Hidden Crisis, Tangled Interests

Hidden Crisis, Tangled Interests

The Wizard Mutual Aid Association had been successfully established. Moxi served as president, while Kadi of the Purple Gold Flower Family served as vice president.

Anna's position only extended to executive president. She was responsible for assisting in managing the Wizard Mutual Aid Association, organizing activities, and gathering members. As for decision-making power, hers had been severely weakened.

Anna had strong objections to this. She had spent so much breath and endured so much hardship to establish the Wizard Mutual Aid Association.

On the stage, Kadi was explaining the Wizard Mutual Aid Association's primary functions.

It would collect everyone's information for unified management and provide timely aid whenever danger arose.

Furthermore, several Wizard Families would periodically distribute Supernatural Resources to every member. As for when they would be distributed, no exact date had been given.

This still stirred excitement and delight among the Wizard Freshmen, especially those who had arrived on the same ship as Lafayette. The benefit resources Anna had spoken of had truly materialized.

In a corner below the stage.

Moxi looked at Anna gently, a trace of apology on his face. "Sorry, Anna. This isn't something I can decide. Some of the Bailin Family elders arranged it this way. The resources supplied to the Wizard Mutual Aid Association are also in their hands."

Anna's expression stiffened, but the anger in her heart remained. Her teeth bit down on her lower lip.

Moxi added, "The one speaking onstage is a Direct Lineage Member of the Purple Gold Flower Family, one of the Three Great Wizard Families."

Like a deflated balloon, Anna instantly wilted and fell silent. Moxi still wore that gentle smile. "It's all right. Aren't I here?"

Hesitation appeared on her face, but in the end, she nodded.

What a foolish woman. Mockery glinted in Moxi's eyes, though his expression remained gentle to the end. "Anna, you really are as tender as water."

A flush rose to Anna's face, her gratitude and shyness falling into place just right.

The night was deep, not a single star adorning the sky, which hung like a curtain. Ancient Forest Mountain lay in silence, and the lights shining through the darkness illuminated the cobblestone paths.

"There's no need to concern ourselves with Wizard Yis. As long as we follow the rules, no one can hold us by the hands and feet. At present, around ten Wizard Freshmen on Ancient Forest Mountain with Top Aptitude have clearly stated their willingness to sign contracts with our families."

Moxi Bailin and Kadi of the Purple Gold Flower Family walked as they spoke.

"The special targets I handled have also reached around ten. Should we continue?" Kadi asked.

A cold smile appeared at the corner of Moxi's mouth. "Continue. For these island natives to receive the goodwill of our Three Great Wizard Families is their honor. Those who agree get an Admission Ticket. Those who refuse die. It's that simple."

Kadi said with some hesitation, "But the number of freshmen dealt with has already reached thirty-eight. If there are any more, even if Wizard Yis insists on the rules, something unexpected may still happen."

Moxi shook his head, disappointment in his voice. "Kadi, compared with your brother, you're still far too timid. It isn't only Commoner Freshmen who have gone missing. Haven't freshmen from our Wizard Families also disappeared? And it isn't only those who attended the Welcome Party who have vanished. Even more of those who didn't attend have disappeared."

"On the surface, we've already given Wizard Yis face. Behind the scenes, we've also made concessions, kicking out some Wizard Family freshmen and yielding Admission Ticket competitiveness. What else could Wizard Yis possibly be dissatisfied with? The rules are still there. No one has broken them."

Kadi's face stiffened. He seemed unwilling to hear the word "brother." With a sour expression, he continued, "But the previous method no longer works. Where are we supposed to find so many fools we can lure out of Ancient Forest Mountain? The trust built by the Welcome Party has already been reduced to nothing by their Sense of Crisis. It's not just the targets with Top Aptitude—even most ordinary freshmen are hiding like turtles in their Wizard Residences."

"They still haven't responded?" Moxi's eyes turned cold.

"There's been no response, but they haven't exposed the matter either."

"They're smarter than I thought. In Ancient Forest Wizard City, our Wizard Families are the heavens. Even within Ancient Forest Mountain, we have ways to make them die without a burial ground."

In truth, some freshmen with Top Aptitude had previously anonymously informed the wizards of Ancient Forest Pavilion. But their reports vanished like stones sinking into the sea. Instead, the anonymous informants were found, and then they disappeared.

That was the true reason so many freshmen with Top Aptitude were fearful and wary. No one wanted to completely tear their faces apart with Moxi and the Wizard Families behind him. The Wizard Contracts they signed were also extremely harsh, practically requiring them to sell their lives to the Wizard Families for most of their lives.

