In the vast conference hall, the eyes of all twenty-odd wizards present were fixed on the two high-ranking council elders on the dais.
Under the weight of everyone's attention stood two figures, one a burly man with blazing eyes, the other a stooped old man.
Yet the force of their presence was evenly matched. Neither overpowered the other.
They were both council elders of Raven, and both had set foot on the road toward becoming Eternal Wizards.
"You really should not pursue the destruction of the laboratory. After all, you were the one who broke the rules first." The old man gave a cough. "Its destruction was just as well. It reduces the chance of Raven being exposed."
"Ridiculous!" Cappadocia let out a cold snort. He suppressed his anger, looked at the old man, then glanced down at Harris Raymons below the stage. Suddenly, he reined in his temper and closed his eyes.
"Fine. Then let's not talk about that anymore," Cappadocia said, sounding as if he had suddenly calmed down.
"However..." He opened his eyes again, revealing a mocking smile. "Why have you still not brought that inheritor of ancient magic back to Raven?"
The abrupt change of topic caught Harris Raymons off guard, and then his expression changed sharply.
He understood what Cappadocia was trying to do.
"We have not yet gained his trust. This needs to be handled slowly." The old man frowned and studied Cappadocia's face thoughtfully. "What exactly are you trying to do?"
"Nothing much. Just offering your side a small gift." Cappadocia narrowed his eyes, a vicious gleam spreading through them. "Since it is all for Raven, then let us help you bring that inheritor back."
"You intend to interfere in our affairs?" the old man said in displeasure.
"Don't make it sound so ugly. I only want to help." Cappadocia turned to his prized student. "Raichel, I'm leaving this to you. No matter the cost, bring back that inheritor of ancient magic. Don't fail the way a certain someone did."
"Don't worry, teacher." Raichel stood up, and a bloodthirsty expression appeared on that strange face of his.
No matter the cost meant he was allowed to use force.
That suited Raichel perfectly.
"I will definitely bring that inheritor of ancient magic back intact."
"This cannot be handled rashly. It must be approached carefully and over time," the old man said tactfully.
"Sorry, old man, but I am exactly the sort of person who acts rashly. If you have any objections, I think we can have a very 'friendly' discussion about them."
Cappadocia's body suddenly swelled. The power of giant blood surged through him. His heart beat like a war drum, and the blood rushing through his body made a sound like thunder.
An aura like something from ancient times spread through the conference hall, and the old man's face changed in shock.
"You succeeded..."
This was the power of the Titan giants.
The Titans, the pinnacle creation of the Eternal Wizard Tiamat, were the ancestors of modern giants. It was said they possessed enough strength to overturn continents.
Among the clues Raven had recovered from history, there was evidence that they had once invaded Asgard, leaving behind countless corpses in that hidden realm.
Cappadocia had spent a great deal of effort on those corpses, trying to draw bloodline power out of dead bodies.
Trying to take living bloodline power from corpses should have been absolutely impossible, and Cappadocia had indeed failed many times.
But now he had succeeded, and because of that, he held the initiative in this meeting.
Although Raven was divided internally into two branches, with each side having its own grievances and looking down on the other's research, both sides ultimately sought the same goal: to uncover the secrets of the Eternal Wizards.
Here, your research results determined your standing.
Their side had made no progress in ancient magic for a long time, while Cappadocia's research had achieved striking results. One side rose while the other stagnated, and naturally their side's influence had weakened.
"What do you want?" the old man asked helplessly.
"Nothing. Just as I said, bring back that inheritor of ancient magic." Cappadocia withdrew that overwhelming pressure and showed a provocative smile. "I'm helping you."
"Fine. I understand." The old man nodded. "Do it your way."
"Teacher..." Harris Raymons looked at the old man in disbelief. He had never expected things to end like this.
There was no way Cappadocia was acting out of kindness. His meaning was obvious. He wanted to force his way into research on ancient magic.
It was shameless.
The old man said nothing, only shook his head at Harris Raymons.
Seeing that, Harris Raymons could only fall silent as well.
If even his teacher said nothing, if a man who had spent centuries studying ancient magic could accept Cappadocia's interference, then what could Harris Raymons possibly say?
"Very good. In that case, I'll trouble you two to coordinate with my student and tell him everything you know." Cappadocia smiled in satisfaction.
Once his student Raichel brought back that inheritor of ancient magic, Cappadocia would be able to use that as an excuse to gain access to Raven's internal intelligence on ancient magic.
This would be a crucial step toward taking complete control of Raven.
Below the dais, Raichel looked at Harris Raymons beside him and said mockingly, "Go on then, Raymons. Tell me everything you know about the inheritor of ancient magic."
"Oh, and one more thing." He glanced at Harris Raymons and continued. "Before the council elders, I need you to swear that until my mission is complete, you will not contact that inheritor of ancient magic by any means."
"What do you mean?" Harris Raymons asked coldly.
"Sorry. It's just a precaution." Raichel said sorry, but there was not the slightest trace of apology on his face.
Harris Raymons was silent for a while. Then he looked toward his teacher. After receiving a signal, he reluctantly said, "Fine. I swear."
He repeated the oath. Under the witness of Cappadocia and his own teacher, a power similar to the Unbreakable Vow descended upon him.
It was a remnant of the great power left behind in the hidden realm called Asgard, a force capable of bearing witness to a person's oath.
In the distant past, when the Eternal Wizard Odin ruled Asgard, this power had been called the law that "the gods cannot be deceived."
After Harris Raymons finished swearing, he took a deep breath and told Raichel everything he knew about Leonard.
"His name is Leonard William. He's a student at Hogwarts. Once summer break ends, he should be entering his third year..."