Surviving The Fourth Calamity

Although Hilbert couldn’t understand why Richard Dreyfus wanted to compete with Gilbert for faction supremacy, yet chose to target these foreign mages, he wondered what kind of mindset that indicated.

Doesn’t that just increase enemies?

Does he really think that by pulling this trick, he can ruin the friendship between Pet and Ruth?

After all, those two were quite familiar in the past.

But isn’t that just having met?

Moreover, as long as a mage isn’t out of their mind, when socializing with ’acquaintances they can name,’ they will consider their own interests rather than those frivolous matters.

Ruth is the Master of the Tower, and if he doesn’t want to get too deep with Pet, it’s undoubtedly because it naturally doesn’t suit, not because someone in the Neutral Faction wants to harm his beloved student, causing him to suddenly turn against Pet.

Look at how the White Faction handles Aislin!

Even though Ruth and everyone clearly see what ’Aislin’ is about, their attitude is quite tactful... At least they left Ruth some dignity, making people think Aislin was later controlled and corroded by some means, rather than having issues from the start.

In that subtle struggle, losing a beloved student due to poor strategy isn’t the same as Ruth, having been blind for hundreds of years, doting on an enemy’s spy.

But there’s one thing Hill knows... There’s no need to understand a fool’s thinking pattern.

When doing things, just follow the normal logic of ordinary people; otherwise, it aligns the saying ’Bring your intelligence down to their level, then they use their proficiency to defeat you.’

”Hmm?” Hill looked up, gazing at the sky to the left... Was there something flashing among the starlight?

He slightly frowned and asked in a tentative tone, ”Who’s there?”

”It’s me.” Ruth appeared silently in the midair.

Hilbert stood up and gently bowed, with his right hand holding the wrist of his left hand, where a bracelet made mainly of various shades of yellow Cat’s Eye Stones, interspersed with some white diamonds and colorless gemstones, was worn: ”Teacher, what brings you here?”

At his feet, a delicate candlestick was burning a Sagebrush candle.

”An interesting scent.” Ruth casually glanced at the candle, ”It seems to benefit spiritual power?”

”Mainly to cleanse some negative emotions.” Hilbert raised his fingers... That intricate ring was worn securely on his hand.

”This one doesn’t suit you, too flashy, suitable for storage though.” Ruth frowned, tossing him a ring.

Hilbert deftly caught it and gave it a serious look: the ring was also inlaid with purple diamonds.

But compared to Aislin’s flashy one, adorned with countless broken diamond decorations, this one was much crisper and simpler, with only the large deep purple diamond in the center shining under the starlight.

Moreover, the metal band was wider, indeed more suitable for a man’s fingers.

”Isn’t this too much?” Hilbert hesitated slightly, holding his bracelet that hung in his palm with one hand and rubbing it, ”Sia Tower gave this to you...”

Ruth waved his hand, and five or six rings appeared in his palm: ”The handlers of Sia Tower aren’t stupid.

How could they give me a ring satisfying for a Ninth Ring Mage?

Of course, they gave me resources equivalent to about ten sets suitable for Eighth Ring Mages, with each storage ring having double the quantity of Energy Baryte.

If I complained it was too little, it seemed a bit, heh~ like gaining an advantage and still being dissatisfied.

But to say I’m satisfied... to me, these things are the same as what’s piled up in my warehouse.

The only benefit is they can be used to nurture students.

Rest assured, both Aislin and Oliva received one.

Otherwise, Aislin wouldn’t have so readily given you her ring.

She prefers the one inlaid with a deep sea purple pearl.

Speaking of which, it suits her personality, a pearl-inlaid Aurora Colored Steel ring, that’s the only one.

Also, in this world of ours, how can pearl shells still exist!

Even the seas have turned into lifeless waters.

Forget it, no use talking about these, I only have this one amethyst ring, which pairs well with yours, just take it to play!”

Hilbert blinked and nodded lightly.

”Where’s your Flying Eagle?” Ruth finally got to his point, ”I want to take a closer look.”

Hilbert quietly took out the metal eagle... though he had indeed modified some of its aspects.

For instance, the feathers, initially merely shallow engravings tightly connected to the body, were transformed by him into actual, liftable flying feathers.

He then integrated auxiliary formations using these flying feathers on the eagle... Even if one feather gets struck off, it wouldn’t affect the eagle’s flight.

Unless someone could pluck all of this metal eagle’s feathers.

But if someone could indeed do that, the eagle couldn’t possibly survive.

Instead, it’s safer than having all the formations engraved directly on the eagle’s main body... Otherwise, a sufficiently powerful destructive formation could completely ruin it.

”Oh~ that’s how it is.” Ruth, of course, noticed Hilbert’s ingenuity, he couldn’t help but nod, ”No wonder Rosero couldn’t shoot it down with a couple of strikes.”

Because getting annoyed and hitting back a couple of times is fine, but if, in front of Ruth, you relentlessly target a peculiar object like the Flying Eagle belonging to a student who did nothing wrong and whom you only interacted with because you approached, Rosero’s whole day of spiritual depletion would be in vain!

Aislin is clearly still needed in the territory of the Tower of Dark Enigma.

Thus, the White Faction needs to maintain some friendly relations with Ruth for now... It doesn’t have to be genuine, just superficial courtesy.

After all, they hope to expect something out of Aislin!

”Very nice.” Ruth examined it for a while longer, noticing Gilbert’s interesting idea: he placed the offensive formations on the main body and hid defensive and auxiliary ones within the feathers, utilizing the overlapping and interlacing of the feathers to harmoniously integrate several formations on this eagle.

Accomplishing this isn’t hard, what’s difficult is... completely disregarding the reality that the eagle could be utterly destroyed after a strong attack.

Though he led a displaced life as a child, Gilbert was never truly poor.

Upon reaching the Tower of Dark Enigma, under his instruction, he never lived as frugally as other mages, so while he wouldn’t waste materials, he certainly wasn’t miserly about them.

The reason other mages can’t quite see from Gilbert’s perspective is primarily because their first reaction is naturally to protect the eagle’s body... ensuring layers upon layers of defensive formations.

And Ruth, originally having little interest in such magical creatures, wouldn’t consider this problem at all.

Ruth couldn’t help but chuckle and shake his head: ”Ah, your idea is good, it’s quite helpful in what I’m thinking of creating lately.

Hmm? Where is this candle from?

I haven’t felt this refreshed in a long time.”