Aestry felt as if she had fallen into a long and distant dream. In this dream, she could hear the deep voice of the Lord of the Furnace echoing in her ears. In her daze, she seemed to have returned to infancy, wrapped in the warmth of a swaddling cloth.
That long-lost sense of security left her unable to distinguish reality from illusion.
In reality, the Lord of the Furnace had already pulled Aestry to his side.
His gaze was deep and penetrating as he carefully examined the woman before him.
Aestry was not only his student but also, in a biological sense, his daughter.
However, her most significant identity was that of a vessel carrying a fragment of the Lord of the Furnace's soul!
At this moment, the Lord of the Furnace slowly raised his palm. His hand, pale and flawless like jade, radiated an inhuman perfection as he gently placed it on the crown of Aestry's head.
In the next instant, an immensely terrifying spiritual force erupted, engulfing them both in a dazzling silver light.
At the same time, in that dreamlike and mysterious space, Lynn's eyes were locked onto the golden balance scale.
He was astonished to see that the two projection windows before him were undergoing intense transformations.
The first projection displayed the labyrinth where the Master of the Whiteheart Tower resided.
At that very moment, the Master of the Whiteheart Tower was unleashing an overwhelming aura, tearing through the heavens and earth, his might causing the very air to tremble.
The projection flickered with an alarming red light clearly, the earlier "insufficient energy" warnings had been triggered by the Master of the Whiteheart Tower's full-force assault.
The second projection showed the labyrinth where the Lord of the Furnace and Aestry were located.
Bathed in silver light, the atmosphere was incomparably mysterious.
It appeared that some unknown ritual was occurring between the Lord of the Furnace and Aestry.
The golden balance scale responded to this as well, its projection window flickering with a soft yellow glow as if evaluating or acknowledging something.
Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound tore through the air!
Lynn's eyes narrowed. He saw the golden balance radiating an even brighter light, and from within it, a miniature projection emerged a spectral image of the Lord of the Furnace!
Right behind it, another spectral image appeared this one belonging to a woman. It transformed into a streak of light and flew toward the golden balance it was none other than Aestry!
The scene before him left Lynn deeply shaken.
Although he did not fully understand what was happening, he vaguely sensed that this was some kind of "exchange."
As for the contents of this exchange... could it be the price demanded by the golden balance?
Standing in the mysterious space, Lynn's gaze remained fixed on the indescribable spectacle before him. He swallowed hard, his throat bobbing involuntarily.
Initially, he had believed that mastering the strange language of the first labyrinth would make him feel like he had the upper hand in this domain, allowing him to navigate and manipulate the maze at will.
Moreover, the fact that even a Third-Level Grand Wizard had been helpless against him had further fueled his confidence perhaps even his arrogance.
However, upon witnessing the performances of these two figures, Lynn was abruptly reminded of his insignificance.
To true powerhouses, this treacherous maze was nothing more than a minor inconvenience!
That white-robed wizard's overwhelming attacks had already torn apart an entire layer of the labyrinth.
Compared to that earth-shattering display of destruction, Lynn's so-called "methods" were utterly insignificant like the difference between the clouds and the mud.
Meanwhile, the Lord of the Furnace's actions were just as astonishing.
Instead of brute-forcing his way out, he manipulated the rules of the golden balance within its framework, executing a perfect sleight of hand that allowed him to completely extricate himself from its constraints.
Of course, such an escape came with a cost, and the one paying that cost was Aestry...
"A price that even a Morning Star Wizard cannot bear multiplied tenfold Aestry might never escape from this place..."
Lynn murmured to himself, his gaze fixed on the Lord of the Furnace's projection.
Within the silver-lit space, Aestry remained unconscious, her exquisite face serene and undisturbed, seemingly unaware that she was sinking into a bottomless abyss.
"As expected, in the world of dark wizards, teachers deceiving their students is just the norm..."
Watching this scene, Lynn couldn't help but feel a sense of irony.
He thought of his mentor, Rosalind.
For as long as he had known her, Rosalind had always treated him with kindness and patience, never displaying any malice toward him. Yet, Lynn had always remained cautious, secretly guarding himself.
He had even spent countless nights overanalyzing potential betrayals, devising various countermeasures to ensure his survival.
However, after all this time, Rosalind had yet to betray him, leaving Lynn to wonder if he had simply been overly paranoid perhaps he had wronged his teacher.
But now, witnessing the relationship between the Lord of the Furnace and Aestry, Lynn suddenly felt reassured about his vigilance.
"There is no hatred without cause, and there is no love without reason."
His gaze darkened as he looked at the scene of the Lord of the Furnace.
Within the Furnace, everyone knew about the deep bond between Aestry and her teacher.
She could act with near-total impunity, facing no consequences unless she committed an extreme offense such as destroying the Furnace itself.
And yet, despite this so-called "deep bond," the moment the Lord of the Furnace needed a way out, he did not hesitate to place Aestry on the golden balance, making her the sacrificial price.
Outside the Great Forest of Emerald Isle, a figure suddenly descended from the sky.
The man wore a wizard's robe adorned with patterns as vast and deep as the starry sea. Behind him loomed a golden sun-like phantom, exuding a formidable presence it was none other than an Enforcer Wizard sent to investigate the area.
Although he had been intercepted outside the Three Nations by a female wizard from the Falling Star Council, his opponent had been unwilling to fight to the death, retreating in haste after a brief scuffle.
"The rats of the Falling Star Council sure know how to run," the Enforcer Wizard muttered coldly.
His lips curled into a chilling smile, revealing his sharp, white teeth.
Although the female wizard had escaped, she had suffered a crushing defeat. Even if she had survived, she was likely gravely wounded, her strength significantly diminished.
Retracting his gaze, the Enforcer Wizard hovered in the sky, overlooking the Great Forest of Emerald Isle and the towering structures of the Furnace.
His expression remained impassive, his eyes deep and unreadable, carrying a chilling sense of authority.
In his hand, he held an exquisitely crafted compass.
The device was astonishingly intricate, with hundreds of fine needles and dials, each representing a unique attribute. They interconnected yet functioned independently.
After a moment, the Enforcer Wizard took a deep breath, his gaze turning contemplative.
"An aura from another plane... something from an alien realm."
He murmured to himself, his eyes narrowing in analysis.
"The Morning Star Wizard not only failed to shut down the teleportation array but even kept it active until the foreign aura had fully entered… Hah, how bold."
From mere clues and the compass's readings, he had deduced a great deal about the Lord of the Furnace's past actions.
However, his brows furrowed further as he murmured:
"But… what could be worth a Morning Star Wizard willingly bearing the cost of a shattered star? What kind of existence would make him take such a risk?"
Just as he pondered this, his gaze swept across the Great Forest of Emerald Isle.
His expression sharpened as he sensed a faint but eerie presence deep within the forest so subtle it was almost imperceptible.
At first, he dismissed it.
But in the next moment, a terrifying surge of power suddenly erupted from within the forest.
The aura was wild, unfamiliar, and utterly incompatible with the very fabric of the wizarding world it did not belong to this world!
"Damn it!"
The Enforcer Wizard's face darkened instantly, his eyes flashing with an ominous light.
"So, it's that thing!"
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