nownovels Chapter 280 Core Banquet, Core Benefits, Factional Struggle, First Encounter with Ice Mark!
Chapter 280 Core Banquet, Core Benefits, Factional Struggle, First Encounter with Ice Mark!
Chapter 280 Core Banquet, Core Benefits, Factional Struggle, First Encounter with Ice Mark!
The core ceremony was followed by the core dinner.
The location is within a huge castle in the main courtyard.
However, those who can participate are almost exclusively core members and some important figures in the academy.
In the center of the banquet.
The chiefs of the five academies, top second-circle wizards, and family representatives chatted and laughed, displaying their exceptional demeanor.
A corner of the banquet.
Ian savored the various precious and extraordinary ingredients that he had rarely seen before.
"Ian, congratulations."
Flynn slowly approached with a glass of wine in hand, smiling at Ian.
"Senior."
Ian stopped moving.
"How are you feeling? Don't you feel like anything has changed?" Flynn asked with a smile.
Ian nodded.
After the main ceremony, everything seemed to return to normal.
"That's normal. Those present are top-tier institutions and wizards from various academies. They tend to focus on the top students, second-in-commands, and other top figures. Only after you demonstrate some value as a new core member will things change."
Flynn said with a smile.
"First place, second place?"
Ian was somewhat curious, as he knew relatively little about the core.
"Since you're new to the core, let me introduce you."
Flynn said, "Currently, there are twelve core members. It may seem that the difference between them is not that great, but the difference between them is greater than the difference between you and a newly initiated wizard."
"The chief can even participate directly in the academy's decision-making to a certain extent, and their power and influence are not much less than those of a second-ring wizard. However, the twelve seats at the bottom may only have a dozen or so times more power than the elites."
More than ten times?
Ian's lips twitched.
However, it does sound like there's a significant gap between them and the top performer.
"Therefore, there are also different levels among the core members. The highest is naturally the chief disciple, the strongest core disciple in each academy. Then there are the second and third seats, also known as the secondary seats. Next are the fourth to sixth seats, known as the upper three seats. The seventh to the ninth seats are the middle three seats. Now, the tenth to the twelfth seats are naturally the lower three seats, also known as the last seats."
Flynn explained.
"Is there a big difference between the different seats?" Ian asked curiously.
"Your seat determines how many resources you can get from the academy," Flynn continued. "For example, if you're in the bottom three seats, the tenth seat might give you 1.5 times more than the twelfth seat, but the ninth seat might give you three times more—a complete doubling. The same goes for the benefits."
Is the difference that big?
Ian was stunned.
"How can I get a better seat?"
Flynn said, "Every year there is a ranking competition between the cores. The ranking of wizards is determined by the results of the ranking competition, which determines the resources for the following year. In addition, there is a college-wide ranking competition every two years, which not only determines the ranking, but also provides additional resources."
Branch ranking competition.
The entire college ranked competition.
Ian's eyes flickered, and he instantly remembered what Kieran had said earlier.
The competition among core members is even more intense than the competition among elite members.
Sure enough.
Moreover, the disparity in resources will drive every wizard to fight desperately, because resources are life itself for a wizard.
"Moreover, the academy will not invest resources in the core members without limit. Usually, there is a limit of two sessions, or ten years. Once they cannot advance before that, the resources will be reduced sharply. If it takes longer, they may be directly expelled."
Flynn sneered.
This is why he is also striving to reach the second ring; he has been a core member for eight years.
If he doesn't advance soon, his chances of advancing will only decrease.
Ten years?
It happened around the same time as the college's decision-making process.
"Thank you, senior."
Ian expressed his gratitude.
This information, though not valuable, was crucial for Ian, who was new to the area.
"Okay, don't worry, your senior and I will be there for you if you encounter any problems."
Flynn looked to the side and saw Sophia walking over.
Sofia rolled her eyes at him before smiling at her junior.
"Senior."
Ian said immediately.
"But Flynn is right, you can only rely on the two of us. Or rather, our team has finally gained one more person, which makes things much easier," Sophia said with a smile.
???
Ian was puzzled.
"Ian, the teacher should have already invited you to join, right?" Flynn asked.
Ian nodded.
"Since that's the case, I won't hide many things from you. The faction of the teacher might be a little different from what you imagine." Flynn pursed his lips.
