The design of the Meteor Wizard Academy is different from that of the Black Tower Wizard Academy.
The layout of the Black Tower Wizard Academy resembles a pie chart, with one section designated as the commercial area and another as the experimental area. In contrast, the layout of the Meteor Wizard Academy resembles a series of concentric rings, one encircling the other.
At the very outermost layer of the Meteor Wizard Academy is the residential ring where numerous Wizard Apprentices live. The next layer consists of the teaching and experimental rings, followed by the commercial ring further in.
Finally, at the very center of the academy stands the Core Wizard Tower of the Meteor Wizard Academy.
This ring structure is not inherently superior to the pie chart design, but in times of war, such a circular structure is easier to modify.
Neat buildings are easier to transform than chaotic ones.
However, since the Meteor Wizard Academy is on the offensive, they currently have no need for this advantage.
After avoiding the outermost patrols, Richard and his team encountered no further dangers.
The only necromancer Wizard in the group even removed his disguise, boldly moving about the academy.
When they came across Wizards from the Meteor Academy, some young Wizards even greeted him with the Wizard salute.
This is one of the advantages of being a necromancer Wizard; the vast majority of Wizards tend to suffer from face blindness when they see a necromancer.
Even the necromancer himself often struggles to tell who is who.
...
Their objective on this trip was a communication tower located in the teaching ring.
Magic Power communication is not as arcane as curse Spellcraft; when a Magic Message is transmitted from one Crystal Ball to another, there is inevitably a loss of Magic Power along the way.
The greater the distance between the two Crystal Balls, the greater the loss.
When the distance becomes so great that the Magic Message cannot reach its destination even if it is fully intact, a relay station naturally comes into play.
When a Magic Message passes through a relay station, it is recharged, allowing it to be transmitted over greater distances.
Moreover, at some relay stations operated by Wizard Chambers of Commerce, the frequency or form of the Magic Message may be altered, further extending the transmission range.
The communication tower that Richard and his group aimed for is a similar construct.
In this mirrored world, there are no densely packed relay stations; all Wizards' communication Crystal Balls rely on the academy's relay stations for long-distance messaging.
For Wizards like Richard who are stationed away from the academy, their communication Crystal Balls have effectively become information receivers. Aside from being able to communicate among themselves, trying to contact the academy through their Crystal Balls is nothing but a pipe dream.
As they navigated through the academy, the team moved smoothly and soon arrived at the communication tower.
Before the Academy War began, nearly all Wizards had obtained the layout of the Meteor Wizard Academy.
This made it exceptionally easy for them to locate their target.
"Be careful; there might be a Third Circle Wizard stationed inside," Anka communicated to the team through mental messages.
Everyone nodded, and then one Wizard began to pull something out of his pocket.
The Wizard named Bell, a dual-specialist in Elemental Manipulation and Alchemy, was retrieving his prized creation—Bell's Roar.
Bell's Roar is a timed bomb, and Richard was unaware of its specific construction.
But according to Bell, his creation could deal damage equivalent to a level 10 spell within its core range, and it only cost 2,000 Magic Essence to make.
If it weren't for the fact that detonating this device required an extremely long time and that even the locals could prevent its detonation before it went off, this bomb could definitely be classified as strategic-level Magic Equipment.
Bell pulled out three "Bell's Roar" bombs, each the size of a human head and spherical in shape. The outer shell was made of a dense black metal, which Richard, being an Alchemist Wizard, immediately recognized as an anti-magic metal.
This was likely a precaution he took to prevent the bombs from being discovered prematurely.
After retrieving the bombs, Bell took out a vial of alchemical potion and poured it over them. The potion quickly became viscous upon contact with the air.
"Richard, give me one of your scrolls."
Although Bell did not specify, Richard immediately pulled out a scroll of [Existence Fading] from his pocket.
Bell applied the scroll to the three bombs and then grinned at the others.
"Hehe, just wait for the fireworks."
As soon as he finished speaking, a sharp alarm rang out throughout the academy.
Everyone's hearts sank—had they been discovered?
But before they could react, they saw the surrounding Wizards rushing toward another part of the academy, showing no intention of gathering near them.
"Phew, looks like some unfortunate soul got caught," Anka said, smiling at the retreating Wizards.
Having someone draw the attention of the Meteor Academy Wizards was undoubtedly a good thing.
Not wasting any precious time, the group immediately prepared to enter the communication tower to set up the three Bell's Roar bombs.
The three bombs were worth a total of 6,000 Magic Essence; it would be a tremendous waste if they were only to make a noise.
Infiltrating is always easier the first time. If they failed to lure the frontline Wizards back this time, it would be much harder to attempt a second infiltration.
At the base of the communication tower was a sturdy wooden door, the only entrance to the tower.
On the door was a red copper beast head, which, as expected, had been activated. Opening the door would require verification from the beast head.
