[Chapter 26 Comment]
[Xinhuan: Mia is too smart for a 7 year old human! Most can't even do simple math yet!]
[Adam_Balch_7324: Yeah there's just no way someone like Gareth could survive after losing the only thin allowing his constant bullying. You know what they say about karma…]
Theo saw Xinhuan's comment and couldn't help but smile proudly. "Of course. I taught her myself. You should be able to see a lot of videos of a very young kid able to achieve a lot of things. And Mia is one of them, but most of my lessons are structured in a way where she can connect one dot to another. So, you can say that I'm training her logical thinking as high as possible in addition to her ability practice. But if you talk about advanced math or other things, she won't be able to answer you."
Theo also agreed with the second comment as it was the reason why he decided to end things that way. If he personally killed Gareth, it would just cause a feud with the king of the Linkeldonia Kingdom. But since it was his own people that killed him, he should be safe for the time being.
After replying to the comments, Theo stepped out of the car, finding the students waiting for him in a giant lobby. They had arrived at the Interworld Agency. This agency was responsible for managing the portals that connected to other worlds. If they wanted to visit another realm, they had to register and go through all the necessary processes.
This time, their mission was to visit the Exorcism World where Haruka lived. Unfortunately, due to her loss to Oliver, she couldn't personally come back. It would have been beneficial to have Haruka with them as she could guide them or provide support from her family. However, Theo intentionally chose not to involve her because he wanted to teach the kids how to survive in an unfamiliar place as well.
"Teacher, we've been waiting for you." Maya waved her hand with a smile.
"I'm not late." Theo chuckled. "I'm one minute early, according to the promised time."
"Yeah, I know you're going to say that." Maya chuckled.
Theo's expression soon became serious. "Have you read my email from yesterday?"
"Of course." Maya took out her Lumina and opened the screen containing the mission details.
[Mission: The Haunted Village Investigation]
[Difficulty: 2.5 Stars]
[Description: The villagers have been experiencing a rise in ghostly apparitions, poltergeist activity, and unexplained phenomena. It is causing distress and fear among the locals, disrupting their daily lives.]
"Ghost hunting," Maya smirked. "I don't even know if my modern weapon can harm them or not... But essence should be able to do it, right?"
Li Wei nodded. "I should have no problem cutting through the ghosts."
"I have prepared a lot of things for the investigation, so please don't hesitate to ask me about anything. I can't remember everything because I brought too much," Oliver said with an awkward smile.
"By the way, if you need Space Rings, you can just ask me for one. It acts as storage, but with some limitations and not as practical as yours."
"Besides, my inventory ability is as big as our school field. If I get stronger, I might have an even bigger one," Oliver added, shrugging.
"Since you've understood the assignment, let's go, shall we?" Theo smiled.
"Yes!" They answered without hesitation. Even Li Wei had a hard time maintaining his poker face due to the excitement that came with the mission. He wondered what kind of lesson he would learn from Theo.
They entered the giant building and saw a grand lobby. However, their destination remained unchanged. They hastened their pace and reached the receptionist.
Theo showed them the academy badge and said, "We're on a mission. I should have completed all the formalities. The person on the other side should have granted permission as well."
The receptionist nodded. "Certainly. May I know if I'm speaking with Mr. Theodore Griffith?"
Theo took out his ID card and scanned his fingerprints and retina to prove his identity.
"Thank you." The receptionist took some time to process the request before handing him a green card. "Please proceed to corridor 8B. The person there will guide you to your passage."
"Thanks." Theo took the card and led the students to the passage.
It didn't take long for them to meet another person who guided them to another passage. There were a total of nine passages in this place, leading to their respective worlds. Each world had studied the mechanism of the portal and gradually gained control over it. They had even set up a few more teleportation points all around their world. The modern world they were currently in also had several teleportation points.
After completing some procedures, they finally reached another grand hall where the portal was located. The portal was twenty meters in diameter, resembling a blue whirlpool that provided no view of the other side. However, numbers were displayed above the portal, indicating the destination of each warp point.
Theo handed the green card to the staff in the hall.
"Ayashiki Capital, Fighter," the staff member confirmed Theo's intention and business. "The portal will be opened within fifteen minutes. I'll inform you again when it's your turn, sir."
"Thank you."
Since there were many people waiting to go to other worlds, whether for sightseeing or business, Theo understood the waiting time. Additionally, with numerous warp locations but only one portal, patience was required. So, they waited patiently until the portal was opened.
Without hesitation, they entered the portal. Upon contact with the vortex, they felt a gentle breeze brushing against their skin. With a single blink of an eye, they suddenly found themselves in a different scenery.
