"Zio'bel Ard..." The sound ended with the final syllable.
CRACK!! A blinding blue lightning bolt, thicker than a wine barrel, like a thunderous spear hurled by the gods, suddenly erupted from his fingertips.
The speed of the lightning exceeded the limits of ordinary people's visual capture, instantly striking the ancient tree's trunk with precision.
There was no violent explosion, only a throbbing roar that seemed to tear the atmosphere apart.
The thick trunk instantly vaporized into a massive void in the lightning's glow.
The thunder continued, and several nearly equally thick trees behind it were finally struck to the ground, leaving a deep pit with scorched edges.
Only then did the pierced large trees let out a stunned groan, slowly tilting, falling to the ground, and raising smoke and dust into the sky.
Karl stared at this scene, stunned, his heart shouting loudly.
A spell that Triss couldn't even recite was so easily cast in Hen's hands, and the power was far beyond imagination.
Hen slowly lowered his hand, as if he had just done something trivial.
He looked at Karl, as if guessing what he was thinking, and nodded with a smile.
"You're right, I just recited the spell to show you." He acknowledged the unasked assumption Karl had.
Before he finished speaking, Hen again casually raised his hand, this time pointing at the clear sky.
This time he didn't even utter a word.
BOOM!! Another equally thick, even sharper, blue thunderbolt tore through the sky and shot into the heavens.
The deafening thunder echoed across the plain for a long time.
Karl stood and watched the slowly fading traces of thunder in the sky, then looked at Hen, who was calm and composed beside him.
For the first time, he so clearly realized the gap between court sorcerers like Triss, who served as royal advisors,
and Hen, who truly stood at the pinnacle of the pyramid, was like a chasm.
Hen noticed that Karl quickly calmed down, and a flicker of barely perceptible relief passed through his eyes.
He patted Karl on the shoulder, his voice full of support and expectation: "With your talent for magic, if you study diligently, perhaps in two hundred years you will be able to reach my current level."
He wasn't lying; Karl's learning speed was truly astonishing. Two hundred years was a long time in a sorcerer's lifespan.
When Karl heard this, he was silent for a while, but waves surged in his heart.
"Two hundred years? That's too long..." he thought. Hen seemed to have slightly underestimated his potential.
Moreover, according to the trajectory of fate he knew, this world probably couldn't wait two hundred years. The destructive White Frost...
Hen didn't mind Karl's silence, and instead raised another real issue.
"So, what do you think should be done with Keira, who had a conflict with you?"
"Her behavior... attempting to use telekinesis to steal another sorcerer's, especially their memory, seriously violates the laws of the Brotherhood!"
"As your mentor, I will never tolerate such behavior!"
Hearing Hen ask his opinion on Keira's punishment, Karl thought for a moment.
Although Keira was full of hatred and indeed deserved a beating, he didn't think about killing the other party.
Moreover, he needed to consider Triss's feelings, and there might be a place for Keira as a sorceress in the future, so he decided to leave some room.
"Teacher, just teach her a lesson deep enough..."
"Let her completely change her arrogant, rude, and unscrupulous nature, as long as she... doesn't die." Karl spoke, his voice calm but firm.
Hen, hearing this, nodded slightly, a flicker of clarity in his wise eyes.
"I understand. Don't worry, the brotherhood's judgment on her will be handed down soon."
He replied briefly, already having a plan in mind.
......
That night, deep within the academy, in a quiet, secret chamber.
Hen stood before a cozy counter, its edges adorned with mysterious runes and crystals on top.
This was precisely the magical artifact that sorcerers use for remote communication—the "Seer."
It was just that the Seer consumed too much mana and was expensive; the vast majority of sorcerers didn't buy one or couldn't use it for long.
He slowly channeled magic, and the scene before him rippled, gradually revealing three clear, gray figures.
The first was a middle-aged sorceress, her black hair neatly combed and tied up.
She had a serious and dignified face, wore a dark blue robe, and her eyes were sharp and full of wisdom.
The second was an elven sorceress, possessing the unique appearance of elves: pointed ears, pale hair like a waterfall, and blue eyes like a pool.
Her temperament was elegant with a hint of aloofness, and she wore a long green dress with natural elements.
The third was a middle-aged male sorcerer with a slightly stern face and deep eyes, his bald head so shiny it reflected light, dressed in simple dark clothing.
During this period, there were only four members in the Chapter of Talent and Opportunity.
Today, Vilgefortz was merely a promising member of the Council of Sorcerers and had not yet been promoted to the upper echelon's decision-making level.
Hen's brief statement was that Keira had violated the Brotherhood's laws, attempting to kidnap a Ben Ard student with her mind.
Subsequently, Hen proposed the punishment: "Immediately strip Keira Metz of her status as an advisor to the Temerian royal family..."
"Then banish her from Vizima and permanently forbid her from subsequently serving any dignitaries of the kingdom."
None of the three chapter members objected to this proposal.
No one would reject the face of one of the founders, Hen Gedymdeith, in favor of an unknown sorceress who had indeed broken the law.
The middle-aged sorceress turned her head, looked at the other two members, and asked quietly: "Francesca, Artaud, what do you think?"
Francesca nodded slightly, and Artaud replied with a smile: "I have no problem either, Tissaia."
On behalf of the group, Tissaia concisely and authoritatively declared: "Then... Hen's proposal is adopted and will be implemented immediately."
The images of Artaud and Francesca nodded slightly, then dissipated from the Seer like smoke, leaving only Tissaia's figure clear.
"Hen, Margarita mentioned this to me a few days ago... You finally accepted a student. His name is Karl? How is his talent?"
Tissaia's voice came through the Seer, less formal than the meeting formality, and more like concern between old friends.
Margarita was one of Tissaia's right-hand people at the academy, currently the dean of Aretuza.
Hen and Tissaia had met during the Golden Age of magic and glorious spellcasting, experiencing countless ups and downs together. So, Hen naturally wouldn't hide such a question.
Hearing Tissaia ask about Karl, a rare, openly proud smile appeared on Hen's face.
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