Why Did You Summon Me?

Baiyi never once thought that his plan would be actualized without setbacks. Shaking up the belief that had taken root in the hearts of many, was always going to be difficult. Changing the world’s perspective was not only the thing he had to do.

The powerful beings running the world from behind the scenes — some of who were present at the conference — feared the rise of someone even more powerful than they are. Mavericks like Hope made them feel as though they were walking on eggshells. From what they had heard, Hope was ranked fifth amongst the Voidwalker; this meant that there were four Voidwalkers much more powerful than he was!

If these Voidwalkers, whose powers were said to exceed the imagination of most, were allowed to venture into the real world, a chaotic shake-up of power would be the least of their worries. The released Voidwalkers may very well lead a revolution against them, the ruling class.

Although, for the time being, Baiyi, an emissary for this group of overpowered Voidwalkers, did not seem power hungry, obeyed the law, and had a fondness for young, cute girls, the ruling class were not at ease. It was only natural that they rejected the idea of releasing a group of individuals that they could not control.

The public may be nonchalant about the presence of Voidwalkers, but the ruling class would always feel unsettled.

Not only did the Voidwalkers possess a wealth of knowledge, but they also possessed an unknown set of ideologies and the power to control that indestructible black flame — a terrifying power that was also being discussed in today’s conference — called Void Energy. It was too powerful and too dangerous, which was why it was outlawed a long time ago. No one in their right mind would permit the use of such a destructive ability that could not be countered.

The conference had only just started, yet most could guess the outcome already. Acknowledging Void Energy was no different from permitting the presence of Voidwalkers in society. It was nigh-impossible for them, the ruling class, to entertain such a notion, and they were, in fact, easier to convince than the Church.

The Church was largely behind the refusal to entertain Baiyi’s proposal. This did not surprise Baiyi, though; he knew that he could only change their stance using the most direct method: war.

That was the least desirable option, though. Resorting to violence would only destroy everything he had built up to this point; no one would buy his “Voidwalkers aren’t bad people” pitch anymore. Baiyi had also learned an important lesson from the downfall of the Wise Mad King: no matter how powerful a person believed himself to be, going for an all-out war right off the bat could lead to a fall. After all, fortune had the tendency to forsake those who were arrogant, causing them to lose their lives. Baiyi had a lot of people to care for, unlike protagonists who do whatever they wished because they were alone.

Fortunately, Baiyi was not out of options yet; he could continue down the path he had already set for himself. As more students graduated from Da Xue, they would pervade various sections of the society — including the upper class of society, whose influence over the public was high — and spread his views regarding the Void and its prisoners. Although this would take a longer time to implement, it was still better than war.

There was also the chance that one of Baiyi’s naysayers would snap and declare war on him; that would give him justification to finish them all off. However, none of the individuals occupying the upper stratum of society were fools; they would never give Baiyi this opportunity.

Despite a lack of blood, corpses, and destruction, everyone knew that a war was already being fought, even though it was being done via verbal and diplomatic clashes. The ruling class had imposed multiple sanctions on Da Xue already, stifling its operation greatly. According to the ruling class, this was in response to Baiyi’ actions, which they believed he made because he considered Voidwalkers above the law. In retaliation, Baiyi struck the homes of these high-ranked nobles with Forbidden Spells, and then claim that the damage was caused by magic experiments of his gone awry. The sanctions were quickly reversed after that.

This back-and-forth had been going on for years, but on the surface, both sides were civil to each other. During these conferences, Baiyi remained non-confrontational. He leaned back into his seat and placed his feet on the table, and let his students say whatever they thought would help.

Some folks on the other side took the conference just as seriously as Baiyi did. They could be seen dozing off, while others could be seen gossiping amongst themselves. They let a young man do all the talking for them.

He was handsome and had an air of confidence around him. He had worn a tuxedo fit for nobles, with an expensive platinum pendant hanging from his neck. On this pendant hung a book, with pages filled with symbols. The symbols for the sword, martial arts, the formation for magic, the beaker for alchemy, etc. could be seen on the open pages.

Not only was the platinum pendant expensive, but its craftsmanship was extravagant as well. Anyone who could afford such a pendant had to be, at least, an Earl or a Lord.

