East Capital, 2nd District, Neighborhood No. 107.
Inside the Rapid Wood Tower, where the Enchanters Guild is located, it had been five days since Ivan had returned from Enkate City, which was miles away.
After his return, he naturally went to the Enchanters Guild to show his face, connect with colleagues, and visit his superiors. Unfortunately, Vice President Angus was busy with matters at the time.
In the following days, he took care of various trivial matters, and his daily life returned to normal.
“Scented Butterfly, is the instructor still feeling down?”
“Yes, Sorcerer Randall hasn’t been going to many places these days. He frequents the tavern and sits there for most of the day; his mood hasn’t really improved.”
Ivan understood that Randall hadn’t recovered from the setbacks.
He had spent decades cultivating the Nine-Colored Bugs, which had been severely damaged, and there was also the betrayal of a close friend and the mischief behind the Black Beard Chapter—three matters he valued greatly.
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All three issues had erupted like three stabs to his heart, greatly afflicting Sorcerer Randall.
Normally, with the sorcerer’s temperament, he wouldn’t take so long to bounce back, but Randall was different from ordinary people; he was one of the few sorcerers who were very sensitive.
“Let him be, just take good care of him.”
“Alright.”
Just drowning sorrows in liquor wasn’t a big deal since sorcerers hardly get drunk; Ivan had something in mind and didn’t pay much heed, only instructing Scented Butterfly briefly.
Then, he visited the Enchanters Guild again since the vice president had sent a message asking him to come.
In Vice President Angus’s office, Ivan greeted Vice President Angus.
“Did you go to the southwestern fortress, Enkate City?” Angus pointed to a chair beside him, indicating for him to sit down and discuss.
“I have a friend from the Belizi family; I owed him a favor and accepted his invitation to explore the Nine Colors Pit outside the city.” Ivan nodded, giving an honest answer.
He was quite surprised that the news had reached the vice president so soon.
“That place isn’t without danger, but it does contain quite a few treasures.” Angus slightly furrowed his brows, then asked:
“I heard there was some conflict. Someone dared to stop you at the sealed Lei Guan, and even after knowing you’re an elder of the Enchanters Guild, they still wouldn’t allow you in, is that true?”
“Yes, fortunately, an elder from the South Capital branch helped me out.”
“Tell me more, I want to see who dares to openly target my Enchanters Guild people. Enkate City is indeed a key fortress; the runes sorcery arrays inside and outside the city were both constructed with the help of our guild, and it’s our elders who maintain them. Now they actually turn against us.”
“Vice President, it wasn’t that serious.” Ivan quickly gestured with his hands, indicating that things hadn’t escalated to hostility. “Actually, it was the people from the Belizi family, the competitors of my friend—”
He briefly explained the situation, omitting the part about the severed palm transaction.
“Ridiculous, those people really don’t know what they’re doing.” Angus’s face darkened upon hearing that Ivan was left in the wilderness by the airship and was harassed because of this. “Don’t worry, I will make sure there’s an explanation for you.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“You needn’t say more; our guild is not so easily bullied.”
In Angus’s view, Ivan, with his continent-wide renown, was more than enough to represent the Enchanters Guild.
Since Ivan had invoked the name of the guild, they had to earn some respect.
Otherwise, others might think the Enchanters Guild was an easy target.
In fact, he had received the news from Milton, the vice president of the South Capital Guild.
As a guild president, they were privy to high-level information and were well aware that Ivan was a talent valued by the upper echelons.
No matter their high regard or Ivan’s own potential, they were happy to lend Ivan their support, and that was why Milton had personally informed him of this.
“As I’ve said before, if any sorcerer troubles you, just mention the guild’s name, and don’t hesitate to make any requests you have; that’s your right as a directly affiliated elder.”
Seeing Ivan hesitate, Angus emphasized loudly.
His statement was clearly biased, and Ivan knew well that a directly affiliated elder didn’t hold such power. Feeling the heartfelt protection from the upper ranks, he could only nod gratefully.
“Uh, I do have a favor to ask.”
“Speak freely.”
“I would like to purchase a larger tower outside of the Four Major Schools.” Ivan didn’t mince his words and stated his request.
The Rapid Wood Tower was, after all, situated on the School of Space’s territory, and it wasn’t quite appropriate for outsiders to reside there, nor was it convenient for Randall. Moreover, Ivan had arrangements on every floor of the tower and couldn’t vacate any level for Randall.
Thus, he contemplated buying a new, larger tower.
“That’s a minor issue. I’ll arrange a four-story tower for you. You can continue residing in your current one as well; as an enchanter of the School of Space, you should have a foothold on your own turf,” Angus casually agreed.
After discussing these formal matters, he continued to converse with Ivan about spatial knowledge. It was nominally a discussion but was actually a test, and he took the chance to clear up some of Ivan’s uncertainties.
Angus was naturally satisfied with his expertise and progress in the realm of space.
Through Angus’s explanation, Ivan learned there was a third stage to spatial cutting: first was the Spatial Blade, second the Space Silk, and third, Spatial Compression.
Spatial Compression involved manipulating the spatial fabric to compress inward continuously, generating a crushing force at a specific area that ultimately annihilated everything within the space.
Without a doubt, this stage transcended mere spatial cutting.
Seeing that he could manipulate Space Silk so adeptly, Angus earnestly advised him on the next directions to explore, which included his expectations.
The next day, Angus fulfilled his promise and arranged a four-story tower for him.
Knowing that Ivan wasn’t short of magic stones, he offered the tower at a seventy percent discount.
The total area of this tower was almost double that of the Rapid Wood Tower and it was located near Neighborhood No. 108. Although it was some distance from the Enchanters Guild’s Troika Tower, the area was inhabited by prominent figures of East Capital and had equally strong security.
Ivan named the new tower ‘Black Ant Tower’ and immediately began some minor renovations and arrangements.
…
Vernon Millennium Archive.
A few days later, Ivan had the opportunity to meet with Chairman Narnya, his superior at Five Leaves Spear.
Previously, Narnya had hinted about resources for promotion, and now, having returned loaded with gains, it was appropriate to express his gratitude. However, figures like the vice-president and curator weren’t the kind one could meet at a moment’s notice.
“It seems your recent gains are substantial. It shouldn’t take long before we see the emergence of a chosen member from Level 4,” Narnya still bore his gentle and scholarly demeanor.
“Indeed, there is significant progress. If there are no other issues, I plan to commence my promotion soon,” Ivan didn’t conceal.
“It gladdens my heart to see one of your peers succeed. However, I must remind you, don’t just look at the next step with cultivation. The promotion to a Level 3 Sorcerer has some distinct aspects. You should focus on even higher levels,” Narnya paused with a weighty tone.
“Are you suggesting I lay the groundwork for moving to Level 4?” Ivan felt a spark of inspiration.
“You could say that. Many Level 3 Sorcerers have faltered on this account; don’t take it lightly. As for how exactly you should proceed, I’m not at liberty to teach you at this point. You are a man of great wisdom, and must have your ideas,” Narnya said.
“Understood.” Ivan nodded appreciatively.
In fact, when he was deducing the Meditation Method “Black Magic Sacrifice” based on his own ambitions, he had considered this very issue and had already made the necessary preparations.
Looking back now, that was undoubtedly a shrewd move.
Hearing Narnya’s words, Ivan became even more resolute about the transformative promotion he was about to undertake.