At mealtime, Alice glanced between William and Zoey, sensing something amiss between the two.
Given what she had witnessed earlier, she found it hard to believe that Zoey had spent the previous night solely assisting William in entering a “meditative” state to boost his abilities.
More crucially, when she checked out, the front desk informed her that William had used a certain item from the room. That very item was something William had opened out of mere curiosity and, after a brief glance, discarded into the trash bin.
How can this not lead to speculation?
However, Zoey seemed oblivious to Alice’s suspicions. She rapidly consumed her meal and told William, “We’ll head to Ravenwood later and retrieve the artifact from Kyle.”
William was well aware that Kyle didn’t have the items, prompting him to inquire, “What if he refuses to hand them over?”
“If he doesn’t surrender the artifact…” Zoey put down her knife, pondering for a moment before saying, “Then we’ll have to give him a beating—until he yields it.”
William couldn’t resist asking, “Do you think you can defeat him?”
Zoey’s brows furrowed slightly. “If I hadn’t assisted you with the ‘meditation’ last night, I probably could.”
“And now?”
“Now… we’ll have to try and see.” Zoey was realistic; after all, Kyle was known as the most powerful mage of the Arcane Society. How could he be of ordinary caliber?
Yet she still wanted to try!
William had to admit that this girl truly stood out.
From what William knew, the magical heritage of the Arcane Society had never been broken.
Though none had reached Merlin’s prowess after him, the Society boasted nearly two millennia of legacy.
Even if Zoey’s combat prowess was unparalleled and she knew William’s method to enhance abilities and harness energy, expecting to overpower the strongest mage of the Arcane Society at her young age was wildly optimistic.
The only way would be if William taught her additional abilities,otherwise, defeating the old mage Kyle seemed out of reach.
Of course, as Zoey said, they would only know if they tried.
After all, Kyle was getting on in years,as people age, they tend to become more contemplative and their physical strength doesn’t match that of the younger generation.
With Zoey’s fierce determination, if she were to engage in a battle of endurance with Kyle, there’s a chance she could wear him down until he’s utterly exhausted.
After the three of them had their meal, they headed straight for Ravenwood.
They stood at the entrance to Glacier National Park, and William paused, taken aback.
15 dollars per person for admission!
He remembered that over a thousand years ago, within Glacier National Park’s Ravenwood, this place was a sacred site where ordinary people would become Soulmancers. There was only a small town at the foot of the mountain, and it was rarely visited.
Ordinary people believed that deities resided in Ravenwood and regarded them with reverence. There used to be magical formations at the base of the mountain to protect this place, and most would not venture there.
But now, the protective magic was gone. The area was teeming with tourists, snapping photos and creating memories. There were even couples playfully running around on the mountain.
This was supposed to be a mystical land for magicians!
“Got the tickets!” Alice purchased three admission tickets, and the trio began their hike up the mountain.
While some visitors chose to drive their private vehicles into the park, William and his companions, brimming with energy, could climb from the base to the peak without panting.
“Alice, have you ever considered working with our 13th Bureau?” Zoey was inevitably eyeing Alice for recruitment.
Throughout their journey, Alice had been handling all the nitty-gritty details. From Zoey’s perspective, Alice seemed much more competent than William. ｂ𝚍𝚘𝚟ｌ.ｎｔ
William appeared to be a typical workplace freeloader: inept at most things and lacking in strength.
Had she not had such strong faith in her intuition, Zoey wouldn’t have brought William into their department.
“What benefits does the 13th Bureau offer? Any special privileges?” Alice, of course, had no intention of joining. She was merely teasing. Join the 13th Bureau and have Zoey as her boss? Impossible!
“Special privileges?” Zoey was momentarily stunned, then her expression turned serious. She said sternly, “Listen here, young lady. This is the 21st century. Our nation values freedom, democracy, opportunity, and fairness…”
“Enough! Stop right there!” Alice hadn’t expected this seemingly naive woman to start lecturing her on the core values of America. It was quite a shock.
Speaking of shocking, this morning, she noticed something rather impressive about Zoey’s chest!
She had initially thought that she and Zoey were on par in terms of physique, but it turned out that Zoey’s figure was much more enviable than hers.
“Let me explain the benefits at our 13th Bureau,” Zoey said. “At the 13th Bureau, the monthly salary is $7,000. We offer health insurance, a 401(k) retirement plan, paid vacations, and other perks. There’s a potential bonus at the end of the year. When on work-related trips, we cover meal and transportation expenses, plus accommodation costs…”
“I’m not interested!” How could Alice possibly be swayed by such a modest salary?
$7,000 a month – did they really think that would tempt her?
Just her accommodation and meals at a five-star hotel today cost over a thousand dollars.
Zoey quickly gave up on her recruitment pitch, adopting an “if you don’t want to, then don’t” attitude.
Clearly, her persuasive words were borrowed from others without considering individual motivations, which was why they were ineffective.
Soon, they reached the mountain’s peak. Upon arriving at the ancient hall of the magical academy within Ravenwood, the guardian of the door—a middle-aged mage—presented them with a magical stone. The stone shimmered with mysterious runes, allowing the user to discern whether visitors harbored ill intentions by touching it.
Alice placed her hand on the magical stone, which emitted a pure white glow.
“May the light of the stars guide you, and thank you for your goodwill,” the middle-aged mage said, bowing in gratitude to Alice.
William refrained from touching the stone. The stone was imbued with the most ancient of magics and couldn’t withstand the surge of his powerful energy. If he were to channel even a fraction of his power, the entirety of Ravenwood might quiver from the impact.
After all, in a past fit of rage, he nearly obliterated all magical realms in the world. That Ravenwood had survived was quite fortunate, perhaps thanks to the wizard Merlin. In the center of Ravenwood’s hall stood an altar with a statue of the legendary magician—Merlin.
Even if this magical stone was a relic left behind by Merlin, would it dare to examine William?
Zoey followed Alice inside. Upon entering, she addressed the middle-aged mage, “Take me to Kyle.”
The mage furrowed his brow, murmuring an ancient incantation before asking, “Why do you seek our academy’s headmaster?”
“My name is Zoey! I am the Director of the 13th Bureau!”
She was straightforward, announcing her title without hesitation. This middle-aged mage was also a Soulmancer, and more notably, an intermediate-level Soulmancer. Naturally, he should be aware of the 13th Bureau.
“So, it’s Director Wenzel from the 13th Bureau! Please follow me to the mountain behind!”
William and the others followed the middle-aged man, bypassing the main hall to reach the edge of a cliff. There were no tourists in this area. The mage extended his hand towards the vast chasm and said, “Please!”
“Is he…” Alice’s mouth twitched slightly. Was this mage a bit too ruthless, expecting them to jump off the cliff?
Without hesitation, Zoey climbed over the barrier, and then she vanished into thin air.
The mage smiled gently and reassured Alice, “Don’t worry, it’s just an illusion. There’s a path ahead.”
William immediately saw through this magical formation. This must be the true heart of Ravenwood’s Arcane Society.
Ahead stood a majestic ancient castle. Beside the castle was a wooden hut, inside which sat several elders. Among them, one with flowing silver hair must be the current headmaster of the Arcane Society, Kyle, right?