fynovel Chapter 269: Change of Attitude, Battle Group Training, Spy Infiltration, Battle Approaches!
Chapter 269: Change of Attitude, Battle Group Training, Spy Infiltration, Battle Approaches!
Chapter 269: Change of Attitude, Battle Group Training, Spy Infiltration, Battle Approaches!
Earth Fortress.
As the familiar surroundings drew closer, Ian once again felt the scorching heat and sweltering atmosphere in the air.
It's even more intense now than when I left.
Soon, the airship landed, and as soon as it stepped out of the airship, several familiar wizards were waiting.
"Ian!"
Thea's eyes held adoration and a hint of admiration.
Hayden and the alchemists who accompanied him were extremely enthusiastic, after all, Ian had really accomplished a great feat this time.
The academy's renowned alchemist genius actually managed to achieve such a result in the preliminary examination.
"have not seen you for a long time."
Ian gave Thea a hug.
Whoa, whoa, whoa!
But then he saw her giving him a meaningful look. Ian followed her gaze with a puzzled look, and then a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.
"Lord Yanzhu, what brings you here?"
Ian looked at Rockcastle not far away.
Rockcaster is, after all, a semi-elemental wizard who also controls a mine, making him much higher in status than Ian.
Even if he passed the preliminary test, it was still the same.
"Of course, I'm here to congratulate you on passing the preliminary test."
Yan Zhu also looked on with emotion.
He had never imagined that Ian would pass the preliminary test, after all, Ian had been busy with alchemy.
Surprisingly, they managed to get seventh place under these circumstances.
It can almost be called a quasi-core component.
"Come sit at my place, I'll treat you to a welcome meal," Yan Zhu said.
"OK."
Ian did not refuse.
As for Thea and the others, they naturally went along.
The group arrived at a banquet hall where tables had already been set out, and a gold phonograph was playing music on one side.
Everyone listened to the music and enjoyed the atmosphere.
Rock Castor and Ian were also chatting, exchanging words like close friends.
We were talking for a while.
He inquired about the progress of the refining furnace.
"It should be about six months from now."
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Ian pondered for a moment.
He will definitely focus some of his energy on improving his mental strength, so it will take longer.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Ian."
Yan Zhu, unaware of this, wore a happy expression.
"There are two core meditation rooms in the Earth Fortress mineral vein. One of them has been empty, which I think is a waste, so I'll give it to Brother Ian to use."
He said with a smile.
"Thank you, thank you."
Ian neither refused nor asked why he hadn't been given such a silly question before.
can only say.
Wizards have always been like this; values determine attitudes.
Yan Zhu said, "Yes, you can ask me anything about the fortress, and the academy too. Our Iron Mountain family still has some influence."
Ian nodded.
It's no wonder that a wizard who hasn't even reached the second ring can wield such power; it's not solely due to his own efforts.
On the contrary, he is backed by a rather powerful family in the Earth Ring, the Iron Mountain family.
They control nearly 20% of the academy's mines and related resources, and their family also has second-circle wizards, making them a top-tier family like the Edward family.
There's definitely no harm in befriending such resource-rich families.
The banquet lasted for several hours before ending.
Ian and Thea returned to their residence, and Ian was able to get a good night's rest, which was a rare treat.
the next day.
Naturally, he headed to his workplace—the alchemy workshop in the fortress.
"Ian, the teacher wants to see you in the office."
Allen said, head down.
At this moment, he no longer had any thoughts of comparing himself to Ian, and even unconsciously lowered his head a little.
Ian glanced at it, then turned and saw Rolf's office.
"Ian, have a seat."
On the sofa, Rolf looked at Ian as he walked in and pointed to the seat opposite him.
Ian sat down.
Rolf looked at Ian and said with emotion, "To be honest, when you first came here, I never thought you could get this far."
"Back then, I thought you were just an academic alchemist who could fix airships, modify furnaces, and maybe write a couple of papers. Being a core disciple was nothing to you. Now I take back what I said."
Ian did not reply.
"The second round of interviews will be in a year. You can stop participating in some less important things in the workshop. Leave the basic stuff to Walsh and the others. The core stuff can't be delayed."
Rolf continued.
Ian's feelings were somewhat complicated.
When he first arrived, Rolf said, "I don't care about background here, I only care about how fast you can fix things."
Now that he's repairing it fast enough, Rolf says, "Your task now is to retest; you don't need to worry about the workshop."
"Thank you, sir."
Ian expressed his gratitude.
"No need for thanks. In all these years, I've rarely seen an alchemist as outstanding as you. Don't let me down. If you really pass the test, I'll give you a gift."
Rolf smiled.
Alchemy is a very broad discipline, and mastering it requires a significant amount of time.
This also means that excellent alchemists are often less skilled in wizardry.
But Ian is able to manage both, which is why he finds it rare.
Ian thanked him again.
soon.
Ian returned to his laboratory, now completely free.
"Wow, I have so many tasks this time!"
Walsh's exclamation came from next door.
Ian's lips twitched.
As expected, jobs don't disappear; they just move to other places.
After visiting Rockcastle and Rolf, only Leonard remained to be visited at the fortress.
As is customary, we should definitely meet.
However, after asking around, I learned that Leonard had gone to the front lines with the airship squadron.
In the blink of an eye.
Several days have passed.
.
Ian has adapted to his new life.
The new meditation room was much better than the previous one, which surprised Ian quite a bit.
With the resources he obtained from Kiran and Gunnar, Ian's mental strength improved at almost twice the rate it had before.
And the news of Ian Academy ranking seventh.
It gradually spread throughout the academy and the fortress, naturally causing another sensation.
Strangely, it didn't cause too many problems; on the contrary, many wizards thought it was normal.
After all, compared to the previous supplementary issue, passing the core preliminary test, even if it's seventh place, seems quite reasonable.
However, there is still some controversy within a small circle.
For example, in the third round of assessments, the wizard being assessed was Kieran, who was Ian's teacher.
Furthermore, given that Ian is a genius alchemist at the academy, all sorts of rumors about being admitted through special connections and other shady dealings have surfaced.
Ian naturally ignored all of this.
They didn't even take it to heart.
In the blink of an eye.
Half a month has passed.
Ian's mental strength reached 85/100, a full five units of progress, due to taking these materials for the first time.
But even so.
It is expected that the project will be fully completed in three months.
However, I just finished a meditation session.
The communication crystal rang.
Upon investigation, it was discovered that Leonard had returned to the fortress, wanting to see him.
After tidying up his gear, Ian arrived at the battle group and noticed that some people were looking at him with strange eyes.
Ian wasn't surprised.
The Warbands and the Academy are two relatively independent systems that have always been in competition.
So it's possible that some wizards genuinely believe in those conspiracy theories.
Although Ian didn't care, he still felt a slight frown.
Until he met Leonard.
"Congratulations on ranking second in the core preliminary test! You'll most likely have a chance to get into the core program this time."
Leonard congratulated him.
As the deputy leader of the battle group, he was naturally aware of some higher-level decisions, such as increasing the number of slots.
"Thank you, sir."
"A new group of warband members has just arrived, and your wind magic is quite powerful. I'd like you to hold a training session or lecture to train them."
Leonard continued.
Upon hearing this...
Ian was about to refuse, after all, his time was too precious right now.
"I estimate there will be about three matches, each lasting about three to four hours, and costing around 20,000 magic stones."
"Alright, thank you for this opportunity, sir."
Ian agreed instantly.
What a joke.
Earning 20,000 magic stones in just over ten hours—this is an opportunity you won't get another chance if you miss it.
He's not that rich yet.
"This is also an opportunity for you to clear up some rumors. If you want to move up the ladder, you'd better not give others a reason to criticize you."
Leonard then offered a reminder.
Ian's eyes flickered.
He really hadn't thought of that.
But upon closer reflection, it makes perfect sense. While strength is paramount in an academy, reputation is equally important.
Especially problems that are easy to solve.
"I see."
Ian nodded.
"Go ahead. The first training session is in three days. It will mostly be for wizards in the early to mid-stages of the first ring, but wizards from other warbands may come to listen in as well."
"Reinard said."
"Yes, sir."
Ian stood up and left, hearing quite a few rumors along the way.
It seemed normal, but Ian felt something was off.
Is he really that influential?
Thinking of this, he became alert and immediately sent a message to Leonard.
who cares?
Reporting it isn't a problem.
In the blink of an eye.
three days later.
On one of the chapter's training bases, Ian stood in the center of the field, with thirty or forty chapter members on the other side.
The fluctuations in mental energy ranged from the early to mid-stages of the first ring, indicating that the user was a newly joined wizard.
It's clear that some of the newcomers have advanced, while others seem to have been in the competition for a long time.
This is normal.
There are generally two ways to join a warband: one is to join the warband directly from the academy, and the other is to join a branch academy and then transfer to the warband.
If you want to participate in a core department-wide assessment, you generally need to be affiliated with a specific department.
And aside from the wizards in front of us.
Outside the training ground, you can see a ring of wizards, mostly at the late stage of the first ring.
There were about ten people.
What impressed Ian was one of the short-haired, rather rugged-looking wizards named Iron Ray, who was the twenty-fifth in this assessment. Ian remembered that he was a wizard with three perfect crystals.
"Let's begin."
Looking at the many wizards before him, Ian calmly said, "Since most of you are wind-attribute wizards, I will divide the next session into three parts: the casting and control of wind-attribute magic, the cooperation between wind element wizards and other wizards, and the points that wind element wizards need to pay attention to when fighting fire element wizards."
The wizards below all became serious.
Some of the wizards further away frowned.
"The casting and coordination of wind elemental wizards, as well as their battles against fire elemental wizards, Iron Lightning, you have to say these academic wizards are quite interesting."
Beside Tie Lei, a wizard with a scar on his face smiled.
