Chapter 231: Reaching Cooperation: Overturning the Wizard Tower
“Hehe, I underestimated your witches’ ability to lie with your eyes wide open.” At this moment, Achir’s expression was ambiguous, neither clearly sarcastic nor amused.
But it was obvious that the other party was also weighing the pros and cons.
Even if I left at this moment, what would be left of Holy Angel Academy? Of course, there would still be all the Holy Angel students, but even so, what could they achieve?
The previous day had proven that one day was not enough to accomplish anything. And once he began to indiscriminately accumulate points on a large scale, he would become the target of criticism.
Either everyone would avoid him, or they would unite to jointly exterminate them.
This did not align with the usual style of Holy Angel Academy. One could say that he was already stuck in a quagmire; no matter which way he turned, he would end up splattered with mud.
He just hadn’t made up his mind whether to break through his own bottom line, prioritizing profit above all else.
After all, the academy he belonged to was one of the top three elite academies. If he lowered himself to engage in such things and became a target for gossip, it would also be a devastating blow to the faith in Holy Light.
In simple terms, he was burdened too heavily; now, one misstep would lead to irreversible consequences.
“If you don’t believe me, we can sign a contract. You’ve heard of the reputation of the Witch Contract, right?”
While I didn’t know much about the Witch Contract myself, the earlier collaboration with the Sea Tribe had shown that the other party held a strong trust in it.
At the very least, things dictated by extraordinary power were much better than empty words.
Anyway, as long as there was a possibility, I would try. If worse came to worst, I could flee, summarize the situation, and go back to find Tan Han and the others to replan.
When there’s a fallback, why not put in one more effort? There was absolutely no need for any hesitation at this moment.
“The Witch Contract… I have certainly heard of it. It is an unbreakable promise that witches will never violate…”
“Good to hear. I only want the Wizard Academy to lose their Wizard Tower. The remaining requirements, feel free to bring them up.”
“I want all the resources you can take with you, as well as your full cooperation. And you must not directly or indirectly betray me in any way.”
“You! You really have the audacity to ask for so much! Absolutely not!” Hearing the other party’s demands, I refused outright. Was he treating me like a fool? Trying to be the last man standing even before d*ath?
Why such a big appetite?
“Well then, everything is off the table. After all, all of this is you begging me.”
“That statement has no premise of mutual cooperation. While this plan was indeed proposed by me, you can’t treat me as a fool… right? I can hand over the heads of everyone in the Wizard Academy to you, how does that sound? At most, I’ll hospitalize them. You can collect the heads.”
“Do you think that’s possible?”
“Then let’s add their storage equipment with resources they can take. There are so many of them; that’s definitely more than just me, right?”
“That was originally my loot. Witch, don’t swap concepts!”
“I also contributed, so naturally, I deserve my share. Why can’t I have my share?”
“From start to finish, everything you’ve said lacks sincerity. I only see your hypocritical face and that you’re trying to make a fool out of me!”
“You! Doing this means the negotiation has broken down!” I looked at the other party’s merciless strike and angrily dodged. Why wasn’t this guy thinking only of profit?
If he were in the Wizard Academy’s position, at this critical juncture, they would definitely pull Holy Angel Academy into the water, but what’s this birdbrain doing?
He wouldn’t listen to anything; could it really be that I offered too little? But shouldn’t these kinds of things be negotiated?
Sure enough, having a conversation on different wavelengths just invites trouble. Was this what the believers of Holy Angel Academy aspired to do?
I simply couldn’t understand.
After a brief exchange, I confirmed that Achir, empowered by an entire Holy Light Spring, was indeed stronger than me. If he fully utilized that power without reservation, he would absolutely crush me.
But it seemed he hadn’t prepared himself mentally to use that power entirely, as it wasn’t his alone; he was the leader and needed to consider his teammates.
“Am I really to leave in shame?”
Though reluctant, reality was indeed so. Even if I employed the Fire Rain Field, I would gain no advantages from him, wasting my magic power in the process. The same would apply to him, expending vast amounts of energy, but for me, it was still not worth it.
“Hmph… you Holy Angel Academy wait slowly for d*ath…” Just as I prepared to leave with a harsh remark, I spotted a figure in the distance.
Just one quick turn, and I flew back after barely releasing a breath.
Achir frowned, “Weren’t you planning to run away? Why are you back? Not giving up?”
“Of course not! You underestimate my obsession with the Wizard Tower! Also… do you see who that is?”
