"Am I really so senile and foolish that a few lowly Third- and Fourth-Rank Druids can cause trouble and sabotage right under my nose?"
The thunderous roar echoed through the thirty-third floor. The Legendary Magicians and Grand Archanists of the Supreme Council all unconsciously leaned back, their brows furrowing—no one wanted to endure the Storm Dominator's gale-force fury, even though it was directed solely at Council President Douglas, not at them.
Douglas's expression remained unchanged, warm and benevolent. With the practiced ease of someone long accustomed to weathering Fernando's outbursts, he replied in a soothing tone: "Fernando, your task—along with Hathaway and Vincent—is to assist Malfurion and quickly unravel the mysteries of the Natural Divine Arts. If there's anything that needs discussion, I can interrupt the current experiment at any time to help. I'm sure Brooke, Oliver, and Helen would be more than willing as well."
Of the ancient magicians who had founded the Council of Arcane Magic alongside him, many had been gradually phased out as Arcane progressed. Only five remained on the Supreme Council. The other six Grand Archanists were all juniors to Douglas—two of whom could even be considered, to varying degrees, his students. He alone had the standing to address the other members of the Supreme Council by their given names rather than their surnames.
Brooke—a half-aged gentleman in a powdered wig, gold-rimmed spectacles, and a black double-breasted frock coat; Oliver—a dark-haired, dark-eyed man of refined, aristocratic bearing; and Helen Paris, whose ethereal beauty was akin to that of an ice fairy—all gave slight nods. Regardless of how great their usual disagreements were, or how much behind-the-scenes jockeying went on, they were all willing to help.
If they could decipher the mysteries of the Natural Divine Arts, it would mean drawing one step closer to cracking the "Secret of the Gods" held by the Church of Truth. Once "wicked" magicians could each receive the "divine bestowment" and wield Divine Arts, the vast majority of the Church's priests, bishops, and Holy Knights would find their faith completely shaken—they would either be devoured by Holy Light or lose all their Divine Arts power.
This was a matter of paramount importance to the Council of Arcane Magic!
"Furthermore, Fernando—do you really think the Church will simply sit by and watch us unravel this? Do you think that after those elves in the Stroup Forest dispatched the Circle of Natural Hatred to cause trouble, they wouldn't quietly tip off the Church?"
The logic pressed in relentlessly, step by step. Though Douglas's tone remained mild, it left the Storm Dominator Fernando somewhat at a loss for words. A superpower who had stood unshakeable for centuries naturally possessed his own overwhelming aura of authority.
"You'll need to face the Church's interference while racing to unlock the secrets of the Natural Divine Arts—the pressure on you is immense. That's why I don't want to see you distracted by these little pests. It's best to eliminate the trouble in advance."
At this point, the other members of the Supreme Council all understood: what the Council President truly feared was the Church's potential madness. The main agenda of today's meeting was undoubtedly how to guard against them—dealing with the troublemaking Druids was merely an appetizer.
"My apologies, President Douglas. I was rash. Philibert has always been quite restrained, but this sort of thing isn't something he can simply choose to hold back." Fernando readily admitted his mistake.
Across the round table sat a pale, middle-aged man in a black cloak—so gaunt it seemed as though his skeleton were merely wrapped in a layer of skin, with dark red flames dancing in his eyes.
He spoke in a low voice: "Outside of Arcane and magical matters, you old pervert always think too little. I believe we should simply segregate those Druids and marginalize them. To prevent them from catching on or manufacturing excuses to stir up trouble, we could assign them to work alongside Archanists who have impressive reputations but in reality invest very little effort in this particular research."
Having been called his old nickname by Vincent, the Storm Dominator Fernando appeared entirely unfazed: "And that's precisely why you, Vincent, never dare to argue with me about mathematical problems or fundamental Arcane theory..."
"Lord Dominator of the Restless Dead—what level of fame would be needed to convince these Druids that the research group they've been assigned to is one of the core teams?" Legendary Magician Claus chimed in helpfully, saving Vincent from being choked by Fernando's retort.
Vincent glanced at Hathaway, who sat in silence like a statue, and said at an unhurried pace: "I believe one recipient of the Immortal Throne Award and one recipient of the Holme Crown Award would suffice. Felipe is currently occupied with his own experiments and can only drop by in his spare time—he has no energy to participate in the research. As for that Lucian Evans from Elemental Will, his actual Arcane and magical proficiency hasn't yet reached the level needed to unravel Divine Arts mysteries or fulfill Malfurion's requirements. Lady Florence only arranged for him to join as a learner. With those two leading the group, the research team would be quite convincing to the Druids."
His more formal mode of address for Florence derived from her husband—Oliver Constantine, the "Annihilator."
"A sound proposal. I believe it will achieve the desired effect. Master, what do you think?" Brooke—rumored to be at bitter odds with Douglas over whether the essence of spiritual energy was wave or particle—turned out to have been Douglas's student. Though their demeanor toward each other remained cool, seemingly confirming the rumors.
Before Douglas could nod, Hathaway suddenly spoke, her icy silver-gray eyes sweeping across every member of the Supreme Council: "One person leads one group. Isolate those Druids who want to cause trouble."
Douglas gave a gentle nod: "Hathaway's suggestion is excellent. We cannot let them band together—we must split them up first. If there are no objections, let us move on to discussing how to guard against the Church."
…………
At the Douglas School of Magic, inside Lucian's garden villa.
"It's only been a few days since I last saw you, and our familiar rookie teacher Lucian Evans has become a Holme Crown Award recipient—and the youngest one at that!" Roc clamored noisily, circling around Lucian. "How does it feel now, our big shot—the fastest person in history to go from having no formal Arcane rank to becoming a Fourth-Rank Archanist?"
Watching Roc's antics, Lucian felt with particular certainty that the man had a talent for journalism. He smiled faintly: "I'm no different from before—only other people's perceptions have changed. I suspect that if I submitted your old project proposal, I might actually manage to swindle some funding out of it."