Chapter 2302: Chapter 2297: Wise Dead

Was Li He, Li Weixuan’s grandfather, the core person handling the aftermath of the incident back then?

It makes sense, given how long he held sway at the Academy.

As an administrative figure, his strength might not suffice to lead explorations, but in the event of a crisis, he would undoubtedly take charge of emergency measures.

However, from Cass’s account, the entire aftermath work of the incident seems rather suspicious.

The reason Cass stayed behind is quite plausible, even interpretable as a good intention to keep him from danger.

After all, a group of elite got wiped out like that, and according to Cass’s previous description, at the time, his talents and achievements were even slightly below Kaldora’s.

In the face of significant risk to even demigods, leaving someone like him as a core of the new generation to keep some fire for the Academy is quite a normal move.

But the behavior after returning, no matter how you look, suggests hidden reasons.

There were injuries, no conclusions, and then the entire incident was directly sealed away, with related matters taboo for discussion.

That involved a large portion of the elite in the Academy; even if the people were no more, the base left at the Study Abroad Palace shouldn’t be small.

To push such a silence policy through like convincing Cass, the difficulty, even just imagining it, is quite exaggerated.

Yet, it seems he managed to do it.

"So, did Li He retire directly after that incident as well?"

Voicing his astonishment, Fu Qian mentioned the Academy Dean position that remains vacant to this day.

"About a year later, officially the reason given was that he felt inspired and touched upon some kind of opportunity, thus needing to travel and not deal with mundane affairs."

Apparently, regarding this connection, Cass also shares a similar feeling.

Although the reason given by Mr. Li Sr. was quite unassailable.

This is the benefit of the cultivation practice; some things are hard to quantify, entirely dependent on personal explanations.

Regardless of how precious the Academy Dean position is, it doesn’t compare to genuinely advancing further, reaching the Second Phase.

"But he seems not to have ultimately grasped that opportunity?"

Still, the difficulty in quantifying doesn’t mean it can’t be falsified; Fu Qian recalled experiences at Em House Palace, blinking lightly.

Though Mr. Li Sr.’s skills were undeniably first-rate, and his pressure far exceeded that of the demigod from the Swordsmanship Department previously encountered, at most, he was only in a state like Lord Logan.

It was only after another demigod, Ji Ning, tragically fell by his own hand, that he broke through, delivering that earth-shattering strike.

Even after abandoning the Dean position, his travels seemed to yield little.

"It seems so, although I haven’t seen Li He again since, his attitude when giving that reason back then definitely manifested some perfunctory notion."

Regarding the advancement opportunity statement, Cass did not conceal his skepticism.

"At least from my perspective, there’s entirely no sign of him moving further, even in terms of mindset, instead really like someone wanting to retire and enjoy a quiet life."

...

Indeed quite leisurely.

Not mistaken, Li Weixuan even mentioned his grandfather’s vacationing in the Southern Hemisphere.

Cass’s commentary easily recalled Fu Qian’s initial encounter with the Academy forces.

Facing the trapped Other Shore, denied a place in people’s memories, Feng Yunhong’s self-delusion was ruthlessly shattered by Li Weixuan, who expressed that the Academy’s fourth Dean was precisely his grandfather.

Until the last face-to-face exchange, Mr. Li Sr., although capable, indeed lacked a certain drive, more focused on enjoying life.

"For a demigod, knowing one’s destiny seems a bit early... Do you think his experiences during that accident investigation played a role in this? And the Night Watchman had never intervened?"

Fu Qian couldn’t help but concur and mentioned a seemingly inevitable force.

Though the Night Watchman appeared to respect academic freedom, his consistent focus was always on harmony between the transcendent and ordinary.

But given such a significant event, total disregard seemed unreasonable.

It involved a group of high-level extraordinary; even acknowledging others’ destinies without providing aid for suicidal behavior, shouldn’t some kind of preventive isolation be conducted regarding such a dangerous source?

"At least, not overtly, but explanations can abound... such as the exploration at the time possibly having some breaches, thus even with assisting investigations, the public declaration wouldn’t be made."

Cass shook his head, clearly having considered this beforehand.

"Reasonable, otherwise unless they break principles, the Academy would also face penalties... But this also implies that within the sealing of that event, there was the Night Watchman’s will."

Cass’s meaning was fairly clear, essentially that the Night Watchman most likely intervened, just that some matters weren’t necessary to publicly disclose, and Fu Qian agreed.

Earlier mentioned were objective difficulties; persuading Cass was one thing, without Night Watchman’s coordination, keeping things smoothly suppressed would’ve been challenging.

Even if the Night Watchman said nothing, merely maintaining silence provided Mr. Li Sr. a form of support.

"So why is that? What prompted the Night Watchman to make such a cautious decision?"

In the rapid deduction of the event, Fu Qian eventually raised a crucial question.

"That’s also what I want to know."

...

Actually, I seem to know a little, Crystal Blessing.

Faced with Cass’s instant approval, Fu Qian sighed inwardly at that moment.

That special grant Kaldora mentioned, which all the team possessed at the time, undeniably was connected to the wipeout thereafter, and even related to her current state.

And Fu Qian didn’t hold back, directly sharing this portion of the content.

"A ’Academy’ without any record? That does align somewhat with what I’ve gathered—Wise Dead, the Inverted Lake in the sea."

Cass listened attentively, and after a brief contemplation, he nodded and directly uttered two peculiar titles.

Yet, the phrase seemed somewhat odd, like presenting a grammar correction challenge.

The advantage of sincerity showed its benefits; Cass reciprocally shared information, undeniably classified.

Just upon hearing, there was an overwhelming sense of awkwardness.

From the adjectives to the nouns, there seems an inherent contradiction.

Dead could be comprehended as wise pre-death, but the lake—does it entail seeking an island within the sea?

"Indeed, the exploration was confidential, as not being involved, this is all I managed to obtain."

Fortunately, Cass wasn’t being elusive and quickly continued explaining.

"Specifically, they were searching for a certain location, marked by a special existence termed ’Wise Dead’... Only regrettably, its true uniqueness remains unclear at present.

"The only relative certainty is that the subsequent sea refers to the Sea of Ashes."

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