"Grand Elder, you think this traces back to Empyrean Combine?"
Fenwick’s expression had turned grave.
"But Empyrean is gone. Whatever survived its collapse couldn’t possibly have the reach to plant a Forbidden Technique inside our library without us noticing."
Osric’s smile held no warmth.
"The remnants of Empyrean’s old factions? No. They wouldn’t have the ability."
He leaned back slightly.
"But when Empyrean collapsed, the Asian Community government brought in the Verdant Throne to oversee the bankruptcy audit. Everyone involved in that process was extraordinarily powerful."
His expression cooled.
"If someone from that circle really stooped to scheming against a student of my Academy, then they’re shameless."
The Verdant Throne, Ironspire Group, and Aurelian Combine were the three great powers of the Asian Community.
Their wealth was almost impossible to comprehend. Their influence reached into nearly every part of daily life, from trade and technology to divine cultivation and warfare.
Even deities couldn’t avoid dealing with them eventually.
And deities, perhaps better than anyone else, understood just how dangerous that kind of influence could become.
"Fenwick. Drop the investigation for now."
Osric’s voice was calm.
"Seal the file."
Fenwick’s eyes widened.
"We’re just letting this go?"
He struggled to hide his disbelief.
"A student of this Academy was targeted like this, and we’re doing nothing?"
Osric shook his head.
"You’re looking at this from the wrong angle."
He folded his hands on the desk.
"At their level, something this small barely registers. And even if you found the person responsible, what exactly would you do?"
Fenwick fell silent.
"Punish them?"
Osric gave a quiet snort.
"They targeted our most promising student of the year in broad daylight. They didn’t even bother hiding their tracks properly."
His eyes narrowed.
"That isn’t recklessness, Fenwick. It’s confidence."
He paused.
"They already know that even if you investigate, you’ll find nothing you can use against them."
Fenwick’s expression darkened.
"I’ll bring the matter directly to the Principal. Let him decide how we proceed."
"If the Principal is involved, I can put it down for now."
Some of the tension left Fenwick’s shoulders.
His faith in the Principal was absolute.
"Oh."
Osric’s voice stopped him before he could leave.
"One more thing."
Fenwick turned.
"Sir?"
"I’ve been reading the reports."
Osric’s mouth curved slightly.
"The student at the center of this has announced that he intends to sell the Forbidden Technique publicly, along with everything he learned from its failure."
He chuckled.
"It’s already causing quite a stir."
Fenwick’s expression shifted.
Osric shook his head, clearly amused.
"Clever boy."
"He used public pressure and the Academy’s own responsibility as leverage against us. And he’s not wrong. We do bear some responsibility for allowing a Forbidden Technique to sit in our library unnoticed."
His gaze sharpened.
"As for Solaris, they’ve become far too greedy lately."
He waved a hand dismissively.
"Past time someone reminded them where their place is."
Fenwick understood immediately.
"Go to him personally. Tell him not to worry."
Osric’s voice carried quiet authority.
"No one from Solaris will trouble him again."
"As for the technique itself, it’s better to guide the flow than try to dam it."
He considered his next words.
"Issue a statement. We won’t prohibit students from using Forbidden Techniques, but we’ll strongly advise against attempting them while they’re still enrolled."
"If a student insists on proceeding anyway, direct them to consult their instructors first."
Fenwick nodded.
"And if their instructors can’t provide adequate guidance?"
Osric smiled faintly.
"Bring them to me."
"I’ll take a look myself."
Fenwick nodded slowly.
He understood.
If they couldn’t stop whatever was moving in the shadows, then the next best thing was to drag it into the light.
Even entities as powerful as the three great corporations had to tread carefully when dealing with Elysian Academy.
Rules existed for a reason.
And where rules existed, there were always levers to pull.
Fenwick turned toward the entrance.
Then paused.
"One more question, Grand Elder."
Osric raised an eyebrow.
"What happens to the technique itself?"
Fenwick’s expression became thoughtful.
"It’s said to be nearly perfected. Its value is extraordinary."
He hesitated.
"That student’s domain is shattered. His future is practically over. Once he leaves the Academy carrying something that valuable, it’s like sending a child into the wilderness with a bar of solid gold."
"He won’t survive long."
Osric’s smile sharpened.
"You still haven’t figured it out, have you?"
Fenwick looked back.
"That boy is considerably smarter than you’re giving him credit for."
He leaned forward.
