A Sorcerer's Journey - Chapter 386
Chapter 386: This policy is, fine?
A few days later.
Grimm attended a short gathering, planned by Nina York with the seven other newly-ordained official sorcerer members of the Death Sail League.
All nine of the attending members were merely Level-1 sorcerers. On the other hand, Grimm was attending as a Demon-Hunter Sorcerer, not to mention his history of championing all five zones of the Holy Tower qualification battle, which was still talked about today, which was about two, three hundred years later.
Some of these members were ordained as official sorcerers owing to Grimm’s huge influence. Naturally, they recognized Grimm as their de-facto leader of sorts.
Of these seven people, there was one that Grimm faintly remembered.
He was a fellow sorcerer-apprentice back on the cruise ship. He became one of the senior members of the Death Sail League afterward and they had brief exchanges between them before.
If not mistaken, his name should be Berg.
Back then, when Grimm was still under the identity of the Ashen Mask sorcerer, he had once been posted up on the “Hunting List” created by the veteran organization of the “Big Four” academies. Consequently, it attracted the attention of interested Sorcerer’s Apprentices within the Death Sail League.
During the academy territorial battle period.
The Death Sail League wanted to recruit Grimm for a team mission but he himself had plans to do a solo mission. Boldly, Grimm attempted to collect the Bright Sorcerer-apprentices’ badges by himself.
Grimm’s intentions were misunderstood by many others, and among them was Berg.
Using his position as a senior member of the Death Sail League, Berg tried persuading Grimm to join them. He promised to extend to Grimm, the authority of a “senior member”. This guarantees that Grimm would get twenty badges from the Death Sail League right from the start. And if that wasn’t enough Berg would award him five more badges from his own collection.
At the time, from the perspective of the Death Sail League members, this promise seemed so noble and selfless…
It would have been way too selfish should Grimm decide to reject this once in a lifetime proposition.
Grimm did not openly reject Berg’s proposition. However, he did not accept it either. This was because the number of badges were far from the minimum requirement for him to get into Black Isotta’s secret realm, which was a hundred badges.
Many people thought Grimm was cruelly rejecting Berg’s friendly intentions. Berg himself, thought that the rumors about Grimm were nonsensical. He thought of Grimm as an insignificant coward that actively avoided battles.
Lefay defended Grimm and questioned Alastair about the true reason for establishing the Death Sail League.
“It is to unite our fellow helpless and weak sorcerer’s apprentices living on the cruise ship, such that we can live a better life at the unfamiliar and cruel Black Isotta Sorcery Academy!”
Alastair replied bluntly.
At long last, Grimm was finally able to move about on his own. Subsequently, Berg denounced him as “a coward without balls that only knows how to hide behind Lefay.”
Berg was stunned after the territorial battle, that Grimm was able to enter into Black Isotta’s secret realm, and also because Nina York was given a hundred badges after the death of Chris York.
It all seemed like a great big joke fate was taking out on him.
Berg finally realised his own hubris, how pompous and arrogant he was this whole time. And in the time leading up to the Holy Tower Apex Battle, he experienced an indescribable sense of pain and guilt. It was at this time that he was finally enlightened.
While Grimm was busy wiping out his fellow sorcerer’s apprentices at the qualification battle, Berg was sent back after he was eliminated from the qualification battle. This period was when a change of heart occurred in him.
This was the important growth process every sorcerer has to go through!
Berg changed his ways.
It was precisely due to this that Berg was finally presented with a chance to be ordained a formal sorcerer. He grew into an official sorcerer with the light of wisdom, by recouping his strength and wisdom, and by accepting his own destiny.
“Master Grimm!”
Berg bowed slightly towards Grimm, greeting him in a way a low-ranking sorcerer would do to a sorcerer of a higher rank, with utmost respect.
The reason why lower-ranking sorcerers would bow down with respect to a higher-ranking sorcerer, in addition to the enforcement of the Holy Tower’s law, it was a form of reminding oneself. It reminded the sorcerer that the obstacles he faced now was also faced by the powerful sorcerer standing before him, and that there was still a long way for him to struggle through.
It is a tribute to the sorcerer’s predecessors that also walked the same path as he did.
Not only Grimm was shocked by the sudden change in attitude. Nina York, Myna and the other sorcerers eyed Berg suspiciously.
Berg only stared in reverence towards Grimm, seemingly different from the people around him.
There was nothing but respect Berg had for Grimm. It was as if he was a completely different person from before.
“Master Grimm, you are the light that guides my path. Without you, I would have remained the same ignorant sorcerer’s apprentice as I was. I would have taken my knowledge about the Endless World for granted.”
After being stunned for a moment, Grimm hesitated before nodding his head slightly.
“Berg, I am no different from you. Similarly, I am merely a cricket in a bottle. This path of sorcerers, requires our light of wisdom to guide each other through.”
The atmosphere of the gathering has undergone quite a change.
This gathering was far beyond the expectations of the several other Dark Sorcerers. It eventually became apparent to everyone that this was no ordinary get-together between Dark Sorcerers.
This goes especially for Grimm.
For the once mighty, cold and indifferent Dark Sorcerer back at Black Isotta Sorcerer Academy to utter such words. It was genuinely hard to believe.
Nina York started feeling a sense of unease in her heart. She was more accustomed to the indifferent Dark Sorcerer from before and thus, her gaze towards Grimm now was full of disbelief.
Berg, on the other hand, was touched by what Grimm had said. The respect he had for Grimm grew ever stronger as he sighed while saying, “You’re right, we are merely crickets in a bottle.”
