Sorcerer: I want to be an Academic Prodigy

Chapter 486: Chapter 484: Arcane Assault?
 

“The situation had become so thorny that Ivan didn’t know how to respond for a moment and could only let Hotter pull him aside, creating a barrier with his power to block off the outside world.”

“What’s the matter?”

Ivan was someone who had weathered great storms and regained most of his composure in a short while.

“The Fitzgerald Family means business this time. They’ve sent an arcane-level powerhouse, probably already on the way here. Doradoli definitely won’t stop them at Sky Flow Valley anymore,” Hotter said with a solemn expression.

In the sorcerer world, an arcane-level powerhouse naturally held an extraordinary status.

A figure of this level was not someone Ivan could influence. It would surely be up to Hotter to deal with him, but judging by his current demeanor, the newcomer was likely no ordinary character and would be difficult to handle.

“What about Tanaya?” Ivan asked, suppressing the irritation in his heart.

“She should be at her residence,” replied Hotter.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go to her and discuss our strategy. She must know something about the Fitzgeralds. After we understand more, we can make detailed plans. You’ll have to appear when the time comes—”

“No, no, I can’t handle this.”

Hotter’s slightly panicked demeanor made Ivan’s heart go numb, wondering what sort of troublesome character was coming that made Hotter so wary.

This was clearly not the place for discussions. Without saying much more, Ivan gestured for Hotter to hurry to the outer area of the exploration zone.

Although somewhat hesitant, Hotter followed Ivan to Tanaya’s residence. Seeing the two of them arrive together, Tanaya didn’t dare to neglect them. They sat down, ready to discuss their strategy.

“Tanaya, you know about it, right?” Ivan got straight to the point.

“What?” Tanaya looked confused.

“Your Fitzgerald family has sent an arcane wizard on his way to Sky Flow Valley. They are probably going to take a more forceful approach. In that case, we might have to implement our backup plan; otherwise, we won’t be able to delay until the day when the Round Tower is completely successful—”

Seeing her unaware, Ivan said in a deep voice.

Hotter seemed frightened by this and started waving his hands from the side.

“Wait, what arcane wizard?” Tanaya was still a bit confused.

“The arcane wizard from your family.”

“That’s not right. Are you talking about Grace?” Tanaya looked back and forth at the two, stating a name with some uncertainty.

“Who is Grace?” Ivan frowned slightly.

“Grace Dickens. She’s a Level 4 powerhouse, but not an arcane wizard. She advanced to Level 4 through other means, not the Knight’s Path.” Tanaya explained.

Ivan turned to look at Hotter, his eyes conveying a clear message.

“She’s right; it’s Grace Dickens who’s coming, a very conservative woman,” Hotter hesitated before saying. As he spoke, his expression inexplicably relaxed a bit.

“Since we all know her, let’s talk about this Miss Grace and consider how to deal with her.” Ivan sensed there might be some trick to this, but he didn’t give it much thought as solving the problem was the primary concern.

“I’ve got no way to deal with her,” Hotter emphasized.

“Leave it to me,” Tanaya quickly offered.

Upon hearing this, Ivan look at the two of them intently.

That statement seemed backwards. Tanaya wasn’t planning to hand herself over, was she? If so, what was the point of coming to seek help with such eagerness before?

“I believe you all have your reasons for saying this, but does it mean your affairs no longer require my attention?”

His gaze was as deep as water, still fixed on the two without wavering. He had come with good intentions to help resolve the issue, and yet these two were playing coy with him, which left anyone with a sense of irritation.

“Sorcerer Ivan, Grace is not an outsider to us. She has always been my guardian and has managed the Five Leaves Spear for me. She’s one of the Five Councilors of the Five Leaves Spear. Our relationship has always been good, and I am certain that Grace would never make things difficult for me.”

Tanaya, noticing his slight irritation, quickly gave a detailed explanation.

On any ordinary day, Tanaya diligently practiced the Knight Breathing Method, and now she had become a formal Flying Knight, now challenging herself to reach higher levels on the Knight’s Path and eagerly anticipating the legacy of the Star Ancestor.

She definitely didn’t want to annoy Ivan and add any complications to the legacy, especially since Morris was still keeping a close eye on it.

After the explanation, the two naturally turned to look at Hotter, wanting to hear what he had to say, as his reaction today was incredibly odd.

Because of his unusual reaction, Ivan had been quite nervous just moments ago, almost confusing Tanaya.

“That’s good, that’s good, then there’s no need for me to intervene. Tanaya, you can handle it yourself, and you too, Ivan, can rest assured,” Hotter said, visibly relieved upon hearing Tanaya.

He did not refute Tanaya’s statement, which meant that this Grace truly was one of the Councilors of the Five Leaves Spear.

Without waiting for anyone else to say anything, he quickly left the parlor in a flash, offering no opportunity for questions and leaving the three of them exchanging puzzled looks.

“How many Councilors does the Five Leaves Spear have in total?”

After a while, Ivan broke the silence.

“Four,” Tanaya replied. “They are Hotter, Grace, Spark, and Candi. Grace no longer meddles in the trivial matters of the Five Leaves Spear. Candi is loyal to the Ice Queen and rarely interferes in affairs. Hotter is not too shrewd, and Spark has ulterior motives.”

As the founder, Tanaya was naturally familiar with the affairs of the Five Leaves Spear.

With four Councilors, three Arcane Wizards and another power on the arcane level, the strength of the Five Leaves Spear was undeniable. Yet, it had developed into this fractured state, unparalleled by any other organization.

Ivan didn’t know how to comment, but such matters didn’t require his concern.

After reconfirming with Tanaya that Grace truly posed no threat to her, Ivan too left the parlor, with a pile of matters awaiting his attention.

When he returned to his own second floor of the Round Tower, he unexpectedly found a certain Arcane Wizard hiding out on his territory.

“Something else?”

“Do you want to hear a story?”

Seeing his complexion darken slightly, Hotter didn’t mind and instead posed a question with an inexplicable tinge of melancholy.

Ivan’s gaze flickered upon hearing this.

“Speak freely.”

“Got any good wine?” Hotter asked.

“What do you think, all my wine ends up in the stomachs of you and Morris,” Ivan detected the hint of retreat in his voice.

“No wine, huh? Then let’s save the story for another time. Only fine wine can unravel the heart,” Hotter said as he turned and walked away.

“How about having Korram make a trip to East Capital? Or to the underground Kemor Empire would suffice. I’ll give you some contact letters, ensuring that Korram can bring back the finest wines from the Imperial Court of the dark elves—”

Ivan attempted to retain him, but Hotter evidently regretted not wanting to tell the story and hurried away, leaving a helpless Ivan behind.

After this little disturbance by the two of them, Ivan grew increasingly curious about this Miss Grace.

After this moderately significant interlude, Ivan returned to the exploration of teleportation over a distance of ten thousand meters.

Nowadays, the central pillar of the Return Tower had grown into a ‘Tower City,’ perfectly combining the Tractive Lighthouse with the Great Space Energy Tower and energy particle pool, making the notion of ‘return’ incrementally more literal.

The conquest of ten thousand meters teleportation distance had become a matter of sooner or later.