The Tower

A little over ten minutes later, the piercing wail of police sirens tore through the quiet of the rainy night. A hovering police car, flashing with a cold blue light, landed precisely in front of the Groni Clinic.

Several police officers exited the vehicle, apprehended a visibly terrified Gos Groni, and then launched a thorough search of the clinic. They discovered numerous grey transaction records, hidden within various Magic Guide Terminals, heavily encrypted, and disguised as ordinary bills.

The findings included evidence of dealings in substandard counterfeit medicine, the trade of addictive substances, illegal arms trafficking, and the exchange of Restricted Spells, among other illicit activities. The sheer volume and nature of the crimes were shocking.

Faced with the exposure of these transaction records, coupled with incriminating evidence provided by a mysterious anonymous informant, Gos, who had been smug and arrogant moments before, collapsed as if struck by lightning. He was roughly dragged into the police car, meeting the same fate as Regal Hoffman.

From the dark street corner outside the clinic, standing beneath an umbrella, Rosaline stared blankly at the sudden turn of events and asked in bewilderment, "Teacher... did you do this?"

Ivette nodded slightly and said calmly, "In the Blackwater District, unless someone is a saint, they'll inevitably have some involvement with the grey industry, it's just a matter of how well they hide it. And unfortunately for them, I'm very good at digging up that kind of thing."

Like Rosaline, Ivette had been very curious about the informant behind the downfall of the Hoffman family.

This was especially true since the tip-off occurred only a month after she joined the clinic. During that month, the clinic's clientele had increased significantly due to rumors of the "beautiful nurse," attracting many new patients. This inevitably led her to suspect that if she hadn't suddenly requested to observe the clinic regularly, the sudden tip-off might not have happened.

Therefore, using her rune-hacking skills, Ivette directly traced the origin of the anonymous tip to the police station to the Groni Clinic, located just 1.5 kilometers away, with no attempt at concealment or counter-surveillance.

Combining this information with what she had learned from Mrs. Susan, the answer became crystal clear.

This was undoubtedly a straightforward case of professional rivalry. Gos had known for a long time that Regal was practicing without a license. However, at that time, Gos's clinic had a sufficient patient base, generating higher income and profit margins than Regal's, and he was living a more leisurely life, so he hadn't bothered to report Regal and create enmity.

Recently, however, due to "someone's" influence, Regal's clinic had gained many new patients, directly siphoning business away from Gos. Although his income was still higher than Regal's, seeing his own clinic gradually become deserted, Gos couldn't stand it and sent an anonymous email, reporting the Hoffman Clinic.

And thus, the events that transpired later, culminating in today's outcome.

In a way, Ivette could indeed be considered the fuse that ignited the entire chain of events.

However, this was certainly not her responsibility. Her act of helping the Hoffmans find the informant and retaliate in kind was purely out of sympathy and her dislike for Gos. She couldn't ensure that good people were rewarded, but she could make life less comfortable for bad people.

Furthermore, this presented a valuable opportunity for her student's growth.

After all, in a wasteland world with only two people, the limitations meant that many of the setbacks necessary for growth from immaturity to maturity could not be experienced by Rosaline.

By utilizing this grand dream, she had finally managed to compensate for some of that lack, fulfilling a small part of her duty as a teacher.

The autumn night's heavy rain had come and gone quickly. Within a few steps on the way back, the sky had cleared. The dark clouds dispersed, revealing a sliver of a pale silver crescent moon, adorned with scattered starlight, forming a hazy yet magnificent Milky Way.

Rosaline, who had somehow become her umbrella-bearer, closed the umbrella and followed closely behind her teacher.

She gazed at the unfamiliar constellations overhead, so different from those of her homeland, and suddenly cleared her throat, asking tentatively in a shy, bashful tone, "Teacher, did you... investigate Dr. Groni because of me?"

"No," Ivette replied without a flicker of emotion, her pace unwavering.

"Really?" Rosaline playfully jogged forward, her eyes meeting Ivette's elegant jawline, her tone thick with disbelief.

She still felt that her teacher must have done this for her. After all, her teacher was a reclusive master who had weathered countless storms and seen through the mundane world. She had even specifically reminded her that everything in her dreams was false, yet Rosaline remained fixated on it, forcing her teacher to personally intervene to help her break free from her obsession.

"No," Ivette stated with absolute certainty.

"Then you did!" Rosaline retorted with equal conviction.

