At the tail end of the Winter Veil Festival, Ryan and Sulia teamed up to accomplish a few tasks.
The first task was officially accepting Sylvia as Ryan's third female courtier, a matter strongly supported by Sulia. To this end, the duchess even organized a small gathering, arranged a wedding dress for Sylvia, and invited her father, Vincent, to the event. This gave Sylvia a protected status and formal recognition as a courtier.
The day after the gathering, Sylvia, who was usually an indefatigable iron-willed maid, was forced to take a few days off under Sulia's orders, just to be able to walk again.
The second task was holding the third annual turkey feast in the Duke's castle. This time, Emilia and Veronica were absent, and the Lady of the Lake delivered a speech at the feast. She emphasized that in about nine months, Ryan would ascend the throne in Couronne. With new opportunities and challenges ahead in this new era, everyone must seize the moment to ensure the smooth "soft landing" of Ryan's inner circle. The group unanimously agreed that no one should be allowed to infiltrate their ranks, nor should Ryan have any opportunity to stray. Strict control over both his physical and mental state was deemed necessary.
The proposal was unanimously approved.
The third task was the decision made by Aurora and Teresa after some discussion to agree to Ryan's proposal to establish a new intelligence department. Ryan named it "MI7," with branches in Bordeleaux, Carcassonne, Mousilon, Couronne, Lyonnais, Winford, and Nuln. Aurora would dispatch some of her witches to infiltrate these cities and carry out intelligence work.
With these three tasks completed, Ryan set off for Veronica's Tower of Dawn to check on her situation.
The Tower of Dawn was becoming somewhat crowded. Clearly, the prosperity of Ryan's territory and its comfortable climate far exceeded the harsh conditions of the Skydome. When constructing the Tower of Dawn, Veronica had invested everything she had, ensuring that both the living and working environments were first-class. As a result, many witch apprentices tried every means possible to come to Veronica for further study.
Ryan's appearance caused a commotion among the apprentices. A group of young girls dressed in fiery red robes and wearing small leather boots surrounded Ryan, their little faces red from the cold. Perhaps because Veronica wasn't present, the apprentices were especially bold, crowding around him and eagerly introducing themselves. Some even secretly slipped him notes with their dorm room numbers. Ryan had to shout for everyone to make way before finding Catherine, Veronica's direct apprentice, who was now a fully-fledged light witch.
"Catherine, where's Veronica?" Ryan asked directly.
"The mentor is in seclusion on the top floor, attempting to break through to the Saint Realm." When Catherine first arrived in Brittany, she was a shy blonde beauty. Now, she was a mature, formal witch. Ryan could almost see a reflection of his first meeting with Veronica: "Can you take me up?"
"…Please follow me." Catherine hesitated briefly but eventually nodded. She turned and signaled for Ryan to follow her upstairs.
Ryan didn't say anything further. He followed closely behind Catherine as they entered the Tower of Dawn. More groups of witch apprentices followed Ryan, pointing and whispering, their eyes filled with admiration and infatuation. Their gazes were like those of someone looking at a delicious meal or a hidden treasure, making Ryan feel a bit uncomfortable.
For a wizard to rise to prominence, the most important thing is resources, which generally come from two sources.
The first is from a mentor. For example, Veronica, though previously poor, had been valued by Chairwoman Margarita, receiving her personal guidance and access to her private library. Thus, Veronica had no issues with her knowledge and spell reserves.
The second source is from nobles. Ryan had provided Veronica with enough money, manpower, and resources, even personally inviting Teclis to teach her and purchasing high-priced elven magic books from the kingdom of Saphery.
Having resources doesn't guarantee that one can nurture a Saint Realm witch, but without resources, it's impossible to do so.
Since their mentor had been so successful, the apprentices naturally wanted to follow in her footsteps. Unfortunately, there was only one Ryan. When Ryan and Catherine reached the sixth floor, the apprentices had to stop. The seventh and eighth floors were Veronica's private quarters, with an iron door blocking the staircase from the sixth to the seventh floor. Catherine turned to Ryan and said, "Please wait here, my lord. I'll fetch the key."
"I have a key," Ryan replied, pulling out a large magical key.
Catherine was startled. Seeing Ryan use the key, she was a bit taken aback. Knowing Ryan had a key gave her a slight shock, but she followed him upstairs as he opened the door: "Lord Ryan, please don't be in such a hurry. The mentor is attempting to break through to the Saint Realm, and it's not a good time to disturb her."
