The Dean’s office was a lone tower that was four stories tall. Even though it was nighttime, the entire tower was lit up by bright lights. The first three floors were locked, and Xiao Lin followed a spiral staircase up to the top floor. In front of the door were two solemn and quiet statues, each holding a long spear in their right hands.
Chen Yu was about to push the door and enter when the stone statues suddenly moved, crossing their spears and blocking the way. Chen Yu had an awkward expression as he retreated a few steps, signalling to Xiao Lin. “Go ahead and enter yourself. The dean only wants to meet you.”
When Xiao Lin stepped forward, the stone statues once again returned to their original position and the door opened by itself. Chen Yu tried to look inside, but the door shut very quickly. He was very unhappy, but he knew that if he had stepped even further, the statues would have killed him without hesitation. In the end, he shook his head and left.
The office on the top floor was very large and the dean seemed to have arrived earlier than expected. When Xiao Lin stepped inside, the dean was looking at the wall with his arms crossed. On the wall was a huge map; it did not look like a map of Earth.
The dean turned around and nodded to Xiao Lin, pointing at a sofa in the corner before saying, “Sit.”
Xiao Lin uncomfortably sat upright on the sofa, trying to observe the old man who held utmost power in Dawn Academy with the corner of his eye. Even though his hair was all white and his face was full of wrinkles, his spirit was extremely strong. He did not look like an old man at all. He wore a white sorcerer’s robe, and the wand he used in the opening ceremony was nowhere to be seen.
The dean seemed to be quite easygoing. He did not sit behind his desk, but instead sat on a sofa opposite Xiao Lin. He took out a pack of cigarettes and put one in his mouth before offering it to Xiao Lin, “Give it a try; it’s made from tobacco grown in the New World. The taste is quite unique.”
“I don’t smoke.” Xiao Lin put up his hand in rejection.
The dean nodded before lighting his own cigarette by producing a small flame on his fingertip, taking a few drags after he lit it. He shifted his focus back onto Xiao Lin, amicably saying, “Don’t be nervous, you’re only here for a casual chat today. I’ve heard the reports from Department Head Song and the investigation team, but I want to hear everything regarding The Final Land straight from you. Don’t worry. You just need to remember one thing: I’m the dean of Dawn Academy. No matter what happens, I will always be the shield that stands behind you.”
Xiao Lin breathed a sigh of relief. It was a lot more comfortable than he had imagined. The dean did not seem to be an overly strict person. He took a moment to collect his thoughts before slowly recounting everything that happened in The Final Land.
Even though Xiao Lin was not that familiar with the dean, especially since it was only the first time they met, the dean’s words still gave him a sense of comfort.
‘This is a trustworthy old man,’ he decided in his head.
Xiao Lin spoke in great detail, including everything Asabanor had said, Lilith’s combat style, even the mystical tomb, and the guesses he had regarding Ivanovich.
The dean listened earnestly, not even realizing his cigarette had burned out. He did not utter a single world as Xiao Lin spoke, only revealing a difficult expression at times, and at other times a curious one.
It was only when Xiao Lin mentioned Harry placing him on house arrest when the dean put his cigarette into the ashtray, holding his hand up and saying, “Let’s not talk about what happened in New Washington first. Did that high priest really say he had found a way to deal with us?”
Xiao Lin was shocked, the dean placed emphasis somewhere that surprised him. It was true that Asabanor was claiming he would eliminate all the evil demons and take revenge on the colonists, but the words of a man mad with revenge were not worth listening to. In truth, even if the high priest managed to survive and was in hiding, Xiao Lin did not feel like that half-dead man would be able to do much.
Even Lilith and Song Junlang were of the same opinion. It had been more than a hundred years since the Thunder Kingdom was destroyed. Even among the natives, how many of them still even remembered the high priest?
The dean had a hesitant look on his face, slowly saying, “I don’t understand that high priest too much, so I can’t be certain he was speaking nonsense. However, let us hypothesize; if he really did find a way, what would it be?”
Xiao Lin thought and said, “Assassinate high level figures in Judge Academy? Gather followers to revolt? Or maybe even commit acts of terrorism, causing havoc in the American territories?”
If Asabanor did want to take revenge, there were many ways to do so, but these were all just trivial matters. The dean shook his head. “With the foundations Judge Academy has, those actions wouldn’t impact them too much, let alone eliminate all of us.”
Xiao Lin tried to think. “Then are there any other ways? He couldn’t possibly have control of nuclear-equivalent weapons of mass destruction?”
The dean said, “There is no way to get a nuclear bomb into Planet Norma, but the most destructive spells in the New World would not lose to a nuclear bomb in destructive power. Of course, it’s hard to learn, but even if the high priest had that magic, what could it do?”
Xiao Lin gaped before answering, “Wouldn’t that be a huge problem? It’s the power of a nuclear bomb; we would lose a lot of people. Hold on...”
Xiao Lin finally realized something. Even if they all died, would it matter?
As long as they were in colonial territories, as long as the resurrection towers existed, they could still revive after death, and the high priest would probably not have a second chance to unleash a spell after he was exposed.
Xiao Lin’s face paled as he realized, “Dean, are you implying that the high priest found a way to stop us from resurrecting?!”
The dean did not deny it; instead, he asked, “You mentioned earlier that The Final Land had a building similar to the resurrection tower in the fake city. Could you describe the appearance?”
Xiao Lin had brushed past it earlier since he felt like there was nothing special about the tower. After carefully recalling it, he described it to the dean.
That tower had a lot of differences to the resurrection tower. First of all, that tower was black, and the resurrection tower was silver. The shape was different as well. While the resurrection tower’s surface was smooth without a blemish, that tower had various symbols carved into it.
After he finished describing it, the dean’s look of concern deepened. He put down a cigarette that he had not even lit up before going deep in thought. “That tower is the most primitive version of the resurrection tower. There might still be a lot of flaws with the tower, but that high priest has, without a doubt, figured out a way to counter the Law of Immortality that Ivanovich established!”
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