At this moment, I shifted from my previous submissive tone and stood tall, directly facing the pinnacle of Achir. I merely pointed at the figure behind me.
“That’s… Tan Han!”
Achir truly hoped he was mistaken, but the figure became increasingly clear, and reality assured him his eyes were not deceiving him.
“Correct, so now the situation has reversed, right? What do you think will happen if Tan Han and I join forces?”
“Tan Han used that kind of spell not long ago; she’s currently at her limit. What are you expecting?”
“I also used that kind of method not too long ago. What’s different now? It’s a back-and-forth struggle! Stop pretending not to understand, it’s time to make a choice!”
At this moment, my smile was confident. What if the opponent was the Child of Fortune?
With Tan Han here, they directly counteracted his luck, but I must say, Tan Han’s appearance was fantastic!
I always thought she would be waiting for good news after completing the tea party; I didn’t expect her to truly come to my aid. This was truly heartwarming!
“Are you so sure Tan Han will agree to your proposal?” Achir’s internal turmoil grew again. It wasn’t about his lack of conviction but rather that the development of events had exceeded his expectations; he could no longer turn back.
“Of course, Tan Han will listen to me.”
“I see… the true leader of the Witch Academy has always been you, hasn’t it?”
“Wait, how did you conclude that?” I frowned, looking at Achir, who had a knowing expression. What did he understand?
“Wrong! I don’t possess the talent to lead, and I am even unqualified as a class leader. So, I am not the leader; don’t overthink it.”
“Hehe, here we are again, it seems I can’t trust what witches say.”
“You! It’s you all who have been saying that we witches’ words cannot be trusted! Where on earth did this rumor originate? My reputation isn’t that bad, is it!”
“Xiao Han! Be careful, I’ve come to support you!”
At this moment, Tan Han’s voice was heard from afar. But looking at the scene, even she had a serious expression, as the other party’s aura was terrifyingly strong, perhaps even more formidable than her after transforming with the Ancient Ice Transformation.
“Tan Han, don’t engage yet; you’re unaware of the situation.” I gestured for her to be cautious.
“Mm.”
Tan Han had just seen and heard me arguing with the other party. She indeed had many doubts but could still discern the important aspects.
“Now can we talk seriously? I won’t make you choose anymore; let’s directly discuss it. The three of us will overturn the Wizard Tower. Just tell me how that sounds!”
“I don’t think it sounds good. Don’t assume that with Tan Han’s collaboration, you can recklessly make demands.”
“Xiao Han.” Even if Tan Han didn’t understand the situation, the atmosphere of the conversation gave her the impression that a fight could break out at any moment.
“It’s fine. Right now, Achir has summoned the Holy Light Spring from the Floating Island. His strength is now unstoppable. However, pushing himself like this means he is overextending. Once that power is used up, Holy Angel Academy would have to retreat early. You understand what I mean, right?” I briefly explained the current situation to Tan Han.
“No wonder… the other party’s aura is indeed excessively strong. But… this is undoubtedly drinking poison to quench thirst… how could he…”
Tan Han quickly organized what I had said into a rough situation she could comprehend.
“Don’t ask; it strikes a nerve, just cooperate with me. Our goals are now aligned. If we succeed, we can push over the Wizard Tower of the Wizard Academy at the smallest cost.”
“Now it’s just a matter of whether they are willing to cooperate.” I said with a smile.
Then I cast my gaze back toward Achir. I certainly didn’t mind speaking about the plan so plainly; after all, we both understood it implicitly. If the other party hadn’t understood, it just meant their thinking was inadequate.
At the same time, this expressed my sincerity and honesty. Sincerity is a powerful weapon; as long as one doesn’t unwittingly pursue sincerity alone, one should know how valuable sincere cooperation with any strategy can be.
“Now, I, along with Tan Han on behalf of the Witch Academy, would like to sign a contract with your esteemed academy. I wonder if Lord Achir holds any intention toward this?”
This time I adopted a formal tone and paid adequate respect, even proposing cooperation under the name of the academy. The other party should have no reason to refuse.
Even if they had reasons, they needed to consider the actual circumstances to see if they could afford the price of turning against us now.
A dying man has nothing to fear; that’s not a viable excuse, considering the other party hadn’t “died” yet.
Who wouldn’t want to step back upon witnessing something about to rot away?
But at this moment, he was facing two new student powerhouses from the Witch Academy.
