Chapter 369: Chapter 368: Response of the White Stone Tower
Night.
In the core area of the White Stone Tower complex, on the top floor of the third Six-Tusk Tower, which reached several dozen ters high, the grand hall.
Here, the walls were densely filled with torches, and a large crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, bearing hundreds of candles. Additionally, several bundles of Spell-generated lights floated around, illuminating the entire hall brightly.
A eting was in progress.
On the blue stone platform, there was a long table, and in the middle seat behind the table sat a man in a Black Robe. He appeared to be in his forties with an ordinary face, but the formidable aura he emitted enveloped the whole room.
He was called Hain—Hain Bast, a high-ranking mber of the White Stone Tower.
Around him sat phisto and several other high-ranking Wizards of the White Stone Tower, creating a very serious atmosphere.
In the semicircular seating area opposite the blue stone platform, over a hundred seats were filled, and so people stood, indicating that the number of Wizards participating far exceeded usual.
Everyone was looking at Hain, waiting for sothing.
Under their gaze, Hain finally spoke, “Ahem, let’s begin the eting then. I assu there is no need for to elaborate, as everyone, whether originally from White Stone City or those who hurried back, should be well-inford by now.
Obviously, our White Stone Tower is currently facing the greatest threat. An unidentified force is attacking us, and we have suffered heavy losses. Therefore, we had to call back the forces we had dispatched to defend against them and figure out how to find and eliminate them.”
“This is a matter of great importance,” Hain continued, his voice calm but commanding, “This is the most pressing issue we face at White Stone Tower right now. Previously, many of us were busy with the East Coast Exchange et, but for now, that can wait.
Failing to properly host those who ca to White Stone Tower for the exchange may harm our reputation at most—they might just complain a little. But failing to handle this invasion properly will cost us not just our reputation but our foundation.”
“Oh, Sande, you ntioned to before that the performance of other Wizard Organizations at the Exchange et was sowhat abnormal. What’s going on?” Hain turned his head and asked another high-ranking individual from the White Stone Tower.
“Here’s the situation,” the person addressed spoke up, “We were attacked this ti, and logically, the people from other Wizard Organizations who ca here for the exchange should have been in an uproar, but… although there was so disturbance, it wasn’t as severe as expected.
That is to say, they were sowhat calm. Information gathered by my subordinates indicates that many Wizard Organizations’ bases were also attacked, though not as severely as here.
In other words, the people from other Wizard Organizations who are still in our White Stone Tower have likely received ssages from their organizations. Their quietness, ignoring the negligible trust they might have in us, suggests they are trying to gather more information about the force attacking us.”
“You an…,” Hain narrowed his eyes, “the rest of the Wizard Organizations might also be under attack by an unknown force. Is it highly possible that the force attacking them is the sa one invading us?”
“Yes,” Sande nodded.
Hain’s expression beca grave, and after a mont of silence, he addressed the attendants earnestly, “No matter what the situation is, no matter if the organization invading us and the force attacking other Wizard Organizations are the sa, regardless of how powerful the enemy might be, we must resolve this!
White Stone Tower stands here, and we will neither retreat nor flee. Since soone has collided with us seeking trouble, what we need to do is obliterate them, it’s that simple! Do we all agree? If so, raise your hands to vote; if not, you may also express objections.”
With that, all the Wizards in the seats raised their hands.
“Very well,” Hain said, then suddenly his eyes caught sothing in his peripheral vision. He slightly turned his head to look at the only person who had not raised her hand—phisto, whose brow furrowed slightly.
“phisto, do you have any objection?”
phisto, who had clearly been seriously injured in the night’s fierce battle, sat in her seat with her head drooping low, her face pale, and her aura fluctuating wildly and unstably.
Upon hearing Hain’s question, a rush of color burst onto phisto’s face, and she slowly raised her hand and said, “Of course I have an objection! That is, not just to obliterate them, but…”
“Snap!” phisto clenched her fist, and a ferocious aura burst forth from her body, her gaze ice-cold as she declared, “but to crush these unknown Hybrids! Grind their bodies into powder and feed them to the fish!”
“Um…”
…
In the night, after a brief mont of silence, the Six-Tusk Tower suddenly echoed with nurous wizards’ roars.
“Crush the Hybrid, feed him to the fish!”
“Feed him to the fish!”
…
Under the sa night sky.
A tavern in White Stone City.
The short-statured wizard Armstrong, limping, made his way inside with so difficulty and glanced at the person sitting in the corner enjoying marmalade with a frown.
“Why aren’t you attending the eting?” Armstrong sat opposite the marmalade eater and asked.
“Smack—”
The person with the marmalade scooped a large spoonful into his mouth, swallowed it, then lifted his head, replying to Armstrong, “I am an injured man, a severely injured man. Naturally, I have a reason not to attend the eting.”
“Why aren’t you receiving treatnt, instead of eating ssily here?”
“How is this eating ssily when this is the world’s most delicious marmalade? Would you like a taste?”
“Never mind.” Armstrong waved his hand, reluctantly refusing.
“Sigh.” The person eating sighed, full of regret, “Another poor soul who doesn’t appreciate good food.”
“Alright, enough small talk. I was specifically sent to inform you of the decision made at the eting. Everyone voted to mobilize all the power to deal with the invaders from before,” Armstrong declared.
The marmalade eater took another spoonful, nodded his head, displaying no surprise, “It’s normal. It seems that the higher-ups are really fired up. But, I don’t see it turning out well.”
“What, you think we’ll lose?” Armstrong raised his eyebrows, “Impossible. We were careless before. Now that we’ve gathered the entire power of the White Stone Tower, aren’t we more than a match for them?”
“Hard to say—” the marmalade eater replied, “In my view, even if we don’t lose, the victory will be very costly, very costly… Of course, this is just an unreliable hunch of mine.”
“So what are you planning to do?”
“What do you think I should do?” The marmalade eater scooped up another spoonful, speaking to Armstrong, “Of course, just eat more marmalade—it’s one less mouthful each ti.”
Armstrong remained silent, silently for a while, then stood up and walked towards the door. He paused slightly at the entrance and said, “Be careful.”
“I will…”
Armstrong left, and as the marmalade eater moved the marmalade towards his mouth and swallowed, he suddenly began to cough violently.
“Cough cough cough…”
Blood spurted from his mouth, staining the large remaining half-bowl of marmalade red.
After a while, when the coughing stopped, the marmalade eater glanced at the blood-red marmalade, first shook his head with regret, then scooped it spoonful by spoonful into his mouth and swallowed.
“Tsck, still tastes good.”
Eating the last bite, looking at the marmalade on the spoon, the eater slowly spoke.
“Shanara, I promise you, I won’t back down this ti, I won’t back down…” Macbeth said, eating the last mouthful of marmalade, stood up, and staggered towards the tavern door.
…
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