Chapter 388: Secrets of the Academy

Chapter 388: Secrets of the Academy

As this question was raised, the luxurious parlor fell into an eerie silence, as if one could hear a pin drop.

The conservative noble representatives in attendance either furrowed their brows, quietly sipped their tea, or puffed on their pipes, each lost in their own thoughts.

Not a single person spoke up, for even the legendary 'Sculptor' Harold, the mightiest among them, had fallen to the same opponent. Without the direct intervention of the Imperial Guardians, the options available to them were extremely limited.

As time passed, the nobles began to leave one after another. At that moment, Duke Dram, with a grim expression, waved to his butler Owen.

"Your Grace," Butler Owen bowed respectfully.

"Have this information about Rain's victories over the Black Flame Cult, the Sea God Cult, and the Serpent Cult spread through several secret channels."

"Yes, Your Grace," Butler Owen's eyes lit up, and he bowed in agreement.

He instantly understood what his master, Duke Dram, intended.

Since there was no apparent way to deal with Rain, they would have to resort to covert means.

The Swordmasters' specific missions and actions were kept confidential. Although the cults knew that one of their high priests or grand priests had been killed by a Swordmaster, they didn't know the identity of the assailant.

Once the cults learned the identity of the Swordmaster responsible, they would be like sharks sensing blood in the water, or bees swarming out of a disturbed hive, and they would go after Rain.

However, this was no longer their concern.

Meanwhile, on their return journey, General Tatiya and Rain chatted intermittently:

"This time, the conservatives dared to target you because, although you are very powerful, you have been in the Imperial Capital for a short time, and your fame is mainly limited to the Swordmaster Headquarters."

"Considering the possible future events, General Rain, I suggest bringing your entire family from Minster to the Imperial Capital immediately. What do you think?"

"Thank you, I have no objections, but the mansion..."

"Is there a problem with the mansion? The headquarters will take care of this, so you can rest assured," General Tatiya said with a slight smile.

"Then thank you." Rain smiled.

"By the way, General Rain, I suggest you don't take on any missions for now and stay in the Imperial Capital of Timorail. We can make further arrangements after the situation calms down. How does that sound?"

"Okay," Rain nodded.

Upon returning to the Bavaria Family Mansion, Rain found Halowen and Luther waiting in the hall with serious expressions.

Apparently, they had heard something.

Luther's expression relaxed slightly when he saw Rain, and he stepped forward, saying, "General Rain, is that news true?"

"Yes," Rain nodded, but after a moment's thought, he didn't offer further explanation.

"Hiss~" Luther and Halowen exchanged glances, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.

"General Rain, just now, I received a letter from my father. Yesterday, the Dram family sent a representative to Minster to discuss your situation with my father," Halowen said.

"Oh? Are they pressuring you?" Rain immediately guessed their intention.

"Yes, they want our Bavaria family to distance ourselves from you, and if possible, do something about it," Halowen didn't elaborate further.

"I'm sorry to involve you and the Duke in this matter."

"General Rain, my father refused their suggestion, saying that you have made outstanding contributions to Minster, and although he may not be able to help much, he will never kick someone when they're down."

"Please convey my gratitude to the Duke of Minster for his support," Rain said solemnly, gazing at Halowen.

"General Halowen, I'll be moving out later."

"General Rain!" Halowen's expression turned urgent, about to say something, but Rain waved his hand to interrupt him.

"General Halowen, I know what you want to say, but the other party is a formidable force, and the Bavaria family doesn't need to get too involved. Besides, the Swordmaster Headquarters has already arranged a mansion for me."

Rain wasn't sure if the other party's support was influenced by the reformists or if it was the result of a discussion between Admiral Edwards and the Duke of Minster.

However, in his opinion, the Duke of Minster, as a high-ranking official, didn't need to directly confront the conservatives.

Additionally, sometimes, keeping their strength hidden beneath the surface could be more beneficial to him.

That afternoon, Rain and Anna rode in a carriage to the new mansion arranged for them by the Swordmaster Headquarters.

Although it was located in the second ring of the Imperial Capital, it was still in the noble district, surrounded by marquises and counts, so security wasn't a concern.

Moreover, while the mansion didn't officially belong to them, Rain could use it for as long as he wanted.

General Tatiya was already waiting at the entrance of the new mansion, and upon seeing Rain and Anna, she introduced the place: "General Rain, this mansion originally belonged to a count. Take a look and see if you like it."

"The size and layout of the mansion before him were very similar to the one Rain had in Minster, and after a quick tour, Rain quickly decided on this one.

The next morning, a commotion could be heard from the main gate of the new mansion.

Rain looked out from the window of his study in the new mansion and saw his sister Mint, mother Emma, and father Lord Reyn disembarking from a luxurious carriage.

'Big brother! The Imperial Capital is so big! Is this our new home?' Mint exclaimed as she rushed into Rain's arms, full of curiosity.

Her eyes had been wide open the entire journey.

The Imperial Capital Timorail was indeed a place filled with new and exciting things, almost too much for her to take in.

'Yes, this is our new home,' Rain said with a smile as he ruffled Mint's hair.

'Sister Anna!'

At that moment, Anna approached from the side, and Mint immediately left her brother Rain and ran towards Anna.

Lady Jennifer was still handling matters at the Axson Auction House and the Chamber of Commerce, so she couldn't make it over in a short time.

Additionally, Lagrae and the Ice Claw Bear Mercenary Corps had just arrived in Minster and were currently with Jennifer.

The next morning, Rain donned the advanced sorcery item, the 'Concealment Cloak,' and made his way to Mentor Mogaro's office.

Upon seeing Rain, Mogaro's expression was filled with inexplicable excitement. He immediately stood up and asked, 'Rain, I heard that you... you killed the Sculptor, Hadro?'

'Uh-huh!' Rain nodded in response to Mogaro's expectant gaze.

'Hahaha! I never thought that in my lifetime, I would have a disciple like you!' Mogaro couldn't help but laugh excitedly.

Rain was a bit perplexed as to why Mogaro was so excited.

Logically, as a member of the Bius Armament Academy, he had killed a member of the more powerful Isodra School of Wizardry. Shouldn't he be worried about retaliation? Why was he so thrilled?

However, Rain's main purpose for coming today wasn't this, and he had no interest in delving into such gossip. After some small talk, Rain got straight to the point and asked, 'Mentor, I heard that as a medium-sized school, there are some missing key inheritances?'

'You're talking about the inheritance, aren't you? I was planning to tell you about this after you reached the Third Rank Crystalization Wizard, but since you asked, I'll explain the situation to you,' Mogaro said with a serious expression.

'To some extent, there's no problem with the outside world's perception. The Steel Heart Advanced Meditation within the school does indeed have only three layers, and it can only allow you to cultivate to the peak of the Third Rank Crystalization Wizard.'

'But undeniably, this is the most suitable advanced meditation for metal elemental wizards in the entire empire.'

Rain nodded, agreeing with the last statement.

Enhancing control over metal elements might not seem impressive at first glance, but when combined with his top-tier metal elemental affinity, the power became truly terrifying.

His first-rank sorcery was already approaching the threshold of second-rank sorcery, and if he were to reveal this, most people would find it hard to believe.

However, the problem was that if he could only cultivate to the peak of the Third Rank Crystalization Wizard, what would he do when he wanted to advance to the Dawn Wizard?

'Mentor, if I reach the peak of the Third Rank Crystalization Wizard, what should I do to advance to the Dawn Wizard?'

'There are two ways. One is to extrapolate the fourth layer based on the existing three layers of Steel Heart Advanced Meditation, but this requires the participation of many high-level wizards, takes a long time, and may not even succeed.'

Extrapolate? Rain's expression turned thoughtful.

The system did have this 'extrapolate' function, but it seemed to be based on some foundation, and he wasn't sure if it could successfully extrapolate advanced meditation.

'Mentor, what about the second way?' Rain asked.

'The second way, of course, is to find the subsequent fourth layer, which is the best solution,' Mogaro said with a smile.

Hmm? Rain was speechless.

'But Rain, you don't need to worry too much. For the matter of the fourth layer, the school, especially our metal elemental wizards, has been searching for clues, and we already have some leads.'

'Oh?' Rain's eyebrows rose, and no wonder Mentor Mogaro had said that earlier.