Wizard Yis's rules had become their protective talisman at this moment. More than ten days of peace had let them see hope. If they completed their wizardry courses sooner, they could obtain Admission Tickets and leave this damned place. Some Wizard Freshmen had stumbled upon the Supernatural Basic Knowledge hidden among the bookshelves. While hiding it away, they also felt like crying without tears.

The answer to their opportunity had been hidden at their side all along. If they had discovered it earlier, why would they have needed to suffer such constant fear? On Ancient Forest Mountain, the Wizard Families' influence could not reach them. With their Wizard Aptitude and a little more effort, it was actually easy for them to complete the assessments and obtain Admission Tickets. Having wasted twenty days for nothing, regret could no longer change anything.

"What should we do next?" Kadi asked. Everything they had done so far was for expanding the Wizard Families' influence and taking root in The Umbral Expanse. As for Admission Tickets, Wizard Family freshmen had never worried about such matters.

For those who chose the Supernatural Nurturing Series, Nurtured Creatures required not only Particle Energy nourishment and Consciousness Imprints, but more importantly, a supply of Supernatural Resources. In just a few days, they could even surpass the efforts island Wizard Apprentices had spent two or three months making.

The support of the families behind them was their greatest source of confidence. How could island natives compete with descendants of Wizard Families that had been passed down for years?

"Kill them!" Moxi spat out the two words, clean and crisp.

Kadi's pupils contracted. "Still kill? There aren't many freshmen with Top Aptitude left." If this had been on the continental regions, they naturally would not have dared to act like this. Some freshmen might have particularly powerful backgrounds. They would instead follow the real rules and never act recklessly. If they did act recklessly, they might very well become the targets of that recklessness.

Ancient Forest Wizard City was a port, and a relatively remote one at that. It faced the many island continents of the Endless Sea, so the native freshmen naturally had no backgrounds whatsoever.

Moxi gave a cold smile, revealing neat yet sinister teeth. "Precisely because there aren't many left, we need to make them sign Wizard Contracts. The family is watching you and me. We must make this look good if we want to receive greater Supernatural Resources support at Umbral Wizard Academy."

A shadowy look suddenly surfaced on his handsome face. "The Antun Family has already developed to the point of moving onto the continent, and they've even established connections with ancient Wizard Families there. They left behind a branch line to fob us off, and they don't participate in any of the operations of our three-family cooperation."

"But even as a branch line, they can still stand shoulder to shoulder with us, perhaps even surpass us. Are you willing to accept that? A descendant of a side branch standing on equal footing with you and me, especially when they entered Umbral Wizard Academy before us?"

Kadi took a deep breath. Of course he was unwilling. No one knew what opportunity the Antun Family had obtained to develop so greatly, or how it even possessed a Limit Wizard Apprentice.

"Catch them all in one net. Leave none alive." The two finally reached a consensus. The greater the weight their families held in The Umbral Expanse, the greater the support and convenience they would receive.

Moxi frowned and raised several concerns. "Wizard Yis is a Management Wizard parachuted in from The Umbral Expanse. His origins still haven't been investigated clearly. But he's only a Third-level Wizard Apprentice, and he's fallen so low as to come to our little place. I imagine he has no background to speak of."

"Since they won't come out, then we'll take the initiative. Send people in and kill a chicken to scare the monkeys."

"You want to kill people inside Ancient Forest Mountain? You're mad! Wizard Yis is no joke. That icy gaze of his carries killing intent held tightly in check," Kadi cried out.

Moxi shook his head. "I'm not that foolish. You and I certainly cannot violate the rules, but that doesn't mean others cannot."

Kadi's eyes lit up. "You mean we remove ourselves from the matter, let the family make arrangements, and use covert means to find some Wizard Killers and send them into Ancient Forest Mountain to act."

Moxi smiled and nodded.

"That way, even if Wizard Yis investigates, he'll only be able to trace it to people in the Black Market. After passing through so many hands, it will be impossible to connect it to us."

"Exactly! But freshmen with Top Aptitude are highly useful to the family. Let the Wizard Killers casually deal with a few low-grade freshmen on the Wizard Array Path or in the Wizard Residences." Moxi spoke indifferently. "As long as we provoke them and frighten them a little more, the island natives will naturally obey."

Kadi nodded in agreement and reminded him, "To be safe, try to choose Wizard Freshmen who are withdrawn and have few friends. It would be best if they stay in their Wizard Residences all the time and do not leave for days."

Moxi smiled. "Naturally!"

A 2,800-word chapter! This is today's third update. It was supposed to be four, but I had some community matters to deal with, so it was delayed. I'll make it up either later or tomorrow.