"He deliberately avoided coming to us directly. Instead, he made the situation public, forcing the Academy to respond and allowing our own reputation to negotiate on his behalf."
"A mind capable of that kind of maneuver doesn’t run out of options easily."
Osric’s eyes gleamed.
"His domain may be shattered."
He paused.
"But who’s to say he doesn’t already have a way back?"
Fenwick said nothing.
"Let him keep the technique."
Osric settled back into his chair.
"We may never discover who orchestrated this against him. But we can protect him in the meantime."
"And when he eventually feels cornered, when every other option has disappeared?"
A quiet chuckle escaped him.
"He’ll hand the technique over willingly in exchange for continued protection."
Fenwick’s expression shifted.
He understood the game now.
It was a simple truth of divine domains.
Once a domain shattered, only its deity could repair it. Any outside divine power introduced into the broken realm would be violently rejected, often accelerating the collapse instead of stopping it.
Caelum truly was alone.
But perhaps not helpless.
Fenwick still had reservations, but Osric’s decision was clearly final.
He turned and stepped through the pavilion entrance.
A moment later, his body dissolved into a streak of light, shooting through the sea of clouds toward the peak below.
The following day, Caelum met Corwin at the appointed hour.
The two launched into the sky together, twin trails of light stretching toward the enormous lake at the center of the world.
The day before, Fenwick had personally found Caelum and delivered the Academy’s findings concerning the Forbidden Technique.
His so-called triple win had ultimately become a double.
Solaris was finished with him.
The debt dispute had been neutralized, and the immediate threat was gone.
The Academy had also quietly shut down the public uproar surrounding the technique.
But Fenwick hadn’t revealed who had actually planted it in the library.
Caelum had expected that.
Anyone capable of slipping something that dangerous through Elysian Academy’s security possessed resources and influence far beyond anything ordinary.
Without a name, there was nothing worth chasing.
Better to spend his energy rebuilding his domain than pulling at a thread that might lead nowhere.
As for his finances, the dispute with Solaris had already entered the formal process. The company no longer had the authority to withdraw funds from his accounts unilaterally.
He simply had to wait for the matter to be settled.
Until then, however, his own accounts remained frozen.
Which meant Corwin’s money was his only available source of capital.
And that was why they were flying toward the central lake.
They needed a new vassal race.
"So what are you thinking?"
Corwin glanced sideways at him.
"Given where you’re starting from, your options are pretty limited."
There was genuine concern beneath his casual tone.
He was worried Caelum hadn’t completely abandoned his old pride.
If he tried to find another race similar to the Hobgoblins and introduced them into his unstable domain, the consequences could be disastrous.
The moment news spread that Caelum intended to sell the Forbidden Technique, the Academy had erupted.
Some mocked him.
Others were genuinely interested.
A few quietly monitored the situation, hoping to uncover something he hadn’t revealed.
And plenty simply assumed the entire thing was a bluff.
Corwin had watched the attention grow until it seemed almost impossible to contain.
Then the Academy intervened.
One statement was enough to bring the entire spectacle under control.
Somehow, Caelum had resolved his debt problem with Solaris while simultaneously neutralizing the danger of possessing a Forbidden Technique.
Looking back on it, Corwin still found the maneuver almost unbelievable.
It was the kind of move that turned a losing hand into complete control with barely any effort.
And that was with his divine domain completely destroyed.
A mind like that wouldn’t stay down forever.
Corwin’s respect for him had deepened considerably.
Privately, he’d already decided that if Caelum found a way back to godhood, he wanted to be standing beside him when it happened.
Sensing the concern beneath Corwin’s words, Caelum gave him a small smile.
"Relax. I’m not gambling with my future twice."
His gaze remained fixed ahead.
"Choose the wrong race this time, and there won’t be a third chance."
Corwin’s mouth twitched.
’Easy for you to say.’
He glanced at Caelum.
’Wasn’t it you who bet everything on a technique with a success rate close to zero?’
Neither said anything for a while.
They continued flying through the open sky.
Eventually, the enormous lake appeared beneath them.
It stretched farther than the eye could comfortably follow, its surface so still that it resembled a giant mirror laid across the earth.
At its center floated a city.
A massive platform hung above the water, its underside narrowing into an inverted cone of exposed stone that descended toward the lake like the root of some colossal tree.
Above that foundation sprawled an entire city.
Buildings of varying heights crowded the platform, connected by roads, bridges, and countless glowing pathways.
Even from high above, the place was alive.
And that was where Caelum intended to find his next retinue.