Chapter 1016: Chapter 772 Rumors
At this moment, the upper council hall was in the midst of a relentless debate over a new proposal. Led by Elder Solis, they were forcefully pushing for a new direction in magic research—creating artificial Crazy Demons. However, a small minority of the elders were vehemently opposed. The threat posed by Crazy Demons was clear to all, and anyone who entertained the idea of harnessing them must certainly have a death wish.
Even though Elder Solis had already persuaded many elders, this minority still believed that the proposal would not pass, because Master Elma, the true master of the Ancient Mage Tower, had yet to speak.
But at this moment, the one disguised as ’Master Elma’ was close to tears. He was merely a stand-in, sitting here in place of the real Elma through the use of magical illusions, but how could he dare to speak out of turn on such an important matter? For any trivial matters before, he would simply go along with whatever Master Solis said, but he instinctively didn’t dare to speak up on this one.
Elder Solis had been giving several meaningful glances to the impostor Elma, each one more fierce than the last. He knew that if he couldn’t give Elder Solis a satisfactory answer, he would definitely be in trouble today!
"I..." Just as the fake Elma was about to speak up, the grand doors of the council hall were suddenly pushed open, and a person wearing a golden mage robe walked in.
"I disagree."
Elma spoke.
"Who is this person that dares to burst into the council hall!" An elder by Solis’s side shouted loudly.
"Who am I? Elder Aimondeus, do you not even recognize me?" As Elma spoke, he walked forward. He came up to the impostor Elma and gently patted his shoulder, instantly dispelling the magical illusion. His true face was revealed.
"Elder Zulal? Why is it you? Weren’t you supposed to be on the surface?" Several elders looked at Zulal in surprise.
"This... I..." Zulal’s face was full of difficulty; he had been masquerading as Master Elma for many years, and now he was at a loss for words.
"It was I who asked Master Zulal to use an illusion to take my place here," Elma spoke.
"You?" At this point, everyone once again turned their gaze towards Elma.
"You are Master Elma!"
An elder exclaimed in shock.
"Heh, it seems there are still those who remember me!" Elma laughed.
"How have you..." The elders were filled with incredulity as they looked at the rejuvenated Elma.
"As you all know, I once left for a while due to my waning lifespan. Later, fearing instability would arise in the Ancient Mage Tower after my departure, I entrusted Master Zulal to take my place, while I went in search of a solution," Elma said.
"It seems you have found your solution," Solis finally spoke, his voice devoid of any hint of joy.
"Yes, I have found it. And for all of this, I have you to thank, Master Solis!" Alma said with a smile.
"It is my honor to ease your concerns," Solis said, his stiff face wearing a slight smile.
Yet the smiles on both of their faces seemed somewhat false.
"Now, I have returned! My flame of life burns brightly once again, my mana stronger than before! I will reassume my dominion over the Ancient Mage Tower!" Elma declared loudly.
"We will follow your teachings, Master Elma!"
Almost all the elders said in unison. Some were genuinely happy, while others had gloomy expressions. But at the moment, no one dared to object.
"Therefore, we will conclude today’s meeting here and resume tomorrow. I expect to see all proposals before tomorrow’s meeting begins."
"Yes, Master Elma!"
The elders dispersed, some excited, some dark with anger.
As for Solis, his gaze was icy. He returned to his residence alone, locked the door, and then gazed at his own reflection in the mirror.
"Didn’t you tell me that with this method, I could control him? Why is it that now, not only has he not been controlled, but he has become even stronger?" In a lowered voice, Solis questioned his own reflection in the mirror.
At that moment, the Solis in the mirror’s eyes suddenly radiated red light, and the reflection began to move on its own: "I am as perplexed as you are. To control a dying person with Crystal Poison, even in the demon realm, this method is still effective. Beings like you cannot break free from it on your own; someone must be helping Elma in secret. Find them, eliminate them, and I will provide you with a new plan to control the Ancient Mage Tower."
"Someone is helping him? Who could it be?"
Solis was deeply puzzled.
Right then, there was a knock at the door.
Solis left, but the Solis in the mirror remained in place. Moments later, Solis returned, also holding a piece of paper.
"I know who it is," Solis said fiercely: "It’s that man named Long Yi! The very same Long Yi you ordered me to bring into the Ancient Mage Tower! You forgot about him, and now he has sabotaged our grand scheme!"
The Solis in the mirror, however, roared furiously: "Silence! This should have been your responsibility to remember. I am but a small fragment of consciousness residing within your soul; how could I possibly remember such trifles! Long Yi has encountered a direct attack from Crystal Poison on the surface and wasn’t infected; this means he definitely has a way to resist Crystal Poison. That’s why I instructed you to bring Long Yi here for us to study, and you forgot! This is entirely your own stupidity! Now, surely Long Yi has used his ability to help Elma break free from Crystal Poison. Although I don’t yet understand how Elma has rejuvenated, it must also be related to Long Yi!"
