The old merfolk who had swept up Lin Guo and fled the Merfolk Tribe at the bottom of the lake in panic was Professor Garcia.
As a teacher at First University, Professor Garcia was more familiar with the ways of communication in the Wizarding World and more thorough in his considerations than those reclusive, xenophobic relatives at the bottom of the lake. Thus, after the School Guardian Formation revealed itself above the merfolk reserve, he immediately rushed back to the lakebed, fearing that this upheaval had been caused by some mad radical merfolk below.
The result left him with mixed feelings.
The good news was that the Merfolk Tribe below the lake was equally chaotic. From the tribal elders and priests to the leaders of the younger merfolk, no one knew what had happened. They only knew that a Green Vine had suddenly grown in the lake water, after which the surface of the lake had begun churning like a boiling pot.
At the very least, the trouble had not been caused by the merfolk of the reserve. That made Professor Garcia breathe a heavy sigh of relief.
But as fortune and misfortune went hand in hand, the merfolk's complete ignorance of the Green Vine's origins reassured Professor Garcia while also filling him with concern.
As magnificent as the world of magic was, it was equally dangerous.
No one knew where the Green Vine had come from, or whether the demons upon it had slipped into the tribe as well. Therefore, after consulting with Professor Garcia, the Merfolk Tribe's Great Elder immediately ordered strong, agile merfolk guards to search everywhere and ensure the lakebed's safety. At the same time, he summoned all the priests and had them bring the totems the tribe had worshipped for ages to the place where