This book was the emblem of Da Xue. It was gifted only to the academy’s best graduating students as a reward. Every year, only three graduates received such pendants from Baiyi himself, hence its prestige. Its owners were the brightest and most promising youths in Walthart Empire.

For today’s conference, the other side had chosen one of Da Xue’s best graduates as its spokesperson; a thinly veiled attempt to poke fun at Baiyi. To them, having one of Da Xue’s best students speak out against its Principal’s cause was the worst form of mockery they could dole out.

It was a despicable act.

The young man’s name was Tim Wolt. He was twenty-three years old and a receiver of the Da Xue’s platinum pendant. He had bested other graduates from Da Xue’s fifth graduation to win it. The moment he graduated, Tim Wolt was summoned by the royal family, who granted him the position of Special Consultant for the Education and Academic Ministry; an obvious attempt at shaping him to enter the ranks of the ruling class. That made Tim Wolt the youngest person to join the Ministry, since the founding of Walthart Empire.

Every aspect of education and culture fell under the influence of the Education and Academic Ministry. It was one of the most influential arms of the empire.

Now, the other side was having Tim Wolt — one of Da Xue’s brightest students, who had successfully permeated the ruling class — represent them. This was a direct contrast to what Baiyi had expected of his students. Baiyi was pissed off about this, of course. It was a low-blow, as well as a warning from the other side: they knew what Baiyi’s long term goal was.

Although Baiyi was annoyed, he was not intimidated. Hence, in retaliation, he had brought along a student of Da Xue called Vivi. She was the beloved granddaughter of the Treasury Secretary of the Walthart Empire. The Secretary was one of the loudest naysayers opposing Baiyi’s Voidwalkers.

The Secretary’s position was one of the most important positions in the empire, but none of his sons or grandsons could measure up to his standards. Hence, the family had placed their hopes on his precious granddaughter, who Baiyi had brought along with him. It was a blatant provocation; one in which their beloved granddaughter would oppose them on Baiyi’s behalf.

With this, it was as though Baiyi was saying ‘Go on; bite me. That’s fine, but I’ll bite back!’

Tisdale, who was energetic when the conference began, lost her morale as time passed, for she had realized that they would achieve nothing in this conference, just like the conferences before it. As the conference wore on, she became so dispirited that her head was hung low. As though she wished to doze off, Tisdale let Vivi do all the talking.

At this point in the conference, the debate had long since lost its constructive edge. Only two people, Tim Wolt and Vivi, were still talking, and they were basically hurling insults at each other. From outside the hall, Vivi could be heard screaming at Tim Wolt, calling him a backstabbing rodent.

“You backstabbing rat! You are in bed with our enemies! How shameless are you, betraying your education and your Principal? Yet, you still have the galls to see us?” Vivi lambasted Tim Wolt.

Tim Wolt’s gaze shifted to Baiyi, who was sitting lazily beside Vivi, and his chest swelled with the comebacks he wished to dole out. However, all he ended up saying was that he had attended the conference because he was going through desperate times. If that was not the case, he would not have allowed himself to be roped into such a sticky situation.

A while later, the conference finally ended, and the members of the floor had begun to leave. As the conference was a classified one, only a small number of people had attended. The hall was soon empty, and Tim Wolt was finally able to catch his breath.

The exams he had written at Da Xue were grueling, but they paled in comparison to these conferences he was coerced by the higher-ups to attend.

However, Tim had more mental strength than most thought; this was something Baiyi had seen in him at Da Xue. He calmed himself quickly and stood up from his seat. It was then that he caught sight of the departing Baiyi. Tim Wolt walked up to Baiyi and bowed low — something he had done a lot at Da Xue. “I am so, so sorry, Mr. Principal.”

Baiyi looked at him silently. As a member of the Ministry, this apologetic young man had the authority to restrain an educator like him, yet, right then, Tim Wolt was displaying the level of respect that he often did at Da Xue. Seeing him like this made Baiyi feel a little better. “There’s no need for apologies. Just do what you’re supposed to…”

“Yes, sir, I understand. I still remember the words of my Professor Scholar, His Majesty the Professor, and my Principal. I have not forgotten the oath I made. I will bring justice to you, sir, so that the world may render you the veneration you deserve,” Tim quietly said.

