Now that the Abductor Virgin effigy had been destroyed, the teleportation circle was unusable. There was nothing more to be done about it. Bai Shi returned to the outskirts of the academy and found the nomadic merchant and the Hound Knight he had left there earlier. He informed them that he had successfully taken control of the Academy of Raya Lucaria. Now, they only needed to wait for the grand lift to be rebuilt, and they could all return. The Hound Knight finally relaxed upon hearing that Rennala was safe and sound. As for the nomadic merchant, he had already decided to leave the academy grounds. He had been trapped there for far too long and had no intention of staying a moment longer than necessary. However, he still planned to wait for the lift to be finished so he could take one look inside the academy before he left. After all these years, it would be too much of a waste not to see it at least once. The merchant handed something to Bai Shi. It was a rolled-up letter, a single feather from some unknown bird tucked into its bindings. Letters were a form of intelligence that nomadic merchants sold, a common sight across the Lands Between. They would add feathers of various colors to the documents as identifying marks. But unlike the brightly colored feathers that denoted different types of information, this letter was marked with a peculiar black one. The feather was unusual, clearly distinct from that of a common bird, and it shimmered with a unique hue. According to the nomadic merchant, it came from an extinct bird known as a “Sepulcher Crow.” The nomad explained to Bai Shi: “A long time ago, my kinsmen sent me this letter, inviting me to meet up with the Great Caravan in Leyndell, the Royal Capital.” “The letter said that the Golden Dynasty was prosperous and, while they might look down on us unblessed nomads, it was a fine place to make a living.” “So, the leader of the Great Caravan invited our people from all over to come to the Royal Capital, hoping we would bring our wares and join them.” “You know how it is. We nomads don’t care about a bit of scorn.” “As long as we can earn runes, they can be as haughty as they like.” “I was planning to go back then, but you know what happened next. I got trapped here at the academy.” “I’ve changed my mind now. I don’t want to go there anymore. I think I’ll just wander the Lands Between for a while.” “If you want to go, or if you know someone who does, you should take this.” “It’s an invitation, after all. There should be someone there to receive you.” Bai Shi looked at the letter in his hand, hesitating for a moment. Should he tell the man how much the Lands Between had changed? This merchant’s understanding of the outside world was frozen in the time before the academy sealed its gates. He had no idea how far the Golden Dynasty had fallen into ruin. Shaking his head, Bai Shi decided to tell him about the Shattering war that had ravaged the Lands Between. If the man blundered into the now perilous continent without knowing the risks, his fate would likely be grim. After hearing Bai Shi’s account, the nomadic merchant stood frozen in place. After a long moment, he, too, shook his head, his expression incredibly complicated as he looked down at the letter. “Sigh... I was hoping this might be of some use to you...” “I suppose my brethren in the Great Caravan have all pulled out of the capital by now.” “Looks is just a useless scrap of paper now. My apologies.” Bai Shi waved his hand dismissively and accepted the letter anyway. “Don’t worry about it. I have a friend who is also one of your people.” “He’s very interested in finding the Great Caravan and has been searching for any trace of it.” “I’m sure this letter will be a great help to him.” The nomadic merchant smiled. “Is that so? Well, I hope he succeeds.” Bai Shi told them to wait a while longer for the lift to be repaired, then departed with the letter. Once he had returned to his throne in Stormveil, Bai Shi took out the letter once more. It was encrypted with the nomads’ cipher, which Bai Shi normally would not have been able to read. But out of sheer boredom during his long confinement, the merchant had already translated the cipher and written it out on the page. Bai Shi had read it over. There was nothing amiss with the contents of the letter. The leader of the Great Caravan had poured his heart out, calling his kinsmen to come together and make their fortune. From Bai Shi’s perspective, the Great Caravan had likely not yet been massacred when this was written. Marika’s purge had targeted the nomads of the Great Caravan within the capital; those outside Leyndell had not been deliberately persecuted. Therefore, there would have been no need to set such a trap. Bai Shi placed the letter on the armrest and leaned back. Queen Marika, the Great Caravan, the Frenzied Flame... Did the Frenzied Flame truly appear first, prompting Marika’s massacre? Or was it Marika’s massacre that drove the nomads to despair, causing them to summon the Frenzied Flame? Bai Shi thought of Kalé, who was still searching for the Great Caravan. Kalé had mentioned his quest before, and another