“I hope you witches won’t disappoint me.”
Achir let out a sigh, making his decision. Regardless of how other Holy Angel students saw him or opposed him, he had to do this.
At this moment.
In the Land of Eternal Darkness.
A group of witches had sent Tan Han off. They weren’t without combat strength themselves; it was just that under the backdrop of two sun-like missions, they appeared mediocre.
But their strength should not be underestimated.
At least before entering the exchange competition, they had received from the academy high-consumption spellbooks for various reasons.
When they truly unleashed their power, it would be terrifying.
It was just that in the battle of excessive consumption spellbooks earlier, they couldn’t intervene.
Now, they needed to clean up the battlefield here, such as the dwarves over there and the bl**d pool that needed to be destroyed after the tea party.
All they needed to do was hold the fort and wait for Tan Han and Sister Xiao Han to arrive.
After helping them break through the dwarves’ War Fortress protective artifact, Tan Han began to recover, restoring her magic power as well as her mental strength and stamina.
Tan Han said that she couldn’t just watch Xiao Han go to steal home alone; she also needed to support.
No one opposed this.
Because during this time, Tan Han had explained to them what Xiao Han had done.
Stealing home, going to Holy Angel or Wizard Academy’s old place, and doing it alone, but just the fact that she was going alone made everyone uneasy.
So, no one opposed Tan Han’s decision, which was why she had arrived so promptly.
Now that the tea party had ended, the Witch Academy had firmly secured the number one ranking. Even now, faced with the rising ritual light pillar, they had a nonchalant attitude as if they were wealthy.
After all, given the current situation, even without doing anything, other academies would need to score consecutively three points to overtake the Witch Academy. Just thinking about that felt unrealistic.
At this moment, they also had something far more important to do: dealing with the War Fortress that was too much of a nuisance and those dwarves.
These dwarves came from the Comprehensive Dwarf Academy and the Dwarf Forging Academy.
Operating such a large War Fortress with just a dozen or so individuals was indeed terrifying.
However, now they had become prisoners of the Witch Academy. Having removed the opponents’ sacred artifacts, they were nothing but dwarves waiting to be slaughtered. Even with their robust physical quality, they could not match the witches, who were spellcasters.
Yet it was clear that they had their own ideas.
The most direct thought was to make this War Fortress serve the Witch Academy. Simply threatening the dwarves was ineffective.
Moreover, the Witch Academy was currently the existence that the dwarves hated the most. If not for the Witch Academy, they wouldn’t be in such a dire state now!
But if one were to trace the cause… one could only say they brought this upon themselves.
Besides, they had a very fatal piece of leverage in the hands of the Witch Academy.
The War Fortress had now basically become the property of the Witch Academy. Even if the Witch Academy wouldn’t use it, they would never allow the Dwarf Academy to take it.
If the dwarves fell out with the Witch Academy now, the Witch Academy could easily dismantle the War Fortress, which would be a colossal loss.
Moreover, the more critical issue was that their sacred artifacts had been confiscated. This meant that if they died and were revived, the sacred artifacts would not accompany them.
At that time, they would have no advantages or means, becoming living targets!
“Have you thought it through? Such simple pros and cons, you shouldn’t fail to distinguish them, right?” Minian and the group faced the dwarves, showing no courtesy whatsoever.
“If you agree, then we’ll have a pleasant cooperation.”
“If you don’t agree, we’ll k*ll you all! I’m in dire need of points!”
“Your sacred artifacts are still in this storage bag, so think it through~”
They took turns instigating their reason and bottom line, gradually persuading them with facts.
After all, if they reached cooperation, they could sit atop this War Fortress and sweep through the other academies. That would be a grand affair!
From then on, wherever the ritual light pillar illuminated on the map, they would rush there. The era of domination in the exchange competition for the Witch Academy was about to arrive!
On the other side, with the contract burning in the air, that contract signed with three names was officially reached.
“Perfect! I told you we still had room for cooperation, pushing down the Wizard Tower is now secure!” I said with a smile.
“Xiao Han, don’t be too happy too soon; the Wizard Tower is not that easy to topple.” Tan Han shook her head at this moment, pouring a bucket of cold water on me. But she had personally experienced the means of the Wizard Academy.
Even now, although Achir possessed such terrifying power, it wasn’t a one hundred percent guarantee.
