Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

Lyle raised his head as his body trembled uncontrollably.

Two golden pupils, like car headlights, and rugged black skin, like mountain rocks, emerged from the darkness as the behemoth peeked out. Black, curved horns grew from the back of its head, and the wind from its breath, passing through its sharp teeth, blew onto Lyle.

A giant dragon?

Chapter 134 The Dragon Priests

There's no mistake, this is a dragon.

The moment Lyle was stared at by those yellow eyes, he felt his heart was about to explode. The dragon's breath created a warm breeze that evaporated the cold sweat on Lyle's body, bringing a chill.

The dragon raised its forepaws and gripped the cracks in the stone slabs, causing the stones to creak and groan.

His enormous head drew closer and closer. Nia couldn't withstand the pressure and crawled out from Lyle's body, only to shrink back behind him the next second after she waved her hand.

The terrifying dragon's kiss was less than half a meter away from the tip of Lyle's mask's beak.

"There is no threat."

Lyle felt like a piece of ham in a food processing plant that had been given a safety label and escaped being destroyed on the spot.

A soft hum.

Dust blew from the dragon's nostrils, like sandcastles being blown away by a hurricane; the dragon's body turned into dust and crumbled.

To Lyle's surprise, a hunched old man in a black robe appeared in his line of sight. He gripped a long, thin, black cane with a knot at the top; the cane was too long for his short stature, and he could only grasp the lower half. His spine was bent into a semi-circle, and the deformed bones were easily visible from the front. His head only reached Lyle's waist; to see Lyle's head, one had to crane one's neck and maintain a distance.

Lyle maintained a high level of respect for him, because his aura was exactly the same as that of the dragon from before. Lyle was still kneeling, his trembling legs showing no intention of standing up, and he even bent down to make the old man before him more comfortable.

Beneath his tattered black robe was a strange black mask.

"Intruder?"

A loud voice echoed in the dark space.

Behind the masked old man, a stocky, short man emerged. His robe was covered in coal dust and iron filings; only at the edges of the filthy robe could one barely discern its original red color—just like the color of the strange, reddish-copper mask on his face.

"Perhaps he just stumbled in unintentionally, after all, that 'door' wasn't complicated."

A beam of green light entered; she was like a moving forest. Her slender figure could be seen beneath her thin dress, as fragile as the uncertainty in her words. She waved to Lyle, like a flower blooming from a wand on a tender branch. If it weren't for the green mask, Lyle would have seen her smile.

"No matter who he is, he has to leave this place."

It was a beautiful voice, like snowflakes falling from a flawless mountain peak, though the coldness and indifference in its words were enough to wound. A tall figure appeared with the sound of footsteps, coldly glancing at Lyle before bowing to the hunched, black-clad old man. Even this humble greeting sounded arrogant under her aura, like a stepmother to Snow White… or an ice queen. Her white mask was the only one that was rounded and without sharp edges. “Expel him, Omhead.”

“Why don’t we listen to what he has to say before making a decision? Principes, you’re still as impulsive as ever.” A calm, gentle voice spoke. The last person to emerge from the shadows was also the tallest. He wore a navy blue robe trimmed with gold thread, and beneath an exquisitely knitted hood was the familiar blue mask that Lyle knew so well.

"Scholar? Teacher?" Yes, the last person happened to be a scholar.

"Another Andrei?"

"The one you brought, Morokui?"

"It's all in vain, as you know, Morokui. No one else in this world will ever be qualified."

The silent old man in black robes tapped the floor with his cane, and the dull thud silenced his companions. He first stared at Lyle, scrutinizing him closely. "Weak, and without the aura of a dragon soul." Then he turned to look at the tall scholar. Lyle estimated the angle; disregarding other sensory methods, his gaze roughly reached the scholar's abdomen.

"Can you keep our existence a secret, my brother?"

“Absolutely, Brother Omhead, I believe the arrival of the Plague Doctor is absolutely for good reason.”

“Alright.” The old man, exuding an imposing aura, turned back to Lyle.

"Perhaps you've already heard about us from Morokoi. We were once the followers of dragons, also known as dragon priests. What is your purpose here, human child?"

Lyle swallowed hard. This old man, having confirmed that they were allies, didn't even bother to tone down his arrogance.

"I'm sorry to bother you. I've come here to ask for advice on how to rescue my friend, the mermaid Vena."

“Say it again, who do you want to save?” Omhead didn’t reply. It was the cold Principes who spoke. She walked up to Lyle, looking down at him. The air pressure around them dropped significantly, and snowflakes began to condense.

