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A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines-Chapter 162: The Arrogant Stumbled in the Trap - III
Ansel had been making appointments everywhere these past two days, having pleasant conversations with various nobles and extraordinary beings, and slowly activating his vast network in the imperial capital. Due to various considerations, he did not bring Seraphina, causing our Miss Wolf to be neglected for two full days.
Perhaps in the future, Seraphina Marlowe will grow into a strong warrior who can stand on her own, mature and confident, but for now, she is indeed more like a girl in the throes of a passionate romance.
Not long ago, she had achieved a spiritual fusion with Ansel and also a physical connection, along with a life comfortable enough without worries, honestly, it's a bit difficult to grow under these circumstances.
So, when Ansel was going to visit the Etheric Academy, Seraphina insisted on not being left behind. But this time, Ansel was planning to take her anyway.
"Thank you for your help, Lord Soren... Hmm? Father? Ah, he should be here in a few days, yes, I'll tell him."
After ending his communication with a certain big shot, Ansel looked at Seraphina who was clinging to his side and couldn't help but smile, "What, afraid I'll leave you behind and go away?"
The girl pouted, "Anyway, I can't be left outside anymore."
There were several times when she followed Ansel out, but was ordered by Ansel to wait outside, which made her very unhappy.
"Those old foxes are not something you can handle, Seraphina." Ansel ruffled her hair, "You wouldn't be interested in what we're talking about."
Ansel had actually explained this to Seraphina many times, but every time Seraphina was a little disappointed about this, Ansel would patiently repeat it again.
And Seraphina, she's not the type to make a fuss for no reason, it's just... the little attachment a girl has to the person she likes can sometimes seem annoying, but when you really experience it, it has a different charm.
— Of course, the premise is not to be annoying over and over again.
"Hmm... cough!"
Seraphina coughed lightly, surprisingly not choosing to hold Ansel's arm, but slightly puffing up her chest, "Anyway, I definitely won't embarrass Ansel this time, no matter what happens, I can control my emotions!"
The first time Ansel took her out, Seraphina was so awestruck by the buildings of the imperial capital that she couldn't speak, and then she always felt that people were looking at her as if looking at a bumpkin.
Our young lord Ansel looked at Seraphina with a rather subtle gaze for a moment, then smiled and said, "You don't have to control your emotions too much, I told you, here, you don't need to make any concessions."
The girl hummed happily, but still said, "Alright, I always feel like you're expecting me to cause trouble... Get off, get off!"
She pushed open the car door and got off the carriage first.
Then she almost stumbled and rolled onto the ground.
The girl looked at the scene in front of her in utter shock, if it weren't for Ansel gently helping her off the carriage from behind, she didn't know how long she would have been stunned.
What was displayed in front of this "barbaric warrior who couldn't even release a wave" was a grand spectacle that only sorcerers could create:
The tower known as Yuktreshil was a giant sorcerer tower, the second tallest building in the entire imperial capital, only lower than the palace. Around this main tower, there were seven additional towers of no small size floating around.
With this massive complex as the base, Seraphina saw each layer surrounded by strange rings, the first layer made up of etheric vortexes condensed to the extreme; the second layer made up of air waves, rocks, flames, flowing water; the third layer made up of a light green substance that Seraphina couldn't understand, but felt a strong vitality from...
Seraphina didn't understand these layers of rings at first, just feeling shocked, but when she came back to her senses, she suddenly realized...
These are clearly different essences!
These layers of essential rings kept stacking up, all the way up, showing the Etheric Academy's foundation as a sorcerer's holy land in the simplest and purest way.
Each display of an essence meant that the Etheric Academy had a vast knowledge, resources, and talent reserved on this path and its related extensions.
In the endless flickering of sorcery light, it seemed as if truth was bursting forth from it. Looking further up, Seraphina saw miniature mountain ranges, deep blue miniature oceans, and another sky that she didn't know how to describe, almost replicating the concept of boundless infinity, around these elemental rings.
Sorcerers change the earth with knowledge, explore the ocean with desire, and conquer the sky with truth!
Until the very top, the rings symbolizing the essences disappeared, replaced by a deep, dark cloud that seemed to drip thick liquid. Seraphina didn't know why these guys made such a big fuss and had to put this thing on top.