"The teacher is different from most wizards. He doesn't seem interested in these things and his power hasn't developed much. But the teacher is also the dean and is very powerful. He has taken up a lot of resources, so many families are dissatisfied. This dissatisfaction is also reflected in the core. They will try their best to prevent us from making progress."
Flynn pursed his lips.
Ian's eyes widened; he really didn't know such a thing.
"But..." Flynn changed the subject, "Similarly, because our faction has fewer people, we can get a larger share of the resources."
"About how much?"
Ian looked up.
"That's probably twice what you get as a core disciple each month," Flynn said with a smile.
Ian, however, was filled with respect.
Double?
Or is it double the amount of core resources?
So what if he's being targeted? If this happened to someone else, he'd probably be just as envious.
"And if you can keep improving, you'll only get more resources."
Flynn said.
Kieran is the Dean of the Four Symbols Academy, a top-tier wizard below the third ring of the academy.
The resources of a wizard of this level are unimaginable even to core members.
Give them more ease.
Of course, this only applies to Kieran, but the deans of the other houses cannot do this.
After all, behind them are often a large number of families and a large number of wizards.
Only someone as isolated as Kieran could do that.
"loyalty!"
Ian had nothing to say about this; from now on, he was a member of Kieran's faction, and no one could take him away.
"So, senior, what exactly are these core resources?"
Ian suddenly became curious.
"The core," Sophia said with a smile, "is a bit much. Let me just tell you some of the important ones."
"First, you can choose a three-story wizard tower in the Four Symbols Branch Ridge area, where the elemental concentration at the bottom should be more than fifteen times the normal level."
Secondly, the standard resources should be one bottle of Moon Dew, one bottle of one-ring advanced purification agent, one unit of top-tier resources of your choice, and 5,000 contribution points per month.
The middle layer of the secret realm is cleared once a year, and the shallow layer twice a year.
Knowledge below the first-level level in the main library is free to read, while knowledge at the first-level level can be read for free once a year.
Each year, three students can be recommended to enter the academy.
Among the academy's assets, you can choose a small resource point. You will receive all the revenue from that resource point, excluding the revenue turned over to the academy. If you lease it to the merchant guild, the annual revenue may be around 50,000 magic stones.
Sophia kept talking, but Ian's body and back had already straightened up unconsciously.
He discovered.
He seems to have underestimated the authority and benefits of core disciples.
this....
No, compared to the core, it's like heaven and earth.
They're not even in the same league.
Even if you do nothing, your annual net income will be over 100,000 magic stones.
Besides, this is only the last seat.
"Of course, there weren't this many in previous years. That's why you're lucky to have caught this wave, which means you'll get almost 30% more."
Flynn sighed.
Ian was immediately relieved to have advanced to the core level this time; he had indeed benefited from the war.
Thinking about this...
He realized that if he could advance to the core level within ten years, the benefits would probably be dozens of times greater than they are now.
This made his goals clearer.
"What's the difference between the tenth seat and the twelfth seat?" Ian suddenly asked curiously.
"Actually, the last three seats are all the same, but there is always a priority, such as the choice of resource points, the quality of potions, and the priority of certain permissions... All in all, it can add up to about 30% to 50% per year." Ian nodded.
"What about the three middle seats?"
Ian suddenly became curious.
"The gap has widened considerably. Resource points have been upgraded to intermediate-level resource points, and magic stones and resources have doubled, including the ability to use the Resonance Pool, etc." Flynn explained briefly, but Ian already understood the difference.
Compared to the last seat, the resources of the middle seats are far inferior, especially with the resonance pool.
Ian was taken aback when he heard this.
To be honest, he still doesn't understand what this resonance is.
He asked the two of them.
"You'll see when classes officially start. The instructors for the core members are all second-ring wizards, and the teaching staff is incomparable to what it used to be. The new learning should begin in about a week."
After Flynn finished speaking, he continued, "But junior, you must not relax, especially with the Sorting War a year from now. You have a powerful wizard like West behind you. If you lose, not only will your seat be downgraded and your resources decrease, but the resources from your teachers will also be gone."
Ian nodded.
Kieran has always treated everyone equally, and even if someone has clues to a lineage, he might give them one or two chances.