Baiyi sighed before patting the young man’s head; something he often did in the past. “Don’t overextend yourself there. Taking care of yourself comes first.”

It was a warning — one whose meaning did not escape someone as bright as Tim. He clearly understood Baiyi’s meaning. If he was coerced into attending this grueling conference, then he had best prepare himself to undertake more grueling tasks in the future. Some of those tasks may even leave him physically harmed or near death; today was just the beginning.

However, Tim was one of the few students that had impressed Baiyi thoroughly. In a bid to show Baiyi that the belief placed in him was not misplaced, Tim Wolt’s eyes, which were filled with determination, met Baiyi’s, and he firmly replied, “I won’t give up, Mr. Principal.”

Seeing his ex-students like this was enough to shake the single-minded Baiyi. He had not forgotten that many of his students would have to go through hell for his plan to be achieved. This was enough to break any instructor’s heart.

Baiyi almost wished he could tell Tim Wolt to abandon the mission, ending his suffering; this way, Da Xue would gain another bright professor, and Tim Wolt would enjoy a life of peace and happiness.

However, the Fifth Walker said nothing. His expression had changed slightly, but he soon got ahold of himself and waved his hand, changing the subject. “Go and chat with Vivi. It’s been a while since you saw her, right?”

Tim glanced at Vivi, who was whispering to Tisdale at the end of the hall, and shook his head sideways slowly. With a stutter, he replied, “I think… I think she hates me now…”

The two had graduated from Da Xue at the same time, but while they were still students of the academy, they were in an intimate relationship. Their interactions were sometimes bashful and awkward. Unfortunately, they went their separate ways after graduation. This was the first time Tim Wolt had seen her since then, and things felt different, especially after what had just transpired.

“Oh, c’mon, young man. Summon the courage you had back then when you grabbed that harp and serenaded her outside the female dormitory,” Baiyi said, patting his shoulder.

Tim Wolt may seem like he had been a quiet student, who abided by the rules, but he was quite courageous when he wanted to be. Back then, he grabbed a harp late at night before going to pluck some flowers from Da Xue’s garden. After that, he stood outside the female dormitory and impressed a girl using a very romantic method. It had worked; Vivi had burst into tears before leaping into his arms.

The next day, Vidomina, who had just been appointed punished the two lovebirds. For ruining the garden, she had them clean the bathrooms and pay up the medical bills of a few injured students.

Luckily for them, that was all their punishment entailed. They were not blacklisted, neither were their merits deducted.

For those who are wondering why some students were injured… Well, Tim Wolt’s friends had undertaken the task of luring the Jawflower away, while he snuck to the female dormitory to serenade Vivi. Had they failed to attract the Jawflower’s aggro, Tim would have had to use his harp to confess his love to thin air, which would have left his heart forever longing.

Hearing Baiyi’s words of encouragement, Tim Wolt smiled and replied, “Oh, I remember every second of it still. Jawflower was really terrifying, though; my friends had suffered a lot.”

“You should be grateful that it was Jawflower on duty that night, kid. If it were the cactus… Let’s just say you boys would have been unable to pull that stunt,” Baiyi said jocularly.

Tim Wolt’s bright smile lasted only for a few seconds. Coming from a humble family, the position he currently held was probably the best he would ever get. However, his sweetheart, Vivi, had been strong enough to sever ties with her family, who had been doting on her for a long time. This made Tim Wolt feel weak-willed. Even if he did get into a relationship with Vivi, it would not last.

“Go talk to her. Surely, you must remember that she was the girl who made you think that serenading that late at night was worth it, despite what it had cost you,” Baiyi said, pushing Tim forward a little. Baiyi called Tisdale over, allowing the two to have a private moment.

When Tisdale came over, she and Baiyi began to walk away. Tisdale had already detected a slight change in her teacher’s mood and softly said, “Sir, you do know that we chose our paths, right? There is nothing to blame yourself for.”

Baiyi shook his head and looked up at the sky. “Well, at least this has been taken care of. You should hurry home. Attie and Nota return today, no?”

“Oh, yes. I did the necessary shopping and preparations beforehand,” Tisdale replied. Her lips curled into a cheeky smile as she said, “I did not expect you to remember these trivial things, sir.”

Baiyi’s reply was placid. “It’s not hard. After all, there are not many things I need to remember, nowadays.”