Wester froze, speechless.
All the mental preparation he had painstakingly built up crumbled under a single sentence.
No wonder no one ever called this Archmage an evil man, yet no one ever wanted to spend time with him either. Even his fellow disciples would not visit this Side Tower unless they had to!
Wasn't that just too vicious?
Reality was cruel enough already. Why did he have to slap Wester in the face on top of it?
Yet Wester dared not leave the question unanswered. If this man wanted to make trouble for him, he would not even need Archmage Rute's permission.
Gilbert had no shortage of nasty tricks. Otherwise, with the Hainalson Family situated in such a terrible location, how could they have gone all these years without encountering a single competent thief?
"The esteemed Mage Selin Bogard believes that, as the administrator in charge of apprentices, I must ensure there are no oversights in the Mage Tower's treatment of them," Wester answered cautiously.
"Selin Bogard?" A comical smile appeared on Gilbert's gaunt face as he lay in his recliner. "Has the second family war between the son-in-law and the nephew already reached this point?"
Sure enough, he understood immediately.
He might spend every day lying around at home, but he was remarkably well informed.
Most people already took care not to discuss anything indiscreet near the Side Tower, even though they knew Gilbert rarely contacted his fellow disciples, had terrible relationships with the other factions and even the outer-ring mages, and belonged to a Hainalson Family that lived in a perpetual state of bewilderment.
Yet Gilbert still learned all those little rumors. How on earth did he do it?
If only Wester had that ability!
But Wester, who could not even figure out how the other man managed