Chapter 1237
Leon sent Hubert and Reina back to the Natural Semi-Plane. Hubert had suffered some injuries earlier, and Reina had also been hurt in the battle with that rock mage. Both returned to the semi-plane to recover.
Leon rode his griffin alone, heading toward Neverwinter City. This time, many people had come to attend the Astral Academy gathering. As the sanctuary for alchemists in Northend, Astral Academy’s invitation was irresistible for both potion specialists and those focused on alchemical arrays.
For Worldshapers, attaining the rank of Saint Alchemist is usually the most important goal. Many spend their entire lives stuck at the Worldshaper level—let alone becoming a Saint Alchemist, most can't even reach the threshold.
The Three Saint Alchemist Deans of Astral Academy serve as the ultimate benchmarks. Coming here means a chance to hear their guidance, and even just a few words from them is an irreplaceable opportunity for any Worldshaper struggling to make progress in alchemy.
The griffin carried Leon as he flew across Neverwinter City, heading north. Astral Academy isn’t located in the center of the city, but occupies the entire northern district.
Passing over the bustling central area, the buildings below suddenly became sparse, and the crowds thinned. Large patches of forest and herb fields stretched out across the land.
Huge clusters of runes floated in the air, and every building was protected by magical defenses. Even if someone unleashed a super-scale transcendent spell here, they’d barely damage a few houses. The sheer number of protective wards was staggering—even an ordinary forest had a dozen different defensive arrays.
Flying into a flat forest, Leon could see elegant manors scattered not far apart. The griffin landed in front of one such manor and came to a stop.
"Archmage Leon Merlin, this house will be your residence during your time at Astral Academy. It comes with an alchemy laboratory and plenty of materials for your use."
If you need anything, simply summon one of the alchemical golems here. Every request will be handled to the best of our ability."
The griffin knight gave his instructions, then left on his mount. Leon entered the manor, where ready-made defense templates allowed guests to set up their own anti-interference alchemical arrays without any restrictions.
The exquisite three-story house had a fully equipped alchemical laboratory on the second floor, and living quarters on the third.
Leon inspected the laboratory and couldn't help but sigh. Though small, it had everything an alchemist could want. Many devices were cutting-edge—even a few that couldn't be found in the Andalusia Kingdom.
After looking around, Leon began setting up defensive alchemical arrays. From above, he'd already seen dozens of similar manors scattered nearby, many of them already occupied.
Alchemists are a dangerous bunch. Some experiments can go catastrophically wrong—explosions are the least of it. Sometimes, brewing a single potion can blow up the whole lab. It happens more often than you'd think.
That's why proper distance and protection are essential. To become a Worldshaper, you almost always have to be a Sky Rank mage. A good alchemist is inevitably a powerful mage—there's no getting around it.
Anyone who advances to Worldshaper during the Title Archmage phase is usually already a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage. Even someone like Grude, who neglected magic for alchemy, has reached the peak of Ninth-Rank Title Archmage.
Leon hadn't finished setting up his defensive arrays when Rafael rushed in.
"Archmage, are you alright? I just heard you were attacked—damn it, I knew it! Someone's definitely up to something. The information we received was fake; a powerful alchemist must've tampered with Astral Academy's communications. When we got there, there was no one to be found."
Leon looked unfazed, not surprised at all. It was never just a coincidence—Rafael had barely dropped him off near Neverwinter City before getting an urgent message and leaving, and then someone was lying in wait for them.
As for the Hardwick Family, Leon didn't suspect them at all. With Wattby's abilities, pulling off something like this was out of the question. None of their people had the skills for it.
"Rafael, don't worry about it. Do you know which faction in Odin Kingdom has Rockmasters? The mage who ambushed me was a Level-Two Sky Rank Rockmaster."
Rafael frowned and thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"It's hard to say. The number and identities of Sky Rank mages in each faction are almost always secret. Aside from those in the open, most rarely show themselves.
Most are hidden away once they reach Ninth-Rank Title Archmage. Sure, that's a powerful rank, but there are plenty of them. Rockmasters aren't found below Sky Rank—you'd have to look for Earth mages instead.
In Odin Kingdom, if you look back a thousand years, there have been countless Ninth-Rank Title Archmages specializing in earth magic. No one knows who they all are.
And Sky Rank experts live so long—who knows how ancient that guy really is..."
Leon nodded, unconcerned. He conjured up the mage's face, but Rafael still had no recollection. Leon let it go—the guy with the blank, mask-like expression probably wore some sort of enchanted mask. No matter; next time, he'd recognize him for sure.
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For mages, physical appearance is never the most reliable clue—it's the unique signature of mana and aura that gives them away. Once you remember someone's aura and magical fluctuations, you'll recognize them instantly, even if they disguise themselves as a pig-beast.
Leon let it go, but Rafael was fuming. Leon was his guest at Astral Academy—and a friend. The moment Leon set foot in Odin Kingdom, he was ambushed. Who wouldn’t be furious?
"Archmage, don't worry. I'll get to the bottom of this. If I find out which bastard did it, I'll crush his balls myself!"
Rafael was shouting in anger when a cold, disdainful voice rang out from outside Leon's manor.
"Rafael, looks like you got lucky advancing to Sky Rank. Feeling bold now, huh?"
Leon hadn't finished setting up his alchemical array when a black spot appeared on the shimmering barrier. Dense dark magic spread out, corroding a hole four or five meters wide in the shield.
Three Sky Rank mages strode in, their auras on full display. The overwhelming force of their transcendent power pressed down on Rafael and Leon.
Rafael was startled to see them, and his expression turned grim.
"Lafayette, do you not know you’re supposed to knock before entering someone else's territory?"
The newcomer wore a black mage's robe embroidered with gold thread. On the sleeve was a family crest—a circle with crossed knife and fork floating above two clasped hands.