Water Mage in the Flame Realm-Chapter 342 - 330: Andrew and President Beiru

"Whew!" Andrew let out a long breath, feeling a mix of relief, exhaustion, and a bit of lingering fear.

In Andrew’s mind, it wasn’t until the moment they successfully captured Catherine that the negotiations with the Royal Court truly ended.

"Who would have thought it would end this way..." Andrew murmured, his expression a bit complex.

The negotiations were won, and Catherine was now captured, but the surrounding snowstorm grew larger—perhaps due to the use of the "Ice Prison Gemstone", reawakening the power of the woman in the ice coffin deep beneath the snow mountain—soon there was nothing else to see but the wind, snow, and the portal’s glow.

Since becoming the Water Magic Lord, Andrew rarely felt the "isolation of being in another world" that he often experienced upon first arriving; yet in this vast snowstorm, he felt a trace of long-lost loneliness.

Shaking his head, Andrew quickly cast aside this twinge of solitude.

Now was not the time to be sentimental.

It must be known that although the negotiations with the Royal Court were over, there were still many new issues to deal with afterward.

Andrew knew the immediate priority was to quickly reconnect with President Beiru, Barbara, and others, to ensure their safety while also sending back the news that Catherine had been captured. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Water and Fire United!"

Andrew quietly activated his power, attempting to reestablish the telepathic connection between him and Barbara through "Water and Fire United".

But realized... it was impossible!

Andrew was stunned for a moment, then tried to contact Ivan through their "Soul Secret Language Channel".

The result was still the same!

Neither Water and Fire United nor the Secret Communication Channel could be used; there was no way to relay any messages!

"What is going on?"

Andrew frowned, "Is it because... of this portal’s presence?"

Thinking of this, he raised his eyes to look, only to see the portal’s glow enveloping the land.

Perhaps due to its ancient nature, the portal had a "slow awakening" process after being activated.

The light emitted by the portal was growing brighter, encompassing Andrew and pushing the swirling wind and snow outside, forming an isolated domain.

"...I see!"

Andrew observed carefully for a while and understood, "This portal has a built-in sensory blocking function, probably designed by the Water Mages to evade pursuers, so that during the teleportation process, they wouldn’t be easily found by the Magic Guild.

But now this function, initially meant to guard against enemies, is blocking my communication with the outside world!"

Andrew couldn’t help but chuckle wryly, then thought: "Catherine brought me here, perhaps not intending from the start to activate this portal and enter the ’Outer Battlefield’ behind it; maybe her original purpose was merely to use the signal-blocking function here as a place to heal? After all, once her injuries healed, she wouldn’t need to detour to the Outer Battlefield and could fly directly to the Scholar’s Fortress. Even if President Beiru was stronger than her, he couldn’t match her speed..."

Of course, all this was just speculation, and for now, Andrew couldn’t be bothered to ask Catherine in the Ice Prison for confirmation.

With a mindset of giving it a try, Andrew attempted to use the Warm Fire Commerce Association’s "Heart Net" to send a message.

The result was still nothing.

"Alright... it seems that although I captured Catherine, I ultimately couldn’t resist the power of this portal she activated." Andrew felt a bit helpless.

The circle of light from the portal grew smaller, yet increasingly bright.

It blocked all information exchange within and outside the circle while speeding up its "awakening".

And the moment it fully awakened would be when Andrew was sent to the Outer Battlefield behind that door.

Of course, this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

In fact, with the portal awakening, the "sense of a call from the same kind" inside the door was already so strong that Andrew couldn’t resist wanting to explore it!

"But if possible..." Andrew thought to himself, "I hope to be able to choose to enter this portal to the Outer Battlefield! Not to be silently whisked away by it without sending out any message!"

Simply put—

Beyond the door, it’s a battlefield.

But isn’t this side of the door a battlefield as well?

Although the Royal Court negotiations were completed and Catherine was captured, the fact that President Beiru used up his "Warm Fire Order" against Catherine could not be hidden for long; it would likely soon be discovered by the Magic Guild.

Then, even a fool would know that the three Earth Fire Scholars wouldn’t let such a good opportunity pass and would certainly act against President Beiru, the Warm Fire Commerce Association, and even the Wildfire Territory again.

The Royal Court negotiations were to put an end to the previous Two-Fire War.

Yet Andrew now had a strong premonition, or rather judgement: "The first Two-Fire War may have ended with the Royal Court negotiations, but the next one will likely break out again soon!"

In such a situation, Andrew genuinely hoped to delay his entry into this "random teleport" and "one-way" portal.

The other side of the door was indeed calling him.

But wasn’t he also needed on this side?

Just then, there was a hum.

The portal’s light abruptly grew much brighter, about to unleash its teleportation power at any moment.

A flash of determination flitted through Andrew’s eyes.

He still felt that being passively teleported to a virtually unknown Outer Battlefield was too unreliable.

He needed to find a way to resist.

Even if it meant abandoning this opportunity and missing the chance to enter the Outer Battlefield through this portal, he had to resist.

After all, the other side of the door only "possibly" held his "kind" who "might" need support.

But on this side of the door were his "definite" comrades who "surely" needed his help!

"Hmm... This portal blocks information, but maybe not physical bodies."

Andrew mobilized his power again, this time reverting to his primary Water Element, mixed with a bit of Warm Fire and Ice Power.

Taking a deep breath, Andrew was about to try breaking free from the portal’s bondage, sacrificing what might be his only chance to enter the Outer Battlefield.

"—Go if you want to!" a voice suddenly spoke, "Go ahead without any worries, believe in yourself!"

Andrew had already gathered his power at his fingertips, ready to unleash a "Long-range Water Needle" to break through the portal’s lock.

Hearing the voice, he paused in surprise and quickly looked over, exclaiming with joy, "Guild Master!"

There he saw at the edge beyond the portal’s circle of light, amidst the dense and heavy snow curtain that parted to the sides, stood a slightly plump man who walked steadily and stood outside the circle, his gaze fixed on Andrew inside.

It was President Beiru of the Warm Fire Commerce Association.