Descending Clouds City.
As time passed, more and more sorcerers rushed from all directions, crowding the city, turning it into a powder keg that seemed ready to explode at the slightest touch.
“What’s the big deal? It’s just an ordinary little city.”
“Descending Clouds City is indeed an ordinary city belonging to the Ancient Tree Ridge Academy. If it weren’t for the Red Cloud Realm appearing once every few years, there would be countless such cities throughout the Moon Pincer Peninsula.”
That afternoon, Ivan and his party arrived at Descending Clouds City and, after disguising themselves, entered the city.
They quickly noticed something unusual—the gathering of sorcerers was so large, it was out of the ordinary. After a bit of inquiring, Ivan found the melon had fallen squarely onto his head.
Rumors claimed that he had made an extremely rich haul in his last exploration of the Red Cloud Realm, and there were multiple versions of the story.
“Sorcerer Ivan, they aren’t telling the truth, are they?”
“Use your head for a second, and you’ll know it can’t be true.”
Ivan had become numb to it all. There were all sorts of stories circulating—about treasures that could change one’s innate qualities, resources to aid in advancing to Level 2, and the most outrageous claims were about treasures that could reverse fate.
What was even more outrageous was that quite a few people believed it.
It was truly a situation that could make one cry or laugh.
In the past, the Red Cloud Realm was just a small, niche secret realm that only Insect Control Masters paid any attention to. But after the spread of these rumors, probably the heart of every sorcerer on the Moon Pincer Peninsula would be stirred.
“Wow, the number of sorcerers coming in is too great; even many of the original residents have been scared away.”
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“Let’s go; we won’t stay in Descending Clouds City.”
Ivan didn’t want to complicate matters, and seeing that the better residences in the city were already taken, he planned to find a place outside the city to live. With their speed, commuting back and forth wouldn’t take much time.
Before long, the group arrived at a familiar valley.
“Here, here—this was the place where I completely transformed into an intelligent creature.” The Silkworm Queen’s eyes shone as she hurried to a particular spot, only to be disappointed that the original stone house was gone.
With Jenny and the swamp ants around, it hardly took any effort to construct a spacious stone palace. Simple yet not crude, it served as a temporary residence.
“Ivan, Ivan, I’ve brought Pearney with me.”
The next day, someone hurried to the valley. As the flying beast transformed by the rapid wood silkworm entered the range of the valley, she began to shout into the valley.
The valley’s tranquility was broken by this joyful voice.
“Justine, Pearney, I’m very happy to see you both,” Ivan said, stepping outside the stone palace, smiling as he watched the two beautiful women approach quickly.
After several years apart, Justine and Pearney were still charming and moving.
It wasn’t hard to see that Pearney’s strength had increased significantly, reaching the latter stages of Level 1 and becoming a profound sorceress. Justine, due to the complications during her advancement, could only barely reach the middle stage even with abundant resources.
“My dear Ivan, you finally decided to come back, you have no idea how much I’ve missed you.” Without waiting for the flying beast to land, Justine jumped down and rushed into his arms, burying her head and greedily breathing in his familiar scent.
Pearney looked on speechlessly at this scene, hesitated a moment, then also plunged into someone’s embrace.
It took a while before they remembered that there were strangers in the valley.
“Ivan, are they friends you made on the Chanay Continent?” Justine looked suspiciously at the two standing aside, her gaze mostly settling on Jenny, sensing that she might be a formidable rival.
“You could say that,” Ivan nodded lightly.
It wasn’t easy to talk about the Secret Method Body Double, nor to clarify the complexities of that relationship, so he simply didn’t mention it.
“Hello, I’m Justine Marichardon, you can call me ‘Mrs. Marichardon,'” Justine introduced herself, placing emphasis on the latter part.
“Jenny Elsop Marichardon,” Jenny didn’t mind the slight hostility shown by the other woman. When it came to the closeness of their relationship, the other woman couldn’t come close to her.
The notion of ‘One Body Three Manifestations’ was enough to clarify that.
This sounded different to Justine’s ears. Even the surname had been changed; clearly, this was Ivan’s woman on the outside, and an “older woman” at that.
She pouted in grievance and looked at Pearney beside her, hoping she’d also say something to deflate the other woman’s confidence.
Seeing this, Pearney and she saluted Jenny together, as if trying to communicate with their eyes that the other should back down.
“Locke, I’ve heard the Silkworm Queen mention you guys with Ivan Boss many times.” Unaware of the tension, Locke spoke cheerfully.
“Alright, it’s rare for us to meet. Let’s go inside and catch up properly,” Ivan, having taken in everything, and noticing Justine’s jealousy, pulled her and Pearney inside for a talk.
Knowing Jenny’s temper wasn’t the best, in her presence, Justine and Pearney were like small arms and legs, easily hurt.
For Ivan, one side held his close women, and the other his Secret Method Body Double. Should any conflict arise, it would be a laughingstock, and he had no desire to lose face like that.
Inside the house, the three caught up for a while, mostly with Justine and Pearney speaking, talking about the Mongna Ant Land Cottage and things on the Moon Pincer Peninsula.
Compared to Chanay Continent, it was much quieter here.
Ivan also briefly talked about his past.
“You became a direct elder of the East Capital Enchantment Guild and one of the most famous elders?”
“Pretty much.”
“Our family acquired a large magic stone mine filled with countless magic stones?”
“That’s right, it was a reward from the City Lord’s Residence, rich in reserves. I’ll take you to see it when there’s a chance.”
