NOVEL WEB Ch. 146
Chapter 146: Blue-Level Mission
If Janna Roland hadn’t witnessed Lucia Heigel’s nearly explosive temperament firsthand that night in the Shadow Rift—where even half a sentence out of line could spark a fight—she truly would have been fooled by Lucia Heigel’s delicate and gentle appearance.
“Grace, Mary, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
Looking at Lucia Heigel’s overly sweet smile, Mary Margaret didn’t feel anything in particular. However, Grace Eva, who was well aware of the other woman’s private behavior due to her family background, couldn’t help but roll her eyes internally.
“Miss Heigel, long time no see.”
As the youngest First Tier Wizard here, Grace Eva maintained impeccable manners despite her dislike.
Meanwhile, Mary Margaret, who came from a commoner background, had heard stories about Lucia Heigel but never paid much attention to them. She simply returned the “friendly” greeting with a polite smile.
“Looks like Mist Tower is the only one left.”
Watching the conversation between the official wizards, Vivian tugged on Janna’s arm and whispered through sound transmission.
“Mist Tower is relatively far away. They’re probably about to arrive—”
Just as the whisper ended, the mercury tide surged again, and nearly a hundred figures clad in gray Wizard Robes and wearing crow masks emerged from the mercury.
Two eerily identical boys, differing only in hair color, stood at the front of Mist Tower’s group.
“So it’s Elder White Crow and Elder Black Crow—long time no see.”
“Mm.”
In response to Lucia Heigel’s greeting, the two boys merely nodded coldly without speaking.
“So those two are the rumored Twin Wizards. They look so young.”
Hearing Vivian’s astonished whisper, Janna, also seeing them in person for the first time, nodded in wonder.
Mist Tower, a rarely seen wizard organization in Turin, was something Janna had only vaguely heard about from some Third Tier Wizard Apprentices.
Compared to White Coral and Blackbone Grove’s more academic management style, Mist Tower, although it claimed to be a Wizard Academy, had an internal structure more akin to an underground wizard organization.
In Mist Tower, Wizard Apprentices did not address official wizards as professors or teachers like at White Coral and Blackbone Grove.
Their hierarchy was very clear, and they always referred to official wizards as “Elders.”
Elder White Crow and Elder Black Crow, both First Tier Wizards, were Mist Tower’s rising stars of recent decades.
Despite their youthful appearances, they were much older than Grace Eva and Mary Margaret.
It was said the two had been conjoined twins at birth and only survived after a surgical separation from their mother’s body.
Their wizard ranks, strength, and even thoughts were closely aligned.
When working together, their coordination was unmatched among their peers—even in two-versus-three or two-versus-four scenarios, they would not be at a disadvantage.
“Swish—”
As everyone’s eyes focused on Mist Tower’s group, a semi-transparent figure began to form beside Elder Black Crow.
In a moment, the figure drifted to Lucia Heigel’s side.
“Thank you for your efforts, Phantom Wizard—along with the Sage.”
Seeing the ethereal figure referred to as “Phantom” by Lucia Heigel, a strange sense of familiarity suddenly stirred in Janna’s heart.
“A Spirit Form...”
Moreover, it was a Spirit Form capable of staying in the Material Plane for an extended period.
Janna mused silently.
At last, the two wizards from Blackbone Grove—Gushan-Raff and Phantom—responsible for leading the way, had returned to their group.
At that moment, the massive mercury space had gathered eight official wizards and over three hundred Second Tier Wizard Apprentices.
“How strange. Why aren’t Mist Tower’s apprentices affected by the stench here?”
Unlike White Coral Academy’s group, where intense rot had caused frequent vomiting, Mist Tower’s apprentices, also newly arrived, seemed entirely unaffected by the mercury vortex’s odor.
“Mist Tower’s apprentices are accustomed to poisonous creatures. The toxic fumes and marsh gases they’re used to smelling aren’t any better than this—they’ve long been desensitized.”
Janna casually explained in response to Vivian’s whispered curiosity.
“How do you know so much about the other academies? Do you have informants there too?”
“Something like that.”
In truth, Janna’s knowledge of Blackbone Grove and Mist Tower came not only from consulting veteran members of the White Ballet Shoes Club but also from her frequent interactions with members of the Nightingale Opera Troupe, some of whom hailed from those places.
After all, behind every piece of information lies a cost.
Without her careful cultivation of social networks, Janna wouldn’t have had access to this intelligence disparity.
“To avoid delaying the upcoming White Tower Reserve trial, let’s begin now.”
Upon hearing Lucia Heigel’s words, the other wizards nodded in agreement.
Originally, the Three-School Trial was scheduled to start in three days, but due to unexpected issues with the White Tower Reserve’s simulated trial, the timeline had to be moved up.
“Let me be clear. If any of you still have prohibited items that violate the exam rules, it’s best to hand them over now. Once you enter the mercury vortex, anything hidden will be lost forever—never to be retrieved.”
Upon Lucia Heigel’s final warning, several apprentices who had tried to sneak items exchanged glances and obediently placed their Interdimensional Storage Pouches on the ground.
“Good. You’re wise to comply.”
Clap, clap—
—
Ignoring the apprentices’ small tricks, Lucia Heigel clapped her hands.
As the mercury tide surged once more, a massive black cave suddenly appeared within the vortex before everyone.
“I’ll state the exam rules one last time—if you don’t want to die in there, you’d best memorize them—”
Her voice was soft, her tone ruthless.
Though Janna had already studied the rules of the Three-School Trial, she still focused intently as Lucia Heigel spoke.
Ding—
[Today’s Quest: Achieve first place in this trial;
Quest Reward: 500 Talent EXP, 2000 Skill EXP, two random rewards.]