Wizards begin by accessing the Inspiration panel.

Chapter 160 Tension

Since they only had one wildebeest, Richard and Stephena bought three more at the wizarding markets along the way, two wildebeest each, and galloped on.

Finally, after traveling almost non-stop for a day and a half, the two arrived at the stronghold of the three academies located near the Norman Secret Realm.

Upon entering the stronghold, Richard noticed a large number of wizard apprentices from the three major academies. Although the flow of people was constant, everyone's expression was rather solemn.

Richard and Stephanie immediately decided to split up and gather information separately before meeting up again.

Richard planned to directly find a few wizard apprentices who were also from the Ignis school and inquire about the situation.

Just as he stepped forward, he unexpectedly saw a familiar figure. Upon closer inspection, it was indeed Ram. Clearly, if Ram was here, Courtney must be nearby as well.

"Richard, you're really alright!" Ram's joy was palpable.

Richard smiled slightly and said, "Ram, what are you doing here?"

"Aren't the quests in the Norman Secret Realm only available to wizard apprentices of level two or above?" Richard asked curiously.

"Haha, Courteney and I have no intention of entering the secret realm. We're just setting up a stall within the base."

"By the way, Richard, are you here on a rescue mission? That makes sense, Ophelia and Andrea are both your friends, but it's actually quite dangerous inside!" Ram said with a worried look.

"What? Ophelia and Andrea are both inside?" Richard was shocked. He never expected that his few friends were trapped in the Norman Secret Realm.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries and casual conversation, Richard quickly grasped the situation to a fairly good extent.

After Richard and Stephena met again and exchanged information, Richard had a basic understanding of the situation.

In fact, since the night elf raid in the Norman Secret Realm three days ago, apart from a few wizard apprentices who managed to escape and deliver some useful information,

As of now, there has been no new information.

No news is obviously the worst news!

This suggests that the exit from the Norman Secret Realm has been cut off by the Dark Night faction.

After all, it was impossible for the other side to kill all the wizard apprentices in the Norman Secret Realm in just a few days.

Although, after the incident, the official wizards at the outpost recruited twenty third-level wizard apprentices to enter the Norman Secret Realm for support under the guise of an emergency wartime mission.

However, since this group of people was sent in, there has been no new information coming out.

Now, in the eyes of all the wizard apprentices in the stronghold, the Norman Secret Realm is like a giant crocodile with its jaws wide open, ready to devour their flesh and blood at any moment.

However, Richard didn't notice that while he and Stephanie were discussing things, several pairs of eyes were already watching him.

If he had noticed the insignia on the chest of the other person's apprentice robe, he would have known that the people staring at him included both people from the Academy of Gurus and wizard apprentices from the Ring of North.

Richard currently only knows that the Night Elves who launched the ambush were the elite Spider Knights, or more precisely, a well-organized Spider Knights unit of three to five people. They seem to have some special method to locate, communicate, and gather a certain number of people in the secret realm.

This means that the situation in the Norman Secret Realm is extremely dire.

Because the wizarding apprentices of the three academies are mostly scattered, while the other side is organized and in groups.

Therefore, it is said that the high-ranking wizards have begun to think of ways to study the location problem within the secret realm.

However, this may still take a few days.

Currently, the top-tier Level 3 wizard apprentices drawn from the three academies have mostly arrived, but the formal wizards have yet to reach a consensus.

Stephena, through her personal charm, seemed to have quickly made contact with a powerful third-level wizard apprentice within the stronghold, who was said to be a service worker at the wizards' meetings.

According to him, some formal wizards suggested that sending top-tier level three wizard apprentices in was too risky, as one person might face an attack from multiple people.

In that case, even top-tier level three wizard apprentices would be in a very unfavorable situation if they went in.

This is equivalent to teleporting elite, top-tier level three wizard apprentices one by one into the enemy squad, each facing the enemy team alone. So, apart from a very few who happen to be teleported to a relatively close range and are able to quickly unite and fight back, there are exceptions.

Most of the remaining top-tier level three wizard apprentices will likely meet a tragic end!

Then the whole plan became a piecemeal tactic!

