Chapter 753: High Risk High Reward [Castle Bonus Chapter]

Thousands of kilometres away from Asher’s current location, at the Awakener Association Building.

As FatelessPen had said earlier, the Awakener Association Building was simply a place where only the top 0.1% were allowed to stay. Many weren’t even welcomed there as they had absolutely no business being within the building in the first place.

At one of the top floors of the Awakener Association Building, four people could be seen seated around a table, each of them possessing the demeanor of individuals long accustomed to ruling over countless others. Although none of them actively flared their aura, their existence alone made anyone who saw them understand that they were all Crownstar Life Rankers.

The four of them were the Principals of each Empire’s Academy.

They were all familiar with one another. After all, the Inter-Empire competition was held once every twenty years.

Three men and one woman were gathered within the chamber, and needless to say, the woman was Cindralis. She remained as beautiful as ever, as though she had been completely untouched by time itself, her expression indifferent and calm.

The second person within the chamber possessed blue hair and white eyes, his face handsome while his physique appeared broad and imposing as he stood at eight foot five inches tall. His demeanor remained amused, a smile plastered across his face at all times.

He was Raiden, Principal of the Constellation Academy of the Velkarin Empire stationed towards the south.

The third was a man who simply sat as though he didn’t exist within that particular point in time. Unless one directly laid eyes upon him, their senses wouldn’t even notice his presence. He possessed red hair and crimson eyes, his composure entirely unshaken as he sat in silence as though he wasn’t part of the ongoing meeting.

He was Iskarel, Principal of the Heavenly Academy of the Thalvorn Empire.

And lastly, the fourth individual within the chamber. The man calmly drank what appeared to be tea as he sat silently, his pink hair contrasting sharply against his black eyes while his facial features appeared unusually sharp and refined.

He was Edrik, Principal of the Astra Academy of the Vandross Empire.

This was a meeting that occurred every single time the Inter-Empire competition was set to begin, so none of them were strangers to one another. They were all acquaintances who had known each other for several centuries ever since taking over their respective roles as Principals.

"So, it seems we meet again," Raiden stated with a smile on his face. Since they were all familiar with each other, there was no need to posture or act overly high and mighty.

"Sigh... the competition for this year should honestly be cancelled. I truly don’t want to bully all of your students," Iskarel stated calmly, his voice filled with pride as though he had already secured victory before the competition had even begun.

"Just because you won the last competition doesn’t mean you’re going to win again this year, tsk," Edrik commented with a click of his tongue.

Iskarel wore a wide smile after hearing Edrik’s words. Indeed, he, the Heavenly Academy of the Thalvorn Empire had won the previous competition. It was one of the reasons they had managed to secure the opportunity to host the current one, snatching that privilege away from the Zarethorne Empire.

Although this competition only occurred once every twenty years, and despite all of them being Crownstar Life Rankers, they still fought seriously to win every single time. None of them willingly stepped back. Although they didn’t personally gain anything substantial from victory, it still stroked their egos and reminded the others that their Academy stood above the rest.

"I’m actually being truthful. The Overlord’s son will be participating this time around, and I don’t really need to explain to any of you how powerful she is," Iskarel stated with a smirk. "And her son is even more talented than she was," his tone filled with unconcealed boastfulness.

Raiden of the Constellation Academy of the Velkarin Empire spoke as he turned towards Cindralis. "Cindralis, aren’t you going to say anything, or are you afraid you’ll lose again this year?" his words teasing.

Cindralis’ eyes flickered momentarily before she spoke. "If someone overheard you, they would think you’ve been winning every single Inter-Empire competition," her tone casual and indifferent.

"We heard you have not one Wargrave, but two this time around. Your chances of victory should be through the roof," Edrik stated as he shifted his gaze towards Cindralis.

"I guess those chances would go down the roof this time around," Iskarel stated. "After all, it seems the Wargrave Bloodline is already declining since their latest child only awakened on his third attempt. Quite a pity," his words filled with pity that felt no different from cold indifference. "But even after awakening on his third attempt, he still managed to place within the top two hundred and gain admission into your Star Academy," Iskarel continued. "So either the Zarethorne Empire is lacking in talent... or perhaps the Star Academy has started accepting bribes."

Raiden and Edrik didn’t speak. They simply stared at Cindralis as though waiting for her to defend herself. Of course, as Principals, they were all aware of certain matters regarding each other’s Academies.

"A Wargrave is still a Wargrave, whether they awaken on their first or final attempt," Cindralis stated without the slightest change in expression. She said nothing further, not bothering to defend Asher any more than that. Actions simply spoke louder than words.

"I suppose that’s true," Raiden stated, amused. "At least Malrik didn’t get to participate at all. Otherwise, it would have been an easy victory for the Zarethorne Empire. I’m sure you were furious about that, Cindralis," Raiden added.

"At least the other Wargraves aren’t nearly as outrageous as him," Edrik replied with a shake of his head as he leaned deeper into his seat.

Despite not being present, the conversation still somehow found its way back towards Malrik. The man was simply recognized worldwide as an outrageous existence.

Although Iskarel would have loved to boast that the Overlord’s son matched Malrik’s talent, he simply couldn’t. So he remained silent. The Overlord’s son would first need to surpass Malrik’s records before earning such recognition.

"Anyway, how about we make a bet this time?" Raiden stated suddenly. "Whoever wins this competition will be owed a favour by the losers," his tone lowering slightly.

At those words, everyone frowned. Even Cindralis’ expression shifted slightly. Favours between Crownstar Life Rankers were far from simple matters.

"Are you that confident in your Constellation Academy? Has the Velkarin Empire bred such a monstrous talent?" Edrik of the Vandross Empire asked.

"Hehehehe... this year simply seems to hold the greatest promise. I have my own trump card, Cindralis has a Wargrave, Iskarel has the Overlord’s son," Raiden paused as his eyes turned towards Edrik before continuing, "and I’m certain you possess your own hidden card as well."

Edrik remained silent. Yes, he indeed possessed his own trump card, but was he truly willing to wager a favour over it? Certainly not.

After all, one had to understand that the rules of this competition hadn’t even been decided yet. What if their own trump card ended up not participating while another Empire’s trump card did? That would already be a loss before the Inter-Empire competition had even properly begun.

So all of them remained silent, their minds silently calculating whether a favour was truly worth such a risk.

After all, high risk always came with an equally high return.

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