Reilo suddenly received a Crystal Ball message from Xixido, Vice Dean of the Grand Natural Sciences Academy.
"I discovered something unusual."
Xixido had shed his usual laziness and spoke to Reilo at a rapid clip.
In all these years, Xixido had rarely contacted Reilo of his own accord, and whenever he did, he had always sounded languid and listless. It was rare to see him this strangely energetic.
Reilo was about to casually agree when Xixido urged him, "Hurry over!"
Reilo's mouth froze open. Realizing that Xixido must have something important to discuss, he nodded. "Got it. I'll be right there."
The Star Source Holy Mountain wasn't far from the Grand Natural Sciences Academy. Less than half an hourglass later, Reilo appeared beneath the High Tower in a flash and soon arrived at Xixido's laboratory.
Xixido wasn't alone in the room. His wife, Megana, as well as Orn of the Flame Heart Force and Angelina the Fire Phoenix, were there too.
All four looked as though they had been waiting for quite some time.
Of the four, all but Orn had become Pioneers. Megana in particular had grown so powerful that even Reilo found her hard to read. He had no idea what kind of legacy the Dream Thief had left her back then.
Orn, meanwhile, had yet to become a Pioneer largely because of the injuries he had sustained in several near-fatal battles. He was visibly much older than the other three.
These days, the four of them oversaw the Grand Natural Sciences Academy's education division. They had hundreds of doctoral mentors under them, and thousands of scholars graduated every year.
"What's going on?"
Reilo asked as soon as he entered.
"I don't know what this thing is, but it managed to infiltrate the Academy's most confidential archives without