Richard stepped forward, an Alchemy Array appearing in his palm.
"I can only shield this beast head for thirty seconds. After thirty seconds, the tower spirit system connected to the beast head will definitely detect something is wrong."
"Don't worry, thirty seconds is plenty," Bell replied with a smile. "We're not slow-moving mortals."
With that, Richard flew up to the beast head and temporarily put it to sleep with the Alchemy Array. He had learned about these metal beast heads before; they were an ancient technology widely used in Wizard Towers during the Enlightenment period.
These metal beast heads often sealed the souls of beasts, with their consciousness and memories reshaped by Wizards and connected to the tower spirit, serving as a security system.
Such devices also existed in the Black Tower Wizard Academy; when Richard first arrived there, the dormitory building's entrance had a similar metal beast head.
With the beast head disabled, the door to the communication tower swung open for the team.
Bell and two Wizards entered, each carrying a "Bell's Roar," while Anka and the necromancer Wizard stayed outside to conceal Richard's presence.
Fifteen seconds later, the three Wizards hurriedly exited the communication tower.
Bell sent a mental message to the others: "Go, hurry up. There are two Third Circle Wizards inside; we almost got discovered."
Upon hearing this, the group wasted no time and immediately retreated toward the academy's exit.
Most of the Wizards' attention was drawn to that unfortunate soul who had been discovered, making it the perfect time to withdraw.
The team moved swiftly and soon reached the outer ring where the patrols were active.
Seeing the patrol team approaching, the group felt no tension; they stopped and quietly waited for the patrol to pass by.
Their concealment had already proven effective on the way in; these patrols would not be able to detect them...
Suddenly, the synthetic beast held by the patrol team let out a loud cry.
The patrol Wizards immediately sounded the alarm, the entire process taking less than a second.
"We've been discovered!"
The Wizards in the team instantly brandished their staffs, preparing to break through, but before they could act, a figure moved even faster.
"Ganlin, it was fine when we came in; why is it a problem now that we're trying to leave?"
A black-robed Wizard emerged from the shadows, waving his staff, causing the shadows on the ground to come alive and crawl up the ankles of the patrol Wizards.
One Wizard entangled by the shadows suddenly cried out in pain, "Ah! These shadows are eating my flesh!"
Anka recognized the casting Wizard and looked frustrated.
"Damn it, how did we run into this disaster!" The necromancer Wizard beside her also recognized him, his soul fire flickering with agitation.
"Quick, retreat! Don't worry about concealment. This disaster is Kayan; with him around, our luck will plummet!"
With that, the necromancer Wizard disregarded the rest of the team and immediately pulled out a bone staff from his sleeve. As he waved the staff, a surge of death energy transformed into a pitch-black arm that seized the Wizard blocking his path.
In less than five seconds, a first-circle Wizard was turned into a blackened corpse.
"Kayan, the disaster?"
Richard looked at the Wizards around him, who were on high alert, feeling somewhat confused.
The idea of lowering others' luck sounded like mere superstition...
Just as the necromancer Wizard made his move, everyone sensed a terrifying wave of Magic Power rapidly approaching them.
"Damn, a Third Circle Wizard is coming out."
Richard's face turned pale; although he didn't want to admit it, they were indeed quite unlucky at the moment.
The first group that was discovered had drawn the attention of most of the academy's Wizards, and now the only ones able to reach Richard's side in time were the Third Circle Wizards.
If Richard and his team had not been discovered, this situation would have been non-existent.
But now that they had been found, their original advantage had instantly turned into a disadvantage.
"Makar, let's go!"
Richard shouted, then used all his strength to retreat toward the academy's exit.
Upon hearing Richard's command, Makar immediately took the lead, his Chainsaw Sword emitting a piercing roar as he swiftly cleaved through three first-circle Wizards blocking their path.
Richard did not deliver any finishing blows; after passing over them, he quickly flew into the depths of the forest.
Richard didn't even dare to use shadow traversal, as research indicated that using shadow traversal carried a certain risk of getting trapped in the shadow crevices.
Although the probability was minuscule, Richard was not willing to test whether the title of disaster Kayan was truly deserved at this moment.
The team members scattered in all directions, deliberately avoiding Kayan.
Kayan, seeing this sudden influx of people, was momentarily taken aback, then awkwardly scratched his head.
He called out to the fleeing group, "Sorry, I caused you trouble."
With that, he waved his staff, and several sun-like fireballs instantly exploded, clearing the path of the blocking Wizards, then he vanished into the forest.
A few seconds later, the Third Circle Wizard arrived.
Seeing the corpses strewn about and the groaning patrol members, the arriving Third Circle Wizard was furious.
"Damn rats!"
He cursed, then charged into the forest in pursuit.
The direction he chased was precisely where Kayan had disappeared.
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