So, they already had some clues.

'However, it involves exploring dangerous ruins. I think you've heard that ruin exploration often comes with various unpredictable risks, and our school's metal elemental wizards mainly specialize in puppetry, so...'

After some contemplation, Rain said, 'Mentor, if possible, please include me in the exploration. Don't forget that besides being your disciple, I'm also an Imperial Swordmaster, and combat is like daily bread to me.'

"Haha, I almost forgot that you're now a member of the Metal Element as well." Moghalo's words caused an immediate reaction, and he couldn't help but smile, saying, "Since you have this idea, I'll naturally have no problem. After a while, when the news is further clarified, I'll let you know. Then you can decide whether to participate or not." Moghalo said with a beaming smile.

"Okay, Master." Raine also smiled and nodded in agreement.

If there was an opportunity to find the original Advanced Steel Heart Meditation's fourth layer, that would be ideal.

For several days, Raine lived a simple life, focusing on his studies.

Previously, he had been busy with various tasks for the Swordmaster, often traveling, but during this period, he spent more time in the academy's library.

Raine thoroughly brushed up on the foundational knowledge of sorcery.

At the same time, he gradually integrated into the small group of Audrey and the others.

Bius Armament Academy, Metal Element Production Hall.

Raine, along with Audrey and a few others, was crafting a new batch of Great Sword Battle Puppets.

Of course, Raine significantly slowed down his casting speed for Metal Transformation Sorcery, but even so, it was still several times faster than Audrey.

"Hey, I have some news," Alicia said in a low voice to Raine, Joseph, and Audrey.

"Hmm? What's going on?" Joseph asked, perplexed.

"I heard that the legendary 'Sculptor' Harold, the strongest among us, has been killed!"

"What! Is it the one from Isodra School? The Peak Third Rank Crystalization Wizard, Harold?" Joseph exclaimed, his eyes widening in disbelief.

The name was well-known, and this person was a top-tier powerhouse comparable to the head of their own school.

In terms of fame, he was even more renowned than their own school's leader.

"Yes, the one who killed him is also named Raine, apparently a powerful individual from the Imperial Swordmaster's side." As she spoke, Alicia glanced at Raine with her beautiful eyes.

Hearing this, Audrey's eyes widened, and her face paled. Her hands, which were casting Metal Transformation Sorcery, began to tremble.

"Clang!"

The puppet parts in her hands fell to the ground.

"Oh no!"

"Audrey, be more careful. You almost hit me," Alicia said, unable to help but chuckle.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, my apologies!" Audrey hurriedly tried to hide her panic.

Seeing Audrey's pale face, the mature and charming Alicia didn't dwell on the matter. Instead, she winked at Raine and continued, "Junior Raine, you have the same name as him. I bet no one will dare to bully you now, haha~"

As she spoke, Alicia covered her mouth and giggled.

Her voluptuous chest trembled, captivating Joseph, who stood beside her.

Alicia had taken a liking to the new junior, Raine.

That afternoon, she completed the components for dozens of Fury Hammer Battle Puppets, shocking the entire Metal Element division.

Later, she learned from Master Moghalo that Junior Raine had an extremely high affinity for metal and specialized in Metal Transformation Sorcery, which explained his exceptional performance.

Unfortunately, despite Raine's exceptional talent, he focused on Metal Transformation Sorcery for manufacturing instead of offensive Metal Element sorcery.

However, after thinking about it, Alicia found it reasonable.

After all, Metal Element Wizards were scarce, and complete traditions were even rarer. Offensive Metal Element sorcery that had been passed down outside the academy was extremely rare.

Even within the academy, offensive Metal Element sorcery was not commonly seen.

"Junior Raine, I might not finish these parts in time. Could you help me?" Alicia approached Raine and asked.

Although Alicia's ideal partner was a powerful wizard from an imperial noble family, she wasn't foolish.

For a young man with such remarkable talent... it was you..." Audrey couldn't help but stare at Alicia, speechless.

Alicia, do you know what you're doing? You're asking a top-tier powerhouse like Raine, who defeated Harold, to help you make puppet parts! When you find out the truth, you'll be shocked.

