Tap.
Tap.
One by one, the lights flickered on.
With heavy footsteps treading upon the grayish-brown bluestone steps, Aurelia's figure swayed as she descended into the basement.
As a Domain Lord, Aurelia utilized her privileges as the Student Council President to the absolute limit; her status was no less than that of any department dean.
Naturally, she didn't need to guard outlying territories and pay monthly taxes like ordinary students.
Instead, she owned her own island villa in the heart of Tianlan Star, only needing to step forward and aid the academy during major events.
Seeing Aurelia arrive, an elderly woman of the same gold fox-kin, who had been sitting in the basement flipping through a book, stood up and bowed deeply.
She then handed over a small stack of yellowed papers.
“Miss, I have found all the files you requested regarding the silver fox-kin. Please have a look.”
Aurelia nodded silently.
“Understood. What about the silver mana tide that Romansa encountered when she ascended to Domain Lord?”
“Are the data recorded at that time still intact?”
The gold fox elder nodded, a trace of sorrow flickering in her aging eyes.
“Yes. Fortunately, you mentioned it in advance. Otherwise, I wouldn't have dared to bring it out, fearing it would only trigger your grief.”
“What a wonderful girl she was—exceptionally talented and kind-hearted. Everyone believed she would be your most perfect and reliable deputy in the future.”
“But who could have known that a silver fox-kin would face such an attack when ascending to Domain Lord!”
Aurelia sighed.
“It was my fault.”
“I asked the clan elders, and they warned me beforehand that Romansa's ascension to Domain Lord would be far more dangerous than mine.”
“But I was still careless. I didn't expect that mana tide to be so ferocious.”
“Even with three Domain Lords joining forces, we couldn't resist it in the slightest. In just an instant, Romansa perished.”
The gold fox elder shook her head comfortingly.
“It is not your fault. The ascension ceremony of a Mage Emperor inherently requires the ascendant to bear the karmic consequences alone.”
“Romansa had to face it by herself. In both duty and friendship, you did everything you could.”
Aurelia sat down, specifically picking out the sheets containing the recorded data to examine them closely.
The most prominent detail was that the [Spellcasting] Origin had reached a terrifying level, almost forming a tidal wave that surged violently toward the ascendant.
Under normal circumstances, this would undoubtedly be an immense opportunity, but for a transcendent-level practitioner, it was nothing short of a catastrophe.
Their bodies could only accommodate transcendent Origin measured in tiny threads.
Yet, they were forced to absorb this massive tide whether they wanted to or not. The final outcome would only be the ascendant's body bursting from the sheer volume.
Romansa was that kind of death—not a single bone remained, and even her soul vanished without a trace, as if she had been utterly erased from existence.
As her guardian and dearest friend, Aurelia felt a wrenching pain in her heart just thinking about that tragic scene.
“When others of the Spellcasting Pathway ascend to Domain Lord, they also experience conflicts in their Origin, but it never reaches the scale of a tide.”
“This phenomenon only occurs with the silver fox-kin.”
Her pale, slender fingers gently brushed over the familiar, confident, and beautiful smile in the file. Romansa had lovely, short silver-white hair, and her two fox ears were happily perked upward.
Aurelia let out a long sigh.
If anyone else had resolved that volcanic eruption, she probably wouldn't have spared a second thought, at most offering a brief compliment on their talent.
Perhaps she would have kept an eye on them to see if they were worth recruiting into the Combat Club.
But it just so happened that the person named Bai Xiaodu was a silver fox-kin!
Just catching a glimpse of that faint silver-white silhouette brought a sharp, stabbing pain to her chest.
Furthermore, Bai Xiaodu's face was incredibly cute and delicate, and he would even wag his tail rapidly whenever he lied.
He almost made Aurelia feel as though he were Romansa herself, disguised in men's clothing!
Naturally, she couldn't bring herself to feel even a shred of anger toward him!
She solemnly closed the file bearing her friend's portrait, as if closing her old friend's eyes one last time.
“No matter what, I will make sure you can rest in peace.”
“I will uncover the truth. Even if I can't, I will never let this tragedy repeat itself!”
Having done this, Aurelia turned and instructed the gold fox elder.
“Romansa died in Gaoxi Ravine, and her Secret Realm is located there as well. The academy currently has people taking turns guarding it, correct?”
The gold fox elder nodded.
Aurelia continued.
“Lower the taxes for Gaoxi Ravine, increase the monthly allocation of cultivation resources and living allowances, and add a privilege that allows him to receive guidance from a Domain Lord-level practitioner once a month.”
“Do not charge this to the public accounts; fund it from my private treasury. Naturally, the designated Domain Lord-level practitioner will be me.”
“Go contact Bai Xiaodu's current instructor and ask them to do everything they can to recommend that Bai Xiaodu choose this Secret Realm. They will be handsomely rewarded once it's done.”
“It shall be done according to your wishes,” the gold fox elder said, bowing once more.
“However...”
Aurelia keenly sensed the hesitation on her face.
“However what?”
The gold fox elder let out a bitter smile.
“The primary residents of Gaoxi Ravine are half-lizardmen. They are wild, bloodthirsty by nature, and difficult to get along with.”
“A major incident occurred there previously during the extraction of Secret Realm resources. Those lizardmen lied about their output, resulting in a severe punishment for the transcendent stationed there. In a fit of rage, he slaughtered hundreds of lizardmen.”
“Neither side would back down, and tensions were extremely high. They even exposed the matter extensively online, which made the academy look very bad.”
“Do you know what kind of personality this child Bai Xiaodu has? Can he put aside his pride as a transcendent and mingle with these ordinary residents?”
Aurelia was taken aback.
During her own time as a transcendent, the Secret Realm she chose had been carefully selected for her by her elders.
She had only ever been annoyed about trying to increase production; she had never once considered how to get along with the local residents.
She admitted candidly,
“I don't know. But this matter is actually quite simple.”
“I will secretly follow behind him. Whoever stirs up trouble, I will simply imprint a mental seal directly onto their soul.”
The gold fox elder asked helplessly in return,
“What if they hold those massive protests? If thousands or tens of thousands of people gather, what will you do then?”
Aurelia thought for a moment and replied,
“I will first cast a Concussion spell to disorient their minds, and then imprint a massive mental seal all at once.”
“Making them believe in Bai Xiaodu will suffice. There is no need to make it complicated.”
The gold fox elder: “...”
That was indeed an excellent solution.
“But doing that won't look good. The cranial standard of these lizardmen is between seventy to ninety percent.”
“Moreover, they pay their taxes on time, receive Federal education, and participate in various infrastructure constructions. They are standard Federal citizens.”
“Furthermore, this territory is under your jurisdiction. You are the lord, and they are your subjects.”
“If word gets out that you used such methods, it will severely damage your reputation.”
Aurelia knit her delicate brows.
She extended a pale, slender finger and wagged it gently.
“Those who oppose me are not my subjects.”
Rate on N.U.