"My friend, the mermaid Vena."

"What happened to Vena!"

Her questioning sounded more like a threat. White ice blades sculpted around him, and Lyle found that he had lost all feeling in his legs and was frozen in the ice.

This chilling cold lasted only a moment.

Principes was dragged away from Lyle by blue magic.

The red-masked priest reached out and helped Lyle up; a warm current flowed through his body, dispelling the chill.

Lyle, when standing up, was taller than him.

"Thank you, sir."

“Don’t mention it, kid. I’m Freheimer. Please forgive Princip’s rudeness; she’s always been like this.”

The scholar entrusted the task of controlling the volatile sisters to the old man in black robes.

“Continue, Plague Doctor, tell us what happened to Vena.”

“She was being held captive by Mr. Arnoin of Andre College, and she came to me for help, hoping to return to her hometown.”

“Andrei is within your surveillance range, Morokui, you have violated the rules you set. My people have lost their freedom because of your negligence!” Principes did not hide her anger, and the low-pressure gale made the area feel like an ice cellar.

This crazy woman.

Omhead let out a muffled groan, and Princess seemed to be hit by a silent hammer. She fell to her knees, ice crystals scattering all over the ground.

He looked at the scholar.

"Moroki, that's your territory. You need to give Princip a satisfactory answer."

The scholar bowed deeply.

“I understand, brother, I will not let you down.”

"If there are any issues with your identity, you can let me know. I don't mind being the bad guy."

"I won't let things get so bad that you'll have to step in."

"Moroki, you should leave with the plague doctor; saving lives is the priority."

The scholar nodded, then stretched out his hands. Blue magic lines generated between his fingers wove into a plane, eventually becoming a portal that enveloped the two of them.

Chapter 135 Mirror, President of the Magic Research Society

Lyle and the scholar appeared in his dark study.

Ignoring Lyle's hesitation, the scholar opened his wardrobe and began to put on his magic lock equipment.

Lyle listened to the sound of chains wrapping around the scholar as if he were watching a demon spread its wings.

Nia's tentacles intertwined with his body, and Lyle began to feel uneasy, while the scholar was very serious.

"Teacher, should we resort to force directly?"

"No, this is a last resort, but I need to prepare first. I also need to consider how to evade the school's accountability later."

"So what do we do now?"

“Find us a lawyer.” The scholar’s ​​serious reply seemed even more bizarre beneath the mask.

"Huh? What did you just say?"

"When disputes arise, consult a lawyer and seek advice on possible solutions. Tailor your approach to individual needs and make the best use of your resources."

Is something wrong?

With these questions in mind, Lyle and the floating scholar walked onto the streets of Andre Castle.

Before the two stepped out of the portal, the scholar provided details.

"Plague Doctor, until we reach our destination, you must always call me teacher, not my code name, which is scholar."

Lyle nodded. "Why, teacher?"

The scholar looked at the dark portal and seemed to see the passageway on the other side.

"The methods witches use for searching and cursing are all based on names..."

“…I understand, teacher.”

And so, a figure walking on the ground with black tentacles swaying behind it, and a figure floating in the air with silver chains swaying around it, walked down Andrei's passageway like monsters from urban legends.

"Teacher, do you still need to become invisible?"

"To avoid being seen by some familiars."

"Should I shut up and stop communicating?"

“There’s no need for that. They’ll just think of you as a crazy man who talks to himself all night. Their discrimination is just as severe as their worship.”

"..."

The two stopped in a spot that Lyle seemed to recognize.

The fog gate in front of me was as blurry as I had seen it before. The sprayed white fog was like dry ice, with a silver mirror with a jewel-embellished frame condensing in the middle.

They noticed a figure in front of them.

The magic mirror started talking in a very casual way.

"Who dares to bother you, Grandpa Magic Mirror! Whoever you are, if you don't praise Grandpa Magic Mirror to your heart's content tonight, you're not getting into... Teacher?!?!"

The hazy white mist began to dissipate, and the scholar's blue-green mask was reflected on the surface of the magic mirror.

The scholar tapped the mirror with his index finger.

"Mirror, is there some new trend that Andrei doesn't know about? Why are all you company presidents starting to like being a doorman?"

Crack! Crack! The magic mirror was covered in cracks, as if it would shatter into pieces at any moment.

Lyle believed that the Mirror mentioned by the scholar must also be about to crack at this moment.

Then, the hanging magic mirror was smashed to pieces by a white glove that emerged from behind the fog gate.

A masked man dressed entirely in white emerged from the fog gate. He kicked a shard of the magic mirror and bowed to the scholar.