Wizards begin with Occlumency.

Chapter 248: A Spy Within a Spy?

"How so?"

The witch Celine immediately turned her head and asked a question.

Everyone in the conference room looked at Wizard Cody.

The atmosphere inadvertently became somewhat complicated.

Everyone was waiting to see what reasons this former wizard Cody—the original leader of the Paro Sage lineage—would give.

Tension, anticipation, and solemnity filled the hearts of everyone.

At this moment, it seems that the relationship between the Cody Wizard lineage and the Paro Sage lineage, which were once inseparable, has reached a watershed.

If what Wizard Cody says next is simply opposition for the sake of opposition, the situation will become very complicated.

Link recalled Tiffany's reply from last night, in which she reminded him to pay attention to the movements of Wizard Cody.

For a moment, he couldn't help but think of Cody's thoughts.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Wizard Cody said leisurely, "I think we should prepare supplies for both sides at the same time. At this critical juncture, let's not rush into splitting up. Transfer all the magic stones and supplies under my name and use them here first."

Celine the Wizard was not overjoyed by Cody's statement.

With a grave expression, she asked, "What about your legion?"

"Cold salad."

Wizard Cody leaned back and said lazily, "Anyway, once I'm promoted, the academy will assign me a legion. At worst, I'll follow Paro's example and command a ragtag legion, then slowly reorganize and train it."

After a pause, Wizard Cody emphasized, "He was willing to cut back on the expenses of building the legion just to help me recover from my injuries, so can't I repay him in some way?"

Everyone present breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing what Wizard Cody said.

It's not about kicking someone when they're down, taking the opportunity to break ties, or severing all ties.

After feeling relieved, many people realized that their earlier worries were just nonsense.

Wizard Cody isn't stupid; why would he do something foolish before the Palo Sages' Legion faces a real life-or-death crisis?

Concern leads to confusion, concern leads to confusion!

Many people use this as an excuse to justify their unfounded worries.

Link intuitively felt that the wizard Cody's reasons for opposing the preparation of only interstellar combat artifacts and supplies were not so simple, but he had no evidence.

Therefore, I can only keep it to myself and investigate it when I have time later.

Celine accepted Cody's suggestion and sincerely thanked him, saying, "Then I'll trouble you, Cody."

"Of course."

Wizard Cody waved his hand, indicating to Wizard Celine not to be polite to him and not to treat him like an outsider.

The meeting then proceeded to focus on procuring supplies for both sides.

Link listened attentively throughout without interrupting.

Link lacked both connections and channels when it came to procuring supplies.

The meeting did not drag on endlessly.

The entire process, from start to finish, should take no more than half an hour, be completed efficiently, and executed decisively.

Wizard Cody didn't stay long and left as soon as the meeting ended.

At Celine's signal, Link didn't leave and stayed.

"Cody has changed."

Moving to the living room, the wizard Celine had her smart butler serve Link a cup of freshly brewed green tea. She held it herself and enjoyed it more and more. Later, she even made milk tea according to her own preferences, and sighed softly.

Link didn't respond to that, he just drank his tea.

Celine the Wizard didn't seem to mind, and instead asked, "Didn't you say yesterday you'd send Jasmine to help me? Where is she?"

"She's in good condition, so I sent her to the cultivation retreat."

Link didn't tell the truth, but his explanation wasn't exactly deceptive.

Jasmine was indeed in perfect condition, possessing an excellent grasp of various knowledge. What she lacked was mental strength, magical power, and experience in combat against a first-level wizard.

A formal wizard-level training dungeon can rapidly increase mental and magical power, and also simulate combat to enhance experience.

"You're really willing to do that."

The witch Celine sighed with a hint of envy.

This was a level of treatment she had never enjoyed back then.

"She helped me a lot, this is just normal reciprocation."

Link explained his reason for giving Jasmine access to the formal wizard-level training realm in this way, without mentioning that he no longer needed to enter the training realm.

"Forget it, I won't interfere in your affairs."

Celine the Wizard waved her hand, took a sip of her milk tea, and changed the subject: "What do you think of the people who came today? Especially Cody. Don't hold back, say whatever you want."

Want to hear the truth?

