Chapter 179: Come, Bree
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Aurora already knew about Bree's existence, even before Evelyn had come along, though they couldn't be said to be familiar with each other.
As one of the most talented students they'd had so far, the girl had managed to reach the level of almost a senior professor before entering her twenties! Even if she had left the academy at that time, Aurora had been hopeful that the girl would one day return and join them as a pillar. After all, few had that kind of potential, and fewer still whom she liked.
Among the academy staff, though, Bree's name was more controversial. Her name had once been a matter of pride, but eventually, few people spoke of it. It wasn't that she did something unforgivable, or that they hated her, but not everyone could bear the embarrassment.
After all, someone who was barely a fraction of their age was already close to surpassing them. Even if they could suppress the jealousy, few could suppress the inferiority in their heart while thinking of someone who was too dazzling. Whether they were looking at it in terms of talent, level, skill, or affinities… she wasn't lacking at all. The only thing she lacked, perhaps, was her background, but that hardly mattered much at the academy.
Before she graduated, Bree was already level seventy-five, and at that time… she could already go toe-to-toe with opponents that were over ten levels above her.
Mortal elders could always lament that their bodies were not what they used to be, and they could no longer learn as fast, and praise their juniors wholeheartedly, but these teachers could only feel a sense of inferiority when compared to such a student.
In contrast, someone like Cecilia was still more acceptable. Her growth rate may be fast, but she would still be in her fifties or more by the time she reached their level. At least, that is what they assumed.
As for Craig, who was considered the 'greatest talent in the academy', there was always the excuse of him having the backing and resources of an entire kingdom for his growth.
Aurora considered these things to be beneath her, as the growth of others had nothing to do with herself. Why should she be ashamed or proud if someone's pace was faster or slower than herself?
As someone of the Qilin bloodline, Bree must certainly have her own some special abilities stemming from that source, but Aurora wasn't a stranger to spirit beasts. Although the Qilin were a rare species, she had still met a few, and none of them could do what Evelyn was claiming.
But even if Aurora had her doubts, she still decided to believe in her student's words.
Looking at the disapproving frown on her teacher's face, Evelyn grinned, already knowing she had agreed. "Thank you, teacher! I'll bring her right away…?"
Aurora sighed as she took a silver cloak out of her spatial artifact and wrapped it around the younger girl's shoulders. "Go, then. I'll wait for you, but remember… If you do this, it's your own responsibility."
Evelyn nodded seriously. "I understand."
The platinum blonde gave her a grim look. "Do you? Since I don't understand that thing fully, I cannot tell if I'll be able to protect your little puppy if something goes wrong. Don't cry if—"
Before she could continue her warning, the pink haired girl enveloped her in a hug. "Thank you for worrying about me, but don't worry. I… definitely won't disappoint you!"
Watching her rush away without giving her a chance to respond, Aurora could only stand there and sigh as she let the girl pass through the barrier.
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The silver cloak that Aurora gave her allowed Evelyn to conceal both her aura and appearance. Although its defensive value wasn't very high, it was perfect to prevent her identity from being discovered under these circumstances.
Evelyn knew that there were sure to be quite a few people already waiting outside, and since Aurora had concealed everything like that, she decided not to let her teacher's efforts go to waste and immediately poured some spirit power to activate the cloak's effects.
The waiting crowd only saw a glimmering silver figure dash past them through the barrier, and while they were curious, no one dared to get in their way, or even follow them.
If they ended up disturbing whatever the pillars were doing to rectify the situation, there was no telling how severe the punishment would be. It was better to wait for an explanation first.
"Who was that?"
"Well, considering they moved out of the barrier created by the pillars, must be one of their hidden subordinates?"
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It didn't take long for Evelyn to reach the White Lily Mansion and carry Bree back into the barrier.
She noticed that the crowd outside was slightly smaller than before, and the pink haired girl couldn't help but furrow her brows.
While it was entirely possible that some people got bored, the most likely case was that they made some hasty assumptions and decided to err on the side of caution.
She had a feeling that the longer this matter was left alone, the worse the damage to the academy.
Even if she hadn't had any feelings for it, she was not so coldhearted as to not care about how Aurora felt after everything she had done for her. And her teacher clearly cared for this place, even if she rarely made it obvious.
She found the platinum blonde still waiting near the bone spear, a little bit closer than where Evelyn remembered.
Aurora gave the golden puppy in her student's arms a complicated look. One of the best students from her academy was now like this, turned into her student's pet.
Moreover, she was going to take such a huge risk for them. She had no idea how to feel about the whole thing.
Evelyn rubbed the golden hair on Bree's head with a smile. "Are you ready? You remember what I told you, right?"
The little puppy nodded her head enthusiastically, and Aurora felt even more guilty. 'The poor thing probably doesn't understand much at all…'
Had she not been tied down with all the things, maybe she could have taken them to the spirit lands to solve her troubles first.
The platinum blonde quickly shook her head in denial. 'No… I just didn't think it was important enough. I thought it would be too much of a waste to spend a few years going back and forth to the spirit lands at such a critical juncture. But…'
If Bree was really able to help solve their problem today, then not to mention the academy, Aurora herself would owe her a big debt.
The platinum blonde quickly made up her mind. 'Regardless… I'll find a way to fix her state.'
Evelyn's thoughts weren't so complicated, as she was already fully focused on leading Bree to dissolve the spear and purify its energy for herself.
Aurora may know a lot more than her, and normally her warnings would have made Evelyn hesitate, but there were a few things that the pink haired girl was confident that no one but herself knew that well.
Whether it was her primordial ability 'Calamity' and its effects, or the strange bond that had formed due to the burnout from Bree's inheritance ability's overuse… how could anyone else be more familiar with that than her?
Evelyn knew very well that Bree was no longer what she used to be, and while she had paid a great price, what she had obtained in return wasn't worse at all.
Just the fact that she could refine the Thousand Eyed God's tentacles into the Chaos Essence Bead while still being a little puppy that was almost on the verge of death was proof enough.
Even if the Lord of Bones could crush them both at will, Evelyn didn't believe that an attack that was already separated from his consciousness couldn't be refined by them!
The golden puppy had already changed to her human form by now, and was tightly holding Evelyn's hand as they stood just an arm's length away from the chill exuding spear.
The corrosive miasma seemed to subtly weave around the tiny blonde, which made it avoid Evelyn as well, and Aurora finally felt a little more confident in their claims.
Evelyn smiled as she patted the little blonde's head. "Go on."
Bree nodded at her 'mother' and reached out with one hand to directly grasp the bone spear. No matter how the miasma wanted to avoid her now, there was no way it could escape its source.
A shockwave burst from the spear almost immediately, and Aurora barely resisted the urge to pull them both back as she stared at the duo, her gaze unblinking.
Although she could see them shivering, the strange energy from before was already thickly clouding her senses and making her unable to judge the situation.
Aurora was already faintly regretting her decision. Hyperion's state had regressed a little after powering the array, and the other two pillars had to stay behind while Aurora came to the Tower of Solitude by herself.
Before her student arrived, however, both Kaizen and Kaling had tried to communicate with her from outside the barrier, requesting entry to help her solve the situation.
Of course, since she herself had no solution, Aurora had instinctively wanted to believe in her student, and ended up telling them to return and control the other situation first.
The platinum blonde shook her head with a sigh. 'Forget it… I've already made the choice, so I can only bear the consequences.'
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