Inside Aimee and Thomas’ joint living quarters, Caroline, Jason, Aimee and Thomas were sitting around a table, with a couple of takeout boxes from the academy canteen, and a lot of notes.

“So, how do you think this will work out?” Caroline asked, looking at Jason, Aimee, then Thomas: “That’s a hard trap to set up - I don’t think they’ll buy it that easily. They will definitely try something right?”

“I still vote that we remain on our own lockdown and let the administration handle it.” Jason said: “If what Professor Bitchy mc-witchy extracted from those spies is correct, then there’s apparently more than one hidden society in the academy. And Camile Jensen? Apparently working for almost all of them!”

“And I would still vote that you should ask your girlfriend.” Aimee sighed: “She’s a Jensen, she would know something.”

“I don’t think they’re that close, okay? And I would say, seriously, I don’t wanna drag her into it. Isn’t being in the Jensen family hard enough?” Jason immediately refused: “Also, why do you think she would talk to us?”

“That depends on how far along this relationship you are.” Thomas sighed and scratched his nose: “We do not have to ask for the details of Camile Jensen’s criminality, we can just ask about her daily routines, prefered locations of work and hideout, etc.”

“I don’t think she would be at any of those places, if I were her I would be at the Barclay Passage, trying to get out of the academy.” Caroline said: “And I would say that tomorrow’s hearing - if they could really reschedule it to tomorrow, and they end up getting enough information from those two ‘agents’, it would potentially be a huge concern for all of the hidden players. So I kinda agree with Jason here. Let the administration worry about Camile Jensen and her cohorts. We should be worried about what to do AFTER the hearing.”

Aimee’s phone rang, and when she pulled it out, it turned out it was a call from Josephine Wong.

“Hello Ms. Wong, you’re on speaker.” Aimee immediately answered and put the phone on the center of the table: “What do you have for us?”

“Just some quick updates.” Josephine Wong coughed: “I was just briefed on the plans, and I would be helping you as well. When the hearing is done, immediately head back to your living quarters and lock up. I will be working on extraction details for you and bring you to safety.”

“Oh god - can’t a cultivator catch a break and finish the audit program for once!” Jason joked, but then shut up after seeing the expression on the faces of others at the table.

“I appreciate your dedication to the program Jason, but it’s just a degree at the end of the day.” Josephine Wong chuckled: “And all four of you will head back to the inn and await further instructions.”

“What - is this necessary? Are we gonna be in some kind of witness protection program here?” Aimee asked.

“You can think of it this way." Josephine Wong hesitated for a while, then asked: “Caroline, Jason, how’s your isolation spell? Can you secure and isolate your room?”

“Ummm - I am ashamed to say, but I am going through an array phase and my non-attack spells are kinda lacking.”

“Yeah, me too.” Caroline scratched her head: “Not - not the array phase, though, I was having a hunting phase.”

“Arrays are good enough - I will text you a pattern. Just hand write it down on a piece of paper and follow the flow.”

After just a few seconds, Jason got a text message with a picture inside - it was not a super complex pattern, and he was able to easily replicate it on a piece of paper by hand. When he infused his Xuanli into this piece of paper, a silver bubble appeared and enclosed the space around them.

“Okay, I think it worked.” Jason said.

“Good, good. And keep this among us and do not share with anyone - here’s some sensitive information to help you understand the situation.” Josephine Wong paused for a short while and then they heard the sound of a cup landing on a table: “Aimee, Thomas, you’ve heard of the Exalted Bondsmen right?”

“Yeah - it’s sort of an urban legend right? I remember those FBI agents mentioned it a couple of times before.” Aimee answered: “It’s some kind of network of superpowered mercenaries.”

“They do exist, they are exactly what you’ve heard, and they are in fact semi-legitimate.” Josephine Wong answered: “Many in the magical world are connected to it. And since it is - how do I put this - a sewn together abomination of the grey areas between the magical world and the non-magical world, which includes the world of super powered beings that are not magic wielders, there are a lot of outright criminal dealings being brokered in the network. And it is our suspicion that these spies you encountered are connected to some powerful individuals active in the network. And they might even be directly under their employment, instead of plain old contractors. The existence of these spies are no secret, they are usually in charge of recruitment and intelligence gathering, it is however quite rare for them to steal things from the academy directly. So whatever this ‘codex’ or ‘key’ is, it must be quite important.”

“And you are afraid that by helping to set this trap up and in turn potentially foiling the plan, we could face retaliation from other spies even when we’re out of the academy? ” Thomas asked.

“Yes. And I am not sure what you were planning to do before the hearing, but please be careful of your safety. If you don’t have any plans, stay in a secure location and wait until the hearing starts.”