Link pondered for a moment, then tentatively inquired.

"Of course it's the truth."

The witch Celine rolled her eyes at Link.

For some reason, despite her worries, Celine the Wizard's charm did not diminish; on the contrary, it became even more captivating.

Fortunately, the person sitting opposite her was a gentleman, and Link was able to use "Brain Lock" to firmly control his mind.

Anyone else would probably fall head over heels for Celine the Wizard and be at her beck and call.

Link solemnly stated, "To be honest, they can't rescue Sage Paro."

"well……"

The witch Celine let out a long sigh.

She was well aware of this fact.

Capable men are already in the legion.

The wizard Cody's mind is currently unclear, and even if he were willing to put in a lot of effort to rescue them, he wouldn't be able to do much in his transformation period.

"About the academy..."

She stopped speaking halfway through her sentence and didn't finish.

Link didn't need to hear the whole thing to be able to guess what Celine the Wizard was thinking.

It's just that the academy isn't paying much attention to the fact that the Paro Sage Legion is besieged by the Abyss Demons.

Throughout the entire Rivosos Academy, including both the local and main campuses, there are over two hundred Sage-level Legions within the academy's organization.

At the same time, more than a hundred battlefields were opened up in the heavens.

Almost every month there are one or two reports of setbacks.

If the academy has to rush to rescue any sage legion that encounters even the slightest setback, then what use are these sage legions to the academy?

The purpose of forming these Sage Legions is to expand territory, or at the very least, to defend important resource worlds.

It is impossible to put the cart before the horse and use the academy to protect the Sage Legion.

Emergency rescue will only be launched if the beleaguered Sage Legion is truly in danger of annihilation, or if the benefits are simply too great.

The fact that the Palo Sage Legion was just besieged by the Abyss Demons and that the portal to their rear camp was destroyed does not mean that they have completely severed ties with the Academy.

The fact that they were able to send back messages through special channels proves that they haven't reached a dead end yet, and they can try to break through on their own, or even launch a counterattack.

The witch Celine actually knew these principles as well.

But those are just principles; the witch Celine wasn't so cold-blooded and rational as to think that just because something makes sense, she could ignore it.

"Go ahead and do your thing."

Celine the Wizard was disheartened and did not keep Link any longer.

"Call me anytime if you need anything. I'll come over every day to see how I can help."

Link stood up, left a message, and departed from the North District villa of Celine the Wizard.

Link drove directly to Grand Pharmacy, checked the recent accounts and drug reserves, and then went up to the second-floor drug laboratory.

Instead of developing and refining the medicine, they used their AI to order a batch of intelligent reconnaissance puppets with cross-domain communication capabilities.

They come in various sizes, are amphibious (land, sea, and air), and are equipped with a full range of reconnaissance modes.

A lot of magic stones were spent.

After that, Link began researching, trying to find precedents of two portal-like openings appearing beside the origin of a "small world".

Unfortunately, there is very little information about this, and even if you find a few snippets, the amount of information is limited.

It's better than nothing, but there's actually no progress.

Putting this matter aside for the time being, Link notified Buck and Lynn to come over.

Before long, the two arrived from the advanced academy.

"Boss, what's up?"

Within the group of brothers, Buck's personality became increasingly unconventional, while Lynn became more and more composed. Gradually, the roles of spokesperson and the apparent leader shifted to Lynn.

It was Lynn who issued the inquiry.

"How's the collection of depleted magic stones going?"

After learning about the energy storage device and its function, Link instructed "Freedom to Do Anything" to purchase the depleted magic stones that had run out of magic power.

Originally intended only to power the "Skysock," the addition of two black doorways naturally necessitates a greater acquisition effort.

"Standard Level 1: over 5000; Standard Level 2: over 900."

Lynn gave a less-than-ideal figure, then explained, "The academy, various families, the black market, and some organizations are all looking to buy depleted magic stones, but they can't engage in price wars, so the acquisitions are quite difficult."

The common practice of price wars is to sell at low prices, which is profitable.

Buying depleted magic stones at high prices, even if they have a legitimate use, is a completely foolish act.

Link wasn't impatient for quick results; he simply instructed, "Deliver the ones that have already been acquired to the lakeside villa this afternoon. Once you get back, mobilize more manpower, especially in the western district."