"Lord Ansel of Hydral."
As Seraphina regained her senses, Ansel was already standing before her, and further ahead, a young man dressed in a luxurious light black robe, with a sacred blue longsword hanging from his waist and a black gold scepter in his hand, bowed slightly to Ansel:
"Conrad of Luminaris, on behalf of the Etheric Academy and every truth seeker, we welcome your arrival."
"Luminaris..." Ansel raised an eyebrow slightly, "If I remember correctly, Duke of Luminaris should still be in his prime."
The vibrant young man chuckled, "Only the head of the family can use the family name as a surname. This is a customary rule, but not a written regulation."
Every contemporary head of a noble family would use the family name as their surname, symbolizing that the head of the family regards the history and glory of the family as their own life. However, although there is indeed no written regulation, this young man named Conrad is undeniably bold.
After all, in the entire empire, the only ones who completely disregard this rule are probably Hydral and the Empress.
"Mr. Conrad, you are interesting."
Ansel chuckled, "It seems that this visit will not be boring."
"Haha, that doesn't need me. No matter who acts as your guide, you will not feel bored."
Conrad turned his body, opened his hand to Ansel, and said calmly and confidently, "Because this is the sanctuary of the seekers."
Seraphina, who had regained her senses, stood honestly beside Ansel, forcibly suppressing the impulse to look around, so as not to embarrass Ansel again.
Then, just as she had managed to stabilize her mind and was preparing to play the role of a mature and stable pact head, she heard a voice that made her eyelids twitch.
"Sanctuary?"
A cold and indifferent voice sounded behind Ansel and Seraphina.
"Do you mean, controlling the outflow of books, establishing academic barriers, restricting the flow of resources, monopolizing all the knowledge sorcerers regard as life, and turning the whole world into a stagnant dead water... the hell of the mediocrities?"
A spotless white lab coat, blue-gray long hair tied into a high ponytail, and gray-white glasses shining with cold light on the bridge of the nose.
The one with these iconic features could only be that headache-inducing genius from the Tower of Babel, Ravenna Ziegler.
Ravenna, who was about the same height as Seraphina after putting on gray high heels, raised her chin slightly with an expressionless face, looking down at Conrad of Luminaris.
"Do you deserve to call yourselves seekers?"
"...Miss Ziegler," Conrad greeted with a beaming smile.
"May I infer from your previous statement that you are representing the Tower of Babel, issuing a challenge to the Etheric Academy?"
"Heh, what I represent this time is not the Tower of Babel."
She pulled a crimson envelope from her pocket and flung it towards Conrad.
The symbol of the Flamefeast Royal, a blood-red flame, burned fiercely, outlining the image of the Elder Princess, known for her swift and fiery pride.
Conrad's expression subtly changed, and he immediately bowed his head slightly, kneeling on one knee in salute. Seraphina was utterly confused, not knowing what to do. Just as she thought about giving a slight nod in acknowledgment, Ansel held her chin and shook his head with a light laugh.
"This is the pass granted to me by the Elder Princess," Ravenna said indifferently.
Under her wide white lab coat, a total of eight floating cannons flew out, which, from the outside, seemed to be completely different from the ones she used when fighting against Seraphina.
"I will, in her name, communicate and learn from each other… "
" … with the geniuses and seekers of the Etheric Academy."
Seraphina, standing in the middle, looked left and right, completely clueless about what was happening. But when she turned her head and saw the familiar smile on Ansel's face, she instantly understood.
Had this rascal Ansel already started?
Although she called him a rascal in her heart, Seraphina was so excited that she wanted to hug Ansel and spin him around.
The thought of this grim-faced weirdo being severely beaten by Ansel made the joy and ecstasy in the young girl's heart almost uncontrollable.
Ravenna glanced at the three people in front of her. Conrad's expression was slightly condensed, and he was likely already secretly contacting the old folks of the Etheric Academy. Hydral was smiling without saying a word... Ever since he returned, he had been like this. Three years ago, she could occasionally guess his thoughts, but now she couldn't figure out what Ansel was thinking at all.
As for that inexplicably giggling, mentally abnormal degenerate... she decided to ignore her completely.
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