“`
“——-“
“`
Listening to him recount his achievements, Justine and Pearney were filled with pride. This man remained the same, becoming the center of attention wherever he went. His name was now known throughout the entire sorcerer world.
This was their man.
Gradually, Justine and Pearney came to terms with it. Such a man was naturally going to attract many people, luring a multitude of women to throw themselves at him. Bringing back just one was hardly a significant number.
Ivan was unaware of their thoughts; otherwise, he would have cried foul. Compared to the allure of beauty, he was more intoxicated with research and its findings; he had not dallied with romance for so long, showing a restraint unmatched by others.
Then, the three of them talked about Randall.
“Has the mentor not returned to Mongna Ant Land Cottage?”
“No, I heard from Gina that Sorcerer Randall might go to the Chanay Continent. We even thought he would go to East Capital to look for you.”
It was only then that both realized that it had been a long time since they’d heard from Randall. Randall seemed to have vanished suddenly.
Logically speaking, with Ivan’s fame being so widespread, if Randall had gone to the Chanay Continent, it would have been impossible for him not to have heard of his whereabouts. Even if, out of pride, he didn’t wish to seek out his own disciple, he would have at least sent a congratulatory message.
Could an accident have happened?
Thinking of this possibility, Ivan’s face grew somber.
“Ivan, you don’t need to worry. Randall is almost a Level 2 Sorcerer. It wouldn’t be easy for him to run into trouble. Maybe he’s in a place where secrecy is required,” Justine said, holding his hand gently.
“Yeah, besides, you have an agreement between master and apprentice. He will definitely come to the Red Cloud Realm,” Pearney added.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Ivan nodded, deciding not to dwell on the matter for now and to wait until the opening of the Red Cloud Realm.
The opening of the Red Cloud Realm has never been fixed. As the red clouds near Descending Clouds City grew denser and various extraordinary phenomena appeared in the sky, it became increasingly clear that the opening day was drawing near.
In the following days, aside from accompanying Justine and Pearney, Ivan met with quite a few people.
“Greetings, respected mentor,” his apprentices Nora and Lorna came to pay their respects.
After several years, the twin sisters had grown into graceful young ladies, standing pretty before him, both respectful and somewhat adoring.
In the past, even though Ivan wasn’t at the academy, he had not neglected them in any aspect, especially in terms of resources.
“Well done,” Ivan looked at the older sister, Nora, with admiration. She had become an official sorcerer, her presence steady.
“I’m sorry, mentor. I’ve let you down,” Lorna said with embarrassment.
It was their first time advancing, and while the older sister succeeded, Lorna had failed, lacking her usual vivacity.
“Lorna, sorcerer advancements have always been like this. Even a minor factor can lead to failure. For someone with 3rd Class talent, one failure isn’t much,” Ivan waved his hand, not rebuking her.
He had seen this all too often and was accustomed to it.
“But for those with 3rd Class talent, the hope for advancement becomes extremely slim after one failure. I—I hope the mentor can give me some advice. I would be forever grateful,” Lorna said, her eyes clearly clouded with doubt before making her request.
Some time had passed since her failure to advance, and although her body had recovered, the psychological scars lingered deeply.
Madam Justine had secretly told her that her mentor would have a way, hence her hastened visit, fearing she might miss the time of her mentor’s return.
“Becoming an official sorcerer is just a small matter,” said Ivan.
“A runes sorcery array has surfaced on the Chanay Continent which can help most apprentices become sorcerers, regardless of their aptitude. Just gather the necessary magic stones and go to the Enchanters Guild,” Justine explained, as Lorna looked stunned.
“Is this—true? How many magic stones are needed?” Nora couldn’t wait to ask, not even letting her sister speak.
“Of course it’s true. The creator of this runes sorcery array is none other than your mentor. My sorcerous talent is even one level below both of you, and I still became an official sorcerer,” Justine proclaimed proudly.
Facing the eager eyes of the twin sisters, Ivan nodded lightly, confirming the truth of the matter.
“That’s wonderful!”
“Mmhmm.”
The sisters were beside themselves with excitement.
They had never imagined that their own mentor had such a grand achievement. As disciples, they couldn’t help but be deeply moved, and they were also happy for Lorna.
“Lorna, I have another suggestion,” Ivan said, waiting for the sisters’ emotions to settle a bit.
“Mentor, please tell me,” Lorna said eagerly.
“For now, don’t advance through the Black Magic Wind Fire Array. First calm your mind and learn knowledge, do research. Whether it’s on potions or enchantments, take five or six years to study. Then try to advance a second time. If successful, it will benefit your later practice,” Ivan suggested.
Having studied the Black Magic Wind Fire Array in Rapid Wood Tower, including the factors of apprentice advancements, his advice was naturally plausible.
Upon hearing she needed to wait five or six years, Lorna hesitated.
“Of course, the mentor won’t interfere with your decision. You can also choose to become a sorcerer through the array, and I will help you just the same,” Ivan added.
After all, she was his apprentice. He was not lacking in resources, and a few magic stones were no big deal. He didn’t mind giving Lorna a boost.
“Mentor, my sister can’t decide at the moment. Can she—”
“It’s all right. Take your sister to find a room to quietly stay in and think it over. Once you’ve made up your mind, come find me.”
Ivan was not about to make it difficult for Lorna and Nora regarding their hesitation and the request; he was willing to provide them with some space for thought and time for decision-making.
As master and apprentice, Ivan hoped they could go further on the path of sorcerers.