Published at 24th of April 2026 6:33 am

Chapter 1692 Intel Source

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Within a private chamber inside the royal palace, King Maximillian and his most trusted Magi had gathered.

Queen Amira sat beside him at the head of the table. On either side were their children, Marlow and Anna. To the prince's left sat Kaspar York. Duke Tanner Bray sat beside the princess, and Duke Tostig Quinn beside him.

After everyone had gathered and the chamber was sealed shut, King

Maximillian finally began. He had a faint smile resting on his face, but the pride and happiness in his ruby eyes were unmistakable.

"Firstly, I would like to announce that my daughter has advanced to the Mana Core Rank," he said in an even voice. "Ignisra is now home to two Mana Core Magi."

Prince Marlow and Queen Amira had already gotten to know about this wonderful piece of news the previous day. Needless to say, they were immensely glad to learn of it.

The rest of the Magi, however, were only just learning about it. And without a doubt, they were thunderstruck by this revelation.

"Princess, you-" Kasper York turned to Anna, his mouth agape. He struggled to find the right words to say, but ended up simply gawking at her.

The two Dukes also displayed similar expressions. It was only when Queen Amira lightly cleared her throat that the three of them snapped out of their stunned stupor. They were slightly embarrassed, but they immediately showered the princess with heartfelt wishes.

Kasper did a quick mental calculation and realized that the princess had only just turned ninety years old. Yet, she had already formed a mana core. Meanwhile, he had been stuck in this arcane stage for a few centuries.

Although slight bitterness arose in his heart, it was nothing compared to the happiness he felt for her. He had been the one to teach the siblings the arcane arts in their youth. To see her become Mana Core Magus at such a young age truly filled him with pride and joy.

"I always knew you were talented, your highness," he said to her with a warm smile. "But still... this is quite the surprise. Just when did you advance, may I ask?"

Anna turned to her and offered a faint smile. "Just a month ago," she said.

As for the matter of her being talented... she recalled all the effort she had put in the past fifty years, while she was training under Vulcan. That was more than half of her life spent tirelessly training.

Yes, she was indeed talented. Far so than her brother and even her father. But talent alone didn't allow one to form a mana core. The right environment and resources also played a crucial role. But nothing was more important than one's discipline.

No matter how talented a Magus was, if they weren't disciplined enough to practice mindfulness and study the mysteries of arcana every day, they would never amount to anything.

Talent gave someone a head start. But it didn't guarantee the finish.

Discipline and hard work did.

Talent could shine for a moment, but without effort, it faded away just as

quickly. Discipline, on the other hand, built slowly. It repeated the same actions,

day after day, until a skill became second nature.

Where talent hesitated, discipline acted. Where talent faded, discipline endured. Hard work filled the gaps talent left behind. It turned little progress into real results over time.

In the end, talent might win a few battles. But discipline and hard work won the

war.

"Now, let us get to the matter at hand," said the King, his voice solemn.

Everyone at the table grew grim at those words. Though war hadn't reached their shores yet, it wouldn't be long before it did. But now that Anna had returned as a Mana Core Magus, they were much more optimistic about their chances at victory with the least casualties.

"Anna." The King turned to his daughter and said, "Tell them what you told me yesterday."

"Yes, your grace." Anna nodded solemnly.

She scanned the faces of everyone present and continued in a serious tone, "We're already aware of the vital role Ignisra and other kindgoms along the southern shores play in this war.

"Carrying supplies through our fixed naval routes is the fastest and most efficient way to support the Union's soldiers, who are engaged in war on the northern borders. The Cult knows this too, and that is why they have been constantly attacking our ships in the Summer Sea."

She paused for a brief moment as everyone at the table nodded in agreement.

"Until now, the Empire and the Cult have only sent Mana Vortex Magi and lesser Magi to wage a battle on the sea. But that won't be for long..."

Duke Bray's eyes nodded. "Are you implying they'll send a Mana Core Magus so soon?"

It was already a given that they'd sent Mana Core Magi to the south. But the people gathered didn't think that the battle would escalate so soon. Something must have changed for the battle stages to accelerate so drastically.

Anna nodded grimly. "According to our intel, the Cult plans to send at least two Mana Core Magi to the Summer Sea."

"At least two?" Duke Quinn was taken aback.

However, Kasper York picked up on another detail. "Your highness," he began. "When you say 'our intel', do you mean..."

"Yes." Anna nodded, her ruby eyes gleaming with certainty. "I mean the Dark King's army's intel."

She paused briefly. "We have it on good authority that the Empire intends to cripple the Union's supply lines. They will be targeting the logistics route in the Summer Sea very soon. And we need to be prepared. This is why I have

returned. To protect my home."

"What is your source of information?" Tostig Quinn couldn't help but ask.

However, Anna did not reply. She simply offered a faint smile in response. The others at the table knew better than to press for further clarifications. Truth be told, Anna herself did not know who or what the information source was. But until now, all of the intel that they had received was solid. So she

didn't have any reason to doubt.

In fact, it was because of this intel source that the Dark King's army had been

able to deal such damage to the Empire and the Cult.

"How much time do we have to prepare?" Kasper asked grimly.

"Not long." Anna shook her head.

"It could be a few days. It could be a few weeks. But within the next thirty days,

I am certain the Cult will make their move."

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