"When should I go in, then? Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Ryan frowned slightly, sensing something unusual in Catherine's behavior.
"In about twenty minutes, once the energy tides subside, you can go up and check on the mentor," Catherine replied quietly. "Please wait in the mentor's office for a while. I'll make preparations."
"Alright." Ryan didn't know much about magic, and he wasn't clear on how a wizard breaks through to the Saint Realm. A few days ago, Teresa had mentioned that for a sorceress to break through to the Saint Realm, she must refine and strengthen her own bloodline, then purify it. Teresa was currently troubled by the inability to find a way to refine her bloodline.
While Catherine was out, Ryan took the opportunity to carefully observe the interior of Veronica's office.
A large cherry wood desk was covered with various documents and some exquisite trinkets. An imported high-elf fountain pen—unlike ordinary quill pens, this one could dispense ink evenly for a long time, a source of pride for many Imperial nobles—lay on the desk. There was nothing being written at the moment, suggesting that although Catherine had been diligently cleaning, Veronica hadn't used the desk for some time.
A nearby bookshelf was filled with magical books. Ryan noted that Veronica's most frequently read books were "The Complete Spells of Hysh" by the First Imperial Royal Chief Wizard Volan, "Analysis of Magical Origins" by Teclis, and the golden book "The Origins of Chaos" by the Human Lord himself. Additionally, "The Fire of Aksai" and "The Self-Cultivation of a White Robe Witch" were also among Veronica's favorites, with many sticky notes inserted between the pages.
Veronica also had a private library of her own, where the books stored inside would certainly be coveted by other wizards if they were to be revealed. In this world, printing is a technique susceptible to corruption. Books printed using movable type printing would be directly corrupted by Tzeentch if not protected by the church or wizards. Thus, the production of magical books could only be done in wizard workshops or churches and required the personal involvement of a powerful wizard. Mass production of magical books is a troublesome process, and most wizards could only borrow them.
"Hm, she still likes these high-end leather sofas and bear-skin rugs," Ryan observed, noting the approximately forty-square-meter office. On the luxurious bear-skin rug, there were three copper stands, each topped with a transparent glass orb set in a complex gold base. The glass orbs contained Veronica's magical power.
"This is a farsight device. Clearly, Veronica had a new set custom-made," Ryan muttered, bending down to inspect the magical tools. "I remember that this is what the Garland witches used for communication. It's said you can contact the Skydome Fortress directly from here… Let me try to figure out how this thing works."
Ryan placed his hand on one of the transparent glass orbs, attempting to use the farsight device. However, he clearly didn't know how to operate it, and the magical tool recognized that Ryan wasn't its master. It resisted his touch, heating up and emitting a grating metallic sound as it refused to be used by Ryan.
The device's spirit was displeased!
"Alright, alright, I won't touch you anymore," Ryan relented, withdrawing his hand. The farsight device seemed to recognize Ryan's close relationship with its master and calmed down once he pulled back.
"What's stored in this?" Ryan wondered as he opened another cabinet.
Inside was an entire cabinet of high-heeled shoes and boots in various colors, most with heels over five centimeters. Ryan smiled and shook his head: "Same old, she really loves these stilettos. Besides my preference, she thinks they help build her confidence and showcase her beauty."
In the corner of the office, there was a large husky plush toy. Ryan walked over and picked up the furry toy, made from real wolf skin: "Oh, my first gift to her, still well-kept. I remember when I took her to spend Winter Veil at Norman's Autner Castle for the first time. We sat by the fireplace, eating apple pie made by my mother. When she saw this plush toy, she insisted I give it to her."
"Lord Ryan?" Catherine's voice came from outside the door. Ryan quickly put down the plush toy, but when he saw Catherine's new outfit, the veins on his forehead throbbed with irritation.
In just a few minutes, Catherine had changed out of her fiery red robe, replacing it with a knee-length red plaid pleated skirt, paired with black thick tights and brown ankle boots. A white blouse with a red bow at the collar completed the ensemble. As a fully-fledged witch, Catherine couldn't hide the anticipation in her eyes: "Um,
Lord Ryan, the mentor might take a while longer. Would you like to… rest here in the office for a bit?"
Ryan eyed her skeptically, thinking to himself that if Veronica found out about this, Catherine wouldn't know what hit her.
