“These… these are all the properties of House Windwhisper—mines, shops, and everything else…” The head of House Windwhisper, drained and frail, handed over his family’s wealth to Daniel.
He once carried himself with a spirited demeanor despite his white hair, but now he appeared no more than a withered old man, struggling even to speak.
He seemed less like a living person and more like an empty shell, a walking corpse.
“Thank you, Daniel, for sparing our last bloodline. Not long ago, I arranged a carriage to take him far away from Riverside City.” Not even a single servant was left behind.
The child’s memories had been partially erased, so he would grow up never knowing his surname was Windwhisper or feeling drawn to Riverside City.
He would only distance himself further from this place.
The name of House Windwhisper would disappear, but the bloodline would endure.
After arranging all of this, the head of House Windwhisper took one last look at his family’s estate—and ended his life.
House Windwhisper had fallen.
Daniel looked down at the head’s lifeless body. “Bury him.” Next, he would arrange for someone to take over House Windwhisper’s assets.
Just then, Daniel recalled something: both House Windwhisper and House Lunastone had suffered substantial financial losses over the past month.
Part of this was due to supporting the young heirs attempting breakthroughs in the secret realm.
Another portion had been spent to hire a master of magic arrays.
Daniel had to admit, the magic array that had once trapped them was indeed impressive.
Normally, he would have identified its underlying structure and made adjustments, but with his current power level, he could dismantle it by brute force.
Mages, magic materials—they were inconsequential before tier-sage strength.
Daniel’s strategy was straightforward: directly target the mages maintaining the mana flow and destroy the concealed magical materials.
Only a rare level of power could break such an array so quickly.
Any other person might have perished attempting the same.
The heads of House Windwhisper and House Lunastone had meticulously prepared; they just failed to account for one critical element: Daniel’s strength.
If he had been tier-platinum or even tier-diamond, they might have succeeded in their scheme.
As for the mage, Daniel dismissed him as an insignificant nuisance.
Fortunately, the mage had stored everything in a storage crystal: mana stones and research notes on magic arrays. Perhaps some of it would benefit Crossbridge Academy.
With House Windwhisper’s matter settled, Daniel returned to his office, where he encountered Rowan, who had come looking for him.
“Headmaster, I took the students to House Lunastone and collected their assets.”
“No issues?”
“None. A few outside mages were lurking around House Lunastone, but I drove them off. Unfortunately, House Lunastone had sold off a lot of assets beforehand, so there wasn’t much left to retrieve.”
To oppose Crossbridge Academy, both families had made significant sacrifices—yet, in the end, they were still outmaneuvered.
“House Windwhisper was much the same. Now that the old powers have been swept aside, it’s time for Riverside City to enter the era of Crossbridge Academy.”
…
Daniel sat in his office, gazing at a small magic array displaying a miniature model of Riverside City.
This model had been created by scanning the city with his mind power and recreating it using the array. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
Examining this shrunken version of Riverside City, he pondered his plans.
Crossbridge Academy currently lay slightly south of Riverside City.
With the acquisition of House Windwhisper’s and House Lunastone’s territories, it was time to consider how to use these areas.
Daniel’s plan was straightforward: expansion.
Crossbridge Academy would eventually recruit more and more people, and the current campus was already feeling cramped.
Now, with the extended territory, it might be time to expand the academy and even make significant modifications to Riverside City.
He observed the model, and with a gesture, buildings vanished and new ones rose in their place.
“Headmaster, I’ve contacted the master architect you mentioned. Are we renovating Crossbridge Academy again?” Rowan asked as he entered.
A few days earlier, Daniel had tasked him with finding a master architect, and Rowan had done so.
Hearing it was for Crossbridge Academy, the architect had dropped everything and arrived with great respect—a new experience for Rowan.
With House Windwhisper and House Lunastone in ruins, Crossbridge Academy was the only remaining power in Riverside City.
Most people quickly deduced what had happened.
The academy, once caught between the two houses, had suddenly ascended, sweeping away both families in one decisive move.
It was a shift difficult to process but impossible to deny.
Rowan had felt the shift firsthand; people now treated the academy with a newfound reverence.
Shortly after Crossbridge Academy achieved first place in the secret realm competition, word spread that House Windwhisper and House Lunastone intended to challenge the academy.
But nothing further was heard—no rumor, not even a whisper—until Crossbridge Academy seized both families’ assets the same day.
Now, watching Daniel transform the miniature model of Riverside City, Rowan couldn’t help but marvel.
“I plan to rebuild Riverside City,” Daniel said without looking up, his eyes focused on the model, which he continued to reshape.
“Re… rebuild Riverside City?” Rowan stammered, stunned.
He hadn’t expected this.
They had only just gained control of Riverside City, and Daniel was already considering reconstruction.
Looking at the model, Rowan saw the stark differences between the current and proposed layouts.
This must be Daniel’s vision for the new Riverside City.
He watched as Daniel’s finger traced over the model, altering buildings, refining structures.
Finally, Daniel stopped, pulled out several sheets of paper, and transferred the model’s details onto them.
“Alright, give these to the architect. This is how I want Riverside City to look after the transformation.”
Rowan glanced at the plans, feeling overwhelmed.
Yet even he could appreciate the improvements—they were vastly more impressive than the current city layout.
And in Daniel’s blueprint for the new Riverside City, Crossbridge Academy occupied the heart of the city, in the most vibrant and central location of all.