Chapter 533: The Association and Fear

Chapter 533: The Association and Fear

"Donok's venom effect: Significantly reduces the body's natural healing ability, continuously inflicts poison damage, and comes with a Weakness Curse and a Fatigue Curse."

Finally, the system also provided a self-healing time of "71:59:55."

"Even with my constitution and poison resistance, it will still take three days to completely clear the venom. The curses are the most troublesome part, reducing my overall strength by about 20%."

Rayne felt his current psi energy fluctuations and noticed they had dropped to Mid-Dawnbreak.

However, since he could heal naturally, Rayne wasn't overly worried. He immediately checked his attribute panel.

Spirit: 282 (92% Quantified)

"Killing the Unhearable Khir increased it by 12%, and killing the Unseeable Donok for the second time increased it by 11%."

"I have truly reached the peak of Dawn Wizard."

Seeing his current quantification level, the small frustration Rayne felt from being poisoned by Donok's venom immediately dissipated.

If given another choice, even knowing that killing Donok would inevitably poison him, Rayne would still kill him without hesitation.

Three days of weakness in exchange for a permanent increase in strength—anyone would know which choice to make.

At this moment, Rayne suddenly looked up at the distant sky.

A massive dirigible slowly appeared on the horizon. With Rayne's eyesight, he could clearly see the five-colored dragon emblem on the dirigible's gasbag.

At the same time, the lookout on the dirigible could also see the huge crater and the lingering smoke in the central square of the Isodrial Academy in Nelheim.

The situation was quickly reported to the people in the conference room.

"What! Most of the Isodrial Academy's headquarters were destroyed?"

"This young Sir Rayne is too reckless!" Imperial Guardian Pantoskoc, with the title 'Storm Cloud,' slammed his hand on the table and scolded.

"Does he not know that the Isodrial Academy's headquarters are in the center of Nelheim? His reckless actions show complete disregard for the lives of the empire's common people."

"Elder Ivan, I suggest the Senate temporarily suspend Rayne's candidacy for Imperial Guardian. Even if his strength meets the basic requirements for an Imperial Guardian, his personal character does not."

At this point, the empire's Army Marshal Meyer Lane also chimed in:

"Indeed! There's another issue: what if the Isodrial Academy demands that we deal with Sir Rayne?"

"I must remind everyone that if we do not handle this, and the Isodrial Academy feels let down, who will continue to protect the Cyrodiil Highlands and suppress the cults and secret schools for the empire?"

Though his words sounded like a question, he was actually pointing out the severe consequences of not taking action, the implications clear.

"Um..." Marshal Alfred opened his mouth but couldn't find a counterargument.

Elder Ivan's expression also turned grim.

After all, if that were to happen, while Rayne might not face any substantial punishment due to Elder Ivan's influence, his current candidacy for Imperial Guardian would likely be nullified.

"Empire Senate?"

"Could they be here for me?" Rayne frowned.

He had a feeling that the visitors were not here with good intentions.

At this moment, the wizards from the Isodrial Academy gradually emerged from their protective ward array. The two elderly wizards leading them observed Rayne for a while and, seeing that he had no intention of continuing his attack, cautiously approached him.

The old man with a mustache and the old man with graying hair bowed deeply to Rayne and said, "Your Majesty Rayne, the incident at the Isodrial Academy this time is truly shameful."

"However, most of the young wizards at the school were unaware of the actions of Headmaster Stuttgart and Deputy Headmaster Malcolm. We hope that Your Majesty Rayne can forgive these young people."

The two elderly wizards respectfully addressed Rayne as 'Your Majesty,' not just out of flattery, but genuinely. After all, as a late-stage Dawn Wizard, Rayne, even if not yet an Imperial Guardian, was already more powerful than most guardians.

Rayne nodded and said, "I saw your performance just now. It’s clear that most of the wizards from your school were unaware of Stuttgart’s actions."

"Even you two didn’t take any action, which suggests that you have been kept in the dark as well."

As Rayne spoke, he scanned the room.

He noticed that apart from the two elderly wizards who were Crystal Apex Mages, there were six or seven other Crystal-tier wizards, over thirty Liquid-tier wizards, and more than a hundred Vaporization-tier wizards.

This was a formidable force by any standard, demonstrating the strength and depth of a large wizard school.

"To be honest, since Stuttgart ascended to Dawn Wizard, we have had little involvement in the school’s affairs. Otherwise, we would have discovered these issues earlier", the elderly wizard with gray hair said.

"What’s the point of saying this? The Isodrial Academy will likely be removed from the list of major wizard schools this time", the elderly wizard with a mustache observed, looking around the room with a sigh.

"This is inevitable. Just as dynasties change, wizard schools also rise and fall. However, Your Excellency Rayne, the Isodrial Academy may no longer have the capability to guard the Cyrodiil Plateau."