They stood on top of a giant platform located in another building, but the style of the building was vastly different from the previous one. Wooden decorations and gentle neon lights adorned the surroundings. Theo glanced at the students to ensure they had teleported to the same destination.
"Welcome to the Ayashiki Capital." A gentle lady approached them and politely extended her hand. "Sir Theodore Griffith, correct? Your patron has been waiting for you at the end of the corridor."
"Thanks." Theo nodded.
"Let's go. Do you think we'll have time to buy souvenirs?" Maya playfully looked around, but Li Wei glared at her, reminding her that they were here for a mission, not sightseeing.
Theo chuckled and led the group to meet their guarantor.
The guarantor turned out to be a beautiful lady in her late twenties, radiating elegance and poise. She had long, flowing ebony hair that cascaded down to her waist. She carried a faint luminescence, giving her an otherworldly aura. However, she had put on a formal suit to match the universal formal attire required to meet Theo.
"Mr. Theodore Griffith?" The lady immediately approached them and extended her hand.
"Yes."
"I am Amara Ishikawa, a Spiritual Diplomat. I'm also one of the high priestesses of the Sacred Temple in the city. I have been waiting for you." She took out her Lumina and showed her identity to establish trust.
"Thank you for receiving us. It's unexpected for someone without any exorcism experience to be accepted. We'll learn a lot from you," Theo said.
"Haha. You don't need to worry about that. Other worlds can also harness unique powers. So, we should be the ones learning from you." She shook his hand and continued, "Please follow me."
They followed Amara as she began to explain the details. "We have arranged lodging and meals for you. I know you must be tired, but the situation in the village has worsened recently. Although I would like to let you rest, I believe we must begin the investigation tomorrow... or approximately twelve hours from now."
"What about the support personnel?"
"Currently, I am overseeing the entire investigation. While it may not be dangerous, we're ensuring the safety of the children. As for the support personnel, there are ten 1-Star Exorcists and three 2-Star Exorcists. They should be sufficient for now."
"The area?"
"We have sealed off the area. Most of the villagers have been evacuated, but some are possessed. So, if possible, try not to harm them. If you are unable to do anything, please inform us, and we will attempt to separate them from the ghosts."
Amara provided answers to all the important questions Theo had. On one hand, she displayed her professionalism as a high priestess, and on the other hand, she was astonished by Theo's inquiries, realizing their significance. It seemed that Theo possessed extensive experience in missions like this, making her believe that the situation would progress smoothly.
"Have you gathered the basic information?"
"Currently, we suspect that the enemy is a Destroyer Rank ghost. As you may know, we classify our enemies, such as ghosts or demons, into five ranks: Normal, Destroyer, Noble, Disaster, and World. A Destroyer Rank ghost can typically devastate a village and cause significant casualties. However, with careful exorcism, they can be contained quite easily."
Theo pondered for a moment before asking, "What about the Noble Rank?"
"A Noble Rank ghost can cause immense destruction in a city."
"How many people do you usually deploy to stop an enemy of that magnitude?"
"Huh?" Amara became confused, not understanding why Theo asked such a question. Nevertheless, she answered, "In such cases, we usually send two or three four-star exorcists like myself, along with numerous exorcists below us. After all, when an enemy of this rank appears, they usually have armies or can cause massive destruction, necessitating a considerable force to contain the damage."
"In that case, you should make some preparations," Theo added.
"Huh?" Amara frowned. "I don't think I understand what you're referring to."
"Well, you can consider it as me being paranoid. But I'm concerned that the enemy we're going to face will be stronger than originally thought," Theo explained. He knew there would be challenges in this mission. When he considered it, there was a chance that the author decided not to do anything to make Theo look bad. However, if the author dared to do so, the mission would become extremely boring. Thus, he must be planning something.
Theo simply wanted to be prepared for the worst-case scenario.
"That's not something I can do immediately... Unless there are clear signs indicating such an occurrence, I can't mobilize that many people on short notice," Amara apologized.
"Teacher, does that mean we're going to fight that kind of enemy?" Maya asked, curious.
"Who knows? But it's better to be prepared," Theo shrugged.
Li Wei furrowed his eyebrows, wondering why Theo appeared apprehensive. However, he knew that Theo expressed his wisdom in his own unique way, so there might be an underlying meaning behind this instruction.
Oliver had a similar thought. He sensed something in Theo that he hadn't noticed before. Thus, Theo must have seen something more in this mission.
Unfortunately, Amara didn't personally know Theo. As much as she wanted to accommodate his request, she couldn't do so without any concrete evidence. Other exorcists could spend their time battling other enemies, after all.
In the end, Amara said, "I will do whatever I can. For now, I'll guide you to your hotel."