Chapter 165: The Golden Giant Gate

"Hm?"

Suddenly, Lin Wei looked towards the room's door, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

"Someone is coming..."

Lin Wei could distinctly sense that two official wizards had already arrived outside his door.

Knock, knock, knock!

True to his premonition, a brief and forceful knock echoed from outside the door the next moment.

"Are we heading to that mysterious dimension of certain death?"

Lin Wei had long since prepared himself mentally for this; he felt no panic, instead slowly walking towards the door.

Creak...

The door was pushed open.

Standing outside were two men clad in gray wizard robes.

Both were men of exceptionally lean builds, with stern expressions, sunken eye sockets, and an oppressive aura emanating from their entire bodies.

"Might I ask who you lords are?"

Lin Wei lowered his head slightly, asking in a humble tone.

"Lin Wei Nolanshine?"

One of the official wizards asked directly, ignoring Lin Wei's query.

"Yes, that's me."

Lin Wei nodded in response.

Both official wizards wore expressionless faces, devoid of the slightest emotional fluctuation.

"Come with us."

The official wizard who had spoken earlier commanded in a detached tone.

"Why?"

Though Lin Wei knew the answer full well, he still feigned a look of bewilderment.

The two official wizards exchanged glances. The one who had remained silent thus far drew a metal plaque engraved with wizard runes from his wide sleeve.

"The Enforcement Team?"

Lin Wei put on a surprised expression.

Every wizard academy had an Enforcement Team; they punished and governed those who violated academy rules according to institutional statutes, wielding immense authority. Not even the Council of Elders could interfere with Enforcement Team affairs, as they answered directly to the Academy Dean.

"My lords, I haven't done anything to violate academy regulations."

Lin Wei quickly offered a defense.

"We know that. Bringing you with us has nothing to do with violating academy rules."

The official wizard slipped the identity-verifying metal plaque back into his sleeve.

"Then what am I going to do..."

Before Lin Wei could finish, he was directly interrupted by the official wizard, who waved his hand with a look of utter impatience: "You'll know when you get there."

Seeing this, Lin Wei displayed a reluctant expression, but pressed no further, nodding in consent instead.

He gently pulled his door shut, instinctively rubbing the spatial ring on his finger.

The bronze ring given to him by Glesis had been safely stowed inside his spatial ring.

Lin Wei was not particularly worried that the Shadow Forest would search him. If that were the case, Glesis would never have handed him the bronze ring without any parting instructions.

"My lords, where are we going?"

Lin Wei asked the official wizard leading the way.

The two official wizards flanked him, one in front and one behind, trapping him in a pincer formation as if fearing he might suddenly attempt to escape.

"You'll know when you get there."

The official wizard replied indifferently.

...

The official wizards led Lin Wei through a series of twists and turns until they arrived at an open clearing almost completely swallowed by darkness.

The trees here were exceptionally tall, towering far above any others within the academy grounds.

"This is the clearing behind the Shadow Forest Tower..."

Lin Wei had originally thought the two official wizards would bring him inside the 'Tower', considering that the Holy Pearl fragment was enshrined there.

The clearing was entirely empty, save for the three of them.

"Well... you moved quite fast, didn't you?"

Suddenly, a low voice echoed from behind the trio.

The three of them hurriedly turned around.

A bald, burly man had abruptly materialized there, rubbing his smooth scalp with a strange smile on his face.

"So powerful!"

The instant Lin Wei made eye contact with the bald giant, a profound sensation of hair-raising dread surged through him.

The bald giant had deliberately restrained his terrifying aura, yet even so, a marrow-deep pressure of superiority naturally leaked from his person, entirely independent of raw power.

"Lord Dean!"

Seeing the bald man, the two official wizards hurriedly bowed in salute. The gazes they directed toward the bald man carried deep reverence and fanatical worship.

"Dean Jartins?!"

Lin Wei's pupils constricted sharply.

Though Jartins' name was legendary like thunder echoing in his ears, this was the first time Lin Wei had seen him in the flesh.

"Greetings, Lord Dean!"

Lin Wei hurriedly bowed in unison with the two official wizards.

"So this is the genius valued by Nolenhieu..." Jartins narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Lin Wei. "He truly seems to possess great talent... but what a pity, he is destined to be an important sacrifice after all..."

"You made good time. The others haven't arrived yet..."

Jartins nodded toward Lin Wei, then addressed the two official wizards.

The two official wizards merely smiled humbly, offering no verbal reply.

"Lin Wei..." Jartins seemed to pause momentarily to recall the name.

"Lord Dean."

Lin Wei took a small step forward.

"Since you've arrived first, you may go inside ahead of the others..."

With that, Jartins casually flicked his wrist, and a multicolored thread materialized in his palm.

Jartins gazed at the multicolored thread for a few seconds, then tossed it into mid-air.

The thread, originally only about ten centimeters long, suddenly rose without wind the moment it floated into the air, rapidly lengthening in the span of just a few breaths until it reached ten meters, where it hovered in place.

Hum...

The multicolored thread emitted a faint vibration, abruptly radiating a dazzling, brilliant glow.

Rumble!

A giant golden gate slowly emerged directly above the multicolored thread. Inscribed upon the golden gate were mysterious runes, symbols seemingly even more ancient than extant wizard characters.

An aura of primordial eternity emanated from the golden gate; even Jartins looked upon the golden gate with profound reverence.

After a dozen breaths, the golden gate finally fully emerged from the multicolored thread.

"Is this the door leading to that mysterious dimension?"

Shock filled Lin Wei's eyes. At this moment, he was entirely certain that this giant golden gate was unquestionably a construct left behind by the Great Wizard Vicalers!

From this giant golden gate, Lin Wei sensed the aura of an entirely different, higher-tier wizard civilization.

Rumble!

The giant golden gate produced another intense roar.

It began to descend slowly, while the radiance of the multicolored thread faded and quickly vanished into nothingness.

Thud!

The giant golden gate slammed heavily onto the ground, and at the instant of its landing, the surrounding air seemed to shudder violently.

Jartins let out a breath and turned to look at Lin Wei: "Lin Wei, go on in..."

Clang!

The moment Jartins' voice fell, the giant golden gate swung wide open!