Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy

Chapter 1156: Traces

Jody ushered Vale into her office, a spacious chamber filled with shelves of scrolls, ink bottles, and enchanted quills that she could easily control with her Spirit Hand at any time she wanted...

The walls were covered with maps of kingdoms, trade routes, and diagrams of various important locations like the Shadow Castle, the Holy Cities, the Forbidden Lands, and many others.

A large desk also dominated the center, stacked with reports and drafts.

She then gestured for Vale to sit, then sat in her chair…

”Itʼs been a while, Immortal Vale.”

”Stop that… Just call me Vale…” Vale replied as he was indeed not here to impose his status.

”Then I feel more comfortable. Anyway, you must be wondering how I ended up here, Vale. Running the New Era Chronicle, covering not just the Shadow Domain but half a dozen nations.”

Vale adjusted his monocle as he laid his cane against the desk.

”I am. When I saw your name on the registry board, I was… surprised. I thought youʼd be buried in Dark Arts research, not ink and paper.”

Jody chuckled softly. ”That was the plan, wasnʼt it? After graduation, I did exactly what everyone expected. I worked as a Paranormal Investigator for a time, using my Dark Arts to probe haunted ruins, cursed villages, and places where the evil spirits and evil humans gather. I even joined a large research group with renowned Dark Arcanists who were trying to reconstruct lost high-level Dark Spells… They were researching spells like Soul Severance, Eternal Binding, and Nightfall Dominion. We thought we could bring them back from fragments of ancient books. But it was too difficult.

Vale tilted his head. ”Ambitious work. Dangerous too. Did you succeed?”

Her smile faded.

”Not really. We uncovered fragments Spell Models, yes. But the deeper we went, the more I realized something. Those spells were born from desperation, from wars and tragedies. They werenʼt just tools.. they were scars of history. Every time we pieced together a Spell Model, I felt that it would just create more destruction… And when I investigated hauntings, I found the same thing… sad stories. Families torn apart, villages destroyed, people forgotten. The Dark Arts gave me power to see through evil and darkness, but what compelled me wasnʼt the magic itself. It was the stories behind the magic.”

Vale tapped his cane lightly… This woman had really become a writer after working in the publication business for a long time.

Still, Vale just listened and allowed her to continue. After listening to her story for some time, Vale nodded.

”So instead of wielding the Dark Arts, you wanted to record them.”

”Exactly,” Jody said firmly. ”I realized I didnʼt enjoy the endless pursuit of power. I enjoyed uncovering truths. I wanted to tell people what was happening in the world, not just the spells, but the reasons they existed. Why a village was cursed. Why a kingdom collapsed. Why a new Arcane Path was rising. Thatʼs when I remembered the Publication Club back at Vermont Academy. I had always loved writing, even more than spellcraft.”

She now looked excited. ”So I left the research circles. I walked away from Paranormal Investigations. Everyone thought I was wasting my talent. But I started small… a single newsletter in Melthorn City, reporting on Academy duels, merchant disputes, and strange phenomena. People read it. They wanted more. And soon, I went to Clovis… Then, everything exploded… I happened so fast. I realized information was as powerful as any spell.”

Vale smiled faintly. ”Information is a weapon. Sometimes sharper than a blade.”

Jody nodded. ”Yes. And it spreads faster than fire. I began expanding. I hired scribes, trained editors, and bought enchanted presses made by the Alchemist and Rune Arts Practitioners... After that, with some help from my familyʼs connections, I built networks across kingdoms… Ruri, Millton, Pallham Empire, even the borderlands. I paid informants, sponsored researchers, and created a system where news flowed smoothly. Thatʼs how the New Era Chronicle was developed.”

”Thatʼs awesome work, Jody… Iʼm really impressed.” Vale said with a genuine joy at her success.

”Thank you… I want to create a paper that doesnʼt just record events, but connects nations.”

It was indeed ambitious, but Vale could tell that she had somewhat achieved this work.

She paused, then added with a wry grin, ”And Vale, youʼd be surprised at the things Iʼve uncovered. Stories that compelled me to keep going.”

Vale raised an eyebrow. ”Such as?”

Jody knew that she caught the Immortalʼs interest...

”One case was in the Millton Kingdom. A series of disappearances in the countryside. Everyone thought it was bandits. But when I investigated, I found traces of Transformation Arts… villagers being forcibly altered into beasts, sold as gladiators in underground arenas. I exposed it in the Chronicle. The kingdom was forced to act, and the arenas were shut down. That story saved lives.”

Vale had no idea that that actually happened. ”Thatʼs… disturbing. But useful. Transformation Arts abuse is something Iʼve seen before.”

Jody nodded and continued… ”Another thing was in Ruri. A surge of Beast Arts practitioners, young Arcanists tattooing themselves recklessly to gain spells. Many died from backlash. But I discovered that a guild was secretly distributing flawed tattoo inks, designed to bind the users into servitude and turn them into monsters if they tried to fight against it. My article revealed the scheme, and the guild was dismantled. That story gave me purpose.”

Vale didnʼt expect that Jody was actually doing such dangerous things… It was already amazing that she wasnʼt being targeted by Assassins.

”Thatʼs incredible work… I guess youʼve been clashing with some powerful people if youʼre getting some controversial stories or articles.” Vale muttered.

Jody wryly smiled after hearing this.

”Thatʼs why the main branch is here in Shadow Domain… No one dares to cause trouble. Unless theyʼre Immortals, I guess.” Jody said with a chuckle…

Then, after learning a few more stories, Vale finally asked.

”Do you remember someone suspicious entering this building? To be honest, I felt the presence of a Void Immortal in this building. Thatʼs why I came here in the first place… Then, after looking around, I noticed that there were traces of Void Energy.”