Chapter 115: John Bull Begins Its Descent into Madness

A few hours later, when Cheng Long and the Elder left the school, their expressions were far from cheerful. In contrast, Xiao Yu was bouncing with excitement, unable to contain her joy.

Cheng Long felt uneasy because after taking Xiao Yu around the school, he realized his status in her eyes had dropped significantly. After all, a small archaeologist who couldn’t even manage to fly seemed far less impressive compared to these cultivators.

The Elder, meanwhile, was angry about the curriculum arrangement. The school planned to assign him seven classes a week, but only one was a Qi Magic course—and that was a small, elective class. The rest were all basic knowledge classes. For someone like the Elder, who wanted to promote Qi Magic, this was a considerable blow.

Inside the principal’s office, Li Xiaoyao put down his pen, feeling somewhat helpless. Sometimes, not looking old could actually be a disadvantage. Although he was clearly much older than the Elder, during their discussions, seeing the Elder’s demeanor, he instinctively showed respect for his senior. In truth, Li Xiaoyao didn’t even want to arrange a Qi Magic elective class.

This was merely a preparatory school for cultivation, meant to teach foundational knowledge. Offering too many specialized courses here made little sense. Moreover, if everyone offered professional courses, with their current faculty of 120 teachers—each with their own specialty spells or skills—what would the students learn then? Basic knowledge had to come first.

After all, foundational knowledge might not be as flashy or enticing as those powerful and dazzling specialized skills, but without it, those skills were like castles in the air, ready to collapse at the slightest breeze.

At that moment, Zhao Ling’er pushed the door open and walked in, closing it behind her. Her demeanor was much more lively and natural than before, no longer so formal.

“Brother Xiaoyao, I just saw Elder Cheng leave with a dark expression. What’s going on?” Zhao Ling’er approached from behind and gently pressed on his head.

“Ah, I honestly don’t know what to say. Just because he looks a bit older, I spoke a little harshly. But both of us are actually more than a hundred years older than him…” Li Xiaoyao began.

Suddenly, he felt the pressure on his head increase sharply and quickly corrected himself, “Actually, I am more than a hundred years older than him.”

“It’s okay. He’s already understood, or he wouldn’t have left so quietly,” Zhao Ling’er replied, taking a seat opposite him.

“Right. By the way, Ling’er, why did you come over all of a sudden?” Li Xiaoyao asked.

Her expression turned serious as she said, “There is indeed something. We’ve been instructed to closely monitor the moves of the Kingdom of John Bull and to try to establish contact with King Arthur Artoria.”

Li Xiaoyao put down his pen. Lately, he had been busy handling matters related to the school’s foundation and hadn’t paid attention to such affairs. “What happened?”

“The propaganda from the Kingdom of John Bull has become more excessive. They’ve started attacking King Arthur’s personal morality, aiming to discredit Artoria on moral grounds. They even proposed a new theory that a king abandoned by the Knights of the Round Table no longer deserves the title of King Arthur!” Zhao Ling’er waved her hand in the air, and a stack of documents appeared on the table.

“Moreover, they blame all of John Bull Kingdom’s failures over the past few centuries on King Arthur. The mainstream opinion now is that since King Arthur is still alive and holds such great power, he should be helping John Bull conquer the world, not standing by and watching it fail.”

Li Xiaoyao’s anger flared just from hearing this. This was a deliberate attempt to stir up conflict between the mysterious and the mundane worlds! At such a critical developmental stage, they were causing internal strife! They aimed to sabotage the peaceful integration of the mystical and ordinary realms! They sought to incite conflict between mortals and cultivators! This was a conspiracy targeting the mystical side!

“How dare they?! Is Eagle Nation behind this again?!” Li Xiaoyao slammed the table, fury surging.

The Heavenly Emperor and Master Kiran had agreed upon a policy of peaceful development and mutual progress not long ago, and now someone was already trying to create trouble?

“Probably not. During the last Cassilius incident, when Eagle Nation tried to steal Hex’s T-800 adaptive mechanical body, they were soundly punished by Black Mordinger and have been much more restrained recently,” Zhao Ling’er analyzed. “Even Hex’s Adult Vocational Academy doesn’t display national emblems, and Eagle Nation hasn’t protested. Plus, analysis reports show Eagle Nation’s fleet has withdrawn from John Bull Kingdom’s waters.”

“That shouldn’t be. There must be other instigators!” Li Xiaoyao frowned. “Their politicians will betray anything, but they wouldn’t do a losing deal. To provoke the Knights of the Round Table, they must have backing and be seeking something in return.”

“The elders think so too. However, the diviners led by Mr. Lin Zhengying haven’t identified the mastermind yet. They’ve only narrowed down the suspects somewhat and believe someone is shielding those people,” Zhao Ling’er explained.

Li Xiaoyao tapped his fingers twice on the table. “What about Artoria? What’s her current situation?”

“Missing.”

“Missing?!”

“Yes. She’s unreachable. Neither official nor private channels can contact her. She’s been silent for some time. This isn’t a good sign.”

Li Xiaoyao stood abruptly. His first instinct was to head to John Bull Kingdom.

In theory, he shouldn’t be so worried about a woman who had lived for two thousand years acting impulsively. But this was King Arthur. If she didn’t act on impulse, the Knights of the Round Table wouldn’t have disbanded. This wasn’t like the myths—Artoria was a woman, and she wouldn’t have conflicts with her own subordinates out of emotion.

But he couldn’t leave the matter here unattended. The Heavenly Court was too busy, and he was the only one authorized to handle things on Earth.

“Ling’er, hand over your current tasks and head to John Bull Kingdom. Since you’re both women, you’ll have more common ground if you meet. Your mission is to persuade Artoria—at all costs, keep the conflict from becoming public!” Li Xiaoyao said as he took a box from his bosom. “Inside are five Spirit Pearls. Take the Nuwa Staff as well. If necessary, you can use force to stop Artoria. Any international disputes arising will be my responsibility.”

“I understand. When I arrived, the handover was already underway. If all goes well, I can leave this afternoon,” Zhao Ling’er nodded firmly.

The Nuwa clan was a great family within the Heavenly Court. Their blessings were spread thin among their members, which explained why Zhao Ling’er had yet to break through to the legendary rank. But with these two treasures, as long as Artoria didn’t completely lose her mind, stopping her shouldn’t be a problem.