"Forget about the first one, but as far as I know, Ian has never been on the battlefield, let alone had any combat experience. I really don't know why Lord Leonard would invite him; I think he's just all talk and no action!"
He shook his head.
In most cases, the warband will invite some retired wizards who were once top-tier in the first ring to give a speech.
These wizards have spent their entire lives fighting; they are highly experienced and can offer a great deal of advice to wizards newly joining the warband.
"Tie Lei, I think this guy's higher ranking than you might actually be partly due to his teacher. Why don't you go and cause him some trouble later?"
He continued.
"Nolan, you didn't see what happened back then. He's not as weak as you think."
Tie Lei shook his head. Nolan had been in the battle group for many years and was stronger than him. The two were good friends.
Seeing Tie Lei's serious expression, Nolan raised an eyebrow.
Are you kidding me?
He raised an eyebrow and turned his gaze to the center, where Ian had already begun explaining the process of a wind-attribute wizard guiding his mental energy to the complete release of his magic.
Precise down to every single step.
As he listened, he nodded and even began to take it seriously.
"Wait, something seems to be going on."
He straightened his posture a little.
He was also a wind-attribute wizard, having devoted his entire life to the wind element, so he could better understand the basic concepts Ian was explaining.
He discovered.
These stories...
Let me try.
"This one seems to be smoother?"
He tried a little trick Ian had told him about linking mental power and witchcraft, and was immediately taken aback.
And not just him.
The high-ranking wizards watching from the sidelines exchanged bewildered glances, also appreciating the value of this lesson.
Although the course is primarily aimed at beginner and intermediate wizards, the content is basic and can be applied by them.
It's okay if you don't listen.
Upon hearing this, I immediately sensed its value.
If they were like this, one can imagine how the wizards below were, their eyes wide open, desperately trying to remember these things.
It's really easy to tell whether something is dry or not.
For a moment, the only sounds in the entire venue were Ian's voice and some ambient noise.
During the process, some wizards who had previously had doubts quickly began to study.
It wasn't until three hours later.
When the class ended, everyone felt a little lost.
"The narration is finished. Anyone who wants to come up and ask me for guidance is welcome, including any wizards who are watching."
""
Ian then spoke.
Upon hearing this, Tie Lei stepped forward, as he had also gained a lot this time.
But the next moment.
A hand pulled him back, and he saw his good friend Nolan stride forward and instantly appear in front of him.
Tie Lei: ? ? ?
Not brothers.
You weren't behaving like this just now!
How come you're more proactive than everyone else now?
"Tire, hurry up and let's go. Opportunities to be guided by academic masters like this are rare." Nolan didn't forget to pull Tire along, making the latter even more speechless.
Didn't you just now urge me to go up and test your fighting ability?
What's with that pleading look on your face?
However, just as they arrived in front of Ian, their communication crystals suddenly lit up at the same time.
The two exchanged a glance, and their expressions instantly turned serious.
It wasn't just the two of them.
Ian also felt the communication crystal light up and saw that it was a message from Leonard.
"Get to this position immediately, right now."
Seeing this tone, Ian knew it must be something quite urgent, and immediately said, "I'm sorry everyone, there's something urgent. I'll give you all a separate time for the guidance later."
The group was somewhat disappointed.
However, they didn't stop Ian. Soon, Ian followed the location Leonard had given him.
Then we arrived at a large hall.
Leonard was not in the hall at this moment, but there was a thin-faced wizard. Ian recognized him as Leonard's second-in-command, Archer Weiss, a half-elemental wizard.
Besides him, there was also Tie Lei and Nolan from earlier, and about eight other high-level first-ring wizards.
Archer said with a serious expression, "Everyone, the reason I called you here is because Lava Fortress is on the verge of collapse!"
"what?"
The wizards present all stared wide-eyed. How could they be in such dire straits?
"Many wizards from the Crimson Eyes have infiltrated the Earth Fortress and are preparing to attack, but fortunately, some clues were discovered in time. Lord Leonard is in charge of overall coordination, while Lord Rolf has gone to guard the mine. The fortress will soon be sealed off and cleared."
"And your task is to work with me to take out one of the three groups of wizards that have infiltrated this time. This is also the mission of our warband."
Archer said.
Upon hearing this, the wizards present tensed up.
I never expected that something like this would happen right under their noses.
Ian was also taken aback.
He wondered if the message Leonard had sent him a few days ago was related to this.
"As for Ian, you've been temporarily drafted. Be prepared."
Archer continued.
"Everyone, get ready, but don't worry. We've already spotted them, and there are two more second-ring members inside the fortress, so there won't be any problems."
Everyone nodded.
If such things are discovered and dealt with in advance, their impact is actually minimal.
It's mainly for pest control.
Ian also took a deep breath.
He never expected to get involved in the battle like this, but this time, he had the second ring.
The danger should not be great.
This is a good opportunity to experience combat.
"Join the academy in your first battle against a rival wizard!"
Ian's eyes gradually became serious.
A while later.
The group set off quickly.
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