Chapter 5 Beard 1 blows thousands of gold

At this moment, on the top floor of the towering and magnificent Prophet Tower, situated at the heart of the Rose Holy Sanctuary, was undoubtedly the best vantage point in the entire academy. From here, one could overlook the entirety of the Rose Holy Sanctuary, giving anyone a sense of having everything under control.

The high-level meeting had just concluded, and Dean Hawkland of the Rune Academy stayed behind to have a serious conversation with the headmaster.

"Headmaster, I absolutely disagree. Why should he be transferred to the Rune Academy? Absolutely not! Runes are the foundation of our Rose Holy Sanctuary. I don't care about other branches, but we won't accept trash!"

Dean Hawkland spoke firmly, his beard bristling. In front of him sat an elegant yet icy woman in her thirties, with short purple hair, exuding a sense of efficiency. Her determined expression revealed her strong will, and a gentle smile gradually appeared on her face, which was beautiful yet distant.

This instantly melted the tense atmosphere.

Beautiful women always made it easier for people to talk.

This was Karida, currently the most controversial headmaster in the history of the Holy Sanctuary, and her controversies began when she was just five years old.

It's worth mentioning that nominally, the Holy Sanctuary itself is private property and also part of Karida's family estate.

The cold Karida from the dungeon was nowhere to be seen; instead, she sat with a smile, patiently listening to Dean Hawkland's complaints. After he finished, she placed a cup of tea in front of him.

"What headmaster or not, Grandpa Hawkland, please calm down. This is some Purple Cloud Tea I stole from my grandfather. Try it and see if it tastes right," Karida said.

Hawkland's attention was momentarily diverted by the Purple Cloud Tea. He sniffed it deeply and couldn't help but shake his head, "Really good stuff."

Suddenly, his eyes cleared, and he quickly put the tea down. "Ahem, Headmaster Karida, we're discussing official business here. Let's get straight to the point. I've always supported your reforms, but runes are the pride of the Rose Holy Sanctuary. The opposing Judgment Academy is just waiting to mock us. Wang Feng is absolutely unacceptable. How can a creature that can't even brew potions learn runes? It's an insult to runes!"

Karida remained patient and smiled. "Grandpa Hawkland, you've watched me grow up. I understand your concerns. But think about it, as soon as I expanded, this incident happened. If we directly expel him, it would only make us look even more foolish. Our revitalization plan would stumble at the first step. And as you said, a creature learning runes is indeed unacceptable. Just leave him there."

In fact, when Wang Feng pointed out the key issue, Karida already understood. Catching a spy was minor; both sides had been at it constantly. But in this sensitive situation, no other sanctuaries faced issues, only her Rose Holy Sanctuary did. She could imagine what awaited them.

Hawkland paused, then laughed. "You've always been clever since you were a child. I understand."

"I have no choice. The increase in personnel brings funding and quality issues that need to be addressed. There might be a few bad apples, but I'm certain that the old selection system overlooked some talents. Didn't the late master say that everyone has a reason to exist? My approach aligns with the spirit of the Holy Sanctuary," Karida said with a smile.

Hawkland relaxed, savoring the exquisite Purple Cloud Tea offered by his old rival's granddaughter. It was truly delicious.

"It's not that I'm being old-fashioned, but why expand and admit the Beast Race? They're barbarians who lower our standards," Hawkland said.

The Beast Race had nothing but brute strength and were merely cannon fodder. Their minds couldn't accommodate refined civilization. Lowering the threshold had already lowered the standards of the Rose Holy Sanctuary. Introducing Beastmen would further degrade it... Hawkland genuinely didn't understand.

"Grandpa Hawkland, the Beast Race isn't as stupid as you think. During my travels through the Nine Gods Empire, I saw how poorly they fare. I want to change things through this method," Karida said, smiling gently. Some things only become clear when seen firsthand.

"That's too far-fetched. The Beast Race is inherently slaves or masters, and their strict hierarchy is ingrained. You can't change that," Hawkland chuckled, finding young people's idealistic ideas amusing.

"A small flame can start a great fire," Karida said calmly, knowing that some things are only understood through personal experience.

"Haha, you're the headmaster, so you decide. But the addition of the Eight Legions has certainly boosted our morale. The other day, I ran into an old guy from Judgment and gave him a good mocking!" Hawkland said proudly. The Eight Legions were traditionally closed off and had every reason to be proud. This was the first time their young elites entered the Holy Sanctuary to study, likely due to Karida's influence. Rumor had it that the current ruler of the Datura Empire had a special regard for Karida...

Karida smiled slightly. "I hope they won't disappoint me."

Only someone like Karida could be so audacious, but she had the ability to back it up.

"Niece, the research on universal runes is at a critical stage. We need another thirty percent increase in funding this year!" Hawkland said, holding up three fingers while sipping his tea.

Runes were divided into universal runes and combat runes. While the inheritance of combat runes was manageable, most universal rune technology was monopolized by the Nine Gods Empire. For example, Zeppelin airships required significant investment from the League of Blades, and they still had to deal with Sea Clan merchants. What a world.

Karida shook her head. "At most, a ten percent increase. You know that after the expansion, all the academies are facing budget shortages."

"Ten percent it is. Niece, you're truly talented. In these two years, you've made bold and innovative changes. I believe the Rose Academy will stand tall under your leadership... By the way, could I take some of this Purple Cloud Tea with me?"