But such an opportunity should absolutely not be wasted in a place that is utterly meaningless.
"Besides, I set a timeframe of eight years to complete the Second Ring Road, so the timeframe is tight and the task is heavy."
Ian shook his head.
Resources are definitely necessary.
He even considered challenging Ryan Fernand, who was ninth, a year later.
Of course, he hasn't voiced this idea yet.
After all, based on what has been presented to the public, Ian's combat ability is somewhat inferior to his.
As far as he knew, Ryan Fernand was a wizard at the fourth level of crystal perfection, who had already begun to push towards resonance.
"Your top priority is to fill up the fourth spiritual crystal within one or two years. Generally speaking, core advancement should be completed within one or two years, and then you will have the energy to sprint for resonance."
Sofia, standing nearby, also reminded him of what he needed to do.
As Ian chatted with Flynn and Sophia, he gradually became clear about the various things the core team needed to do.
And so on until night gradually fell.
The banquet was in its later stages.
After the members of the Second Ring gradually left, the chiefs and core members of each institute dispersed.
Among them was Ivan Winster, surrounded by a large group of wizards, who were walking in Ian's direction.
Ian and the other two stopped their discussion and looked over.
"Flynn, it seems your resonance level hasn't increased this time. You're becoming less and less of a threat to me."
Chief Ivan looked at Flynn with a forced smile.
"Heh, the CEO really has a lot of free time to pay attention to these things."
Flynn's gaze turned cold, and he retorted without any politeness.
Is Flynn not on good terms with the chief?
"Ivan's teacher is Anton Stanton, the vice dean of the Four Symbols Academy. He belongs to the Stanton family, which was once the largest family in the Four Symbols Academy. Together with several other families, they controlled the Four Symbols Academy until the teacher's sudden appearance."
Sophia transmitted her voice to him from behind.
It turned out to be the case.
Ian suddenly realized.
So it turns out it involves a power struggle within the Second Ring Road!
"Flynn might not be as strong as Ivan, but he's definitely second, but they always have to go through a series of matches, so Flynn is currently third."
Sofia's expression was also not good.
She was clearly targeted to some extent.
"and..
""
Ian glanced at the wizards behind Ivan: West, the second, fourth, fifth, sixth, eighth, and eleventh.
Backed by the family power that once dominated the Four Symbols Institute and Ivan's own strength, they occupy the most central position within the Four Symbols Institute.
However, he didn't expect West to be among this group.
Having Kilan behind you has its advantages, but it also has some disadvantages!
Ian sighed inwardly.
"This is Ian. Congratulations! But the competition for a core position is fierce, so be careful!"
Ivan then turned to look at Ian.
Ian stared coldly, offering no reply.
Why respond with such clearly malicious words?
Ivan didn't pay him any attention, greeted him once, and left immediately.
As they left, none of the core members glanced at Ian, clearly not caring at all.
West, however, gave him a look, his eyes seemingly filled with helplessness.
"They're just a bunch of stray dogs, Ian doesn't need to pay them any mind."
Flynn said, but his eyes betrayed his weariness.
He was clearly under a lot of pressure.
"Okay, senior."
Ian nodded.
Meanwhile, after the core members left, someone looked at Ivan and asked, "Lord Ivan, should we take action against that Ian?"
"against?"
Ivan smiled and said directly, "He's just a wizard who somehow advanced to the tenth rank. He'll be challenged down by West next time. What's there to target? Don't worry about him."
After he finished speaking, he looked at West.
West nodded: "I will take back my tenth place next time."
West belongs to a small family that is affiliated with the Ivan family.
Although he didn't really want to, he naturally joined the group.
Of course, reclaiming his rightful tenth place has always been his goal.
"Ian, one year from now."
His eyes were resolute.
Just as the banquet was about to end, suddenly, a wizard approached from the side.
He wore a light blue wizard's robe with three stars at the center of his chest, and exuded a faint, icy aura.
"Who are you?"
Ian looked at him.
"There may have been some misunderstandings between us in the past." Icemark looked at Ian and said calmly, "My merchant guild may have had some misunderstandings with your Byers Merchant Guild, and I'm here today to resolve them."
Ian now understood who the person in front of him was.
"You can call me Ice Mark!"