The Spider Queen

(Procyon Star System- Territory of House Peterlor)

(Lunar Colony- Votuclite)

This was not the first time that Rokan had dealt with the destruction of one of his mining colonies, it was almost to be expected at this point.

In fact, during his first few years as the head of the Peterlor household, there were many greedy nobles eyeing his property with great interest.

The government would turn a blind eye to petty matters like small fights between nobles as long as it did not escalate to genocide or complete annihilation.

However, the nature of this attack was a bit different as no noble house had openly claimed responsibility for the matter.

The pirates and petty criminals who were active in this particular space sector had long fled after the duke led a private campaign against them.

Dozens of illegally constructed starship fleets had been burnt to ash and the duke himself had singlehandedly wiped-out entire crews with one slash of his sword.

Finding the true mastermind behind the attack was proving to be difficult as even the leader of the attack did not know the identity of his employer.

Orin 'Snake- eye' Jackson was now nothing more than a headless corpse thrown out of the garbage chute and left to float in the endless void of space.

Rokan did have an inkling of an idea about who was the puppet master but without evidence there was no use in confronting him.

Besides there were now more pressing issues to address.

Sophie's recent messages about her new abilities and powers were quite concerning.

Rokan was feeling quite helpless as Thai'lle had never shown off any strange states when they were together.

Well aside from one particular night when she branded a strange pink mark on the middle of his chest during one of their passionate lovemaking sessions.

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But Rokan refused to believe that his innocent daughter Sophie would have done that to anyone yet.

She was far too young to be doing any inappropriate stuff!

Anyways, the duke was looking forward to seeing his daughter after her midterm exams concluded as he missed her terribly.

And he had to tell her about an important invitation he had received from the emperor.

(Zrudread University)

(Administration Building)

"Now are there any more suggestions or concerns about the upcoming midterm exams?" Principal Malik adjusted his glasses as he spoke.

The albino Mendolesa elder was currently leaning against a memory foam chair while the heads of the various departments were seated around a circular table.

Zrudread University placed a heavy emphasis on combat and hence the nature of the exams given to the students often reflected that.

Students took these exams very seriously as performing well could lead to a promotion to the elite class.

The resources and quality of teaching given to those in the elite class was simply objectively higher in every measure.

Students in the elite class were seen as the cream of the crop.

Today was the last general meeting held before the midterms in order to finalise the details or suggest any last-minute changes.

"Isn't the midterm exam for the freshman poison cultivators too dangerous?" a soft spoken Servie flapped her wings uneasily.

"I understand the importance of learning about poisons and antidotes, but we can test the effectiveness of the antidotes using a composite analysis device."

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"We cannot allow students to ingest the poison and then take their antidote to see if it works!"

"Professor Macabre what do you have to say about that?" Principal Malik glanced at the scarred woman wearing a simple white lab coat.

"In my years of teaching, I have often found that students perform best when they have to drink the poison themselves," Professor Macabre whispered in a low tone.

"It is a necessary skill for any poison cultivator to quickly analyse new toxins and create antidotes."

"Composite analysis devices are too bulky to be used in field settings, so I do not want my students to develop a reliance on them."

"Besides the poison I have selected is nonlethal and I will be present at the testing site in case anything goes wrong."

"But…" another voice interrupted from the corner of the room, but Principal Malik just raised his hand calmly.

"I have already gone over Professor Macabre's plan for her midterm exam and have approved it," the elderly Mendolesa spoke.

Small grumblings of discontent could be heard from some other teachers, but the vast majority remained silent.

There was always a thin line to tread between throwing students into realistic scenarios and ensuring their safety.

Cultivation was dangerous.

It was estimated that twenty five percent of all graduates would die during their service in the Imperial Army.

This meant that the university had a responsibility to ensure that their students would be as prepared as possible even if that meant sacrificing their safety in some regards.

Professor Macabre was an ex-mercenary who spent years fighting at the border with the nickname of 'The Plague Doctor.'

Her methods may be a bit more extreme than the other lecturers but the poison cultivators she trained had a high rate of survival.

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"By the way Professor Dayshore, it seems that Archmage Hollystorm's apprentice will be taking the mage midterm exams," Principal Malik raised another point.

"Sent me the battle footage of her results as soon as she completes the exam."

It would be useful to see what exactly was so special about this Mendolesa girl that convinced an Archmage to leave his position at Mer University to personally come and teach.

Principal Malik checked the files in front of him and pulled up the profile of the apprentice.

Hmm…. so, her name was Astrid Lockhart?

Wait.

Why was the name Lockhart so familiar?

Principal Malik subconsciously frowned and furrowed his brows as he tried to recall where exactly he had seen that name before.

Nothing could come to mind so he just chalked it up to pure coincidence and continued the meeting.

"We have agreed that all freshmen students will have to participate in the mandatory midterm exam codenamed 'Island Survival' and then additional exams based on their majors."

"Has there been any problems with securing the challenges the students will face on the island?"

"I have contacted several beast dealers who are willing to sell some class A and B dangerous animals," Instructor Selvon joined in the conversation.

"But some of the species are in the middle of their mating season so they will be more aggressive than usual."

"We may have to upgrade the barrier devices just in case."

This would be an additional expense, but money was one aspect that Zrudread University did not lack, so it was a simple matter to approve.

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