"Um… Lord Ryan?" Catherine asked tentatively, seeing Ryan staring at her. Her heart couldn't help but feel a bit pleased. She cautiously suggested, "If you don't mind, I could keep you company for a while…"
"No, no need. Just tell me the specific steps and timing," Ryan waved her off. "You can go about your business."
"…Alright." Catherine couldn't hide her disappointment. She slowly relayed the instructions to Ryan, then reluctantly backed out. Seeing that Ryan didn't call her back, she closed the door behind her.
Ryan sighed. He knew how popular he was, but he was already quite content with his current situation.
After Catherine explained how to ascend the tower and unlock Veronica's room, Ryan immediately headed upstairs. The eighth floor of the wizard tower was Veronica's private magic workshop and training area.
The heavy metal door, engraved with dwarf anti-magic runes, was firmly shut. According to Catherine, once Veronica began her seclusion, this door couldn't be opened from the outside, only from within.
Clearly, Veronica had resolved not to give up until she broke through to the Saint Realm.
Ryan inspected the door, finding no signs of damage. Due to the dwarf runes, he couldn't sense Veronica's magical power inside, nor could he tell whether she was close to success or at risk of failure. Knowing Veronica was inside made Ryan feel anxious.
What's happening? She's been in seclusion for almost a year, and there's been no news.
After pondering for a moment, Ryan decided to knock lightly on the door: "Veronica? Darling?"
"Darling? I'm here to see you," Ryan knocked again.
There was no response from within.
"Damn it, what's going on?" Ryan was tempted to knock harder but feared interrupting Veronica's concentration, which could have disastrous consequences. He paced back and forth in front of the door, an inexplicable sense of frustration and helplessness rising within him. He stomped his foot, feeling that the whole situation was increasingly strange.
After waiting for more than half an hour with no sign from inside, Ryan couldn't hold back any longer. He focused on a small window in the anti-magic rune door, where Catherine had given him a key. Veronica had permitted Catherine to open this window only in the most urgent situations.
Ryan hesitated for a few minutes, then decided to use the key to open the window: "Veronica?"
Peering through the small window into the room, he was met with a hellscape of flames and light. Hundreds of magical energies were flying around chaotically, bouncing off the walls. The intense brightness and searing heat forced Ryan to pull back as soon as he got close. The Lady's Champion took a few seconds to adjust to the high temperature and intense light before he looked again.
Veronica's figure was faintly visible within the flames and light.
"Veronica? Can you hear me?" Ryan called out again, but Veronica seemed lost in her arcane pursuit, completely unresponsive, her eyes closed as if in deep meditation.
Ryan shouted a few more times, but there was still no response. Disappointed, he was about to close the window and leave when suddenly, there was a violent change!
A hurricane-like blast of air erupted from the window's gap, blowing open the anti-magic rune door. The explosion of magical energy caught Ryan off guard, throwing him back against the tower wall. The excessive fire and light magic seemed to go berserk, swirling wildly and consuming everything in their path, leaving the area outside the room charred.
"Boom!" Ryan hit the wall like a cannonball, then crashed to the ground. The burning pain and the feeling of his internal organs shifting made him cry out in pain. Fortunately, his physical condition was remarkable. After taking a deep breath, Ryan quickly got up and drew the Nemesis: "Veronica! It's me! What's going on?!"
"Ry…an?" A voice full of exhaustion came from the wreckage of the training room: "Is that… you outside?"
"Yes, it's me!" Ryan sheathed the Nemesis upon hearing Veronica's voice and cautiously approached the smoke-filled room: "I'm here, darling. What happened?"
"I… got lost… I almost didn't make it back." Veronica looked extremely weak, lying on the ground with her hair disheveled and her dress scorched and torn: "It was the evil god, Tzeentch's Greater Daemon wove a web of fate to disrupt my senses. My soul was trapped in the void for months."
"Damn it! I knew it!" Ryan rushed over and lifted Veronica into his arms: "Damn Tzeentch! I'll make him pay for this!"
"I did it, Ryan. In the most critical moment, I heard… I heard your voice. I heard you calling my name." Veronica weakly leaned against Ryan: "I felt it, the matrix of order formed by points of light. I knew it was you. You came, and I found my way out."
"I did it, Ryan. I've advanced to the Saint Realm!"
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