nomadic merchant he’d met said he’d run into him. Bai Shi had no idea where he was now. Forcing Kalé to confront this cruel truth seemed like a poor choice. But he had a right to know. Over the next few days, Bai Shi traveled back and forth between Stormveil Castle and the Academy of Raya Lucaria as planned. During this period, he successfully mastered numerous techniques from both gravity sorcery and the incantations of the ancient dragons. Bai Shi could now freely command ordinary lightning, though he was still a ways off from wielding it with the same proficiency as the storm. As for the red lightning exclusive to the ancient dragons, Bai Shi still needed to follow the specific forms of the incantations to unleash it. Also, because of his continuous mastery over lightning, the first advanced gravity magic he grasped was gravity lightning. Through constant effort, Bai Shi had even begun to master a portion of gravity’s most difficult aspect: attraction. From there, he naturally grasped some power over repulsion, the polar opposite of attraction. On this day, Bai Shi did not train with the White King Ordina or Senessax. Accompanied by Sorceress Sellen and Hettis, he entered a specific classroom. This was the very room from which the former leaders of the academy once supervised its various lecture halls. Today, Bai Shi planned to use a glintstone to contact the Cuckoos. Bai Shi and Sorceress Sellen stood before a table while Hettis stepped forward and activated the magic circle on the massive glintstone, setting it humming. After a moment, an image of the Cuckoos’ location appeared before them. The figure who materialized was a middle-aged man. He had dark, slightly wavy hair that fell around his face. Instead of the iconic armor of a Cuckoo Knight, he wore distinctive, personalized gear that set him apart from the others. As soon as the connection was established, the man bowed low. Bai Shi nodded in response. “You must be aware of what has transpired within the academy.” “Are you able to speak for all of your people?” “I am the leader of the Cuckoo Legion.” “Those old fools at the academy would never have opened the seal.” “So it is self-evident what has happened there.” Bai Shi stared at the Cuckoo leader before him and stated his purpose directly: “In that case, I will be blunt.” “I am Bai Shi, the ‘Storm King’ of Stormveil, and the Academy of Raya Lucaria is now under my rule.” “Henceforth, the academy will be led by my teacher, Sellen.” “You may choose to continue your cooperation with the academy and maintain your station in Liurnia.” “However, all of your actions will be under my direct supervision.” “Will you offer me your loyalty, or will you embrace destruction?” Beads of cold sweat formed on Meryl’s brow. He hesitated for a strangely long time, his eyes involuntarily darting to the side before he finally gave his answer. “I have long heard of your esteemed reputation and have been filled with admiration.” “To follow you in the creation of a great new age would be our honor, the honor of all Cuckoos.” Bai Shi nodded, finalizing the arrangement. And with that, it was settled. Still, he would need to keep a close eye on the Cuckoos. After Bai Shi severed the connection, the Cuckoo leader named Meryl breathed a sigh of relief and glanced to his side. There stood a magnificent vessel, within which rested a pool of silvery liquid. He had been speaking to Bai Shi under the liquid’s direction. “My lord, what are your thoughts?” The pool of silver ooze slowly rippled, its surface stirring. Then, a figure identical to Meryl stood up from the liquid and slowly began to speak. But the words that came from its mouth sounded more like a self-directed monologue. “He has come into contact with the Chalice...” But the Mimic Tear paid him no mind, lost in its own thoughts. The Tears are extremely sensitive to their own origin. So even through a magical projection, it could clearly sense the unique traces left by the Teardrop Chalice on Bai Shi. Seeing that his superior was muttering to itself, Meryl quickly shut his mouth, not daring to speak again so carelessly. After a while, the Mimic Tear finally addressed him: “Let’s play along with them for a while.” “Send more men down into the underground wells. Disregard any losses.” “And bring in those Fire Monks. We need to speed things up.” — The source of this content ɪs 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⚫𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⚫𝘯𝘦𝘵 Today, Bai Shi was in no hurry to train. He had more or less grasped gravity sorcery and the ancient dragon incantations. Aside from a few specific techniques, he could use them all with ease. Those few remaining techniques were not something he could learn in just a day or two. Besides, Bai Shi needed to master these newly learned skills through actual combat. It would still be a few days before Melina returned. Perhaps now was the time to investigate what the Finger Reader Crone had spoken of—the ‘death rite in the south.’ The Finger Reader Crone had only said “south,” but that was incredibly vague. He would need to consider the location carefully.