Magnus had returned to Pixar since the Donglai incident.
The main reason, naturally, was Azrael's departure for Gaza Town, and as an illegal Lore Cardian, he couldn't infiltrate such a strategic military location.
With no missions left, the middle-aged man had no choice but to return to Pixar and settle back into the lazy life he'd longed for.
But his good times didn't last long. Just two days ago, Magnus could clearly sense that the contract binding his mind had changed owners.
However, he had no idea who the new master was, which filled him with a sense of unease.
With this thought, Magnus smiled ingratiatingly at the alluring woman beside him and asked flatteringly, "Manager Fredrika, do you have any idea of this master's identity?"
The middle-aged man suspected that Fredrika, who held a higher rank than him and operated numerous establishments to gather information, might have some inside knowledge.
Fredrika did indeed know some inside information, such as the devastating battle that had occurred off the coast of Velkairos after the contract change.
She was now debating whether to share this information with Magnus.
Finally, after realizing that the middle-aged man was barely a confidant of Sixth Master, the woman decided to play it safe. "Something must be wrong with the president. Perhaps some of the guild's schemes have been discovered by the Association."
"The worst-case scenario," Fredrika said, "is that we've been sold to the Association."
At this, Fredrika couldn't hide her embarrassment, and she was filled with unease about this trip.
Hearing the woman's words, Magnus's face fell, and he opened his mouth, unsure of what to say.
Even though he had been prepared for the shipwreck since boarding the Crimson Oath Society, he never imagined this day would come so soon.
"We've arrived."
The train announcement caught their attention.
Unaware of the new owner's background, they had opted to sit on the train.
After disembarking, they surveyed the somewhat crowded station, frowning slightly. They could sense an unusual number of Lore Cardians among the crowd.
Fredrika glanced around the station and whispered, "Something's not right. This area is full of guild Lore Cardians."
Magnus nodded imperceptibly.
Fortunately, both of them were high-level Lore Cardians and proficient in stealth, so they avoided detection by the Association's lackeys.
A man and a woman quietly exited the station, sighing with relief when no one noticed them.
"Let's go find that master first."
"Yes."
Having made their decision, Magnus and Fredrika immediately headed for the location specified in the contract.
However, as they drew closer, their mouths dropped open.
Magnus glanced at the Velkairos Cardian Master Association headquarters not far away, then at the high-end condominium before them. "Is this a case of light shining through the darkness?"
"Maybe?"
Fredrika, momentarily unsure, took in the scene before her.
But soon, a voice echoed in their ears.
"Come up to see me, on the 24th floor."
The familiar male voice startled them, and they glanced at each other, each catching a look of surprise.
Without further hesitation, Fredrika and Magnus immediately ascended to the 24th floor.
Before they could knock, a Shadowkhan soldier opened the door and led the two into the study.
Seeing the familiar figure, a man and a woman quickly called out, "Sixth Master."
Hearing the voice, Azrael opened his eyes and said, "Come on, sit down."
The two sat down stiffly.
Azrael ignored them, only pinching his brows with a look of fatigue.
After a moment, he let out a long sigh and said, "I'm from the Association. From now on, you'll have to work for the Association."
"Huh?"
Fredrika and Magnus were stunned by this, not understanding the young man's meaning.
But they weren't ruthless people. Even though they were filled with doubt, they still nodded and replied, "I understand."
As members of the Crimson Oath Society, they were best at adapting. To them, it didn't matter who held the leash.
Magnus recalled his experiences in Donglai and couldn't help but mutter to himself, "No wonder Sixth Master keeps helping the Association."
Although curious about how Azrael had freed himself from Jin's constraints, the middle-aged man sensibly refrained from asking.
Seeing their quick acceptance, Azrael felt a sudden sense of relief. The Crimson Oath Society had indeed grown in number. For the past two days, he had been personally handling their follow-up arrangements.
Fortunately, with the two of them arriving, he could now hand over the work to them.
"You two should find a base in Velkairos and help me handle any further Crimson Oaths arriving."
"I'll give you a form. You'll answer the questions on it and categorize them."
With most Crimson Oath Society members under the Association's control, it was naturally impossible to simply execute them.
After all, they were all Lore Cardians, even the weakest of whom were Black Iron-level.
Under the control of the contract, they could carry out more dangerous missions.
Of course, the punishment for the members of the Crimson Oath Society was not life imprisonment. After they had made a certain contribution, the contract would be terminated, and they would then be able to gain limited freedom under the supervision of the Association.
Fredrika and Magnus looked at each other and finally agreed reluctantly. "Yes."
"Okay, wait a minute."
Just as Azrael was about to order the two to leave, he seemed to remember something and turned to Fredrika. "Your establishments will be disbanded after returning to Pixar."
"Or turn them into regular massage places, it's up to you."
Fredrika was stunned when she heard this, then pursed her lips and nodded in response. "Yes."
After that, she and Magnus left Azrael's apartment.
At the bottom of the building, Magnus looked at the clear sky and curled his lips. After a moment, he said in a somewhat strange tone, "Do you think we can be considered to have made it into the Association's system?"
"You wish." Fredrika couldn't help rolling her eyes. "Before the contract is terminated, there is no difference between us and working for the Crimson Oath Society."
"At most, we don't have to do anything that harms the world."
"Let's go, let's find a place first."
Looking at Fredrika's back, Magnus scratched his head, then followed her.
On the other side, after Azrael finished dealing with the Crimson Oath Society, he stood up and walked to the living room.
At this time, a young woman holding a little fox was sitting on the sofa in the living room.
Noticing the young man's arrival, the woman turned around and said with a smile, "Is the matter resolved?"
"Almost." Azrael nodded after hearing this, then sighed. "It's been a long time since we last met, Gabi."