"It's no trouble at all, Senior Alicia," Raine smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Great, Junior Raine, I'll treat you to lunch." Alicia said, her chest brushing against Raine's arm as she spoke, her voice filled with allure.

Rain wasn't playing some sort of charade, but he was currently unable to leave the capital. Additionally, he still had a need for Contribution Points for the academy.

First, the third layer of the Grandmaster Mage's Meditation Technique required two thousand Contribution Points to exchange.

Furthermore, he wanted to inquire and exchange for Tier 3 Sorcery. The dwarf girl at the exchange counter had clearly stated that it required a cumulative total of ten thousand historical Contribution Points.

Therefore, in a situation where he couldn't go on external missions, Rain decided it would be a good idea to earn Contribution Points by crafting puppet parts while familiarizing himself with various puppet-making techniques.

In his spare time, he could also learn some basic wizard knowledge and understand the situation of the various wizard schools within the empire.

Over the past few days, Rain had learned two important things.

One was about metal-type puppets: Advanced Battle Puppets required something more crucial than just the Activation Spell to control them—a Control Core.

When Rain saw the Primary Control Core for the first time, he was reminded of the circuit boards from his past life, similar to the game cartridges used in the 90s for the Little Tyrant game console.

However, the production of this technology was extremely challenging and required high precision. The Bius Armament Academy represented the highest level of craftsmanship in the empire in this regard, but they could only produce Primary Control Cores.

According to ancient texts, Intermediate and Advanced Control Cores were still in the exploration stage.

This also explained why the metal arm remains Rain had obtained could be exchanged for 3700 Contribution Points.

According to Mentor Magaro, the Eagle Federation was ahead of the empire in terms of manufacturing precision. It was possible that the Federation had discovered and absorbed the relevant technology.

The other important thing Rain learned was about the secrets of the wizard schools.

Apparently, the wizard schools in the empire had an important responsibility—guarding a secret realm.

However, in Rain's opinion, this so-called secret realm seemed more like a passage or a seal.

For example, the Bius Armament Academy, together with another medium-sized wizard school, the Sandel Academy, was responsible for guarding a place called Fury Gorge.

"Have you heard? The rotation time for Fury Gorge is coming up in half a year, and Trevor will be back soon," Joseph suddenly said, as if he had just remembered something.

"This time, the Metal Division probably won't be able to send anyone. Not you, not me, not Audrey, and definitely not Rain, who just joined."

"Sigh, I wonder how the mentor will arrange things this time," Joseph sighed.

"Oh? Can you tell us more about it?" Rain showed interest.

"Deep within Fury Gorge, there's an ancient underground fissure. From time to time, special things emerge from this fissure and burst out onto the surface."

"The most common one is something called an Evil Fire Elemental, which is extremely violent."

"If you're not at the peak of Tier 1 Wizard and proficient in combat techniques, you won't be able to withstand it," Joseph explained.

"That's right. So, the minimum requirement to take turns guarding Fury Gorge is to be at the peak of Tier 1 Wizard," Alicia added, her face turning serious for once.

"The school usually assigns each division to send someone.

"What happens if there's no suitable candidate?" Rain asked.

"There are two scenarios. One is that Mentor Magaro goes himself, and the other is that if another division has the capacity to help, our Metal Division will let them take our place, but we'll have to pay a large sum from our research funds."

"I see." Rain nodded.

However, this method was problematic because the reduction in funds would actually put the training of metal-type wizard apprentices in a difficult situation, making it harder for wizards to emerge.

It was a vicious cycle.

"Hey, Rain, let's go to the training room. Let me see your puppet control skills," Alicia suggested, her beautiful eyes sparkling.

"Yeah, Rain, come on. As a wizard, combat skills are very important," Joseph agreed.

"Umm... Maybe not." Rain hesitated.

But Alicia and Joseph thought his reaction was due to fear of losing, which was understandable for a young person who cared about their reputation.

However, Audrey knew the real reason. Seeing Rain's hesitation, she said, "If Rain doesn't want to, then forget it."

"Come on! Don't be afraid of losing. You've helped me several times, and I'll guide you in puppet control too! Hehe~" Alicia patted her ample chest and giggled.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end