"But doing this now would drain our internal strength!"
Leilin weighed his words carefully.
If the academies banded together, they could certainly crush these scattered pockets of resistance, but doing so would inevitably tie up a portion of their forces — especially with the Northern Region already fallen and the Central Region under attack. The cost seemed to outweigh the benefit.
"So what do you suggest?" Logan caught the meaning behind Leilin's words.
"Against the resistance wizards led by Lombard, we naturally have to stamp them out and crack down hard. But as for the other roaming wizards and the like, I think we could adopt a policy of appeasement..."
Leilin stroked his chin.
"Appeasement? The resources of the Dark Extreme Region are limited — are you saying the Nature Alliance should hand theirs over?" Logan said, slightly irritated.
"No! Of course not!"
Leilin shook his head with a smile. "What do you think about holding a tournament for young wizards?"
"A tournament?" Logan was momentarily confused.
"Yes! A Young Genius Tournament! Exclusively targeting young wizards who aren't too advanced in age! The rewards would be extremely generous, and on top of that, we could offer a number of academy slots — promising that anyone who achieves a certain ranking can choose an academy to join!"
Leilin laid out his plan.
"Through this, not only can we unite more roaming wizards and signal goodwill toward the forces backing them, but we can also shift the focus of conflict — from resentment over the academies' unfairness to competition over rankings, letting them drain each other's energy!"
"This... let me think about it..."
Logan stroked his beard.
Leilin smiled calmly, because he knew his proposal would win对方 over.
Sure enough, after a few minutes, Logan slammed his palm on the table. "Brilliant idea! That's right! Why didn't I think of that before?"
He stood up and began pacing rapidly around the room.
"For those wizards who are already old, no amount of persuasion will help, and they've lost any room for further progress — they don't pose a serious threat!"
"But for young wizards, this tournament represents not only glory but also generous rewards and a chance to join an academy!"
"All we have to do is dangle a little bait, and they'll start splitting on their own — we might even recruit some promising talent... Not bad! Not bad!"
Logan nodded repeatedly.
He understood as well that for the lower echelons, brute force alone wouldn't work — especially during wartime.
Pull in a portion while suppressing the rest, and the results would be far better.
"I'll report your proposal to the Committee immediately — they'll definitely approve it!"
Logan exclaimed with excitement.
Meanwhile, a deep smile spread across Leilin's face.
There was one thing he hadn't voiced, but he was sure Logan understood it too.
Holding a tournament, selecting wizards, recruiting them into academies — this was essentially a form of reform. And this small step forward began inching toward the model of the South Coast's Wizard Academy.
If that happened, Lombard's claim to the moral high ground would be dealt a blow, and he would surely rush to obstruct it by every means possible.
And when that time came, it would be the perfect opportunity to capture — or even kill — him.
At the same time, in several different locations, wizards who had practiced the Sacred Light Candle Flame simultaneously fell into a state of prophetic vision.
"A multitude of stars will converge there. Everything — all of it — will begin there, and end there!"
Ailin suddenly snapped out of his trance, his eyes returning from being entirely white, and patted his chest with lingering fear.
"An actively triggered prophecy... The force of destiny this time is stronger than anything I've ever felt..."
"Of course! The Young Wizard Genius Tournament! Not just roaming wizards — even geniuses from the academies will participate. And the judges will be at least four Region Guardians, all Second-rank Wizards at minimum. There's even talk that the All-Region Guardian might appear!"
Across from him, Weinasi rolled her eyes and offered no mercy in her sarcasm.
"You—" Ailin's face flushed red with anger, and he nearly shot to his feet.
"All right, all right! Can you two stop arguing?"
Weilin wore his殖装甲, his aura even more vast and profound — a result of the force of destiny continuously concentrating within him. Although he himself felt little difference, for Ailin and Weinasi, who practiced the Sacred Light Candle Flame, this transformation blazed as brightly as a torch in the darkness.
"So what exactly did you see?" Weilin asked with curiosity.