"clear."

Lynn knew that the big boss must have something to do and needed a large number of depleted magic stones, so he didn't refuse and immediately agreed.

After thinking for a moment, Lynn tentatively asked, "Should we give those five more spots?"

The so-called quota is actually a "fairy" potion.

One tree cannot make a forest. With only five low-level thugs, they could at most "dominate" one or two remote streets in the West District.

If they dared to go to a densely populated area with a bit more lucrative opportunities, the five thugs wouldn't even know how they died.

They merely improved the wizards' aptitudes, not their strength.

"Can."

Link also wanted to try the newly optimized "Fairy" potion.

After some consideration, I decided to also use the "empowerment" agent to create some case studies and collect some data.

He then said, "Tell them that I have another potion that can boost their strength in a short time, but the price is that it will consume too much of their potential and limit their future potential."

"They got off too easily."

Buck suddenly spoke up, "They didn't have much of a future anyway, so they'd love to improve their strength."

This is the truth.

Link didn't respond, but gestured for Buck and Lynn to carry out the two tasks.

After pacing around the pharmaceutical lab for a while, Link pondered the premonition that Jasmine had mentioned yesterday.

This is really strange.

Up to now, Link himself has no intuition or premonition about this.

"Could it be that it will be moved?"

Just as he was lost in thought, his personal AI device started vibrating.

The ordered cross-border intelligent reconnaissance puppet has been delivered to the villa in the North District, and the butler Hamid has inspected it on his behalf.

Link then left Grand Pharmacy and drove back to his villa.

Link instructed his butler, Hamid, to send the cross-dimensional intelligent reconnaissance puppet to the witchcraft laboratory on the third basement level, and then activated the villa's highest level of security.

"Flandre, get to work."

Link put all 20 cross-dimensional intelligent reconnaissance puppets of varying sizes into his "small world," then sat up straight, ready for battle.

"Yes, sir."

In the "small world," Flandre moved the cross-dimensional intelligent reconnaissance puppet to the side of the source, in front of the black doorway.

These puppets have automatically split into two groups of 10 each.

Flandre put on the holographic glasses that connected to the 10 reconnaissance puppets on the left, and with her special AI, she controlled the puppets to enter the black doorway on the left one by one.

With the "Sky Shuttle" at his disposal, Link must always carry depleted magic stones, which he can convert into energy storage magic stones using an energy storage device during interstellar travel.

Acquiring through "freedom to do anything" is just one channel.

After the manufacturer of the "Hummingbird" class starships sent the energy storage device, Link exchanged it with the wizard Celine for a batch of depleted magic stones.

The black doorway on the left is being supplied with energy-storing magic stones converted from this batch of depleted magic stones.

The source energy of the "small world" is too precious to be wasted unless absolutely necessary.

Link shares Flandre's perspective and is prepared to act at any time to deal with unforeseen emergencies.

Ten reconnaissance dummy units transmitted real-time images in sequence.

On the left, a black doorway leads to a vast, empty space with no frame of reference.

Some traces of battle can still be seen, a tiny fragment of an abyssal demon limb that has not been dissolved, and the remnants of a large and complex high-level rune array.

"Master, this place looks like the boundary of the 'Small World'."

While Flandre controlled 10 reconnaissance golems to spread out and try to find other clues, she spoke to Link in his mind.

"It's not just like it, this is the boundary of a certain world."

Link had a vague guess in his mind, but he wasn't sure yet, so he didn't say it.

"Oh! Really?"

Flandre tilted her head and asked curiously, "But how can the 'small world' be connected to the boundary walls of other worlds? Master, what's going on?"

"It's not certain yet."

Link replied, "Flandre, let these 10 reconnaissance golems roam freely. Report back if they make any important discoveries. You go and control the other 10 and enter the doorway on the right."

"Yes, sir."

Flandre responded sweetly, and after a few maneuvers, switched to a pair of holographic glasses and a dedicated AI, controlling another 10 reconnaissance puppets to enter the black doorway.

"The master and madam are right, the master just likes to keep things mysterious."

While controlling the device, Flandre pouted and muttered complaints.

