Long ago, Andreas had speculated whether the Tidestone was truly stored in Nathrezim Academy, just as it was in the game.
After all, the time scale spanned ten thousand years, and no one could be sure what had happened at Nathrezim Academy during that time, or whether anyone had brought the Tidestone in or out.
Although the Pillars of Creation were powerful, the artifacts left behind by the Titans were never meant for Mortals.
Even the Titan Keepers would expend immense energy activating the power of the Pillars of Creation, let alone Mortals whose life and soul forms were far inferior to theirs.
Hoon Highmountain's experience was a typical example.
The Great Chieftain of the Tauren, who had made great contributions during the War of the Ancients, passed away from illness at the newly completed Thunder Totem just about ten years after using the hammer of khazgoroth to drive out Deathwing.
Hoon was in the prime of his life at the time, and given his original physical condition, living to the maximum lifespan of a Tauren would not have been an issue.
No one used the hammer of Khazgoroth after Hoon died; the holy hammer is still enshrined in Thunder Totem, the capital of the Highmountain Tauren.
Similarly, during the War of the Ancients, Andreas and Tyrande together bore the cost of using the tear of Elune, and even so, it left them exhausted for quite some time.
Andreas even suspected that Elune had secretly given them a boost while they were using this Pillar of Creation.
The Pillars of Creation were an absolute double-edged sword for Mortals. Although he suspected the Tidestone might be hidden in Nathrezim Academy, Andreas had never set out to look for it, because even if he found it, he wouldn't dare use it casually.
This trip to Azsuna was planned primarily to retrieve the precious magic books from Nathrezim Academy; searching for the Tidestone was merely incidental.
But since he had confirmed that this Pillar of Creation was here, Andreas did not intend to foolishly give it up.
As the group walked deeper into the Staff Room, the female ghost holding the Tidestone suddenly turned around.
"I have told you countless times, apprentices are not allowed to enter the Headmaster's Office without permission! Apprentices who violate the rules, accept your punishment!"
The female ghost, who was presumably the Headmaster, waved the magic wand in her hand. A faint aqua-blue light began to flash on the Tidestone, and the moisture concentration around Andreas and the others was rapidly rising.
Having been with the Tidestone for thousands of years, this Headmaster Ghost seemed to have figured out a clever way to partially activate the artifact's power, only borrowing a fraction of its strength.
Andreas' eyes lit up; the Headmaster's method gave him some inspiration.
In terms of spell usage, Andreas did not consider himself a heaven-sent genius.
Most of the spells he researched were derivations and modifications based on future Priest abilities; they were merely reproductions, not true creations.
Having always been constrained by the overwhelming power of the Pillars of Creation, he had always maintained a cautious attitude when using the Tear of Elune... Of course, another reason was that he hadn't encountered a powerful enemy worth giving his all for.
Andreas' planning always emphasized careful deliberation before action. For example, when facing Loken's threat previously, he didn't try to force a boost to kill Loken himself, but instead leveraged the situation to mobilize Thorim to deal with him.
Facts proved that this approach was very effective.
Loken, harboring guilt, dared not face Thorim outside Ulduar. He was no match for Thorim in a direct confrontation and chose to flee.
However, Andreas' mature and cautious style of conduct sometimes made him lack adventurous spirit. The stagnation in the research of the tear of Elune's usage was precisely because he prioritized stability too much.
With the example of this Headmaster Ghost using the Tidestone right before him, Andreas confirmed at least one thing: the Pillars of Creation could lend certain power without being fully activated.
While Andreas' brain was working at high speed, the surrounding moisture gradually condensed, forming two massive Water Elementals.
"Whoa! That's too big!"
Leticia stared in horror at the two Water Elementals that nearly touched the ceiling. She turned to look at the human-height "miniature" version Aurora had just summoned, and asked with a conflicted expression, "Are you really using the same spell?"
Aurora immediately flared up, "Don't ask me! She's holding an artifact!"
Andreas smiled faintly, twisting the corner of his mouth. "Haha~ Too bad it's useless."
"Celeste, Shandris."
"Mhm."
Just as the Headmaster Ghost was continuously casting and preparing to summon Blizzard, Celeste landed a precise Spell Counter, temporarily preventing the Headmaster Ghost from using Water Magic.
However, as the former Headmaster of Nathrezim Academy, this ghost reacted extremely quickly. The moment her Water Magic was countered, she immediately switched attributes, launching a large-scale Arcane Barrage toward Andreas and the others.
The moment Celeste executed the Spell Counter, Shandris raised her hand and used Purify to sequentially remove the three layers of magic shields covering the Headmaster Ghost.
"Whoosh!"
While Celeste constructed an Arcane Defense Barrier to block the opposing Arcane Barrage attack, Shandris repeated her trick, using the Bind Undead Spell to restrain the Headmaster Ghost, who hadn't had time to replenish her shields.
Andreas looked at Leticia, who had adopted an attack stance but hadn't struck, with a half-smile. "Leticia, no matter how powerful the opponent is, or what weapon she holds, her greatest weakness as an Undead will never change."
"Aurora, you also remember: don't be intimidated by the enemy's apparent power. Once you enter combat, don't clash head-on with the enemy's strengths. Calmly seek out their weaknesses and launch precise strikes."
Aurora nodded solemnly, "Got it, Dad. I'll pay attention next time."
Compared to the ordinary ghosts outside, this Headmaster had a higher soul strength. The Chains of Light Shandris used to bind her kept clattering, clearly indicating the Headmaster Ghost had no intention of giving up the struggle.
"Dust to dust, earth to earth. Rest in eternal peace."
Andreas' Shadow Magic enveloped the ghost's head. The Mental Spell, which directly targeted the soul, crushed the ghost's will to resist. Soon, the ghost's eyes glazed over, and she dissipated into energy particles.
Exorcising this Headmaster Ghost seemed to have stirred up a hornet's nest. All the ghosts who had been wandering aimlessly in the Staff Room turned their heads toward Andreas' group, their crimson eyes full of aggressive intent.
Andreas used Psychic Scream to temporarily disperse the Undead. Celeste quickly constructed a Short-range Portal, and the group stepped through the gate before the ghosts could recover from the spell's fear effect.
A portal suddenly appeared in front of Farodis, who was leaning against the academy gate. Andreas and the others filed out from the gate, and the angry screams of the ghosts on the other side made Farodis' ghostly body tremble violently.
"You guys..."
Before he could speak, Celeste turned her wrist, and the portal was instantly closed, cutting off the ghosts' angry roars on the other side.
Just as Prince Farodis was about to ask a question, he suddenly noticed several fragments of stone floating above Andreas' left hand, and his expression immediately changed.
"The Tidestone?!"