"No."

"Yes!"

"..."

Ivette glanced at her, closed her mouth, and fell into complete silence.

Rosaline, unbothered, chuckled and picked up her pace, heading briskly towards the Wright Apartments.

A few days later, the news of Gos's arrest spread through Acid Street, prompting many who already knew the truth behind the tip-off, such as Susan, Hans, and Mary, to clap their hands in approval.

Following that, much like events that had transpired in the past, the Groni Clinic also went out of business amidst the scandal.

However, the difference this time was that no one visited Gos's relatives to offer condolences, and his sentence was considerably harsher. Despite the relatively minor nature of his illegal activities and involvement in the grey industry, their sheer quantity led to a conviction of twelve years, double the six years meted out to Greil.

On the evening of Gos's trial, the setting sun cast a soft golden glow on the apartment's spacious window frames. Rosaline leaned by the window, watching Mrs. Susan busy at her roadside stall below, her mood entirely different from the days past.

"Teacher, Hans told me that Mr. Regal Hoffman received a lighter sentence of six years because a 'kind person' bribed the judge and jury. But he doesn't know who it was, as too many people came to offer condolences at the time."

"Mm."

"Was it you, Teacher?"

"What do you think?" Ivette asked calmly, without looking up from the text on the holographic screen, as she sat on the sofa.

"I think it definitely was."

"Why?"

"Because you said you wanted to buy me the latest Magic Guide Terminal, but you still haven't saved enough money," Rosaline said with a pout, then couldn't resist stealing a glance at her teacher's expression. "Um, I'm not hinting, absolutely not."

A slight smile touched Ivette's lips. She lowered her gaze, offering no reply.

During her previous conversations with her student, she had made it clear that her 500,000 credit points were earmarked for purchasing the "Elemental Decay Completion Technology," leaving no spare funds to assist the Hoffman family.

However, the reality was that Welder had found new clients in neighboring Grayport City, providing her with surplus funds after purchasing her professional books. Half of these funds were used to grease the wheels of justice, securing a reduced sentence for Regal, who would have otherwise faced at least ten years, down to six.

And where did the other half go?

Well, considering that Gos, despite hiring a lawyer with a hefty fee, received a severe sentence, the answer seemed quite clear.

Without receiving a direct response from Ivette, but perhaps interpreting her silence as an acknowledgment, Rosaline lowered her head contentedly, continuing to watch the street scene below the apartment building.

Then, she saw Briel, dressed in a finely made and perfectly tailored Black Tower Middle School uniform, appear suddenly by the roadside with two young followers. They looked around as if searching for someone, and after a moment of fruitless searching, they ran to Mrs. Susan's stall, each ordered a pancake with egg and sausage, and then walked away eating.

The twilight light fell upon the three elite youths as they chatted and walked, casting long shadows on the dirty road.

Watching this scene, Rosaline smiled. Just as she was about to say something to her teacher, she suddenly saw the world before her become illusory. The familiar room wallpaper, window frames, and the clamor from downstairs all began to ripple and melt like an oil painting soaked in warm water, dissolving into hazy, colorful vortices resembling water ripples.

"It's over," Ivette, dressed in a pure white dress, stood up and walked behind her. A brand-new magic guide ring adorned her slender fingers. Inside it was professional literature worth 500,000 credit points, and it was also the key to the future manor's energy supply.

"Mm, it's over..." Rosaline murmured, her expression dazed.

In the evening, the two returned to the real world and rode a nearly dilapidated magitech motorcycle from the Blackwater District back to the manor in the central district.

As they passed the ruins of the Black Tower building, which was broken and covered in lush green plants but still stood tall, Rosaline, sitting in the passenger seat, couldn't help but tilt her head back and stare blankly.

She remembered that for Hans and Mary, the Hoffmans' greatest expectation was that they would be able to advance through Black Tower Middle School to the corresponding university, and later work at Black Tower Pharmaceuticals, get promoted, and thus rise above the rest, reaching the pinnacle of Ish City.

This was the limit of the Hoffman family's imagination for a better future, and this scene was almost impossible to recreate.

She suddenly felt a pang of sadness, thinking that if one day she could pass through the Remnant Abyss and return to her hometown, she would also build a tower in her hometown.

But not a black tower, rather a white tower, a tower like a lighthouse that could dispel all darkness in the night.

A tower like her teacher.