Allen submitted an alumni visit application at the Seven Towers Alliance’s Hub City office.

The clerk was a young First-level Wizard. His attitude was perfunctory but still polite. He pulled up Allen’s file.

[Name: Allen Wesren]

[Status Tags: Special Recruit of the Gate of Truth; Personal Disciple of Master Mercer of the Black Tower of the Forge; High-Value Investment Target of the Plane Exploration and Development Association]

[Current Strength Assessment: Second-level Wizard]

The few short lines of golden text were so dazzling the clerk had to blink several times, his expression turning to one of solemn respect.

"Lord Wesren, your application has been approved. Have a pleasant return to the academy."

...

After passing through the Star Gate, Allen once again set foot on the circular plaza of the Panorama Corridor Plane.

The familiar, gel-like warmth of the air washed over him, leaving him momentarily disoriented.

The seven great towers that defied the laws of physics still stood tall, and the magical Rune islands in the sky still drifted slowly by.

Twenty years ago, this sight had shocked him so much his heart had pounded uncontrollably.

Twenty years later, his mind automatically analyzed the tidal fluctuations of the Rune Array in the sky and estimated the maintenance costs of the seven towers.

The shock was completely gone.

He stood in the center of the plaza for a moment. The new apprentices coming and going shot him curious glances, then scurried away like frightened rabbits, startled by the faint but palpable Magic Power radiating from him.

Allen took a Flying Skateboard he hadn’t used in years from his Space Ring. The model was long outdated, but its performance was still solid.

He stepped onto the board and shot across the sky above the academy’s west district like a streak of light, heading straight for the apprentice trading area.

A moment later, Allen hovered in midair, looking down.

The two-story building from his memory was gone.

In its place stood a magnificent five-story building that occupied the entire street corner. It was built entirely of pristine moonstone, with white walls and gold trim. Its huge, floor-to-ceiling windows were bright and transparent, glittering in the sunlight.

The simple sign by the door had long been replaced by a floating light screen powered by Magic Power.

The words "New Western," written in a flamboyant golden script, slowly rotated in the air, exuding an aura that screamed "money is no object."

Allen landed at the entrance, the scene inside and outside the hall making him raise a slight eyebrow.

The foot traffic was at least ten times what it had been twenty years ago. Dozens of consultation booths were completely full, and employees in uniform bustled between different areas. They were no longer part-time apprentices, but mostly full-time staff, their every move radiating professional competence.

"Advanced Apprentice Cram Course, personally taught by the special guest First-level Wizard, ’Hand of Flame’ Roberts!"

"First-level Wizard Bottleneck-Breaking Seminar—You’re Just One Step Away from the Truth!"

"Interdisciplinary General Course: ’How Alchemy Can Aid Your Cursing Magic,’ enrollment is heating up!"

"Planar Survival Skills Training Camp—An introductory experience with a mortality rate below 30%!"

...

The sheer variety of categories and the breadth of the business left Allen momentarily dazed.

The "commercial organization spanning multiple planes" he had casually mentioned back then—Vera and Colin had already achieved more than half of it, at least within the Seven Towers Alliance.

He was about to walk in when a young girl in an Apprentice Robe at the front desk stopped him.

"Hello, sir." The girl’s smile was standard-issue but held a trace of detachment. "Do you have an appointment? Our senior consultants require appointments made three days in advance."

As she spoke, she habitually sized up Allen’s attire.

It wasn’t an Apprentice Robe, nor was it the standard robe of any school—just a simple, cleanly tailored dark gray robe with no emblems.

But the next second, the color drained from the girl’s face.

She felt it.

The Magic Power radiating from him was as heavy as a physical presence. Although its owner was doing his best to restrain it, the one-ten-thousandth that leaked out was enough to make it hard for her to breathe.

’A Second-level Wizard!’

Allen didn’t make things difficult for her. He simply said calmly, "I’m looking for Vera."

The girl’s lips trembled, unable to form a single word.

"Just tell her Allen Wesren is here to see her."

Five minutes later, a flurry of hurried footsteps sounded from the top of the stairs.

Vera and Colin practically burst out.

The past twenty years had left clear marks on them.

It wasn’t aging, but a composure and refinement that came from the passage of time.

Vera had a neat, short haircut and wore a well-tailored, navy-blue professional robe with a solid gold "New Western" badge pinned to her chest. Her gaze was sharp, and she exuded a competence so intense it was hard to look her in the eye.

Colin, on the other hand, now wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. He was much stockier than before and held a financial report in his hand, looking like a shrewd head bookkeeper.

But the moment they saw the familiar figure in the center of the hall, all of their professional composure and dignified airs crumbled to dust.

"Allen!"

"Boss!"

Vera hurried down the stairs, with Colin right behind her, so excited he nearly tripped.

They ran up to Allen, at a loss for what to do, like two children caught making a mistake. They had reverted to the star-struck fans they were twenty years ago.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the three of them went up to the top-floor reception room.

The decor here was more than ten times as luxurious as Allen’s old "chairman’s office." Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows was the most bustling streetscape in the Seven Towers Alliance.

Vera personally brewed Allen a cup of elven red tea. Her movements were practiced, clearly part of a standard procedure for receiving guests.

