was nothing more than a slightly larger ant.

"Lin Wei, since you were Seres's direct student, I may need you to delve deeper into this matter when the time is right," Lorna said suddenly.

"Me?" A hint of resistance colored Lin Wei's tone.

Lorna spoke with brutal honesty, without the slightest attempt to hide his intentions.

"Rest assured, your safety will be guaranteed," Lorna said, shrugging his shoulders. "Nothing is more important than the Sacred Pearl Sacrifice. You are the most critical component of the ceremony; I would not sacrifice you."

Lin Wei nodded slowly, signaling his acceptance of Lorna's proposal.

In truth, he had no room to maneuver other than to compromise. This was the plight of a genius without the backing of real power: even with sufficient talent and a key status, one remained subject to the constraints of others.

"Is there anything you need help with?" Lorna asked. "The organization is very generous in providing resources to geniuses."

High-level leaders who only preach ideals and faith to the lower ranks are destined for failure. The Fang of Bloodshadow was not like that; it offered ideals to the ambitious and material incentives to the pragmatists.

Lorna was currently using incentives to guide Lin Wei.

"I need high-lethality Tier 3 wizard apprentice spell models... and essential knowledge regarding mind-based witchcraft." Lin Wei paused before replying.

Lorna agreed without hesitation. "Come to me tomorrow to collect the spell models... As for mind-based witchcraft, are you certain you wish to study it?"

"Yes, Mentor Lorna," Lin Wei insisted.

Lorna nodded slightly, offering no further response.

After a moment of silence, Lin Wei said, "If there is nothing else, I shall take my leave."

Lorna nodded slightly once more.

Watching Lin Wei close the door behind him as he left, a glint of anticipation flashed in Lorna's eyes. "An interesting little fellow, worthy of being the successor... chosen by Lord Gries!"