The good mood he had when he arrived at the port had completely disappeared. Houdini took a deep breath and wanted to crush the letter. However, his eyes flashed for a long time. He gritted his teeth and resisted the urge. He kept the letter and continued to let the movers move the things into the courtyard.
When everything was packed up and the courtyard was quiet again, Houdini sat alone on his favorite recliner. He looked at the withered flowers in the courtyard that had been left unattended for months. He was deep in thought.
This place clearly had the most suitable temperature and sunlight, but he felt a little cold all over his body.
After resting for a while, he got up tiredly. He picked up his thesis on the mutation of Aiur sharks, changed into casual clothes and walked to the submission office of the Deep Blue.
He thought he would be busy for a long time, but he was free all of a sudden. Houdini thought he might as well submit his thesis first.
Lachman could submit his thesis by mail or directly to the door. Other than a few large and influential journals, most of the other journals had their offices in the same area. That was why the mages living in Duriel usually chose to submit to the door. This way, when submitting, they would first get the opinion of the "recipient". If they were lucky, they might even get to see the reviewer on the spot, which would increase their efficiency.
Houdini wrote this thesis because he felt that there was a need to study this mutation, and not just to "earn points". That was why he did not care about the tiredness of the journey and came to the building complex known as the "Thought Pool".
All kinds of magazines, books, and newspapers had set up offices here. Experts in various fields were hidden here. That was why even a Magister would not dare to be presumptuous here. Houdini passed through a few alleys and quickly found the submission office of the Deep Blue. He then respectfully handed the thesis over.
The recipient was not one of the mages he was familiar with. He was not in a good mood and did not want to discuss any academic issues, so he turned around and left. However, the mage who received the thesis raised his eyebrows and called out to him.
"Wait, you're Houdini? Brenka's Houdini? The one who returned today? "
"That's me."
Houdini turned around in confusion. He thought that the mage had some questions, but he saw that the mage had handed the thesis back.
"The Deep Blue has rejected your manuscript. Please return. "
"Wh-what do you mean? Why? "
"There's no reason why. Any journal with integrity in Lassiman would not publish a journal for a traitor."
These words stunned Houdini. For a moment, he did not understand what the other party meant. But soon, he was so angry that his lips trembled. However, even though he wanted to say something, he was momentarily rendered speechless by the other party's disgusted expression and disdainful gaze.
"Take it."
Seeing that Houdini did not accept it, the mage simply reached out and stuffed a stack of manuscripts into his hand. Then, he returned to his desk and continued to flip through the books as if nothing had happened.
What exactly happened?
Houdini's breath was stuck in his chest, causing his face to turn red and pale. After walking out of the door in a daze, he tried three times to burn the paper, but in the end, he did not do such a thing.
After all, he had a sincere heart towards Lachman. Even though he had been criticized by those letters back then, even though the Brenka Academy no longer trusted him, Houdini still thought he had a chance to explain himself …
But now, he suddenly realized a problem. Even people who did not have much interaction with him had developed such a huge prejudice and estrangement. What had happened was not something that could be explained clearly in a few words.
Who was his enemy? Houdini had not figured it out yet.
What did they do? Houdini did not know.
What should he do next?
Houdini understood that this was the question he should be thinking about now.
The Brenka Academy, who was supposed to be his "backer", was selectively deaf. He had no interest in being cold to them anymore. So, after standing in the alley for a few minutes, he took a deep breath and walked towards the "Nabil Street", which was usually used to receive foreign ambassadors.
At a time like this … I'll ask Roddy.
So he thought. As the distance was not far, it only took him a few minutes to walk into the lively area. However, the chaotic scene around him made him a little surprised. Usually, this place was deserted. Why were there suddenly so many people living here?
Usually, foreign merchants would not bring their caravans to stay here because the hotels here were beautifully decorated and expensive. Only the small countries around Lachman would be invited to stay here. In other words, the people who stayed here were the "guests" that the parliament paid for out of their own pockets. Looking around, Houdini immediately recognized the unique costumes and carriages of the five surrounding countries passing by …
Houdini instinctively realized that something was wrong. He quickly stopped a passerby and asked a few questions. Only then did he know that the "Crown of Late Autumn" event had been brought forward and would be held half a month later!
Now, he immediately understood what was going on. As a Lachman, he could naturally understand the idea of the upper echelons using this event to show off the prestige of the country. But … why did no one mention this to him from the beginning to the end?
Obviously, this attitude had already explained what the Lachman parliament thought of him.
Houdini felt that the bustling envoys from various countries were a great joke!
He had always had naive expectations for Lachman. He used to imagine that when he returned with glory, everyone would understand his difficulties and recognize his contributions to the country.
But when he really stood on this land, he suddenly realized how cold the reality was. No matter how hard he worked as a mere "researcher", he was still no match for a few words from the core councilors of the academy.
Houdini took two steps back in disappointment and sat on the edge of the flower bed. At this moment, there was nothing more sorrowful than a dead heart. The haggard Houdini reached out to cover his face. But after rubbing it hard a few times, the old man with slightly red eyes stood up again. His slightly narrowed eyes no longer had the easygoing look of the past. Instead, there was an unprecedented coldness. He looked at the hotels on this street and found no trace of Roddy's team. Thinking of the parliament's attitude toward him, Houdini's face became even more gloomy.
As a "prophet" mage, he did not have to worry about not being able to find anyone. After taking out his wand and casting a spell, the result of the spell made him sigh inexplicably.
"If you want to bully someone, just bully an old man like me. But of all the things you shouldn't have done, you shouldn't have provoked him … "
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