Ruijing Garden, Floating City.

The situation has become more and more dire.

News from the north proves that the Light of Truth Floating City has been attacked by Star Beasts.

Although they relied on one of the Arcane Emperor's clones to deal with the enemies there, the scattered invaders still brought unimaginable disasters and losses to the Arcane Empire.

Remote towns and cities have fallen one after another, and human settlements have been slaughtered and burned, leaving little time left for the Morrian plane.

The upper echelons of the Arcane Empire were naturally well aware of the calamities facing the Morrian plane, but when the news reached the middle level, the relevant content was much simpler and crude. By the time the news reached the average Arcanist, it was already vague and difficult to distinguish between true and false.

As for the ordinary people at the bottom of the plane, they are all abandoned objects, and it is naturally impossible to know what kind of calamity is about to befall them.

The massive selection of Arcane apprentices took place abruptly.

It has not yet reached the time point for the selection of arcane apprentices, but the floating cities located in various places have already issued mandatory orders for the selection of outstanding arcane apprentices to be sent to the floating city for alternatives.

A large number of excellent and gifted children were selected and sent to the floating city one after another, which also brought this city facing great danger of war back to life due to the injection of a large amount of living blood.

The empire is retreating...... This news is no longer a secret, but a matter of intense discussion among all Arcanists and apprentices.

Most of the Arcanists were naturally included in the retreat list, but the list of Arcane Apprentices was much smaller.

As the arcane center of the Ryan Province on the Kentos Continent, the number of arcane apprentices who live, study, and research here is as high as 30,000, and the number of newly selected little ones is approaching 50,000.

According to authoritative information circulating inside, the number of apprentices that the Arcane Empire can transfer away is up to 4,000.

After all, the entire Arcane Empire has seven continents, more than twenty provinces, and seventy-six floating cities. Even if only 4,000 people were selected for each floating city, that would be a huge number of nearly 300,000.

What's more, in addition to the future new blood such as arcane apprentices, each floating city also needs to transfer a large number of arcanists, arcane equipment, various precision instruments and equipment, plus a huge amount of resources and materials, as well as various daily necessities.

To be honest, even the quota of 4,000 arcane apprentices was squeezed out by the upper echelons of the Arcane Empire after gritting their teeth and abandoning a group of arcanists with no development potential.

It's just that the good intentions of the upper echelons and those at the bottom will never be able to understand, and they are still obsessed with simple numerical comparisons.

50,000 vs 4,000......

What a huge disparity between two numbers!

If the units behind them were gold coins, the sheer disparity would be enough to make one secretly marvel. But if the unit behind them is human life, its impregnated value is even greater than it is difficult to estimate in detail.

These days, the people in Ruijing Garden Floating City are panicked, and all the arcanists are busy with the transfer of resources and supplies, and most of the arcane institutions and facilities are facing closure and dismantling. The arcane apprentices who were at a loss either went around the camp to find out about the retreat list, or they knew that they had no hope of squeezing into the list of 4,000 people, so they could only pack their bags and prepare to return to their homeland and hometown.

Although it is difficult for them to understand the current situation of the war and the dynamics of the high-level situation, the difficulties of the current situation are obvious to all.

In the territory of the Arcane Empire, there have been six or seven terrible incidents of foreign invaders openly attacking the floating city. Although most of the attacks were repulsed and the invaders were eliminated, two floating cities were sacrificed to war, falling into the sky amid the wails of the multitude.

Floating City Falls...... Such a thing has almost never happened in the history of the Arcane Empire in the past 10,000 years, so the blow to the confidence of the Arcane people is particularly severe.

The Floating City is no longer a hanging garden that never falls, and it is no longer an arcane fortress that is absolutely safe in the hearts of the Arcane people. Numerous reports from all over the world also indicate that most of the invading monsters are targeting large cities and floating cities.

Therefore, in the case of the dwindling Arcane Empire, staying in the Floating City any longer will not only not feel safe, but will be even more worrying.

Many Arcane families who are not qualified to take the retreating fleet have no choice but to find a different way to create shelters in some of the wildest and most secluded places on the continents, preparing for the coming Arcane Dusk.

