“If I say it’s possible, it is. Take these items with you; someone’s been waiting nearby for quite a while. He’s probably here for this,” Daniel said, handing her the box and some additional magic array crystals. “Tell him I’m handling this situation and he doesn’t need to pursue it further. Otherwise… well, I’m always ready for a fight.”
Seeing Daniel’s confident expression, Claire was only half-convinced.
“Now, hurry back. Crossbridge Academy will still need you for future transactions with Dragonscale Bank,” Daniel said.
“Alright…” Claire took the box and crystals, leaving the academy. But as she stepped outside, she suddenly felt disoriented.
When she came to, both the box and crystals were gone.
In her palm, a few large words appeared:
“Settled. Don’t do it again!”
Daniel retracted his mind power, assured that Claire was safe.
The note left by her superior indicated that no further punishment would befall her.
Everything would continue as before… although the person responsible for overseeing that box might not be so lucky.
But that wasn’t Daniel’s concern.
Currently, he was busy creating Mana Forges—not the basic white forge for fusing mana crystals, but the advanced red forges with enhanced functions.
After several days and producing about ten thousand red forges, he finally stopped.
Now that he had enough red forges, he needed a suitable place for them. Daniel turned his gaze toward the academy grounds.
There was a lake on campus that could serve as a repository for the mana-rich liquid these forges produced, which could transform the academy’s mana environment and benefit the students.
But there was one issue: the lake was too far from the dormitories, which didn’t align with Daniel’s vision.
Observing the campus, he noticed a large empty space behind the dormitories.
After a quick calculation, he engraved a magic array in the air and activated it.
In an instant, students who had been strolling by the lakeside noticed something strange.
Just a moment ago, they had been enjoying a peaceful lakeside walk, but suddenly, the lake vanished, replaced by an open field.
Bewildered, some students walked across the new plain, confirming that the lake had truly disappeared and wasn’t just an illusion.
Meanwhile, students in the dormitory noticed a lake had appeared behind their building, identical to the academy’s original lake.
It was as if the lake had been relocated.
“What happened? How was this done?” students murmured.
“Did the headmaster do this?”
Some students immediately sought out Rowan and Isolde.
Rowan, surprised by the news, went to inspect the changes himself.
After seeing the transformation, he was certain this was Daniel’s doing. But why hadn’t Daniel informed him beforehand?
Now, students were flocking to him with questions, and he didn’t have any answers.
It was a bit embarrassing.
Rowan reassured the students, confirming that the headmaster was responsible and that there was no cause for concern.
After calming the students, he set off to find Daniel.
Daniel was currently in a hidden chamber beneath the lake, a specially crafted space stabilized by several magic arrays.
He arranged the red forges there, setting up a magic array to channel the mana liquid they produced into the lake above.
Originally, he’d intended for the liquid to mix gradually with the lake water, but after testing the forges’ output, he realized this plan needed adjustment.
With such a high volume from ten thousand forges, the liquid could almost fill the entire lake.
Daniel modified the lake setup.
The surface was regular lake water, separated at a certain level by a magic array.
Below this barrier, mana liquid collected.
At intervals, a portion of mana liquid would mix into the lake, slowly enriching it.
He also balanced the forge setup, adding various colors of forges to produce different types of mana liquids with diverse effects. freewēbnoveℓ.com
Daniel then formulated a system: Rowan and Isolde would oversee distributing the mana drops to reward top students.
Monthly achievements would earn mana drops, while quarterly and annual accomplishments would receive more significant rewards.
With the lake near the dormitories, students could gradually absorb mana from the environment, avoiding overwhelming surges of mana.
As for anyone tempted to sneak into the lake—Daniel’s magic arrays would be more than enough deterrent.
With these adjustments made, Daniel returned to his office, where he found Rowan waiting.
“Headmaster, you’re finally back. Was it you who moved the lake?” Rowan asked.
“Yes, I felt it was in the wrong place, so I relocated it.”
“Well… it’s a good change. But, headmaster, next time, could you inform me and Isolde first? That way, we can avoid looking clueless when students come to us with questions,” Rowan said, his tone laced with a mix of exasperation and amusement.
Daniel chuckled. “I understand. Actually, could you call Ms. Isolde here? There’s something important I need to discuss with both of you.”
Shortly after, Rowan and Isolde arrived in the office.
“Headmaster, I heard you wanted to see me?” Isolde asked.
“Yes. I’ve called you both here for an important matter,” Daniel replied.
He briefly explained his reasons for relocating the lake and mentioned the magic array beneath it that produced mana drops.
He didn’t go into too much detail but told them that they could obtain items from the lake beneficial to students’ growth.
These could be used to reward top-performing students, with Rowan and Isolde responsible for determining the specifics.
He handed them the method for extracting the mana drops, a process that required both of them to perform together.
Then, he led them to the lake, guiding them through using the magic array to extract the most basic mana drop.
Higher-level drops would become available later.
After giving them a few reminders, Daniel left, trusting them to handle the details.
…
Meanwhile, Riverside City was undergoing rapid expansion, just as Daniel had envisioned.
While there was some grumbling, Daniel’s generous compensation in mana stones silenced most complaints.
With ample funding, Icarus worked efficiently; within a few days, the framework from Daniel’s blueprint was already taking shape, with finer construction and detailing to follow.
Everything was on track, both for Crossbridge Academy and Riverside City.
Upon returning to the academy, Daniel was greeted by a guard at the entrance.
“Daniel, a group came by to visit you recently—they’re not from Riverside City.”