Chapter 63: Reaping the Autumn Wind (Please Recommend and Add to Favorites)

The extracurricular life of this year’s freshmen was nothing short of vibrant—upon arriving, they witnessed a head-on clash between the academy’s top masters. Then came the sinister contamination incident in King’s City. Everyone thought it was a plot by a cult, but unexpectedly, even the head of the Arcane Society was implicated. In their eyes, being taken away by the Supervisory Council under the Lord of Radiance was proof enough.

Soon, rumors arose that the president of the Arcane Society was the true mastermind, and Cook was merely a scapegoat. It made sense—how could the leader not know what their own subordinates were doing? A crowd of observers assumed the “God’s perspective,” dissecting the entire event as wise sages, analyzing every detail and spinning a dozen versions of the story. Each version seemed plausible enough to be believed.

What shocked everyone most was how the president of the Arcane Society remained completely unbothered by all the slander and rumors. She never once clarified or refuted the gossip. Instead, she openly began a “romance” with the academy’s number one, Born Iolum. The public display of affection caught everyone off guard—their jaws dropped to the floor. It made people sigh: even the president of the Arcane Society is, after all, just a woman. Truly, a woman in love is rumored to have an IQ close to zero.

Her position was nearly usurped by her second-in-command, yet she still had the heart to flirt with the “chief.” Lisper was the first female president in the history of the Arcane Society! To become president as a woman, not only did she possess an irresistible personal charm, but her abilities also outshone all others. Lisper was universally acknowledged as the third strongest in the whole academy; if not for her bad luck in encountering two unpredictable prodigies, she would have inherited the tradition of being both president and chief.

Naturally, someone so outstanding—both beautiful and powerful—had no shortage of admirers. Even Anderson resorted to underhanded tactics to force Lisper out, a testament to her immense allure. Yet Lisper was unmoved by all the rumors, never bothering to explain herself, leaving her pursuers heartbroken and deserting her in droves.

With the Arcane Society silent, no one stood by Lisper, and the tide turned wholly negative against her. If an investigation were launched at that moment, Lisper might well have become the lowest-rated president in Gilles Academy’s history.

In such circumstances, the academy’s intervention was inevitable—it was only a matter of time. Yet before the crowd could see the academy’s leadership step in, Cook swaggered back through the gates, laughing and chatting, greeting familiar faces enthusiastically, and walked straight to the Arcane Society.

This dramatic reversal left everyone utterly stunned! That very day, the academy’s public opinion shifted instantly. The president’s office was flooded with invitations, flowers, and letters, and praise poured in for Lisper from all corners.

Those who had been slandering and defaming her days earlier now donned the mask of fervent fans, lauding the president. The noble-born students adapted effortlessly to this astonishing change, feeling no incongruity, while a small number of commoners sneered in secret, their faces showing disdain and contempt.

Shortly after Cook entered the academy, Anderson—still basking in the flattery and feeling triumphant—received news.

Crash!

A delicate crystal glass slipped from Anderson’s hand, its shards mixing with blue margarita.

“What did you say? Cook Dupont is back?” Anderson grabbed the Enforcer’s collar, his voice fierce and incredulous. “How is that possible? Are you certain it’s Cook himself?”

“C-captain, yes, I’m sure. Cook greeted me with a smile just now. He must be at the Arcane Society by now,” the Enforcer replied, watching the increasingly manic Anderson.

More and more confirmation arrived, and many at the scene attested to the news. Kelly and McCarthy approached Anderson, bracing themselves as they said, “Boss, it’s true. Cook really is back!”

Anderson stood frozen, stunned, as the gazes around him shifted from welcoming and admiring to disgust and rejection. Several bystanders quietly slipped out through the side door.

“Where’s Gerald? Where is he? Tell him to see me—now!” Anderson shouted wildly.

Only Kelly, McCarthy, and a few Enforcers were left in the room.

“C-captain, Gerald’s in the lab area, I think?” one timid Enforcer replied.

“Get him out—break down the door if you have to, drag him out!” Anderson shouted, his eyes red.

Everyone looked at each other…

Anderson had lost his mind!

…

Cook’s emotions in recent days had been like a roller coaster. When his family released him from confinement, he was almost in despair, never expecting his charges to be dropped—not through family intervention, but because his innocence was recognized. Moreover, his rank among heirs had jumped to fourth place—a blessing in disguise so overwhelming it kept him awake all night. Gradually, he understood how the whole affair had unfolded.

After returning to the academy, he eagerly sought out the president and others to express his thanks, but upon entering, he was met with cold indifference.

He had assumed everyone would be glad to see him, congratulating him—but instead, they acted as if he were invisible.

At last, the president approached. Cook was about to thank her, but she handed him a contract.

“What? Twenty thousand?” Cook exclaimed.

“So, you got out with twenty thousand, and your ranking among heirs jumped several places—still not satisfied?” Lisper sneered, watching Cook calmly.

“Haha, how could I…” Cold sweat broke out on Cook’s brow. He hurriedly took the contract and signed it. Only then did he realize why his family had given him a twenty-thousand reward—it was all waiting for him here.

…

Born knew that, with Cook’s return to the academy, the farce was over. What would happen to Anderson next was of no concern to him.

The bloodline research data from Lisper’s family was an unexpected windfall—it was astonishingly detailed, covering not only all kinds of metallic and chromatic dragons, but also extraplanar beings. If, as Lisper claimed, this was only the abridged version, then the original must have been both incomparably thorough and terrifying.

Born felt he owed Lisper an immense debt. The data was invaluable to him; combined with the memories in his mind, he gained his first clear understanding of all intelligent life in Faerun.

Of course, there was still a mountain of work to do—whether it was deducing spatial spells for “Domain Mechanisms” or developing the second generation of magical storage devices, it would all require vast amounts of experimentation.

Each day, Born also had to set aside two hours for the enlightenment of his two young charges, leaving almost no time for meditation.

As for sleep…

Sleep? What was that?

The basement’s only bed had already been claimed by the two little ones.

With his powerful mental strength and “Qi” reinforcement, Born didn’t worry about sudden exhaustion.

He had even visited the Mage’s Tower to try and get some benefit, only to find his grandfather’s laboratory locked tight, forbidding entry. Born glanced at the sign hanging outside, curled his lip, and mused,

“Is Grandfather avoiding me?”

Though he didn’t know the reason, he trusted his intuition.