The Wizard Tower was crucial for wizards, and it was different from the World Tree or Floating Island. It provided various resource supplies for wizards, with items such as materials for witch weapons being the most basic.
For example, some wizard apprentices might have methods involving cursed insects and witch poison; the Wizard Tower would provide materials for raising cursed insects, making witch poison, etc.
It could even provide the spellcasting materials needed to execute witchcraft.
Likewise, the Wizard Tower required professionals for operation, and the most terrifying aspect was, of course, the top-tier grand spell that solidified the Wizard Tower as a witch weapon ritual.
Other functions, such as protective shields, were merely basic features.
The most bothersome were those magical artillery pieces for firepower suppression; the Wizard Tower’s weapon defense system was excessively abnormal.
Moreover, this still applied to the exchange competition’s *gimped version of the Wizard Tower. From this, one could imagine how terrifying the complete Wizard Tower would be.
Additionally, not every wizard qualified to establish their own Wizard Tower.
Even within the Wizard Academy, not every extraordinary wizard had the qualifications to set up their own Wizard Tower, which required an immense amount of resources and deeper demands, etc.
“Indeed, I have experienced the power of the Wizard Tower of the Wizard Academy, and it should not be underestimated.”
“Wait, what’s your situation? Trying to wash white while being three points weak? Are you planning to join us and just loaf around? Get your act together, Achir, what happened to that strength you had when you were hitting me!” I looked at Achir, who was also serious, and directly entered roast mode.
“I’m merely expressing my viewpoint, and the power of the Wizard Tower is also an objective fact that cannot be taken for granted. Additionally, destroying the Wizard Tower requires even greater techniques or weapons… vessels…”
“Speaking of which, that Floating Island… can it still be saved?” I weakly asked.
Although the Floating Island had already crashed into the ground, merging with the earth, I still naïvely asked.
“Not really.” Achir shook his head.
“Alright… wait, Achir, if I give you a big sword, can you chop down that Wizard Tower?”
“A big sword? Don’t even mention weapons!” Achir shook his head again.
“I mean the one from the Land of the Fallen, you’ve seen it, right?” I looked at Tan Han.
“Is it that one? Indeed… it’s quite big.”
“What are you two saying that I can’t understand? We are in a cooperative relationship now. If you’re unwilling to share even the most basic information and intelligence, I will question the sincerity of this cooperation.” Achir frowned.
“It’s hard to explain. Let me show you directly.” I got up and distanced myself from them. Even Tan Han instinctively stepped back since she had seen the enormous sword.
“Is it the sword set for killing Abyss Giants in the terrain of the Land of the Fallen? I’ve only seen it on the map. Do you have the means to bring it here?” Achir considered something and asked cautiously.
“Naturally, just a little trick.” I replied confidently. At this moment, the sword’s teleportation mark was intact since it was still quietly stuck at the bottom of the water, and no one had disturbed it.
“The moment I see this giant sword, I envision it being stuck in the Wizard Tower, the World Tree, or… Hehe, never mind…”
Though I hadn’t finished my thought, Achir knew what I was implying—sticking it on their Floating Island.
But now there was no opportunity left.
“Are you ready? The big one is coming!”
At this moment, I was riding my broom in the sky, and with a gesture, a teleportation ritual appeared in front of me. Then, a sinister sword point emerged, even after undergoing who knows how many trials, it still retained its sharpness.
It was indeed worthy of being a sword capable of killing Abyss Giants.
In the next moment, the giant sword quickly fell from the teleportation ritual under its own gravity, the sound of the blade slicing through the air produced a whistling noise.
Even so, it took considerable time for the entire appearance of the sword to come into Achir’s view.
It stood there like a marvel, shimmering with a chilly light under the sun’s rays.
Only upon approaching could one see the weathered erosion marks and dents on the sword body.
At this moment, Achir was stunned by the giant sword before him. He never expected that this witch would still possess such means. If this giant sword had been stuck atop the Floating Island at that time… he couldn’t dare to imagine.
But soon he reacted, also realizing the various drawbacks and restrictions involved.
“This sword is indeed spectacular… but even with the blessing of Holy Light… I can’t use it. You can’t expect me to wield it against the Wizard Tower; I wouldn’t be able to swing it.” Achir said helplessly.
“Then I will summon it from the sky, and you will join me. You will empower it with the strength of Holy Light. Do you think it can break through the Wizard Tower?” I tentatively asked.
“Worth a try.” Achir gave a sober reply.
