FALLEN ORACLE

**Chapter 8: The Wizard and the Tower (3)**

"Chen Yi, let me ask you a question." Yudian decided to chat a little longer."Please do." Chen Yi seemed almost flattered. Apparently, getting to say a few more words with a high-ranking wizard like Yudian before death made him happy."Why do powerful mages like to stay in towers?" Yudian asked an unrelated question.*c***k!*A thunderclap split the air, leaving the young man's handsome face half lit, half shadowed.Chen Yi said humbly, "Let me try to answer, and you tell me if I'm right.""From a technical perspective, a tower is far from the ground, making it easier to connect with the surrounding Magic Net. Also, the view is wider, which helps with spellcasting.""From a spiritual perspective, a tower is closer to the gods. As someone chosen by the gods, a mage couldn't ask for a better place.""From an ethical perspective, studying powerful magic in a tower is less likely to accidentally harm civilians."Yudian laughed. "A mage who has never owned a tower can still speak such truth—impressive. But I think you're wrong. My view: a tower is a giant staff, and only an outstanding mage deserves to wield it.""A tower is a staff? That's the most interesting analogy I've ever heard. I'm curious—what spell would that staff cast?" Chen Yi asked.Yudian said, "In my eyes, this is a Psionic staff. It can control people's minds. Its magic can make common folk worship you as a god, make civil and military officials hang on your every word, make nobles bow before you, and even make the Church and His Majesty think highly of you.""Tell me—what other staff in the world could wield such great power?"From the academy's records, Chen Yi knew that Yudian had been born in the slums and had suffered scorn and ridicule since childhood.As an outstanding alumnus of the academy, Yudian was a model of using magic to rise through official ranks. He was an inspiration to all who tried to fight fate with magic.Chen Yi nodded. He had to admit Yudian had a point.Yudian stood up and shook open his black robe. "Chen Yi, you are a respectable mage. So I will keep my promise and make your death as painless as possible."His ring glowed with an ominous red light. He intoned, "I, Yudian Guderian, class of 1450 of Rongqi Academy, currently a senior wizard of the Kingdom of Klem, specializing in Elemental magic, student of the Great God Helu, hereby challenge the mage Chen Yi to a duel to the death."Chen Yi felt Yudian's respect. At this moment, though Yudian was his enemy, he was not hateful.So Chen Yi decided to show his own respect.He slowly untied the laces of his standard robe and took it off, tossing it aside."You!" The glow on Yudian's ring vanished abruptly. He suddenly understood—the robe was not the source of this man's courage. What lay hidden beneath it was!Underneath Chen Yi's academy uniform, Tiya's Beginner Sequence Liner emitted a radiance unknown to Yudian."Master Wizard, I'm sorry to have deceived you. I don't plan to die just yet," Chen Yi said calmly. "So you will have to die.""I don't like killing, but your position is to start a war, and mine is to stop it. To each his own. Forgive me."Yudian was speechless with shock. He could already see that this supposed intermediate trainee actually possessed astonishing skill.Chen Yi bowed to his opponent. "Let me reintroduce myself. I am Chen Yi, class of 1490 of Rongqi Academy, specializing in Elemental magic, intermediate trainee, student of the goddess Tiya. I hereby accept the duel to the death proposed by the mage Yudian."From Yudian's expression, he had never heard the name Tiya either. But from the moment he heard the name "Tiya," Yudian knew there was no chance he would leave this tower alive."Master Wizard, you missed one thing," Chen Yi said, opening his spellbook. "Towers also have another advantage—on a stormy day like this, unfortunate accidents are all too common."---Two days before the fifteen-day deadline, Mendes began to grow uneasy. But just then, Chen Yi returned, travel-worn."So? Did you bring back what I wanted?" General Tros cut straight to the point."Yes, General. I bring you the following achievement: 'The destruction of all ancient staves newly discovered in the mine, and the safe withdrawal of your forces from the Central Plains.' What do you think?""Chen Yi, you..." Phil was speechless. He couldn't imagine that his good brother, gone for thirteen days, had come back with just that sentence.Phil knew well how greedy his father was in military matters. The King's order had been to *recover* the staves. Merely destroying them would hardly satisfy him.Worse, this condition even demanded returning the Central Plains, already under his control. He had expected his father to explode in anger."Father, let me explain—Chen Yi was probably just joking," Phil hurriedly tried to smooth things over."Fine. I accept." The general agreed almost without thinking.Phil: "???""On the condition that the captured Duke and his family are released.""No problem."Phil: "!!!!"If he hadn't been certain that Chen Yi couldn't have used a Psionic spell on his father right in front of him, Phil would have thought the general was being mind-controlled."Then it's settled. We'll go talk to Carl and the Duchy forces.""Pleasure doing business." General Tros actually extended his hand to Chen Yi—a first."Pleasure doing business."Chen Yi patted the stunned Phil on the shoulder. "I'll go get Mendes. Meet you at the gate, then we'll head to the mine to find Carl."---After Chen Yi left, General Tros said to Phil with great seriousness, "Son. Stay close to him. That man is not ordinary."Phil couldn't remember the last time his father had called him "son." But that was no longer his main concern. He just nodded blankly.