The woman was Gabi, an old classmate of Azrael's.
Hearing Azrael's words, Gabi couldn't help but let out a teasing smile. "That's right, you're a busy man after all, President Azrael."
She tapped her cheek with her right index finger. "Come to think of it, you hold a higher position than even Uncle Gustav."
Azrael wasn't offended by the woman's attitude, knowing they hadn't fallen out yet.
After signaling the Shadowkhan soldiers to prepare some tea for Gabi, he asked, "What do you want from me this time?"
"If there's nothing, then I can't come to you?" Gabi feigned annoyance, then coughed. "I do have something to ask you."
"Principal Kang wants us to return to school as outstanding graduates and share our experience," she said, feeling a little embarrassed.
It wasn't that she truly had something to ask the young man, but rather that she felt she was being recognized as an outstanding graduate thanks to him.
Incidentally, Gabi was currently a Silver-level Lore Cardian.
While she was quite impressive for her age, she was still far behind Azrael.
Azrael's first reaction upon hearing Gabi's words was to wonder what experience he could impart. Was he supposed to teach someone to be a plagiarist?
But after all, he was a Diamond-level Lore Cardian, so if he really wanted to teach, he surely had something to offer.
So, after a moment's deliberation, Azrael agreed. After all, Silverbrook High School had treated him well, so he was simply returning the favor.
"Great," Gabi breathed a sigh of relief. She leaned back on the sofa, holding the little fox high in her arms. "Tell me, thank you, Azrael."
"Thank you, Azrael," he said, smiling as he heard the soft, little girl's voice emanate from the fox. Azrael stroked its furry head.
It was clear that Gabi's Iron-level three-tailed fox was no longer what it once was.
"When?"
"In three days. Yurek will be there too."
Three days later was Friday, so Azrael had the time.
Or rather, he had quite a bit of free time.
The Crimson Oath Society was no longer a threat, and no high-level secret realms had appeared around Velkairos. The young man had been quite free recently.
"I see. I'll go when the time comes."
Time quickly arrived three days later.
Early in the morning, Azrael washed up briefly and set off for his alma mater, Silverbrook High School.
Seeing Principal Kang and his group waiting to greet him at the school gate, he couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.
Since when had he become such a significant figure?
With a slightly mixed feeling, Azrael greeted Principal Kang with a smile. "Principal."
"President Azrael," Principal Kang said, his face full of joy as he shook the young man's hands. "Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to return to school and share your experience."
The old man had originally wanted to address the young man as he had before, but after thinking of his current status, he quickly changed his tone.
"It's my duty. After all, Silverbrook High School has been very kind to me," Azrael sighed inwardly. "Principal, just call me Azrael."
Hearing this, Principal Kang instantly burst into laughter. He patted the young man on the shoulder and glanced smugly at the teachers around him.
Normally, the principal would have given Azrael a tour of the campus before taking him to the lecture hall for a lecture.
However, since the young man had graduated from Silverbrook High School, this process could be waived.
Principal Kang had actually intended to do so, but Azrael declined.
Arriving in the lecture hall, Azrael was met by Gabi and Yurek, who had arrived early.
He greeted them and waited for the host to call his name.
Yurek took the stage first, followed by Gabi, with Azrael taking the stage last.
But that was understandable, considering he was the highest-ranked Lore Cardian present.
Taking the stage, the young man glanced at the excited students and began his speech.
For him, simply imparting his expertise to a few Iron-level Lore Cardians was a simple matter.
However, throughout his speech, Azrael's gaze remained fixed on a high school senior sitting in the first row.
Strange.
Have I seen him somewhere?
A flicker of doubt crossed his mind.
Azrael searched his memory but could find no resemblance to the boy's face.
Despite this, he felt a vague familiarity in his presence.
After the speech, the young man called Principal Kang over. "Principal, what was the name of the student who just sat here?"
He pointed to the spot where the boy had sat a short time ago.
In response to Azrael's question, Principal Kang instantly said the boy's name. "Azrael, you mean Geralt, right?"
"He's been the best student at Silverbrook High School in the past two years."
The old man sighed, then added with a hint of regret, "He's the only one left in his family. He'll have to rely on himself from now on."
Azrael was stunned. He hadn't expected the boy to be an orphan like him.
But then Principal Kang added, "The school has also given him a generous subsidy. I hope he can do well in the upcoming four-district joint exam."
The old man paused, a hint of hesitation on his face. After a moment, he whispered, "By the way, Azrael, would you like to be a judge for the four-district joint exam?"
"Just the finals will be fine."
Azrael felt a moment of frustration. So they were waiting for him here? Why did they suddenly say they wanted to bring back outstanding graduates?
But he had nothing to do anyway. It seemed like the time had come to protect the flowers of the Empire.
"If I have time, I'll go."
Azrael didn't say anything final. After all, who knew what might happen in Velkairos during this period?
But Principal Kang had gotten the answer he wanted. He nodded repeatedly, fearing the young man would regret it. "That's enough, that's enough."
"I'll send you the time later. Azrael, if you have time, you can come and watch the upcoming competitions."
Azrael nodded slightly, indicating he understood, and prepared to leave Silverbrook High School.
But then, he froze in his tracks.
Having reached Diamond rank, the young man was now able to maintain his cards at a very long distance, so he left Unohana Retsu and several of Aizen's cards, which were good at handling official business, at headquarters.
Just now, Unohana had sent him a very urgent message.
An extremely strong energy fluctuation appeared on the sea surface surrounding Velkairos, suggesting the emergence of a high-risk secret realm.
"It seems we're out of time now."
Azrael didn't expect that Principal Kang's request would be pulled out so quickly.
With a hint of helplessness, the young man instantly disappeared from the spot.