Greetings, Mister Principal

Chapter 187: Intertwined Shadiness

Morale Support: Scherzo

Patreon: /ScherzoTranslations

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In the upper city of Stanzoya, within the headquarters of the Immortal Throne, inside the giant white tower.

Located at the top of the tower is a spacious office with a broad view.

Legendary mage Charles Preston was sitting behind a desk, his hands folded and placed in front of him, covering the lower half of his face. Standing on the other side of the desk is Preston’s student, Harvey Lockfield, who returned to Stanzoya just two days ago.

“…This time, the pure-blood faction can be said to be completely defeated. The radical faction was almost completely wiped out. Among the remaining pure-blood families, the majority lean towards aligning with the Magic Association. More importantly, the inheritance theory is currently in the hands of the Magic Association.”

Lockfield, after recounting the events that occurred at the Albione family wedding, concluded.

“The pure-blood faction has been suffering from the gradual weakening of bloodline power for many years. However, as long as they can grasp the theory of bloodline factors, they can restore their former glory, or at least allow many pure-blood mages to advance further. This is the power they crave.”

“But if the mystery of bloodline is deciphered, the pure-blood faction will have no reason to continue. Every mage can rely on bloodline modification to gain powerful abilities, right?”

Preston looked at the documents on the desk and said lightly.

After the validation of the inheritance theory, one of the key tasks of Immortal Throne was to complete the measurement of human chromosomes.

Different bloodline factors correspond to different phenotypic traits, and these bloodline factors exist in different parts of different chromosomes. The current focus of the necromancers is whether there is a pattern in the existence of these bloodline factors and finding this pattern.

It was an arduous task, but if successful, the entire world would be revolutionized.

The most crucial aspect of this research is the source of magic and why humans can use magic.

Other factions rely on deciphering the world to find the essence of this source of immense power, while necromancers study various magical creatures and humans themselves to explore the reasons for magic. Unfortunately, there has been little progress so far. If the research on chromosomes and bloodline factors is successful, it can at least solve the question of how humans use magic.

However, this work has just begun, and necromancers have encountered many difficulties. A prominent issue is the lack of sufficient observation magnification. Although people can observe chromosomes with traditional optical microscopes, the current level is far from sufficient for more detailed research. But the means of optical microscopy seem to have reached its limit, and mages need to find another way.

In addition, measuring the composition of chromosomes, micro-models of bloodline factors controlling traits, all these require assistance from other factions. Immortal Throne has not yet sought help from other academic organizations of other factions, but it’s only a matter of time.

“There is one more thing, teacher. I found traces of Blood Rock in the Albione family.”

Lockfield added that in addition to more than a dozen pure-blood mages suffering from cognitive collapse, there was one person, Cologne Francois, who died. He was not affected by cognitive collapse. According to Lockfield’s post-mortem examination, Cologne’s cause of death was a sudden cardiac arrest caused by inhaling a large amount of Blood Rock.

Blood Rock has a strong stimulating effect on the nervous system, and Cologne’s body, weakened by the previous cognitive collapse, was more vulnerable than an ordinary person, resulting in problems after inhaling a large amount of Blood Rock.

Of course, even an ordinary person, inhaling such a dose of Blood Rock would lead to a death. According to the record of Margaret Albione, who had already lost her sanity, Cologne believed that Blood Rock could rejuvenate himself. In fact, the paralyzing effect of Blood Rock could allow him to recover to some extent, but it was actually overdrafting his life.

“I didn’t expect Blood Rock to have infiltrated among the mages and within the pure-blood faction at that. This drug has a relatively mild initial reaction, and many people won’t pay attention to it. By the time they realize it, they are already addicted, making it a challenging substance to deal with.”

Preston whispered in a low voice, glancing at another report on the desk that he did not tell Lockfield about.

This was a death report from Sherlock and John, whom Preston had dispatched to investigate the source of Blood Rock.

…

In the central region of the Midland Federation, inside an old mansion.

The mansion’s walls are already mottled and faded. In the living room, on furniture that is almost rotten, coagulated blood is emitting a repugnant odor, making it nauseating.

On the floor lie two individuals, both wearing black mage robes with three golden stripes on the cuffs, indicating they are third-level mages.

Their deaths were extremely tragic, with clothes engraved with defensive magic torn apart from the middle, along with pierced chests. A large amount of blood gushed out from the arteries in their throats. It is imaginable that at the moment they were killed, blood would have sprayed outward at a rapid pace, staining even the cabinet several meters away with blood.

The faces of the two mages still bear expressions of shock, as if they can’t believe they were killed so mercilessly, without any chance of resistance, intensifying the horror of the scene.

In one corner of the living room, a man was sitting.

He appeared as though he hasn’t had a good night’s sleep in days, sporting heavy dark circles under his eyes. His hair was disheveled and black. He wasn’t exactly sitting on the sofa but rather crouching in the already dilapidated leather couch. In his hands, he holds a cup of coffee that seems to have been overloaded with sugar, now in a semi-solid state. Even the spoon can stand upright in it.

The man is dressed in a standard suit. Despite being in this decrepit and blood-soaked environment, he remains spotless. He drinks his coffee, then looked towards one side of the living room.

A man in an exquisite suit cautiously enters the room, tiptoeing and avoiding the blood splatters on the floor.

This man has gray hair, deep blue eyes, and bears a resemblance to someone named Reiner.

“Do you have to be so dramatic every time?”

The gray-haired man looks at the two bodies on the ground, covering his nose with a handkerchief.

“Blood Rock has already attracted the attention of the upper echelons of the Magic Association. The reports on these two people are prepared to be submitted to the high-level mages.”

The black-haired man says coldly. By his side, a blood-stained document floats up, but soon, flames ignite, reducing it to ashes, leaving only dust in the air.

“You better be careful. It’s hard to guarantee that others won’t start investigating you.”

“I know.”

The gray-haired man speaks impatiently and glances at the corpses.

“What about these two bodies?”

“Just leave them here. The Magic Association already has information about their whereabouts. Hiding them won’t help.”

The black-haired man finishes drinking his coffee, then stands up from the sofa.

“We should move, now.”

“Move? Where to?”

The gray-haired man widens his eyes.

“The most dangerous place is the safest place.”

The black-haired man says indifferently, glancing at a point on the map of the entire continent hanging on the wall.

That is the center of the mages, the location of the headquarters of the Magic Association, the Rainbow Tower.