The news of Shrek Academy's reconstruction was already the focus of the continent, attracting widespread attention from all sides.
Therefore, the unexpected event that occurred that day did not even have to wait until the next day; by that very day, it had already spread overwhelmingly across the entire internet, and video clips were even circulating wildly across major channels.
The moment the news spread, public discussion was ignited.
No one expected that the reconstruction of Shrek Academy would make headlines in such a manner.
Soon, some people on the internet began to steer public opinion, hinting between the lines that Shrek Academy was colluding with a different plane.
Moreover, there has never been a lack of people online who feared the world would not be chaotic enough; a single stone stirred up a thousand waves, and those emotional replies and reposts snowballed larger and larger, soon drowning out the initial voices of doubt.
Although quite a few people were still willing to believe in Shrek Academy—after all, the reputation and trust this institution had accumulated over Ten Thousand Years could not be worn away overnight—
but this time there were pictures and the truth, and with those videos and photos right in front of them, even if they wanted to refute it, they could not find a suitable angle.
Thus, the trend of public opinion tilted almost one-sidedly toward attacking Shrek Academy. Long Yeyue's previous judgment was not wrong; after experiencing today's incident, Shrek's reputation accumulated over Ten Thousand Years was likely to be completely extinguished.
A few days later, Huo Yuhao was sitting in his office, and someone specifically reported on the subsequent situation over at Shrek Academy.
He was not Qiangu Dongfeng, unable to bear the sight of Shrek Academy rising again.
However, now that such a change had occurred, he was indeed curious to what extent things would eventually develop.
Standing opposite Huo Yuhao's desk at this moment was a young man in his twenties named Du Xuan, with the cultivation of a Spirit Emperor, who could be considered the assistant of Huo Yuhao, the Tower Master.
He reported with a solemn expression, "Shrek Academy has not started reconstruction yet, and most of the surviving students have already returned home."
"However, these past few days, Shrek Academy has been very lively. Many parents of the students have come looking for them, feeling that if it were not for the incident a few days ago, their children would not have died..."
Most of the students able to join Shrek Academy had some background; their parents were basically Spirit Masters, and there was even no lack of high-level Spirit Masters.
Logically speaking, back in that disaster, Shrek's teachers sacrificed themselves to protect the students, and those parents ought to have felt grateful to the academy.
Yet five years had passed, and not a single one of those surviving students had contacted their families, nor had a single person told those heartbroken parents that they were still alive.
And when these parents finally learned that their children were actually still alive, after a brief moment of joy, that suppressed pain of five years quickly transformed into a more complex emotion—there was heartache, anger, and a sense of loss of being abandoned by familial affection.
When these parents realized that their children regarded Shrek Academy as more important than their families and loved ones, they naturally already harbored dissatisfaction.
And ultimately, when their children truly died in this reconstruction ceremony, and died in a public event meticulously planned by Shrek Academy, that anger could no longer be suppressed.
Over these past five days, quite a few parents had run to Shrek Academy to demand an explanation, among whom there was no lack of powerhouses at the Titled Douluo level.
After finishing his report, Du Xuan closed the folder in his hand and quietly waited for Huo Yuhao's response.
The office was quiet for a few breaths. Huo Yuhao sat behind his desk, gently tapping his fingertips twice on the desktop, and then asked a question, "Is there any movement from the Federation side?"
Du Xuan nodded slightly, "The Federation has already sent people to intervene and investigate, but their current statement is still very restrained, only saying they will verify the course of events and not directly characterizing it."
Huo Yuhao nodded, knowing that his judgment was correct—Shrek Academy was completely finished this time, with no possibility of rising again.
That institution that had once stood for twenty thousand years, a legend that had left countless glorious chapters on the continent, was now heading toward a true end in an unexpected way.
Just as Huo Yuhao came to this conclusion, in the underground base beneath Shrek Academy's Sea God Lake, the atmosphere was heavier than ever before.
More than two hundred teachers and students had once gathered here, but now only a little over a dozen people remained.
They sat around in a circle, and lying on the bed in the middle was none other than Long Yeyue.
This current strongest person of Shrek Academy looked devoid of life at this moment, no different from an ordinary aged and endangered elderly person.
Her age was already very great, and she didn't have many years left to live.
After Shrek Academy was destroyed, it was the belief in rebuilding the academy that had constantly sustained her through it all.
Now that the hope of reconstruction was completely shattered, that inner drive that had supported her for many years also dissipated along with it.
Coupled with those parents coming to the door these past few days to demand explanations, and the overwhelming accusations and abuse on the internet, she was exhausted both physically and mentally, and finally could not hold on any longer.
She lay quietly on the bed, her gaze slowly sweeping over the dozen or so familiar faces around her. She opened her mouth, but for a moment she could not say a single word.
She had originally wanted to say more words about rebuilding the academy, but given the current situation, she knew that was already impossible.
The people around her also remained silent, and no one spoke, as if no one knew what else could be said at her final moment.
After a moment, Long Yeyue gently sighed, her voice hoarse and ethereal, "My whole life has been dedicated to Shrek Academy, but I never expected that in the end I still would not be able to see it rebuilt. Perhaps in the future... there will not be a chance either."
Her gaze slowly shifted to Wu Zhangkong, "Zhangkong, you are a Tang Sect Disciple. After I am gone, those who are willing to go to the Tang Sect... just go together with you."
"The academy's town-protecting treasure Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud was fused by Tang Wulin of the Tang Sect. This is what the Tang Sect owes the academy; even if they are not people of the Tang Sect, they should still accept them."
She turned her gaze to Cai Yue'er again, raising her hand slightly to hand over a circular metal sphere.
Cai Yue'er recognized at a glance that it was a recording Spirit Tool. Long Yeyue's voice became a fraction lighter, "If you encounter any problems that cannot be resolved, go to the Sea God Corps to find Chen Xinjie and give this to him; he will step in to help."
Cai Yue'er silently took that Spirit Tool and squeezed it with slight force.
Long Yeyue finally withdrew her gaze and looked up at the grayish-white ceiling overhead.
Her vision seemed to pierce through the obstruction of the walls, seeing the distant past.
Those days when she once stood on Sea God Island overlooking the academy, those years when she confronted people over every blade of grass and tree, those times when she thought she could protect until the very end...
She finally murmured, "Ancestors of the academy through the ages, I... have tried my best..."
After finishing these words, she lay quietly there, making no further movement.
Those turbid eyes slowly closed, and the final heave within her chest completely subsided along with it.
The dozen or so people around stood silently in place, with no one speaking. Only the Spirit Tool lamp in the underground space emitted a faint humming sound, like an unanswered whisper.
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A/N:
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.