"Please inform the empire’s higher-ups of this. Of course, we will also proactively apply to the empire."

Rayne did not respond immediately to the elderly wizard’s words. Instead, he thought for a moment before asking, "By the way, I heard you were collecting minerals. Given your specialization in earth wizardry, you shouldn’t need so many rare minerals, right?"

"Your Excellency Rayne, it’s like this: a few years ago, the Aberrant Spider Swarm began to spread across the Cyrodiil Plateau. Dealing with these spider swarms is no easy task, and even our school suffered significant casualties."

"Our library contains many blueprints for constructs, so we tried using puppets to combat the Aberrant Spider Swarm. However, both rock and clay puppets were less effective than Metal Golems."

"I see", Rayne nodded.

At the same time, a more mature plan was forming in his mind.

He had just taken a look around and noticed that the wizards of the Isodrial Academy had a strong sense of loyalty to their school. Even after this incident, it would be difficult to directly integrate them into the Bishu Construct Guild.

Moreover, such a move could not be forced. Even if it were possible, it would likely lead to conflicts and disputes between the new members and the original wizards of the Bishu Construct Guild, which would go against his initial intentions.

Now, it seemed that forming a guild-like association for constructs and mechanical creations would be a better approach. This could gradually win them over and divide their loyalties. When the time was right, everything would fall into place naturally.

"I think the Isodrial Academy doesn’t need to relocate. I’ve been planning to establish a guild for mechanical and construct creations, sharing knowledge and defending together. Currently, the Bishu Construct Guild is already part of this", Rayne said.

"If you agree to join, with a mutual defense agreement in place, I believe that threats from the Tuttesh Academy or any other sources won’t be a problem. I will visit the Cyrodiil Plateau from time to time."

The two elderly wizards, known as 'living fossils,' immediately understood Rayne’s intentions upon hearing the first part of his statement. This wasn’t just a guild; it was clearly a mutual defense organization. Smaller and medium-sized wizard schools often preferred such arrangements.

Additionally, the Isodrial Academy no longer had a Dawn Wizard, so if they joined, Rayne would naturally take the lead.

However, Rayne’s final words brightened the eyes of the two elderly wizards.

While they could relocate, the school had suffered a significant blow, and many old enemies might take advantage of their weakened state. After all, as a major wizard school, they had numerous interests and conflicts in various areas. With their strength greatly reduced, it was almost certain that others would try to capitalize on their misfortune.

And Rayne's proposal was like offering them a safe haven.

Additionally, the Isodrial Academy had been established on the Cyrodiil Plateau for a thousand years, making it their homeland. Naturally, most of the wizards there were reluctant to leave.

"Great!"

"Joint defense? Shared knowledge of constructs?"

Before the two elder wizards could agree, the wizards from the Isodrial Academy were already discussing excitedly.

The two elder wizards exchanged a glance and then bowed to Rayne, respectfully saying, "This is indeed a great opportunity. On behalf of the Isodrial Academy, we are willing to join the Construct Association led by Lord Rayne."

"Hmm, very good", Rayne nodded, a smile on his face.

In fact, he had another goal: to use constructs to counter the numerical advantage of the Aberrant Spider Swarm controlled by the eldritch deity Nayubrekkan.

The number of wizards from the Bishu Construct Guild alone was far from enough, but with the addition of the Isodrial Academy wizards, and each equipped with several constructs for sweeping and reconnaissance, they should be able to clear out these aberrant spiders that excel at building nests underground in no time.

Additionally, this method should gradually reveal the location of the secret school, Tuttesh, allowing them to completely eliminate the threat.

He hoped that the enemy would provide some more surprises when the time came.

At that moment, the giant dirigible in the sky was approaching and began to slowly descend.

Several high-ranking officials from the empire descended the gangway one by one, led by Elder Ivan, whom Rayne had met before, followed by Pantoskoc, Marshal Alfred, and another marshal whom Rayne did not recognize.

Seeing this, the wizards of the Isodrial Academy were taken aback, assuming that these officials had come to cause them trouble.

However, they soon realized that things were not as they had expected.

Before Elder Ivan could speak, Pantoskoc glanced around at the cratered landscape and the mountain-like corpse of the golon giant, his emotions running high.

"Lord Rayne, you've gone too far. Regardless of who is right or wrong, did you consider the possibility that your battle with Stuttgart could destroy the city of Nelheim?"

"By the way, where is Stuttgart?" Pantoskoc suddenly thought of something and looked around, asking.

"This is the Stuttgart you mentioned", Rayne pointed to the charred body on the ground nearby.

"What! You actually killed him, Rayne!" Pantoskoc was both shocked and pleased.