However, another group of formal wizards said that if they waited until the academy developed a method to communicate within the secret realm before sending top-tier level three wizard apprentices in, it would likely be too late.

At that point, going in won't be about providing aid, but about collecting corpses.

The high priest currently in charge is also hesitant.

Among the wizarding apprentices trapped in the Norman Secret Realm, there are many promising second and third-level wizarding apprentices from the three major academies.

In addition, there are many outstanding direct and collateral descendants of wizarding families.

If all of them were lost, it would be an unbearable pain for the three academies!

Therefore, although nearly a hundred top-notch level three wizard apprentices have arrived at the stronghold, they have yet to set off.

Upon hearing this, Richard understood that the decision-makers at the top were hesitant due to the unclear situation within the secret realm, but he was still quite annoyed by their inaction.

At least a small number of elite troops should be sent in first to give hope to the apprentices trapped in the secret realm!

However, he is currently just an apprentice and cannot influence high-level decisions, but he can choose to rescue the person himself.

A short while later, Richard and Stephena replenished their supplies and arrived near the teleportation array in the central square of the stronghold.

A six-pointed star magic array was seen on a platform half a meter high, its light flickering. The once bustling scene of people coming and going in the secret realm was now deserted.

Two wizard apprentices in charge were chatting idly.

"Excuse me, is this the teleportation array to enter the Norman Secret Realm?" Richard glanced at the markings on the two men's chests, which read "Norse Ring" and "Level 3 Wizard Apprentice of Gurus Academy," respectively.

The two wizard apprentices were immediately astonished that someone would dare to venture into the Norman Secret Realm at this juncture, and they looked up at Richard and his companion.

Instantly, the graceful and beautiful Stephania caught their attention.

A third-level wizard apprentice sat up straight and coughed, saying, "Ahem, are you two unaware of the events that have occurred in the Norman Secret Realm?"

"Know."

"You knew that, yet you still went?"

Richard nodded and asked, "Has the three major academies already shut down the teleportation arrays?"

"No, not at all."

"Are you really going in? State your name, academy, and level of strength." The third-level wizard apprentice was speechless for a moment, and immediately shook his head.

He couldn't persuade someone who wanted to die.

"Name: Richard. Affiliation: Ignis School. As for strength..."

Richard glanced at the Ignis School Level 2 Wizard Apprentice mark on his chest and said, "Uh, Level 2 Wizard Apprentice."

The third-level wizard apprentice from Gurus Academy, who was in charge of recording, was stunned. He widened his eyes and said, "You, a second-level wizard apprentice, are you courting death by going into the secret realm now?"

He waved his hand impatiently and said, "Get out of here."

Richard rubbed his nose and said, "Is there a rule now that prohibits second-level wizard apprentices from entering the Norman Secret Realm?"

This question left the other person speechless.

The other party was immediately taken aback, thinking to themselves, "There really isn't such a rule."

However, that's because the three academies don't need to forbid it; wizard apprentices will spontaneously seek good fortune and avoid disaster. Now, which wizard apprentice in the stronghold would dare to enter the Norman Secret Realm?

It's rare to see someone so clueless and lacking in self-awareness.

What a pity for this beautiful follower.

Immediately, the third-level wizard apprentice, speechless after being choked by Richard, felt a surge of anger and thought to himself, "Since you want to die, then I can't control you."

"That female student also needs to register."

"Uh, she's my follower!" Richard said to avoid trouble.

The third-level wizard apprentice was stunned for a moment, then immediately shook his head. It was a pity that such a beautiful woman was about to perish in the secret realm.

According to regulations, followers do not need to register.

"Teleport to the Norman Secret Realm. The teleportation fee is 20 magic stones per person, and 40 magic stones for two people!" he said businesslike.

After paying the teleportation fee, Richard and Stephanie stepped onto the teleportation array. With a flash of dazzling blue light, they disappeared from the teleportation array!

Immediately, the several pairs of eyes that had been staring at Richard were stunned. They hadn't expected that their target had actually been teleported into the Norman Secret Realm!

