Sorcerer: I want to be an Academic Prodigy

Chapter 485: Chapter 483: Sudden Bad News?
 

Years passed like flowing water, always gone never to return.

For Ivan and his team, a teleportation distance of five kilometers had become a thing of the past, having passed some time ago.

Now, they faced another milestone—ten kilometers.

When they teleported five kilometers, it had taken them exactly one hundred days.

On the day of their success, everyone including Ivan was overjoyed, but they didn’t slack off and immediately moved on to the fifth phase of research.

Ivan, against popular opinion, chose the ten-kilometer distance, and all measures in the fifth phase were planned accordingly.

No more small increments, no more adding just a kilometer at a time.

As many had said, a distance of one kilometer was too short for a Level 3 Sorcerer. Everyone knew deep down that they would eventually take this step; otherwise, increasing the distance bit by bit would consume too much energy and resources.

Ivan had simply made the decision first, also helping others firm up their resolve.

Another hundred days passed.

The fifth phase was in full swing, everyone knew that such matters couldn’t be rushed. They needed to address each issue step by step, methodically, until no pitfalls remained.

“Wizard Nelson, from a long-term perspective, the attraction force of a single beacon tower isn’t sufficient. I need the number to be doubled, perhaps even three to five times.”

“Great Scholar, I’ll do my best to improve it.”

“Wizard Sang Dai, when will the Great Space Energy Tower be able to incorporate into the central core framework? I need an energy gathering tower integrated with the particle pool, both working in conjunction——”

“Great Scholar, give me two hundred days, no, one hundred fifty days, I assure you I’ll have a satisfactory answer.”

“Yodura, the Return City Order doesn’t resonate strongly enough with the base tower, I wonder if——”

“——”

By the fifth phase, the research team had become quite seasoned.

The sorcerers had completely mastered Ivan’s concepts and approach, working seamlessly with Ivan’s plans. They knew in which direction to delve deeper and when it was necessary to inform Ivan to check over their progress, et cetera.

Ivan was very pleased to see this unfold; he divided his plan into smaller projects and distributed them, often stepping back and letting others take the reins.

This allowed him more time to ponder some of the more difficult challenges.

One day, Ivan routinely assigned a bunch of tasks and headed towards the independent area; having just left the exploration area, he noticed Hotter quickly approaching him.

“Ivan, guess who’s come looking for trouble?”

“Fitzgerald or Gardner?”

“Neither. Actually, it’s two pseudolord-level Bloodline Alterators trying to sneak into Sky Flow Valley. No matter how cunning they are, they still ran into me, haha.”

Due to Tanaya’s influence, Hotter had truly taken on logistics as his main task, which included screening for hidden dangers to prevent intrusions by troublemakers.

Hotter was now doing a spectacular job.

“I’ve asked them, and both came to kill you.”

“Oh.”

“What does that ‘oh’ mean?”

Not seeing the reaction he anticipated, Hotter was somewhat disappointed and puzzled.

“You, a distinguished Arcane Wizard, do nothing but handle patrol duties, only dealing with two pseudolord-level Hunters. Is it supposed to be surprising?” Ivan said calmly.

“You know that’s not what I mean. Aren’t you going to ask why they want to kill you?” Hotter asked.

“Bounties and revenge. When I explored the Great Sky River before, they sent an airship to intercept me, which I cleaned up. Naturally, they wouldn’t just let it go.”

“So that’s how it is, you’ve never mentioned it before.”

Hotter had just realized that Ivan was already aware, and then he expressed his regret, “It’s a pity, the force behind the Bloodline Alterators is hidden too deeply. They know sorcerers very well, including how to prevent us from searching key information from their memories.”

Upon hearing this, Ivan paused for a moment.

He had only just realized that the enemy had a way to prevent memory information leaks, rather than his previous assumption that all the Bloodline Alterators he encountered were not core members.

But upon further thought, it made sense. Groups like the Green Bud Society, Ten Thousand Beasts Association, and others, had individuals stepping into Level 4, so it was strange not to know how formidable sorcerer methods could be.

If they were unaware, their foundations would likely have been completely exposed long ago.

“You needn’t worry about those people, there are proper plans in place. Once the timing is right, they will definitely be uprooted, eliminating future troubles.”

Hotter perceived a change in his expression and thought he was worried that the Bloodline Alterators would eventually become a menace.

“I’m not worried. If the sky falls, there are higher-ups to support it.”

“Ha-ha, you’re quite right. Let the King of the Long Sky, the Ice Queen, and other big shots worry about it. We just need to focus on our own tasks.”

“What about those two families? Have they been quiet lately? It’s been a while since you mentioned them,” Ivan said, preferring not to delve deeper and quickly changing the subject.

“Yes, there’s been quite a bit of activity, but President Doradoli has been very dominant, pushing all their efforts back. You should know, those guys chase efficiency, and they never delve into space research, which Doradoli dislikes the most. Now, trying to find excuses to come to Sky Flow Valley just won’t work.”

Hotter replied with a smile.

Ivan glanced at someone out of the corner of his eye; it seemed this person was also one of those he just mentioned.

The difference was, after becoming an Arcane Wizard, he had started learning about the School of Space, albeit not much.

“By the way, do you know what Morris has been up to recently?” Hotter subtly changed the topic, undisturbed.

“Locke mentioned that Morris is focusing on the Body Double Secret Method.”

“That’s right. The Secret Method requires talent, and Morris is slightly lacking there, but he can’t let go and is struggling with it lately.”

After getting close to Locke, Morris’s interest in the One Body Multiple Manifestations Secret Method significantly increased, making it a necessity for him to learn.

Regrettably, he still hadn’t managed to learn it. As Tanaya commented, the technique required exceptional talent, and without sufficient talent, comprehension would always fall short, and forced training could even backfire.

These profoundly mysterious things, it’s better to believe they exist than not.

Based on this, Ivan found it difficult to guide Morris, lest good intentions lead to bad outcomes.

…

Two hundred days had passed.

The 10,000-meter teleportation range of the Return City Tower was about to be achieved, and considering the current progress, it could be said to exceed many other arcane wizards’ research progress.

Despite this, Ivan was not complacent.

Unlike teleportation arrays, which usually comprise only two stations, constructing the Return City Tower was undoubtedly complicated.

The Return City Tower required laying out various Dark Base Towers, Large and Small Base Towers along the path, connecting them into sections of runes sorcery arrays to condense and stabilize the necessary spatial channel for teleportation.

It was less about scholarly brilliance and more about superior planning and construction.

Scholarly speaking, he had utilized a vast amount of knowledge explored by predecessors, combined with many existing facilities like traction lighthouses, Great Space Energy Towers, and others.

It was equivalent to standing on the shoulders of his predecessors, using what they had discovered to construct his own creations.

In terms of credit, Ivan certainly wouldn’t claim it was solely his effort; a significant part of the credit actually belonged to the entire School of Space, without which the Return City Tower wouldn’t even be possible.

“Ivan, there’s serious trouble.”

Just as Ivan was full of ambitious plans, Hotter arrived in a frantic rush, making his heart skip a beat with his very first words.

Even an Arcane Wizard saying it was bad news meant the situation could indeed be dire.