Another Dark Sorcerer, unable to hide his reason for attending this get-together, stepped forward with a big smile on his face.
“Master Grimm, it must be destiny that I was able to work alongside you in the Death Sail League.”
Pausing for a moment, this Dark Sorcerer continued, “Master Grimm, you should understand the setbacks of becoming an Arcane Sorcerer. It is extremely hard to earn Sorcerer Essences. Being that we were all from the Death Sail League, I was thinking… perhaps you could arrange for the academy more Sorcerer Essence rewarded missions? Could you take extra care of us, ex-members of the Death Sail League?”
The other sorcerers performed the sorcerers’ greeting with their hearts full of desire.
A smile broke across Grimm’s face underneath the Mask of Truth as he looked at these younger sorcerers before him. Some of them might not have even undergone the growth process of their sorcerer’s heart. Confidently, Grimm replied, “Of course!”
‘Huhh…’
Some of these Dark Sorcerers sighed in relief as they looked at each other joyfully.
Assigning them missions that reward Sorcerer Essences through Demon-Hunter Sorcerers was a more reliable and effective method than raising and teaching apprentices.
Looking at the few sorcerers standing before him, Grimm thought about contacting Alastair to discuss their plans but he still had his own sorcerer’s wisdom to work with for the moment.
Perhaps it was time Grimm focused on cultivating connections with potential friends, existing friends or even sorcerers that have a mutually-beneficial relationship with him.
Some time in the distant future, these people will potentially be his underlings should he actualize his Sorcerer’s Will and establish his own Sorcerer Tower.
To establish a Sorcerer Tower in the Sorcerer World, and become ordained as an official Stigmata Sorcerer was not exactly a walk in the park.
For Grimm, the day he rises into a Level-2 sorcerer was still something incredibly far away. And yet, to the Dark Sorcerers’ disbelief, this Level-1 Demon-Hunter Sorcerer from the Holy Tower of the Seven Rings already has plans drawn up for when he becomes a Stigmata Sorcerer.
For them, this whole situation was a little too hard to comprehend.
This Death Sail League gathering went on for roughly an hourglass. Some of the Dark Sorcerers discussed about the Alliance’s development as an organization over the years. Grimm dropped into the discussion from time to time, whenever his interest was piqued.
Grimm guaranteed to them that he would pay special attention to several other sorcerers for the “Eternal Destructive Energy Observation Log” mission assigned to him.
Thus, the short gathering of Dark Sorcerers gradually came to an end.
As compared to a Bright Sorcerer’s gathering, where knowledge would be exchanged and feelings would be shared, a Dark Sorcerer’s gathering was much more straightforward as to their motivations for attending. Their gathering also did not have the comforting atmosphere that Bright Sorcerers’ gatherings would typically have.
As each of the Death Sail League members exited the hall, the thousand sorcerer’s apprentices awaiting them outside bowed in respect.
“It is my honor to meet you, great sorcerer.”
Standing before the thousand Alliance members were twenty four leaders. Perhaps they went by other names but their position was probably no different from the “Senior Members” from Grimm’s time.
Gripping the Sabbatic Goat Staff and with Myna standing on Grimm’s shoulder, he observed the Death Sail League members quietly underneath the Mask of Truth, alongside other fellow Dark Sorcerers.
Perhaps, these sorcerer’s apprentices have already long lost touch with the meaning behind the organization’s name, the Death Sail League.
Grimm stopped walking and gazed at the Alliance members before him.
“Several hundred years ago, I was one of the founding members to this Death Sail League. It may be the case that some of you joined this group due to its reputation as a strong organization. But today, I would like to remind you all about the main objective of this organization. That is, to give the ignorant children facing hardships at the Black Isotta Sorcery Academy a better life, and from there, some of you might be able to break the vicious cycle and grow into a powerful Dark Sorcerer!”
None of the sorcerer’s apprentices dared to interject Grimm’s speech.
Nor was Grimm concerned about what was on the minds of these low-level lifeforms.
Opening up the Dimensional Gap, Grimm retrieved a hundred mid-range Magic Stones from within and handed them over to the administrator of the Death Sail League that stood in front of him.
“Although it isn’t much, it’s my intention that counts. I hope that you all can pass on the will of the Death Sail League. Hopefully, one day when you become formal sorcerers, you will truly understand what I am talking about.”
Grimm turned around and prepared to leave. However, he stopped halfway when a thought floated into his mind.
As the sorcerers and sorcerer’s apprentices looked questioningly at Grimm, he suddenly asked, “Does the Hunting List among the sorcerer’s apprentices at the Black Isotta Sorcery Academy still exist?”
Back then, during Grimm’s apprenticeship days, the veteran sorcerer’s apprentices at the academy wanted to get apprentices with potential into their organization and hence created this “Hunting List” of potential candidates.
The powerful apprentices who have yet to join any organizations would always find their way into this list.
“Yup, it still exists.”
A sorcerer’s apprentice beside Grimm answered strangely.
“The hell? It still exists?!”
Grimm’s voice at the moment was a little stiff and sounded cold. This created a slight panic in many of the Alliance members’ hearts.
One brave member of the Death Sail League took a step forward and said, “Master Grimm, If you feel that the Hunting List is not in line with the will of the Death Sail League, a few of us representing the Alliance members, can abolish this old system that was passed down over generations.”
“Ugh…”
‘This Hunting List seems to have taken form as a foreign policy for the organization, huh?’
The Mask of Truth shielded Grimm’s stunned expression from the crowd before him. Letting out a sigh in silence, Grimm said, “There is no need for that. This Hunting List policy is…fine as wine.”
Finishing this, Grimm turned around and left.