At first, they thought the target was just coming to the teleportation array to inquire about relevant information, but unexpectedly, they were teleported directly into the secret realm.

Doesn't the target know what the situation is like in the Norman Secret Realm right now?

The shocked informants then reported the news up the chain of command.

Not long after, the wizard Gildas also learned that Richard had arrived at the stronghold and had actually chosen to enter the Norman Secret Realm at this particular time. Gildas was taken aback when he heard this news.

-

Half an hour later.

Inside the base's meeting hall.

Grand Wizard Graf of the Ignis School sat at the head of the table in the center, while on either side of the long table sat the official wizards of the three major academies. A quick glance revealed at least twenty official wizards in attendance.

At this moment, because the wizards belonged to three different necromancer academies and were not subordinate to each other, they were expressing their opinions and making a noisy commotion.

This made Graf frown and his face darken.

He happens to be the rotating guardian wizard for the three academy strongholds of the Norman Secret Realm this month.

As a guardian wizard, he doesn't actually need to be responsible for the miscellaneous tasks within the stronghold; those tasks are handled by his subordinate wizards. He only needs to defend the stronghold when the enemy launches an attack on it.

If the enemy is weak, counterattack directly; if the enemy is strong, hold your position in the large defensive formation and wait for reinforcements.

It's a high-ranking and powerful position, but it's also a relatively leisurely one.

But he never expected his luck to be so bad. As his one-month term was about to end, a huge change suddenly occurred in the Norman Secret Realm!

The Spider Knights launched a planned and organized raid on the Norman Secret Realm, killing and wounding a large number of wizard apprentices.

Now, he felt like he was being roasted over a fire, because the number of wizard apprentices from the three major academies trapped in the Norman Secret Realm was at least a thousand.

Moreover, they were almost all elite students from the three major academies.

These wizard apprentices are not only quite promising, but also have complex interpersonal relationships behind them. Among them, he also has a promising third-level wizard apprentice disciple who is currently trapped in the Norman Secret Realm.

Therefore, if he mishandles something, he himself will be impeached by the joint council.

Graf slammed his fist on the long table twice and said, "Alright, everyone, quiet! We'll begin in turn, each of us giving our opinions. Linda, you'll start."

Upon hearing Grand Wizard Graf speak, the entire conference room fell silent.

In the wizarding world, strength reigns supreme. The wizards present must give the Second-Level Archmage the respect due to him, even if he is not affiliated with their academy.

"Yes, Archmage Graf!" A voluptuous witch stood up and bowed slightly.

"I believe we must teleport this group of top-tier level three wizard apprentices to the Norman Secret Realm as soon as possible. We can't delay any longer, otherwise it will be too late. The wizard apprentices in the Secret Realm can't hold out for long; any later and they may all die!"

For Linda the Wizard, one of her direct descendants was also trapped in the Norman Secret Realm.

He himself is a junior with excellent wizarding talent, but because of his young age, he is currently only at the level of a second-level wizard apprentice.

This junior went to the Norman Secret Realm merely to gain experience and broaden his horizons; he never expected such a sudden turn of events.

If he, as a junior, were to encounter the Spider Knight in this secret realm, he would likely find it extremely difficult to protect himself.

Therefore, she definitely hopes that this batch of top-tier level three wizard apprentices can form a rescue team and be deployed to the Norman Secret Realm as soon as possible.

"Witch Linda, I disagree with your opinion!" Another gaunt witch immediately stood up and retorted.

"Top-tier third-level wizarding apprentices are extremely valuable talents in all our colleges. We spend a great deal of time and effort training them."

"The situation in the Norman Secret Realm is currently unclear, but it's obvious the Night Elves were prepared, dispatching a large number of Spider Knights to launch a surprise attack. If we rashly commit this force, it could result in heavy losses for our top-tier Level 3 Wizard Apprentices!"

This gaunt wizard, whose two prized disciples were both top-tier level three wizard apprentices from the North Ring, was also selected for this rescue team.

As his mentor, he certainly didn't want his two disciples, on whom he had placed such high hopes, to be hastily teleported into the Norman Secret Realm and then...

That was it!

(End of this chapter)