After the short pleasantries, the two began to talk about "New Western’s" development over the years.

From a mutual aid group with only twenty members, it had become the largest comprehensive educational support institution in the Seven Towers Alliance, with business covering twelve sectors, including Rune tutoring, Meditation guidance, academic planning, and exam preparation.

They had over three hundred employees, most of whom were senior apprentices, as well as more than thirty First-level Wizards serving as part-time senior lecturers.

Annual net profit had surpassed one million two hundred thousand Low-Level Magic Stones.

Allen listened quietly, nodding occasionally.

"And what about you two?" Allen looked at them. "How far have you advanced?"

Vera and Colin looked at each other and smiled.

"Thanks to you, Boss, and with a sufficient supply of Magic Stones, we both advanced to First-level Wizard five years ago."

Vera’s tone was a mixture of pride and self-deprecation. "We’re much slower than you. It’s embarrassing to say."

"I’m studying the path of divination," she added. "When you’re doing business, being able to see future trends is better than anything."

"I’m on the protection path," Colin said, pushing up his glasses with a rare seriousness. "I’m a coward, so I have to protect myself first before I can properly look after this business."

"We’ve figured it out," Colin continued. "Vera and I aren’t the types to fight on a battlefield. We don’t have some bizarre backstory or a deep-seated grudge to avenge. We just want to do business peacefully and earn enough money for our training. It’s a good life."

After becoming Wizards, they didn’t take on missions or explore planes like most people. Instead, they chose to stay in the Seven Towers Alliance and run "New Western."

To Black Wizards who pursued power, this was simply incomprehensible behavior.

But Allen understood completely.

In the territory of White Wizards, where order was relatively well-established, it wasn’t uncommon to find Wizards who were pure academics with no clue about combat. Those who earned Magic Stones through business to buy training resources were even more common.

Not everyone had the ambition to conquer planes. Vera and Colin’s choice was proof that his judgment back then had been correct.

He needed exactly this kind of trustworthy, down-to-earth partner.

After the good news had been reported, the atmosphere in the reception room suddenly tensed with Vera’s next move.

She put down her teacup, her expression turning serious.

"Allen, according to our contract, we’ve been depositing your share of the profits into a separate account at the Magic Stone bank. After deducting taxes and operating costs, the account now holds... a little over five million six hundred thousand Low-Level Magic Stones."

She paused, her gaze flickering for a moment.

"But recently... we’ve run into some trouble."

Allen’s motion of lifting his teacup didn’t stop. He gestured for her to continue.

"A tall tree attracts the wind. ’New Western’ is too big a prize, and some people have gotten greedy."

Vera’s voice became a little agitated. "Over the past year, someone has started using underhanded tactics to pressure us. They’ve ’had a word’ with our business partners, caused trouble for our part-time Wizard lecturers, and even had certain academy administrators deliberately make things difficult during our annual review."

"The goal is simple," she said, looking directly at Allen. "They want to force us to sell our shares."

"But we’ve always believed that ’New Western’ is your enterprise." Vera’s voice was quiet but unusually firm. "That forty percent stake is yours. We don’t have the right to make decisions for you. So we’ve been stalling and ignoring them."

Colin added from the side, gritting his teeth, "But those people have been getting more and more out of line! Last month, their people came right to our door, bringing two First-level Wizards with them. They said some nasty things and almost started a fight right here in the hall!"

Allen’s expression didn’t change at all. He just tilted his head slightly to look out the window.

"Did you find out who’s behind it?"

"We found out a little." Vera’s expression was grim. "There are many scattered forces involved, but we’ve traced the main person behind it to a professor at the academy—a Second-level Wizard."

"A Level 2?"

A faint smirk touched the corner of Allen’s mouth as he softly repeated the words.

’A Morning Star Wizard wouldn’t bother with such petty profits. At most, it’s a Second-level Wizard, and it could even be some First-level Wizards acting under the name of a Second-level one. Nothing to be afraid of.’

He picked up his teacup and drained the warm tea in one gulp.

"Understood."

His tone was as casual as if he were discussing tomorrow’s weather.

Vera and Colin looked at him, and for some reason, the great weight that had been pressing on their hearts for over a year suddenly vanished.

"Don’t worry." Allen gently set down his teacup.

"Now that I’m back, I’ll take care of this. You two just carry on with business as usual."

The three of them then went on to chat about their respective experiences.

「Late that night.」

Allen settled into the exclusive guest room on the top floor of New Western.

He stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the brightly lit streets below and the towering Wizard Towers in the distance.

’Asset analysis complete. New Western’s current valuation is approximately twenty-five million Low-Level Magic Stones.’

’Threat assessment established. Target: Second-level Wizard professor. High probability of being in the middle or upper echelons of the academy, possessing administrative authority.’

’Behavioral logic deduced: Operating within the rules of the Seven Towers Alliance, the target will not resort to direct violence. However, continuous administrative pressure and resource blockades will be sufficient to break New Western’s capital chain.’

’Recommended solution: Resolve with minimum cost and maximum deterrence. Break through the target’s rule-based barriers.’

Allen closed the report.

His gaze traveled past the city blocks, landing on the distant Obsidian Tower with its flowing, molten-gold patterns. His eyes held a profound depth.