FALLEN ORACLE

**Chapter 6: The Moment of Ascension (3)**

"Why are you wasting your breath on her?" Marquess Wesley could no longer contain himself. "I request the Council of Elders to rule directly. This woman is a heretic, through and through."He swivelled his bulky frame, turning his chair a hundred and eighty degrees toward the other side of the conference room.On that side, another long table was arranged, surrounded by thirteen people.But from the start of the meeting, the lamps had not been lit around that table, keeping the thirteen in shadow. Not only that, even as the meeting spiralled out of control, they had remained completely silent.These thirteen individuals formed the highest authority of the Suss Federation – the Council of Elders.They did not directly participate in the allocation seminar, only observing. For the topmost nobles and most powerful mages of the upper realm, the profits from Divine Communion were not enough to concern them.Most of the time, their presence merely served to keep basic order among the participants. After all, there were always those who wanted to take an extra piece of meat from someone else's plate while quietly spitting out fewer bones of their own.But today's meeting had seen an unprecedented disruptor – someone who wanted to overturn the table entirely.In response to Marquess Wesley's request, the person seated in the middle of the thirteen slowly spoke: "It is not yet time for a ruling. How about this, Tiya: you can go to the Lower Realm Management Office's B4 and observe the process of Divine Communion yourself. Then make your decision. What do you say?"The speaker was Jung Factor, Professor Tim's elder brother. He was both the head of the powerful Factor family and the world's strongest summoner.None of the other participants around the other table had expected the Council to be so tolerant in the face of Tiya's extreme arrogance.Had they not seen these people's ruthless methods many times before, they might have mistakenly thought that this so‑called highest authority was a weak and easily bullied organisation.Jung continued, "But Tiya, let me remind you: you grew up in a welfare home, then studied at a magical school and Chaos Academy. During your growth and education, the federal government and the Council invested considerable funds and effort. Since you have enjoyed grants and orphan welfare funds, you should make the due contribution to the Council and the nobles who established those funds.""Honourable Elder," Tiya did not know the specific identities of the Council members, "I believe that what I have achieved today has nothing to do with the Council or the nobles. Those who helped me were the welfare home's carers, the academy's professors, and the countless ordinary people who work hard and pay their taxes. You, too, are in that position.""Then... good luck to you and those who helped you." Jung left these words and faded back into the shadows."Meeting adjourned," said a woman from the shadows, her voice neither warm nor cold. She was Lady Lenard, the world's strongest elementalist.Many believed that even Tiya at her current level could not surpass her in elemental magic.Though everyone was dissatisfied, once the Council had spoken, no one dared object.After everyone, including Tiya, left the room, one person stayed behind, as if by prior understanding. The thirteen members of the Council did not move from their positions."Tim, is there any way?" a voice from the shadows asked abruptly.The one who had stayed was none other than Tiya's former mentor, Professor Tim."What do you mean?""Mind‑control magic is your specialty."Hearing this, Tim smiled. "Your Excellency, you mean that I should use mind‑control magic to make Tiya do our bidding?""Yes," another nodded. "That shouldn't be too hard. After all, you are the most powerful psionic mage in the upper realm.""I was." Tim looked down.An uneasy stir went through the people around the long table in the shadows. One said sternly, "Tim, are you joking with me? She is only eighteen."Tim did not look up, nor did he speak further. Evidently, he was not joking."Could she possibly see through our secrets?" Lady Lenard demanded."I still have confidence in my psionic disguise magic," Tim finally raised his head. "During the meeting, she probably would not have intentionally directed her psionic detection at any of you. But... perhaps we should never underestimate her.""You should never have brought her to the meeting!" Jung, usually calm, even struck the table in agitation.Tim said, "Even if she learns what she should not, there's not much she can do. She is intelligent enough to know that now is not the time to bring the sky crashing down. Besides, with her power, she cannot do so anyway."Hearing this, Jung's expression softened a little. He added, "This woman is truly difficult. The magical bloodline of the Factor family is inevitably declining. I had hoped she could improve our family's bloodline.""Elder brother," Tim said, "I think you should not set your expectations too high. After all, her parents and younger brother had very ordinary magical talent."Jung snorted. "Hmph. Who can fathom the mind of the God of Chaos? Sometimes astonishing miracles appear without warning among commoners.""Even if there is only a ten percent chance that she will pass on that miracle, as long as she bears me enough descendants, I will eventually get what I want."Glancing at his elder brother, who was nearly sixty, Tim said no more. He sensibly withdrew from the conference room and closed the door, leaving the space to the "Council of Elders."---Upon entering the Lower Realm Management Office, Tiya noticed that the outwardly formidable nobles had gradually disappeared. The people accompanying her on the tour had silently been replaced by the time she arrived.The main guide standing to her left front was Master Hunter, whose strength in strengthening magic had long placed him at the very top tier. Though he was now in his seventies, thanks to his own magical enhancements, he was even more formidable than in his youth.On her right was a tall, thin woman, General Meryl. Though Tiya herself was tall, she was still half a head shorter than this heroine.It was said that she was a general without troops, because her powerful summoning magic could form a complete army and tear apart any enemy that dared block the Suss Federation.Walking behind Tiya was Professor Carmen, a magic master who was not a Chaos Academy graduate. This taciturn middle‑aged man, skilled in beast‑taming magic, often left his enemies with gruesome deaths.While others' storage rings might hold a house or a carriage, Professor Carmen's storage ring contained all kinds of the world's most powerful magical beasts.Though these monsters were as docile as puppies before Carmen, before his enemies they would show their full, terrifying power.Tiya did not know all the others, but she could sense that each had their own specialities, and all were extraordinarily powerful mages.When they reached B4, the vast space opened up before her, with the transparent rooms for Divine Communion clearly visible. Opposite them, it seemed nearly a hundred white‑robed figures were standing along the walkways.Probably half of the entire upper realm's Saint‑rank archmages were gathered in this space.