"At that time, Allen was overly arrogant, intoxicated by her own talent. She thought she could ignore the rules and directly challenge authority just through her abilities."
His gaze turned distant, as if recalling a story long past:
"But I admire her talent and courage, even if they manifested in a kind of reckless self-destruction."
"Yet she never appreciated your help."
Soron spoke softly, his voice tinged with some resentment: "She even maintained hostility towards you the whole time."
"Allen’s pride does not allow her to admit her past mistakes, nor does it permit her to express gratitude to anyone."
Hayek shook his head slightly, his tone devoid of rebuke:
"That’s her nature, just like flames forever burning upwards, the strong forever longing to challenge higher places; it’s an unchangeable trait."
Yuni softly coughed and joined the conversation: "I went to see Allen this afternoon; she’s already preparing to leave."
The Witch’s purple eyes flashed with worry: "She cares deeply about that student, Lilia, seemingly considering her a sort of legacy."
"Speaking of legacy."
Soron suddenly brought up a new topic, showing a rare smile:
"Ron left a gift for Holt before departing, a bottle of improved Artificial Star Dew, which might soon allow him to reach the Advanced Apprentice Spiritual Power critical point."
"An exceptionally noble character, such young people are already very rare in today’s Wizard World."
Hayek sighed, his eyes shimmering with appreciation: "This trait of gratitude might be even more precious than his talent."
The three Wizards exchanged smiles, each seeing the admiration and anticipation for Ron in the other’s eyes.
In the hundred-year history of the Black Mist School, it’s rare for an apprentice to gain such unanimous recognition from multiple Masters.
"How should we arrange the School’s relocation this time?" Yuni returned to the main topic: "Which apprentices are worthy of being taken to the Central Lands?"
Hayek pondered for a moment, his gaze falling on the projected lights representing each apprentice:
"The top ten in the Candidate Wizard sequence must be taken, especially Holt, whose Earth Element talent is considered top-notch within the entire School; others, if they have their own specialties, can also be included."
"Then it’s decided." Seeing no objections from the two, he summarized:
"The top ten of the Candidate Wizard sequence, along with Advanced apprentices who have particularly outstanding performances in various disciplines, totaling no more than thirty people.
The remaining personnel will be dismissed locally, but we will ensure they are well accommodated and have destinations. After all, although the Black Mist School is a Marginal School, it has always adhered to the basic principles of the Wizard World."
He paused, a trace of complex emotion flashing in his eyes:
"As for the knowledge and equipment that cannot be taken, preserve what can be stored, to be retrieved when possible in the future; what cannot be preserved must be abandoned."
This decision left the three present feeling somewhat heavy-hearted, but they all understood that, given the current situation, this was already the best option.
The Abyssal Contamination of the Black Mist Jungle is already irreversible; insisting on salvaging those material assets would only lead to more casualties.
"By the way, Soron." Hayek suddenly remembered something, turning to his colleague on the left:
"You mentioned before about exchanging merit points and life-saving grace to reward Ron; what did you end up giving him?"
Soron coughed, suddenly teasing and keeping a secret:
"That item... I can only reveal that it’s a long-unused device from the School. As for what it is, you can guess."