"Master Lynn, here are today's White Shadow Mushrooms."
On the southern side of Emeraldwood City, in a secluded corner outside one of the Emerald Shadow Markets,
A broad-faced young man respectfully held out a cloth bag to Lynn with both hands.
Lynn opened the bag, checked it carefully, and, satisfied with both the quantity and quality, nodded in approval.
"Well done, Brian."
This man, in his twenties, was the helper Lynn had hired.
Honest by nature, he had a wife who worked as a laundress and a seven- or eight-year-old son.
Lynn paid him the generous rate of two gold dragons a month to buy White Shadow Mushrooms from the Emerald Shadow Forest on his behalf.
Every afternoon, Lynn would come by to collect the goods,
thus saving himself the time of waiting around at the market.
"Sir, you haven't given me the funds for tomorrow's purchase," Brian reminded softly when he saw Lynn lost in thought.
Lynn came back to himself, pulled out 56 gold dragons, and handed them over.
Although it wasn't the first time Brian had seen such a sum, and in the past week, he'd handled this much money daily,
He still instinctively held his breath as he accepted the gold with both hands, careful not to drop a single coin.
"Do you need me to do anything else, sir?" Brian asked respectfully after stowing the gold.
"That's all."
Brian nodded. "Then I'll be going, sir."
"How are your wife and son these days?" Lynn asked.
Brian paused and answered earnestly,
"They're both doing well. Right now, they're probably waiting for me at home… in the shack on Blackgutter Alley, you know the one, sir."
Lynn nodded slowly, his gaze calm as he watched Brian leave.
The human heart cannot always withstand temptation.
He had never fully trusted the young man before him.
For the first few days, he had even shadowed Brian in secret.
But Brian had proved scrupulously honest and cautious in his dealings, sometimes even making simple disguises, and had never once caused a problem.
Only then had Lynn allowed himself to relax slightly, shifting his focus back to increasing his strength.
Of course, part of it was also that he was no longer the man he used to be; losing 56 gold dragons was something he could now afford.
What a pity… I still don't know where Giggs went…
Compared to Brian, Lynn knew Giggs far better down to the core.
If that boy were still here, he wouldn't mind paying extra for the peace of mind it would bring.
...
Emerald Shadow Forest
A tall, lanky brown-haired boy walked slowly through the dim forest, a curved blade in hand and a basket strapped to his back.
His attire was no different from that of ordinary hunters who entered the Emerald Shadow Forest, except his face was covered in a dark green pigment that hid his features.
After a while, he spotted his target.
Beneath a large tree to his front left, a pale white mushroom peeked faintly into view.
White Shadow Mushroom!
The boy examined it carefully, confirmed it was the real thing, then held his breath and crept forward.
Surprisingly, instead of darting away at the slightest disturbance as White Shadow Mushrooms usually did, this one showed no reaction to his approach.
Only when the boy lunged forward and firmly yanked it from the ground did it belatedly start waving its "legs."
But now it was dangling in the air; kicking its tiny limbs was pointless and only made it look comical.
Just as the instructor once said, White Shadow Mushrooms have no eyes or ears. They sense danger entirely through smell.
The boy bound the mushroom tightly, tossed it into the basket, and pulled a cloth over the top.
Then he wiped away the nervous sweat on his brow.
The green pigment on his face smeared away in spots, revealing features that were… familiar.
It was Giggs, missing for so long!
Who would've thought a piece of trivia I learned just out of curiosity would one day become my lifeline?
Giggs sat beneath the tree, took a clay jar from his belt, and reapplied the grass-scent paste that masked his odor, feeling a swirl of emotions.
For the past nine years, their only goal in the academy had been to advance to apprentice wizard.
Everything they studied, language, human anatomy, the nature of magical energy, was in service of that goal.
But that was all; most truly useful knowledge was locked away until after one became an apprentice.
White Shadow Mushrooms had never been part of the curriculum.
The only reason Giggs knew about them was because, years ago, he and Lynn had once eaten a fried White Shadow Mushroom and couldn't forget the taste. They'd asked their instructor about it and learned this detail by chance.
In truth, if Lynn hadn't reminded him that he might make money in the Emerald Shadow Forest, Giggs might never have remembered it at all.
Trading goods is too hard… picking mushrooms like this is far easier.
Once his disguise was refreshed, Giggs got to his feet, planning to search for more. Maybe he'd find another mushroom.
But just as he rose, movement flickered at the edge of his vision.
He instinctively looked.
Through gaps in the branches far ahead, a blurred figure walked away.
The silhouette was indistinct, but something about it felt familiar, especially that head of curly hair…
Ant?
Uncertain, he started after the figure.
But after only a few steps, it turned a corner and disappeared.
He quickened his pace without thinking, but when he reached the spot, he stopped short.
This was no safe area; beyond this point lay the deep forest.
It must have just been someone who looked like him… Ant wouldn't have the courage or ability to venture this far in.
After one last glance, Giggs wisely turned back.
A breeze rustled through the Emerald Shadows behind him, carrying with it strange, faint sounds… and in the darkness, a dim light began to glow.
...
Inside the shack,
Lynn was practicing his swordsmanship.
Over a week had passed, and his White Crow Sword Technique had improved considerably.
The final waist-and-abdomen section had reached 76/100. Just 24 more points, and he would have mastered the first three sections of the technique.
During this time, he had also attempted Hossen's Meditation Method once.
Though he still hadn't broken through, Lynn could feel steady progress.
He was confident that, in as few as three or four more attempts or at most five or six, he would succeed in entering the meditation state.
Once he managed to construct the meditation sigil in his mind, he would be able to advance to apprentice wizard, achieving a great leap in both status and identity.
Time passed quietly.
A few days later
At the Emerald Shadow Market.
"Boss, how much for this White Shadow Mushroom?" Brian squatted in front of a stall and asked.
"Seven gold dragons each," the stall owner replied.
Brian nodded and was about to buy it when a middle-aged man cut in, his tone brooking no refusal.
"I'll take the mushroom. Pack it up for me."
Brian looked at him. The man wore a hood and had a broad, muscular build.
Most striking of all was the thin, narrow scar on the right side of his face, stretching from his brow to his chin.
At that moment, the man was also studying him, his eyes carrying a certain scrutiny.
Brian's heart skipped a beat. He quickly averted his gaze and turned to walk toward another stall.
After a few steps, he glanced back and saw the man hadn't followed. Relief washed over him.
What Brian didn't notice, however, was that ahead of him, two men were slowly moving to cut off his path.
…
That afternoon
Lynn arrived, as usual, at the agreed meeting place to pick up the goods from Brian.
He glanced around, feeling a bit puzzled.
Still not here… Could it be he hasn't bought enough mushrooms yet?
Just as Lynn was thinking of going to check
A faint whisper of wind suddenly rose from behind him!
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