Therefore, those arcane apprentices who were not selected for the list of 4,000 people were also anxious to rush back to their families as soon as possible, and strive to occupy some better positions for themselves and their relatives in those safe fortresses. And in order to strengthen the family's momentum and seek greater right to survive, they are also trying their best to win over some helpless high-level apprentices.

And Lucia, as a great beauty with the title of senior apprentice in alchemy and puppet refining, naturally received the largest number of olive branches. It's a pity that Lucia was unmoved, and simply rejected everyone, still shuttling between the arcane research room, the library, and the arcane academy every day according to her usual routine.

On this day, Lucia walked hurriedly on the familiar moon-white path with a thick stack of arcane books in her arms, surrounded by hurried apprentices. There were no smiles on everyone's faces, and there were no young figures to relax and relax beside the soft sand and beautiful fountains, and the whole floating city seemed to fall into a kind of depression, oppressive and painful.

Lucia walked silently with her head down.

It wasn't until a familiar corner of the robe, along with a pair of beautifully shaped Arcane boots, came into her sight that she stopped and lifted her head.

What appeared in front of him was the heroic, handsome young apprentice Sauron.

And he frowned, his face was haggard, and he looked tormented by his heart.

"Sauron, you...... Not gone yet?" Lucia covered her mouth in surprise.

Looking at Lucia's pretty, bright eyes, Sauron's shriveled mouth opened several times before he finally spoke.

"My grandfather has decided to evacuate today......"

"Congratulations, I'll bless you......" Lucia smiled sincerely.

Sauron's pained gaze scrutinized Lucia's face, but there was no trace of falsehood or disguise in the other party's smile.

"Grandpa has urged me to leave...... I'm just here to ask you one last time, you...... Are you really reluctant to come with me?"

Lucia slowly put away her smile and shook her head solemnly again.

Lucia ...... I...... I take back what I said earlier, and I won't force you to do anything with this quota anymore. You...... You are free...... Come with me, I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do, just ask you to come with me...... Okay?" said Sauron, the expression on his face pained and distorted, and it was clear that he had made a great deal of determination to make this decision.

Lucia was stunned for a moment, then a beautiful smile slowly bloomed on her face.

She stepped forward, took Sauron's face, and willingly offered her first kiss.

However, just as Sauron was in a state of surprise and tried to grab her, Lucia took a sharp step back and broke away from his embrace.

"Sauron, let's go!" Lucia's little face was still red and bright because of the kiss just now, full of stunning brilliance: "This kiss is our farewell gift." We'll probably never see each other again, so ...... I hope you can leave without any worries, and continue to work hard for the future of the empire and the inheritance of arcane civilization!"

"No...... Lucia, I ...... I can't leave you here!" Sauron was clearly unable to accept the reality in front of him, and his voice was almost hoarse.

"I won't leave!" Lucia's face faded with shyness, but because of the strange look in her eyes, another layer of divine brilliance was cast: "My life belongs to the arcane! Even if I have to face death in the next moment, I will not stop my steps." This...... It was the oath I made when I was elected as an Arcane Apprentice, and it was the belief I pursued all my life. So, even without this disaster, we are not destined to be together! I hope you can understand my heart......"

Sauron's expression was pained and gloomy.

After a long time, he finally got out of the way to the Arcane Academy.

Lucia stared at him deeply, and hurried out on her journey again.

Looking at the pretty and resolute figure, perceiving the heart like a knife, Sauron finally shed rolling tears.

At some point, an old arcanist appeared beside Sauron, and he also silently looked in the direction where Lucia had disappeared, his eyes full of silence and pain.

"She's a good girl...... It's a pity that it doesn't belong to you!" the old man said lightly: "If I am as carefree as her, maybe I will make the same choice as her." It's a pity ......"

Bowing his head and groaning to adjust his mentality, the old man raised his head again.

"Let's go, Sauron! there's no hope here...... The task of rebuilding a new arcane empire in the Atlas will not be easy, and your future is not here, but far away. The glory of the arcane arts, the glory of the family, we are all old, and these can only be passed on and carried forward by you. So, cheer up, grit your teeth, for the sake of the Arcane Empire, for the Jonas family, live strong!"

Sauron's body trembled slightly.

After a long time, he finally wiped away his tears, turned to face his grandfather, and nodded, "I understand...... Let's go, grandpa......"

Then, in a burst of sudden white light, the two suddenly disappeared.