He was shocked by Rayne's incredible strength. Even if Pantoskoc himself might be slightly stronger than Stuttgart, defeating Stuttgart in the Isodrial Academy's stronghold would be extremely difficult.

He was also pleased because Rayne's reckless actions would undoubtedly result in the loss of Stuttgart's candidacy for Imperial Guardian, a position that Pantoskoc had coveted.

Even if Elder Ivan or even Princess Menya tried to intervene, there would be no chance of reversing the decision.

Before Rayne could respond, Meyer Lane, a marshal in the Imperial Military Department, shouted, "Lord Rayne, what you did is a blatant disregard for the laws of the empire!"

"Do you realize that Stuttgart has long been stationed on the Cyrodiil Plateau, safeguarding the empire's borders, and has earned great honors? And you just killed him like that, it's..."

However, Marshal Meyer noticed that the Isodrial Academy wizards were looking at him with a strange expression.

It was the same look that normal people give to someone they think is insane.

Realizing something was amiss, Marshal Meyer's voice trailed off, and he finally stopped speaking, looking around in confusion.

"Cough, this marshal", an elderly wizard with gray hair stepped forward and said.

He then glanced at Rayne, as if seeking confirmation that Rayne did not mind him speaking on his behalf, before continuing, "Our headmaster, Stuttgart, colluded with the Tuttesh Academy, endangering the empire's security. Lord Rayne thwarted his plans. Moreover, Stuttgart was not killed by Lord Rayne but by Graham's dagger."

Elder Ivan, Marshal Alfred, pantoskoc, and Meyer all looked stunned upon hearing these words.

"What! How is this possible!" Meyer shouted in shock.

"So, according to you, Rayne is not only blameless but has actually done a service?"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" pantoskoc's face turned ashen as he shook his head repeatedly.

Faced with the questioning of an imperial guardian, the two old wizards from Isodrial Academy exchanged glances, momentarily at a loss as to what had transpired, and then turned their gaze to Rayne.

Rayne simply waved his hand, signaling for them to ignore the commotion.

This only reinforced pantoskoc's belief that Rayne had relied on brute force to kill Stuttgart and then forced the remaining Isodrial Academy wizards to submit to him.

After all, pantoskoc had done something similar in the past, so it was natural for him to think along these lines.

"I believe Sir Rayne is not a bloodthirsty person. We will soon uncover the truth by investigating the claims made by Sir Rayne and the two Isodrial Academy wizards", Marshal Alfred said solemnly.

"This arrangement is quite reasonable", Elder Ivan nodded in agreement.

Rayne, of course, had no objections. He calmly addressed pantoskoc and Meyer, "I hope the two of you don't just say 'impossible.' Also, I advise you that even if it's slander, you need evidence, not just empty words."

"You—" pantoskoc's expression turned sour.

Soon, the elite soldiers quickly checked the entire area. Before long, a group of soldiers returned with various spider corpses, reporting, "My lords, these are the bodies of aberrant spiders we found in the ground holes."

"These are not native to the Cyrodiil Plateau. They match the intelligence reports, indicating they were secretly bred by Tuttesh Academy."

"So, Tuttesh Academy has invaded this place?" Marshal Alfred asked.

"I also sensed the aura of an eldritch deity", Elder Ivan's face grew serious as he entered the core of the battle site.

As more evidence came to light, it became clear that Stuttgart had indeed colluded with Tuttesh Academy. This meant that Rayne was not only blameless but had actually done a great service. This realization left pantoskoc and Marshal Meyer's faces as black as the bottom of a pot.

The two of them stood silently on the side.

"It seems Sir Rayne has successfully thwarted a plot by Tuttesh Academy against the empire's Cyrodiil Plateau, safeguarding the security of Nelheim", Marshal Alfred said.

"Furthermore, he has slain Stuttgart, who was controlled by an eldritch deity, as well as another Demon Avatar", Marshal Alfred added with a smile.

"Elder Ivan, I believe Sir Rayne's strength and contributions are sufficient to qualify him as an imperial guardian. I suggest the Senate waive his probationary period", Marshal Alfred said, looking at Elder Ivan.

"Hold it!"

"Even if Sir Rayne's thwarting of Tuttesh Academy's plot is true, I still have doubts about the claims of slaying two Demon Avatars", pantoskoc said sternly.

He had not seen Rayne in a long time and still had the impression of Rayne as a recently ascended Dawn Wizard.

Of course, the most important factor was Rayne's current aura, which was highly deceptive.

Rayne, affected by Donok's venom, exhibited only a Mid-Dawnbreak level of psi energy. While this was impressive, it was not enough to intimidate pantoskoc.

However, pantoskoc was becoming increasingly wary of Rayne's rapid improvement in strength!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end