"Your spirit and willpower are very strong. You almost broke free from the spell midway, so I added a little more magic." Hen nodded with satisfaction, a hint of admiration in his eyes.
At this moment, Hen glanced to his right, and a flame-like burst of magic bloomed as Triss's figure teleported beside him.
Hen wasn't just looking at Triss; he sensed that others had also opened portals.
"Boom!" Sure enough, two meters from Triss, an orange, swirling portal opened, and Fikat immediately appeared before the three of them.
Before Fikat could clearly see the scene before him, he preemptively spoke in a low voice.
"Triss, you'd better have a reasonable explanation for why you opened portals multiple times in a row…"
When he finally saw the scene before him, and the three of them including Triss, he was stunned, and the words he was about to blurt out caught in his throat.
"Uh… Dean?! You've come to Vizima?" Fikat's expression changed slightly, and sweat gradually beaded on his forehead.
He shifted his gaze to the desolate, scarred land, not daring to look directly at Hen.
"What? Do I need to report my whereabouts to you?" Hen said expressionlessly.
"No… no, of course not. Where you go is your freedom; I have no right to interfere."
"It's just… since you've come to Vizima, I should have personally received you."
Facing Hen, Fikat stammered, unable to speak smoothly.
"Hmph, no need for reception. I won't be staying long this trip." Hen turned around and surveyed the messy surroundings.
Without any visible action from him, a slight tremor ran through the ground beneath their feet.
The pockmarked ground, as if dug three feet deep, quickly began to fill itself and restore to flatness.
In just a few seconds, except for the trees that had been snapped in half and couldn't be fully restored, the ground was completely flat, showing no signs of the previous shockwave damage.
This scene, which exceeded their understanding of spellcasting, left both Fikat and Triss dumbfounded.
What was happening? No gestures, no incantations? And no spellcasting movements at all.
Moreover, the fluctuations of magic were almost imperceptible. Was he casting spells purely with his mind?
Could there truly be a sorcerer in the world capable of such a feat?
After completing all this, Hen turned to face everyone, his expression very calm.
He showed no signs of effort, completely unlike someone who had just cast a spell.
Hen didn't waste words explaining to the astonished Triss and Fikat, but instead spoke kindly to Karl.
"Karl, would you be willing to be my disciple?"
"You know my name?" Karl was startled, his slightly surprised expression fading.
"I found out when I used psychic read to investigate the situation earlier and happened to overhear your conversation," Hen said with a faint smile and a nod.
"Uh, be your disciple? What benefits would that bring me?" Karl asked bluntly.
Before Hen could speak, Fikat, looking displeased, interjected, "The Dean of Ban Ard Academy is willing to take you as his disciple. You should feel honored by this."
"And not question the benefits like an uneducated barbarian, without any sense of etiquette."
"Fikat, you have no place speaking here. My conversation is with Karl; it's not your turn to interject." Hen glanced indifferently at Fikat, speaking neither warmly nor coldly.
Unexpectedly singled out, Fikat was taken aback. He immediately understood.
Hen's attitude towards Karl was unusually extraordinary; he clearly valued this person immensely.
"I apologize, I shouldn't have spoken in that tone." Fikat quickly lowered his head, expressing his regret.
Hen withdrew his gaze from Fikat, and when he turned back to Karl, a faint smile reappeared on his face.
"Benefits? Karl, you are quite honest."
"It's been I don't know how many years since anyone dared to speak to me in this manner in my presence." Hen maintained his smile, his tone calm, without the slightest impatience.
"As Fikat said, I am the Dean of Ban Ard Academy."
"If you are willing to be my disciple, you can freely browse my treasured spell books and other resources, and I will personally guide you in your magic."
"Additionally, I am one of the founders of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, and a current member of the Council of Mages."
Hen's tone was very flat, without a hint of arrogance, as he calmly stated his titles and honors.
Karl propped his chin on his hand, listening calmly to Hen's account, nodding occasionally.
Triss, standing nearby, pursed her red lips, her eyes showing eagerness, and her eyelids frequently blinking.
In her heart, she wished she could just go up and grab Karl by the shoulders, then shake him vigorously.
Asking Karl why he wasn't agreeing, what was he still hesitating about?
As for using psychic read to remind Karl, she hadn't considered such an action at all.
When Hen had previously used psychic read to detect their location and communicate through it, she already knew that his psychic read was incredibly powerful.
With them being so close, using psychic read to remind Karl would be tantamount to badmouthing someone right in front of them, which was clearly inappropriate.
And although Fikat on the side didn't speak, his demeanor and actions were quite similar to Triss's.
The envy in his eyes, and a barely perceptible jealousy, were practically overflowing.
He pursed his lips and glanced at the thoughtful Karl.
This kid had no idea what the two titles Hen spoke of truly represented.
In the North, there are two academies: the former, Ban Ard, which only admits male sorcerers, and the latter, Aretuza, which only admits female students.
As the Dean of the academy, Hen has cultivated countless outstanding students, and the resources he controls are astronomical figures beyond the imagination of ordinary sorcerers.
And the latter title, one of the founders of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers and a member of the Council of Mages, was even more captivating.
It's important to know that after graduating from the academy, the placement of sorcerers is basically decided by the Brotherhood.
And if a sorcerer violates the Brotherhood's regulations, only members of the Brotherhood can make a ruling; the king has no right to arbitrate sorcerers.
The Brotherhood's enforcement team can directly decide the life or death of sorcerers who violate the Brotherhood's laws.
And this incredibly fascinating power is largely held by Hen and another member, Tissaia.
The Brotherhood of Sorcerers has two main governing bodies: the former is the Council of Mages, and the latter is the Chapter of Sorcerers.
The two can be referred to as the Upper Council and the Lower Council, or the Brotherhood and the Chapter.
Nominations for members of the Lower Council, in addition to the votes of existing Lower Council members, are also influenced by the Upper Council.
He had been assigned by the Brotherhood to be a Royal Advisor in Temeria for so many years, and he hadn't even been nominated for the Lower Council, let alone the Upper Council.
This kid being personally received by Hen and offered discipleship undoubtedly proved that his talent far surpassed that of ordinary sorcerers; he might even be a Source.
Once this young man became Hen's disciple, with Hen's full cultivation, his future achievements and magical attainments, even at their worst, would be at the level of the Upper Council, and it wouldn't be impossible for him to even succeed Hen's position.
Everything he had dreamed of was within easy reach for this young man, so how could he not be envious, even jealous?
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