Elite Mages’ Academy (Web Novel)
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chapter-163
Chapter 163: Meeting Harry
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
After staying in the dragon-eagle knights’ old residence for three days, Xiao Lin seemed to have been completely forgotten. No one cared about him. The guards at the door provided three meals a day and did not pay him any attention. If Xiao Lin had not known that the dragon-eagle knights were of Gold-rank strength, he would have wanted to fight them directly.
Lilith never showed up again at that time. He did not know if she was not willing to come over or had her movement restricted.
It was not until the evening of the third day when someone knocked on his door after dinner. It was Commander Harry. The scar on Harry’s forehead left a deep impression on Xiao Lin, making it instantly recognizable at a glance.1
The beautiful vice-captain still followed Harry around. After casting a chain on the two, she excused herself and left only Harry and Xiao Lin looking at each other.
Harry was not clad in his fine armor that day but was instead dressed in white casual clothes with a slender sword hanging by his waist. His eyes wore a hint of aggression as if trying to pierce a hole through Xiao Lin with his gaze.
Xiao Lin was unafraid and stared back angrily.
After a long time, Harry was the first to retract his gaze and then said in a calm tone, “We’ve wronged you over these past two days. Judge Academy has to treat an incident like this with caution. I’m afraid we’ll need your assistance in investigating a number of things.”
Xiao Lin suppressed his anger. “So your investigation is over?”
Harry shook his head. “Lilith explained everything yesterday. Both your experiences are quite surprising. Did you know that The Final Land in Planet Norma is a legend equivalent to that of paradise on Earth? Oh, perhaps you Easterners call it heaven. In short, in the eyes of the locals, The Final Place is where Gods created the world. It’s extremely sacred, but we only treat this as a religious myth.”1
‘Heaven?
‘Stretching it, the side full of green grass might be considered heaven, but the blood-colored world could not possibly be regarded as such,’ Xiao Lin chided in his heart without expressing it overtly. Instead, he nodded. “Yes, I suppose you’ve already known all there is to know about The Final Land from Lilith. Lilith was with me all throughout and I wouldn’t know more than her. You probably know my strength by now, and in fact, it’s all thanks to Lilith that I’m able to survive. If you really need to know anything, I think it’s best you ask Lilith.”
Harry had a shallow smile on his face. The commander of America’s most elite force had to be extremely strong, but he looked rather approachable. Perhaps it was a preconceived notion, but Xiao Lin felt that there was a sense of hypocrisy in Harry’s smile. Xiao Lin also abhorred the way Harry looked at him because it felt as though he was being stared at by a beast. Needless to say, it made him very uncomfortable.
Harry waved his hand and smiled meaningfully. “You don’t have to be humble. Your strength might be low for now, but the truth is, I can see your immeasurable potential, judging from the golden dragon incident before!”
Xiao Lin’s heart wavered slightly, but he still responded with some sarcasm. “I never thought you’d remember me, Commander Harry.”
It was not the first time that the two of them met. The first was when Xiao Lin accidentally summoned the golden dragon when he first arrived at New Washington. Harry even proposed to buy his Lightstream Jade, but Song Junlang reminded him that Harry was just deliberately probing Xiao Lin’s background. From then onward, Xiao Lin knew that Commander Harry was by no means a simple man.
Xiao Lin felt that he was in a tight spot because he did not know what Lilith actually said to Harry. After carefully remembering everything he experienced in The Final Land, there seemed to be no secrets that he should not be telling them.
Perhaps the only one that might fall into that category was the Lightstream Jade hanging from his neck. The jade pendant had undergone unimaginable and peculiar changes in The Final Land, allowing himself to gain strength that put him on par with Silver-rank undead skeletons, despite not being Black Iron-rank himself.
That might well be the new purpose of the Lightstream Jade. Imagine if someone with higher strength used that jade pendant… Their burst of power would be even more terrifying. America did not produce Lightstream Jade, so it made sense that Harry was thinking along those lines.
In just a few seconds, countless thoughts flashed through Xiao Lin’s mind and he was trying to guess why the Americans detained him.
He was all but certain that it was a deliberate house arrest. Harry would not have needed to explain everything to him alone, but ought to have taken him directly to see Song Junlang, who accompanied him there. After all, he was a member of Dawn Academy. Broadly speaking, it was a diplomatic incident between the two countries, and regardless of what reason Harry detained him for, it was obviously unreasonable and illegal.
Just as Xiao Lin was mulling over everything, Harry was already walking around in the room as he pleased. He walked to the bed and sat down, then touched the bedding. He frowned and cursed, “Those b*stards! It’s autumn and they gave you such a thin blanket. Don’t they know that the autumn’s in the New World are equivalent to winter on Earth!”
“Huh?” Xiao Lin’s mind was a little short-circuited. He was still trying to figure out whether Harry was deliberately detaining him for his Lightstream Jade, but he unexpectedly changed the subject.
Harry got up with a sincere and apologetic look on his face. “This is my oversight. Allow me to apologize to you on behalf of the dragon-eagle knights, but please rest assured, I’ll arrange for a change in your residence as soon as possible. The environment here is just despicable.”
Seeing Harry preparing to leave, Xiao Lin suddenly recollected his thoughts. A burst of anger came over him all of a sudden and he cursed the old fox in his heart. He blocked the door at once, not having the courtesy so give so much as a smile when he asked coldly, “Commander Harry, your words suggest that you don’t plan to let me go back. You sound like you wish to continue imprisoning me here.”
“Imprison you?” Harry looked extremely surprised. He spread his palms and said innocently, “I think you’re gravely misunderstood. We just want you to stay and assist in the investigation. You may have heard that the ancient Thunder Kingdom’s high priest Asabanor was once the most wanted criminal in Judge Academy. Based on what Lilith said, he’s probably returned. I’m sure you understand the seriousness of this matter. Whether the priest wants to commit a terrorist attack or instigate a rebellion, the end result will always be a headache.”
“Does that mean you want me to stay and help capture Asabanor?”
“That’s right. After all, you had brief contact with him in The Final Land and you’d know him better. We’ll need your help.”
“Lilith can help you all the same!”
“She’s not enough. We need a more comprehensive understanding.”
The sneer at the corner of Xiao Lin’s mouth became even more prominent. Harry’s words were half-truths and sounded very genuine, but Xiao Lin pointedly asked, “Does that mean you don’t plan to let me leave until you get Asabanor?”