This time, it wasn't spoken from Link's heart, but said directly.

It was as if Link wouldn't be able to hear it that way.

"Flandre, I heard you."

Link suppressed a laugh and gently reminded him.

"So what if I heard it? Did Flandre say anything wrong? Master just likes to keep things mysterious."

Flandre blinked her big eyes, speaking with an air of self-righteousness.

Link remained silent.

Soon, real-time images of the 10 reconnaissance dummy units were transmitted back.

The first thing that caught Link's eye was the familiar emerald green.

"As expected, these two doorways connect to the fairy world."

After confirming his guess repeatedly, Link stopped keeping it a secret and revealed his conjecture.

"Huh? This really is the fairy world!"

Although Flandre did not appear in the fairy world, she still saw the scenery of the "outside world" through Link's perspective when Link was carrying out a reconnaissance mission deep behind enemy lines.

I have some understanding of the unique landscape features of the fairy world.

After being reminded by Link, he immediately recognized it.

"Sir, what should we do next?"

Flandre asked excitedly, "Should we send Flandre over to check things out?"

"No rush, let the reconnaissance puppet investigate the surrounding area first."

Link rejected the playful and generous Flandre's suggestion and decided to play it safe.

"All right."

Flandre pouted and agreed.

After the third upgrade of "Little World", Flandre became increasingly unrestrained in expressing her emotions.

For Link, this is a good thing.

From beginning to end, Link never treated Flandre as a Tower Spirit, an artificial intelligence.

Instead, they treated Flandre as a real human being.

Even though Flandre's original appearance was more like that of a fairy or a little elf.

"Flandre, keep an eye on things and report to the master immediately if you find anything."

After confirming that there was no danger, Link decided not to stay any longer.

He has other important matters to attend to.

"Go, go."

Flandre muttered with a hint of disdain, "The master and mistress weren't wrong; the master is always away from home. Alas, poor master and mistress, they're alone in their empty bed every night, so lonely!"

Upon hearing this, Link remained silent.

Just how many bad things did Jasmine say about him?

Aren't you afraid of leading Flandre astray?

"Naughty."

Focusing his mental energy, Link gently tapped Flandre's head and severed his real-time connection with the "small world".

Flandre, who had abandoned the AI ​​and was covering her head with her hands, looking aggrieved, continued to monitor the fairy world across the doorway on the right.

After leaving the underground witchcraft laboratory on the third floor, Link went to his study and carefully considered the matter for nearly half an hour before making a decision through gritted teeth.

He picked up his personal smart device and sent a request for a meeting to the dean, whom he had only met once.

This operation carries considerable risk.

A dean is like a celestial body in the night sky, possessing a powerful gravitational pull that attracts and gathers all sorts of people and events.

In traditional astronomy, this phenomenon was described as the "Roche limit".

If Lin Keruo has too much contact with the dean, he will be like those small celestial bodies, being randomly captured when passing by large celestial bodies and getting caught up in one trouble after another.

However, Link believed that this risk was necessary.

The more you think about something, the more something seems off.

Not long after, the dean replied to Link, telling him to go to the dean's office now.

Link didn't dare to delay and immediately drove straight to the administration building of the Advanced Academy at top speed.

He drove the Phantom Coupe at 8x the speed of sound.

If it weren't for the academy's rule that the speed limit for private vehicles is 8 times the speed of sound, Link could push the Phantom Coupe to its maximum performance and reach 12 times the speed of sound!

A 3rd-ring wizard-grade vehicle, a custom-made version, is not just for getting around.

Many first-level wizards could spend their entire lives without accumulating enough magic stones to buy a "Phantom Coupe".

"Thump, thump, thump."

In just ten minutes, Link arrived outside the dean's office and gently knocked on the door.

"Enter."

The dean's highly recognizable, magnetic baritone voice rang out.

"Hello, Dean."

Link pushed open the door, walked to the desk, and greeted everyone politely.

"sit."

The dean gestured for a chair, his attitude warm and friendly. "What brings you here? Don't be shy, relax."

"Yes."

Link smiled and agreed, then asked seriously, "Dean, I would like to ask, if a 'small world' devours and digests the soul of a top-tier being with a level 5 upper limit, will it create an interdimensional portal to that world?"

"That's interesting."

The dean already had some expectations, and upon hearing Link's question, his interest grew even stronger. He smiled and said...

"It turns out that the new generation of fairy kings, who were deeply favored by the will of the fairy world and assigned to Paro to conquer by the academy, were actually killed by you."

No wonder Paro's report didn't mention the Fairy King's specific cause of death, only stating that the time of death was certain, but the location and cause of death were unknown.

After a pause, the dean asked curiously, "You didn't tell Paro about this?"

Link replied earnestly, "I haven't found the right opportunity yet."

"Well……"

Having satisfied his curiosity, the dean returned to normal, no longer asking Link how he had killed the Fairy King's soul, but instead answering Link's questions.

"Although the new generation of fairy kings has not yet grown into level 5 extraordinary beings, they have already borne enough favor from the will of the fairy world."

If he dies in the fairy world, these blessings will naturally return to the fairy world.

If you killed the Fairy King's soul yourself, these favors will slowly return to the fairy world through a mechanism that is not yet fully understood.

But according to what you said, a 'small world' in its growth stage devoured and digested the Fairy King's soul, and this 'small world' would naturally establish a connection with the Fairy World.

The creation of a channel that allows for interdimensional teleportation is just the beginning.

Subsequently, it may even form a closer connection and play an even more amazing role.

for example……"

At this point, the dean suddenly paused, chuckled, and seemed to have thought of something even more interesting:

"For example, even if your 'little world' has not yet grown big enough, it can still help you advance to the rank of Great Sage through close connection with the fairy world."

This is an opportunity Waters has been longing for!

Advancing to the rank of Great Sage is too far away for Link at the moment.

Link asked the main reason for this adventure: "Could I use this passage to contact the trapped Sage of Paro and send supplies?"

"sure."

The dean frowned slightly and asked in confusion, "What are you worried about?"

Link didn't hide anything and expressed his true concerns: "The academy's attitude toward the Lucia family has left me somewhat confused, hesitant, and even fearful."

The academy surprisingly did not take many severe punitive measures against a traitorous family that leaked the world coordinates of the Sage-level Legion's encampment.

Not only did they "allow" the core members of the Lucia family to transfer to the University of Mesopotamia, but they also confiscated the assets that they couldn't transfer in time. As for those family members who did not transfer, they were only imprisoned without any public punishment.

This forced Link to consider things more carefully.

"About this matter..."

After a moment of contemplation, the dean, considering Link's commendable behavior and attitude in not seeking out the wizard Celine and others privately after discovering the passage to the fairy world, but instead bypassing the academy and directly assisting the Palo Sage Legion, decided to provide a clearer explanation.

He waved his hand, and the entire dean's office entered a very special state.

It felt like an office suspended in a bubble within the Wizarding World, rather than actually existing within it.

In this way, unless the other party's strength and level far exceed that of the Dean, the conversations taking place here will not be overheard by anyone.

"These words I spoke have entered your ears. If they are leaked and bring you disaster, don't blame me for not warning you beforehand."

The dean first gave a warning, and then said,

"This is a setup."

The defection of the core members of the Rukia family and the siege of the Paro Sage Legion by the Abyss Demons were both sacrifices made voluntarily by them.

This was to send a signal to the outside world that the alliance between our college and the University of Mesopotamia has been impacted.

Going forward, our academy will take further steps to attract the attention of the Michelle district and other wizarding organizations, including the Michelle Great Sage Tower.

Let them focus their attention on our college and gradually ignore the University of Mesopotamia.

Do you understand what I'm saying?

Link nodded: "Understood. In other words, whatever we do to rescue the Paro Sage Legion will not affect the academy's grand plan."

"You can understand it that way too."

The dean's lips curled into a meaningful smile. "No wonder Paro has mentioned to me several times that you're a little rascal."

"what?"

Link was taken aback. "The Dean and Sage Paro have a good relationship?"

The dean chuckled, "Without my support, would Paro dare to clash so fiercely with the Lionel family?"

"Okay, I see."

Link sighed and answered another question.

And finally, they found the true boss of this lineage.

(End of this chapter)