Of the Tier 4 Wizards in the Wizard World, most had either died in the war against the Black Tide or, with their path to advancement blocked, vanished into the river of history.
The desperate vanished faster than new Tier 4 Wizards could be promoted, so in the end only a handful remained in the Wizard World.
Now, apart from Gorsa, all the other Tier 4 Wizards were over a hundred years old. Some, like Murphy, were even several hundred.
The fall of the strongest combatants was a grim subject, and Murphy didn't want to discuss it before the Black Tide arrived, so he changed the subject.
"What do you think? The Wall of Sighs is quite impressive, isn't it?"
Thor nodded and praised it sincerely. "It's magnificent."
"Heh. Most of the Wizards fighting here are unaffiliated, with no backing. But when it comes to the higher ranks, we still have to rely on the support of the other major powers. Most of the Third Rank Wizards come from the Eskaper Continent and the Radiance Family."
Murphy took Thor to look out at the Storm Sea. In the distance, they could just make out several tall, slender Wizard Towers.
Each Wizard Tower was like a lighthouse on the sea, but in function, they were more like turrets extending from the Wall of Sighs.
"The Wizards stationed in those towers are all at least Tier 2. There are also several Wizard Towers farther out, beyond the reach of the naked eye. Those need Tier 3 Wizards to man them. Your mentor, Gorsa, is in one of the towers at the very front. With him there, many Black Tide Monsters were destroyed before they could even get close during the last few attacks. Honestly... I really don't want to let him go."