Chapter 615
Sadana was immersed in the epic story she had just heard, and her attitude towards Charles seemed to have shifted to one of greater respect—after all, her previous understanding of him had been minimal, and he had always presented himself as a figure shrouded in mystery.
On the other hand, Salas was lost in a different kind of contemplation.
She was filled with regret.
Regret that if she had been stronger, if she had performed better, perhaps the witch would not have given up on her, would not have taken back the runestone, and the fates of the Death Realm and her family might have been reversed.
If only she could go back in time...
Salas clenched her fists tightly.
She still had a chance. The Timebinder Witch had kept her by her side without expelling her, which meant there was still hope. She needed to prove her worth.
Now, Salas was already an apprentice at the Academy of Life, and she had gained recognition from the Dark School, working alongside Sadana in the same faction.
She wanted to become a pivotal figure, to regain the witch's trust through her own beliefs and convictions.
Because she knew... the witch could traverse past and future. As long as her will was strong and she gained recognition, perhaps she too could change the mistakes of the past...
Charles returned to the tower, beginning to collaborate with Remedys on the development and refinement of potions.
The tower was never short of extraordinary materials, and after countless rounds of experimentation, Charles finally developed the "Fictioner" and "Recorder" potions, entrusting both the potions and the replication ritual to the descendants of Hei Ni's loyal followers.
The current Witch Academy resembled a loosely organized society, lacking a fixed place akin to a "Holy See," with weak cohesion and difficult management.
Most of the faithful were descendants of the Abyss, those who knew a part of its history.
As Charles pondered how to further strengthen the "Witch Academy," news arrived from Sadana.
She had received approval from the Dark School, obtaining a fragment of the "Cocoon of Light" seed and a special application.
Sadana could choose any location far from the tower to establish a religious kingdom and conduct a grand social experiment, aptly named "Salvation."
Now, Sadana was set to take the application and visit the dean who had brought back the "Cocoon of Light"...
She knew that Charles had long wanted to meet the Ascendant who had retrieved the "Cocoon of Light"...
Was that "dean" truly the experimenter, or was it merely a coincidence that they were close to the place where the Abyss had opened?
Could they be the one... guiding everything?
Sadana invited Charles to accompany her to meet the dean, to have the dean sign the application, ensuring that her project could be officially launched.
Before leaving, Charles found Salas and handed her the runestone he had kept, asking her to safeguard it. During this time, he had noticed her seriousness.
He understood that Salas was doing this to gain the power to "return to the past." She had prayed for this more than once.
But Charles didn’t see her obsession as a flaw; on the contrary, he admired her determination.
After all, "time" was one of the abilities of the pocket watch, and perhaps Salas was the believer who would help Charles unlock a new path.
This dean was the highest-ranking person Charles would meet so far, possibly the most powerful Ascendant she had encountered. She would even need to ask them some exceptionally sharp questions.
This made Charles uncertain about whether she would survive this encounter.
If she didn’t return, Remedys, Sadana, and Hecate would know something had happened and would be on guard.
They already knew what they needed to do, and Sadana would do her best to avoid falling into madness. Essentially, Charles had done all she could; what remained were just details that needed refinement.
In this cycle of the past, she had made enough changes to make her wonder if history would experience significant upheaval since the Age of Holy Wars...
But all of it was worth it... that person who seemed to have fixed Charles's fate onto a Möbius strip—she had to unearth who they truly were...
"Are you ready?"
Outside a massive office door, Sadana held the application, her voice slightly tense as she turned to Charles for confirmation.
Charles calmly glanced at Sadana and nodded gently.
Taking a deep breath, Sadana stepped forward, raised her hand, and knocked on the wooden door.
Knock, knock, knock—
“Dean Lex, this is Sadana.”
Outside, after stating her name, Sadana pressed her lips together tightly.
She appeared even more anxious than Charles; after all, the approval of her application would determine whether she could proceed with her grand social experiment using the "seed" fragment as she envisioned.
“Come in.”
A muffled groan came from within, and upon hearing this, Sadana pushed the door open, leading Charles inside.
As they entered, Charles immediately saw a massive bookshelf almost blocking the entrance, serving as a screen that obscured most of the office's interior.
Behind the bookshelf, the sound of a pen scratching against paper could be heard, as if someone was writing something.
Sadana and Charles navigated around the bookshelf, looking toward the source of the writing sound.
There was a black pen standing upright on a piece of paper on the desk, moving across the page on its own—no one was holding it.
A creation of flesh and alchemy?
Where was the person?
Sadana glanced around and called out, “Dean Lex?”
“Here, here.” A voice came from behind the desk, and a short, stout man, resembling a child, emerged. He wore a pair of glasses that reflected light like mirrors.
Though he was extremely short, his face and chin were covered in white whiskers, resembling someone with dwarfism.
“Dean, this is...” Unlike Charles, Sadana had met Dean Lex during her enrollment, and she was taken aback by his appearance.
“Shh...” Lex placed a finger to his lips and said, “I lost a bet with those old geezers from the Academy of Nature and drank some bizarre potion... I should be fine in a couple of days... And who is this?”
Lex looked up and scrutinized Charles, suddenly seeming to remember something. He blew on his thick white mustache and said, “You’re that special lecturer from the Academy of Nature, right? The one close to Remedys...”
“Thank you for managing to act like a normal person under the dual torment of the Academy of Nature and Remedys. Thank goodness.”
Charles looked down at the little old man with the puffed cheeks, and the emotions she had been brewing moments ago were washed away.
During her time in the tower, Charles had done some research on the higher-ups.
This Lex, the dean of the Academy of Light, was the one who had brought back the "Cocoon of Light." He had established the Academy of Light based on his research of the "Cocoon of Light," rising from professor to dean.
The Academy of Light had quickly become a prestigious institution that could stand alongside the Academy of Nature and the Academy of Creation, showcasing Lex's knowledge and abilities.
In addition to being the dean of the Academy of Light, Lex also served as the leader of the Dark School, and his analysis of the foundational work "Dawn" was among the most professional and insightful.
However, since the Academy of Light had gotten on track, Lex had begun a long period of absence, seemingly on a quest for new "seeds."
He must have recently heard about Remedys obtaining a "seed," prompting him to return to the tower, finally giving Charles the opportunity to meet this Ascendant, who might be involved in the Abyss cultivation plan.
Charles had imagined him to be a figure of great authority and leadership, but she never expected their first meeting to be so whimsical.
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