The high tower.
Floating above the sky, the majestic tower symbolized the pinnacle of power.
Countless scholars in sage robes, their steps hurried, weaved through the long corridors, cradling documents of various materials. The convergence point of it all was the very center of that majestic tower—
The Academy!
Everything here was so monotonous. Scholars collected intelligence from the world and brought it here, while the sages in the Academy meticulously categorized it.
For thousands of years, nothing had ever changed.
"Make way, make way."
Suddenly, a young man with a solemn expression and a hurried pace, wearing a scholar's cap, rushed in from outside the Academy. Unlike other scholars who held stacks of documents like mountains, he carried only a dark blue jade slip in his hand.
Holding the jade slip with both hands, he seemed to be cradling a rare treasure.
The scholars passing by, seeing his panic, stepped aside with their documents, clearing the entire corridor. The young man's path led to the very end of the Academy.
"Teacher, teacher!"
The scholar outside the door yelled towards the inside.
The scholars outside watched this scene with great shock. To them, shouting within the Academy was an act of disrespect. The Academy strictly prohibited any noise, which was why it was always deathly silent.
"Teacher!"
The scholar outside shouted again. Only then did the tightly shut door at the deepest part of the Academy slowly open, revealing a white-haired, middle-aged woman wearing a monocular lens and sporting a beard.
"The first rule of the Academy, did you forget it after being out for three days?"
The female scholar's voice was gentle. Simply standing there, she exuded a refined and elegant aura, rich with the essence of a scholar. She was the highest authority of this Academy, and the only Grand Scholar in the entire Tatu Kingdom, possessing a status almost equal to, or even higher than, the Tatu Kingdom itself—Laina La.
The scholar being looked at lowered his head, not daring to speak.
After about half a minute—
Laina La slowly withdrew her gaze from the scholar and turned away, leaving him with her back.
The scholar standing outside the door felt at a loss. At that moment, Laina La's low whisper drifted from within the leaf-door.
"Come in. What are you doing standing outside like this."
Only then did the scholar feel greatly relieved. He cast an apologetic glance at the other scholars and then hurried behind the leaf-door, which then silently closed again.
Upon entering the leaf-door, one was greeted by walls of books, resembling a library.
Laina La walked slowly to her desk and sat down, picking up a book titled "Miscellaneous Talks of the Six Kingdoms" and began to read it with great concentration, as if the scholar in her room did not exist at all.
The scholar standing in the 'library' pursed his lips.
He wanted to speak several times, but silently swallowed the words that were about to come out.
"Say what you want to say," Laina La whispered while savoring the book. "Why are you rushing back to this cage with such urgency? Have you gotten any news about the holder of the Grand Commander's Seal? Tell me about it."
"Teacher!"
Only then did the scholar hurry to Laina La's side.
He placed the jade slip in his hand down.
"This contains all the information about that holder."
Laina La slowly put down the book she was holding, placed a leaf as a bookmark, and closed the book. With a slight raise of her hand, the book floated into the air and landed in the only empty space on the entire bookshelf.
As the book settled, the gap disappeared.
Looking at the bookshelf again, it was hard to even find where that book was.
It was only then that Laina La took the jade slip into her hand.
"An outsider, a descender," several minutes later, the jade slip's dark blue glow faded, and a slight smile appeared in Laina La's eyes. "Is this all you investigated? No background, only a city-state."
"Yes!"
The scholar nodded firmly and said.
"I can swear with my lifelong scholarship, this holder of the Grand Commander's Seal has no background whatsoever."
"Hmm..." Laina La nodded slightly, her fingers gently holding the jade slip. "Then tell me, if he has no background to support him, why would he dare to do such audacious things?"
"Borrowing a tiger's might!"
The scholar narrowed his eyes and said solemnly.
"His purpose in doing this is actually out of desperation. Scouts from various kingdoms are already investigating him. He must make a desperate move, to intimidate the kingdoms in this manner, to make them wary of his background. But in the end, a paper tiger is easily pierced. His actions are not a good strategy, but rather playing with fire and courting disaster."
"Not a good strategy."
Laina La murmured, pondering for a moment.
"If it were you, what would you do?"
"Student..." The scholar standing beside Laina La suddenly faltered, stammering for a long time before shaking his head. "Student does not know."
Regarding the situation of the holder of the Grand Commander's Seal, many scholars had privately devised countless plans, but no plan ultimately guaranteed survival. In this Academy, Chen Yu was already considered dead.
Facing a situation where there was no way out, the scholars were unwilling to waste any more time thinking.
What they considered more was,
Ultimately, who would possess the Grand Commander's Seal.
"It's not strange that you don't know," Laina La whispered softly. "Even I cannot think of a perfect solution."
"Teacher, you..."
The scholar's eyes were filled with disbelief.
How could this be possible?
In this Academy, and even in the entire underground world, he did not believe anyone could be more wise than his teacher. If his teacher didn't know, then no one in the world would ever come up with a solution.
This meant that Chen Yu, the holder of the Grand Commander's Seal, was truly doomed.
"If that is the case, then why did you still ask me to investigate him?"
"Curiosity," Laina La smiled slightly and said. "I am very curious why that high and mighty Divine Lord chose him. Since the Grand Commander's Seal was bestowed upon him, it means he must have extraordinary qualities. Therefore, this doomed situation may not be fatal for him. I want to see if there is any hidden unknown behind him that has influenced my judgment. But it seems not so now. However, one thing is quite interesting: although he is an outsider, a descender, he has close ties with many forces within the underground world."
"Are you referring to the West Sea?"
"The West Sea is part of it. The West Sea uses its princess as a sword to point towards the various kingdoms. In my opinion, this is not enough to make the kingdoms wary. After all, the West Sea is ultimately a secluded sea area. Although it appears prosperous, these two empires may not truly care much about them."
"Then is it the Snow Mountain?"
"The Snow Mountain, with its spirit beasts everywhere but unable to leave the mountain, is also useless."
"Then what are you referring to—"
"What I care about is the Demon King beside him and the Great Sage who fell a thousand years ago. Why did they choose this person?" Laina La shook her head slightly, her gentle whisper accompanied by a faint mystery. "It truly... makes one curious."