"Then, we spent ten years, bit by bit, transforming that old metal palace into the little world it is now." Shiayar put down the teacup in his hand, his gaze gently sweeping over the surrounding room. "This manor is also modeled after the house we had in the Black Lily District. Ennie is nostalgic, so even the furniture arrangement and room layouts are replicated one-to-one from our old home."
As soon as she entered the room, the Golden Elf also began to take in every detail of the house. This detached villa was filled with a lived-in atmosphere. Water cups, chopsticks, knives, forks, and plates were neatly arrayed in pairs. On the bookshelf were photographs of a black-haired young boy and a blonde-haired little girl together. And on the sofa, plush pillows with tags neatly inscribed with "Shiayar and Enola's teddy bear."
"Where's your little girlfriend?" As she spoke, the Golden Elf's gaze was fixed intently on Shiayar.
"Ennie is in seclusion," Shiayar pointed upwards toward the top of the room. "The revival of the Sacred Spear has reached its final step. Once she completes this last step, that lance will attain the same Rank as the Sacred Sword, becoming the true 'Tower at the End of the World, the Storm Lance that Anchors the World.'"
The Golden Elf naturally deciphered the implication of Shiayar's words. A fully revived Sacred Sword of the Stars wielded the power to allow Isadella to transcend the boundary between Legendary and Throne, truly reaching the pinnacle of the Divine Throne. Similarly, a Sacred Spear of equal Rank could accomplish such feats. Whoever became the master of the Sacred Spear after its thirteen bindings were fully released—that Contractor—even if not a Throne, would at the very least be at the end of the path of legends. They would be only a step away from the Throne realm boundary.
I never thought there would come a day when I would misjudge, Hathaway couldn't help but recall the moment she first met Shiayar: the little girl who had stood behind him, timidly clutching the corner of his clothes.
The Golden Elf's discernment and insight were far superior to that of the 6-Ring Mage from the White Tower who had taken an interest in Enola at the station back then. In Hathaway's eyes, if Shiayar's talent could be likened to an uncut gemstone that would undoubtedly shine brightly in the future even without her guidance, then Enola's talent could only be described as ordinary. Perhaps it would take several decades, nearly a century, for her to even have a chance to step into the Legendary Rank.
Having the potential to possibly enter the Legendary Rank was indeed an exceptionally rare quality in the eyes of the world, worthy of any great power investing substantial resources to cultivate. But to Hathaway, in her long life, she had seen countless Legendary powerful pros rise and fade; ordinary Legendary experts rarely even had their names remembered by her.
However, the little girl named Enola was the first to defy her expectations. With talent not considered particularly outstanding, Enola had managed to achieve what even pureblood giant dragons, advanced Elves, and other Golden Tribes found difficult. This wasn't something that could be simply explained away by "good luck in forming a contract with the Sacred Spear." The Sacred Spear had been obtained by many throughout history, yet no one had ever reached the stage Enola was at now. Or rather, to be qualified to gain the approval of the Sacred Spear and allow it to be completely unsealed was, in itself, an achievement that could be described as both a monumental feat and a miracle.
The reason that little girl exceeded my expectations... As soon as this thought arose in her mind, Hathaway smiled and shook her head. The question was so simple that the answer came effortlessly. From the moment she first saw Enola beneath the Black Tower, Hathaway knew the golden-haired, blue-eyed girl had eyes only for one person. Her very life existed for him.
Even merely following in your footsteps, she has already achieved an unparalleled miracle...
So, what about you?
From the moment Shiayar became her private disciple and began his systematic study of the Arcane Arts and beast mastery, to his crushing victory over the handicapped Crimson Red Moon in Escarnia, less than ten years had passed. And now, another ten years had gone by.
The Golden Elf's gaze became profound, lingering on Shiayar's face for a long time.
I was somewhat worried that you might have neglected your studies in these ten years... But now, it seems that I, as your teacher, was needlessly anxious.
She placed her finished teacup on the wooden table and smiled faintly. "I think you now qualify for the lowest seat among the Mages of the Black Tower's 8th Page."
Her pale fingers tapped lightly. A myriad of information streams transformed into an illusory river, pulsing delicately with her slender finger.
Shiayar also smiled. "Teacher, to hear you say that makes me a little sad. As far as I know, the entry requirement for the Black Tower's 8th Page is merely Legendary Rank. And I was already Titled Rank ten years ago, before I even entered the Imaginary Zone..."
"Are you implying, Teacher, that after ten years, I've only just touched the threshold of the Legendary Rank?"
"Of course not." The Golden Elf shook her head slightly. "I'm not referring to the current Fourth Epoch Mages of the Black Tower's 8th Page. Rather, it's the original 8th Page, from when the Black Tower was first born."
Hathaway played with the stream of information in her hand for a moment, then finally tossed it out. "Take a look. This is the intelligence organized by the group under Augutina's command. I verified it with the Secret Flame of the Goddess of Magic; it's quite complete."
Shiayar also waved his hand gently, catching the flow of information thrown by his Master. His spiritual power stirred slightly as he read the contents within the information stream. This was everything that had happened on the Western Continent over the past three months.
It had to be said that the Dark Shadow Council truly stood out in the grey world of the Western Continent. Their collected intelligence was in no way inferior to the Empire's Secret Intelligence Division and even filled in many additional details. For example, Isadella's grand declaration before the council about her future Prince Consort. Then there were the many actions of the evil cults within the Lost Realm. This even included meetings organized by high-ranking members of various large evil cults, and intelligence that had flowed out from within the Abyss itself.
And all the information and intelligence—they all pointed to a singular event: the impending imperial succession within the Fresta Empire, the moment of the old king's abdication and the new king's enthronement.
"How about it, do you want me to notify your two little lovers at the White Tower and within the Empire?" The Golden Elf gazed at Shiayar before her, her cool words tinged with a hint of teasing. "Although my true form cannot manifest in the material realm, I can still do so by means of Astral Realm foresight."
"There's no need for now. Ennie is about to break through, and I need to stay here with her," Shiayar shook his head, collecting the tea set from the wooden table and carrying it over to the sink. "Lifting the final restraint of the Sacred Spear is considerably difficult, but converting that to real-world time, it will definitely be completed before the great upheaval in the Empire."
"Of course, I won't be idle during this period," Shiayar's voice was haunting.
In these ten years, apart from living a peaceful life with Ennie in the Imaginary Zone and achieving several breakthroughs along the way, Shiayar had also gained deep control of the world belonging to the 'Golden Dawn.' Now, he could truly claim to be the true Sovereign of that dark mist world. And the Golden Dawn's regularly scheduled assembly was also fast approaching.
The Golden Elf nodded. She rose and walked towards the exit. With every step, her pale golden figure became a bit more ethereal. Just as she was about to completely disappear from the remnants of this Imaginary Zone and return to the Astral Realm, she suddenly glanced back.
The spiritual power exclusive to the Black Tower's '1st Page Eternity' swept forth, surveying this beautiful world, so like the Garden of Eden. From the soil to the lake water, to the spacious, classical manor, even all the secondary planes integrated into the palace as world fragments were thoroughly inspected by her, one by one.
Only when she found no discarded pacifiers, baby clothes, or other such daily items did Hathaway breathe a slight sigh of relief.
But then, she saw in a secondary plane clearly meant for storing discarded items... neatly arranged, over a thousand empty 'Safety Secret Medicines.'
The Golden Elf stumbled, returning from the remnants of the Imaginary Zone to the Astral Realm.