The fla-haired woman thought for a mont and then explained, "The reason the True Death Eyes went into an overload state is simple—it couldn't withstand the backlash from severing a connection with Hell, which is an enormous mass of mana."
"Let make it easier for you to understand. Suppose your True Death Eyes can safely handle a mana load of 1. Severing your link with Hell instantly requires paying a price of negative nine million… and so on. The mana cost is astronomical. Given that your daily mana regeneration is limited, and the mana involved is of exceptionally high density, the recovery process will take an extrely long ti."
"To speed it up, you'll need to find other sources—objects that contain equally vast amounts of mana—to fill that deficit caused by the overload."
"But, because the True Death Eyes is an ocular-based ability, the mana-filled object you find must be of a similar nature—it must be connected to eyes."
"To my knowledge, only two creatures naturally store massive quantities of mana in their eyes: the Demon Dragon and the Phoenix."
"Demon Dragon? Phoenix?!"
Alan froze on the spot.
Aren't those mythical-level magical beasts? Hunting them for their eyes would basically be suicide!
The fla-haired woman remained unfazed and continued, "I've already told you the thod. Whether you have the courage to pursue it is entirely up to you. Also, there's another matter I must remind you about. You need to prioritize the search for the second Sealed Artifact."
"Even though the last outburst of Hell's power was triggered accidentally, the consequences are real and irreversible. The seals of Hell are loosening again. One Stone of Sage isn't nearly enough to hold them back."
"Right now, I still have a bit of power left to help you suppress the unrest temporarily—but you already know the truth. You can't always rely on ."
"I understand, Senior," Alan said with grave sincerity. "No matter what happens in the future, I won't bother you unless I truly have no other choice. I will use my own strength—and all the help I can find—to solve these problems. Saving once was a great kindness. But not helping again would be your right. I can't shalessly take advantage of our relationship and keep asking for your help endlessly."
"Heh, you brat. At least you've got so guts. Fine then. Consider this a reward for your resolve. I'll teach you a few new things you can do with your Mind's Eye. Listen carefully…"
For the next while, the fla-haired woman imparted detailed instruction to Alan.
On one hand, she helped him reinforce the foundational knowledge he had previously acquired regarding the Judgnt of Soul. On the other, she taught him a powerful technique—Spiritual Perception—which could greatly expand the range and sensitivity of his Mind's Eye.
After using the technique, Alan discovered that he could not only perceive glowing mana auras but also vaguely distinguish outlines of people and objects in his surroundings.
Slowly, Alan stood up and summoned Lun Sancta, his signature sword-shaped staff. Unlike the auras ford by external mana, this weapon—conjured purely by his own power—remained completely visible to him, unchanged from how it had always appeared.
"Alan?"
Seeing him rise to his feet, his three companions looked at him with evident concern.
"I'm fine."
Alan waved his arms, spun around in place a couple of tis, then walked over to Francis and patted him on the shoulder with a soft chuckle. "I've replaced sight with perception. It's a huge improvent from being totally blind earlier. There's nothing to worry about."
"Phew... you scared the hell out of ," Francis exhaled deeply. "I thought you'd gone permanently blind. But still, to co up with the idea of substituting vision with perception... that's actually brilliant, man."
Alan didn't respond. Instead, he turned to face the massive crater at the center of Sirius Academy.
Under normal circumstances, this would be barely visible to the naked eye. But now, viewing it through the lens of spiritual perception, Alan could clearly see the residual glimrs of mana flickering within the pit.
They were traces—evidence of Headmaster Gayle's existence in this world. And they marked the official end of the first generation of Sirius Academy.
Clenching his fists tightly, Alan declared in a solemn voice, "We… will rebuild Sirius. We'll make it bigger, stronger—more powerful than any academy in the world! That way, the students of Sirius will never again be bullied by arrogant tyrants. And we'll never again suffer a tragedy like the one today."
"I, Alan, swear it—upon my soul—to the fallen forr Headmaster Gayle, whose spirit rests here!"
With that, he pounded his fist hard against his chest, sealing his vow with determination.
Blanche stepped forward, mimicking his motion and said solemnly, "I, Blanche, also swear upon my soul—to you, Grandfather."
"I, Francis!"
"I, Fort!"
"We swear upon our souls, to the greatest headmaster Sirius Academy has ever known—Gayle!"
——
That night passed without incident.
The next morning, the royal family and the Church fulfilled their promises. The people and supplies they had pledged arrived right on schedule.
Alan considered the options carefully, and ultimately chose the mid-slope of a mountain not far from the ruins of the old Sirius Academy as the site of the new one.
There were several reasons for this decision. He had studied the layout of the Church's monasteries and incorporated that insight.
Building on a mountainside had distinct advantages. First, they could excavate nearby caves to serve as food storage or ergency shelters. Second, the location was remote and hidden—unless one looked very closely, it would be nearly impossible to tell that a whole academy was concealed within the mountain. And finally, it was simply convenient.
In Alan's worst-case scenario, even if the new Sirius Academy were destroyed again, he would be prepared. At the summit of the mountain, Alan drew a massive teleportation array—hundreds of ters in diater.
It could accommodate dozens of people for a teleportation journey spanning over a thousand kiloters.
Once everything was arranged, Alan and his three companions sat beneath the shade of a tree near the teleportation array at the summit. They began sorting through the spoils they had confiscated from the Legendary Mages.
"Francis, Fort—you two pick out a few magic tools that enhance mana. Senior Blanche, your fighting style is too dangerous. Using daggers ans you're always engaging in close-quarters combat. You should choose so tools focused on defense."
"No need," Blanche replied, shaking her head. "Sell it all. Use the funds to kickstart the new Sirius Academy. I know my combat style is risky and aggressive, but I've been doing it for so long that I can't change it now, even if I wanted to."
Francis, who had already tucked a magical jug into his coat, sighed reluctantly and placed it back on the ground. "Uh... I'll pass too. That lady already gave a mana-boosting item earlier. I won't need anything else in the short term. Let's sell it all, like Senior said."
Fort stood up as well. He didn't even glance at the magical artifacts spread before them. For soone with a Sharp tal Elental Body like his, magical tools were burdenso. He himself was the strongest magical weapon.
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