"Former headmaster, you... you aren't joking, are you?"
"Seris might be able to tackle this, but we in Ailameng might not!"
Unlike the confident former headmaster, Moningia and Varian were utterly shocked.
They were only in their sixties or early seventies-"young Grand Mages."
They still had long careers ahead of them in the arcane world!
But Opani was not joking.
His expression hardened. "Fools! Rivalries between schools are like wars. If you won't fight for something, plenty of others will!
"You should understand that this field involves at least one achievement worthy of an Arcane Star Award. You know what that means."
"It means... a Grand Mage?"
Moningia ventured the question.
"It should mean another Grand Mage for Seris."
Varian nodded.
Opani said, "What if that Grand Mage belonged to our Elements School, or even to Ailameng City? What would that mean?"
The two fell silent.
One side gaining while the other lost would double the gap.
The difference between having one and having none was like heaven and earth.
"Roland is clearly grooming Lie Yi..."
As Opani spoke, he could not help wondering to himself.
That fellow is so young, yet he's figured out all the tricks without anyone teaching him.
He really is a genius!
A genius in arcana, and a genius outside it too!
He had also done an excellent job when he ran the Development Department.
That had even shown Opani a potential for growth far greater than arcana alone could offer.
Then he looked at the two Grand Mages before him.
They were practically overgrown infants when it came to politics!
He had no choice but to break down the stakes for them in painstaking detail.
"The Seris School has now reached a crucial point between building on its past and securing its future. Roland's