Nightfall descended, silence enveloped everything, with only the shimmer of starlight filtering through high windows, casting a cool glow in the secretive private study.
The air was thick with the scent of ancient parchment and herbs. A middle-aged scholar with a calm demeanor reclined comfortably in an armchair, yet his expression was more focused than ever before.
Before him, on a specially treated parchment crafted with Giant Troll Blood and mercury among other alchemical materials, ink shimmering with magical radiance slowly moved like worms, autonomously aligning into rows of precise and neat text.
This was an encrypted magic letter.
Its recipient was none other than one of the authorities of the Tower of Great Sage, the master to whom Master Merk was absolutely loyal—Professor Arist Thorne.
The contents of the letter would shock anyone who knew the secret of the 178th Void Realm, and Arist himself was certainly no exception.
[To Professor Arist Thorne:
