Inside a temporary tent.
Several people slowly listened to an idea for cracking it, feeling as though their consciousness had returned to that great door.
Runes, nodes, routes...
It actually seemed somewhat feasible!
At once.
Everyone looked at Ian differently.
Was this the worth of a Second-Ring Scholar from the Truth Tower?
The next day.
Everyone began following Ian's line of thought. A day later, they actually seemed to have gained something.
That night.
Ian returned to his residence near Elemental Mysteries to rest.
"Give them an idea that sounds plausible, something that seems possible but is ultimately impossible."
Ian muttered to himself.
All he needed to do was stall.
But at the same time, Ian began considering what to do next.
A door had been discovered.
Then opening it was only a matter of time.
The only difference was whether it would take one year or two.
"So I have to obtain the laboratory's final key as soon as possible."
Ian murmured.
But that depended on the speed of Elemental Transmutation.
Fifteen Replenishment Wizardries.
He currently had nine.
Based on what he knew of Metatron, advancing another stage still would not be enough.
He needed to replenish at least twelve or thirteen.
Knowledge should not be much of a problem. The main issue was still the speed of learning.
Normally.
Reaching that point would take at least a year and a half.
But did he still have that much time?
He did not think so.
No Wizard was a fool. Ian believed he could stall the three Wizard Academies for, at most, a few months before they realized they were helpless before this door. After that, Wizards from the Gray Tower would come.
With all the methods currently available, he had to assume the worst-case scenario. That meant a