"Brian? That young man?"
Kersey frowned, puzzled.
"He was just an insignificant mortal, wasn't he?
"And besides, the people responsible have already been killed by you, and I've apologized…
"Ah, I see if you still think my apology isn't enough, then as long as you're willing to work for me, you can have as many magic stones as you want."
Kersey spoke with a hearty smile, the confusion on his face seemingly genuine.
In his eyes, Brian was nothing more than a hired helper for Lynn, dead and gone, hardly worth dwelling on. He had already apologized, already made amends.
Five magic stones were, in his mind, more than generous. If he were being precise, Brian's death might account for only one percent of that compensation; the other ninety-nine percent was to save Lynn's pride.
Lynn didn't respond. He knew words were useless; there was a chasm between their views.
And he had never once believed Kersey's lies.
For the mere possibility that Lynn and Brian might be encroaching on his trade, Kersey had not hesitated to strike to kill.
If Kersey valued this business so highly, would he share it so freely, so easily?
Sighing and seeing Lynn remain unresponsive, Kersey noted the time and finally said:
"If you change your mind, you can come find me anytime. The Emeraldshadow Market has more business than anyone could finish in a lifetime, more money than anyone could spend.
"I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave."
With that, he turned and left with Wayne.
...
"Boss, you're just letting this Lynn go?"
"For now," Kersey sneered, the malice in his eyes plain as day.
"My business isn't so easy to touch. But right now, there are more important matters. This isn't the time to stir up trouble."
Wayne still found it odd. If they didn't intend to spare Lynn, why give him those magic stones at all?
But he didn't argue. In truth, Kersey had been acting strangely since yesterday.
"Come on, the others are still waiting for us," Kersey said, striding ahead.
"If all goes well, not only will my strength increase greatly, but you'll finally be able to shed the weakness of a mortal and gain extraordinary power. Then dealing with that man will be far easier."
Wayne nodded again. He wanted to mention that those people seemed a bit off, but in the end, he kept silent.
He had already tried to persuade Kersey yesterday, but once Kersey made up his mind, there was no changing it.
Yesterday afternoon, a group had suddenly sought Kersey out.
Wayne didn't know exactly what they discussed, but it wasn't long before Kersey said they had struck a deal…
Yet Kersey was a man of deep suspicion by nature. In the two years Wayne had been at his side, he had never seen him agree to something so quickly. It felt wrong.
Unfortunately, Wayne had no right to object.
And Kersey's promise was undeniably tempting.
To gain extraordinary power… to shed the life of a mere mortal…
Wayne's heart burned with anticipation.
...
Half an hour later.
Kersey arrived at the edge of the Emeraldshadow Forest with Wayne in tow.
Wayne was carrying a heavy bamboo basket on his back, filled to the brim with white shadow mushrooms.
Moments later, several figures emerged from the dark depths of the forest.
They differed in appearance and build, yet all shared one startling similarity: a mist-like green haze lingered in their eyes.
Wayne instinctively averted his gaze, an inexplicable chill running through him.
"Have you brought the white shadow mushrooms?" A hoarse voice suddenly rang out.
The voice seemed to carry a strange power, and Wayne felt himself calming ever so slightly.
He looked up and caught sight of a man in black wizard robes.
The man's face was hidden under his hood, only his eyes visible, twin pupils glowing with an eerie green light.
That hazy green was mesmerizing.
"They're all in the basket, thirty-seven in total," Wayne heard Kersey reply.
"Dor," the hooded man ordered.
A young man with a gentle face stepped out from behind him, reaching toward the basket on Wayne's back.
At the youth's side was a thin, curly-haired teenager, Ant.
They're just taking the mushrooms… without giving anything in return?
Wayne's mind snapped into focus for a moment, and he glanced at his leader, Kersey.
Then, as though doused with a bucket of cold water, he stiffened Kersey's eyes, now held the same strange green haze as these mysterious figures, though fainter.
"Don't be nervous, my friend," the man in the black robes murmured.
Wayne turned his head, meeting the man's glowing green gaze.
His whole body froze… then gradually relaxed, the same green light beginning to bloom in his own eyes.
In that instant, Wayne felt the faintest sense of something vast and incomprehensibly complex of which the hooded man before him was but a single part.
"Dor, the matter of the white shadow mushrooms is yours to handle. Remember, collect as many as possible, the Great One needs them…"
"Yes, Lord Emerald Shadow."
There was a faint, muffled response as the youth beside him nodded.
Some time later, Wayne "awoke."
He looked calmly at the man in black robes, all confusion gone from his mind.
And if one looked closely, they would notice that deep in the dim forest behind the hooded man, countless pairs of eerie green eyes had appeared without warning.
Some belonged to humans. Others glinted from the faces of beasts.
Now gathered together, they flickered in the gloom like ghostly will-o'-the-wisps drifting through the woods.
...
Black Gutter Alley.
A hidden spot by the roadside.
Lynn had been standing there for quite some time.
Not far ahead, outside a shabby shack, a woman stood glancing left and right from time to time, as if waiting for someone.
Beside her, a small boy was helping with odd chores.
Clink.
Clink
Lynn idly tossed the five primary-grade magic stones Kersey had given him as "compensation" for Brian's death, worth about 500 gold dragons.
He recalled how Brian, eager to earn his trust, had once told him earnestly:
"My lord, please rest assured. I have a loving wife and a dear son. Everything I do is for them. And you know where they live, so I would never betray you."
Thinking back now, it was likely that Brian had refused to reveal anything about himself to Kersey and his men because he had pinned some kind of hope on Lynn, perhaps for revenge, or perhaps for the sake of his wife and child left behind.
Whatever the case, I have to face them, Lynn thought.
He pocketed the stones, took a deep breath, and strode toward Brian's wife and son.
"My lord… what brings you here?"
The woman spotted him quickly, startled at first, then glancing past him.
When she saw that Lynn was alone, something seemed to click, and the color drained from her face.
"Brian is dead," Lynn said.
He had expected the woman to break down, to scream…
But she only wept silently, pulling the boy close, wiping her tears with the back of her hand, and choking out:
"I… understand, my lord.
"Brian told me once that there might come a day he wouldn't return… I knew this could happen."
So Brian had already told his wife and child he might die…
Lynn fell silent. He remembered the day he had approached Brian with his request.
Back then, the young man's expression had been complicated, but he had made his decision quickly.
Lynn hadn't realized that, in such a short time, Brian had already prepared himself for the possibility of death.
In his past life, Lynn had lived in peace for too long, and the original Lynn had been sheltered in the mountains; both were hothouse flowers.
But the people at the bottom, like the woman before him, were like weeds, insignificant yet far more tenacious.
Without saying much more, Lynn scanned their surroundings, preparing to hand over money.
The five magic stones from Kersey were worth 500 gold dragons, but Lynn only took out the payment he had originally set aside for Brian's goods, plus some loose change from his person, and handed it all to the woman.
He hadn't counted, but it was likely equal to more than ten years of income for Brian's family, enough for the mother to raise her son to adulthood.
Any more would only bring disaster.
And besides, Lynn admitted to himself:
I can't look after them for a lifetime.
"The man who killed Brian won't live for long," Lynn said calmly, pressing the coins into her hand.
Kersey had to die.
Lynn knew that as long as he intended to keep working the white shadow mushroom trade, Kersey would inevitably come for him again.
And give up the mushroom business?
Why should he?
Even if he did, Kersey might still not leave him alone.
And besides… There was Brian.
After giving the boy's head a gentle pat, Lynn turned and left without further instructions.
These people who lived on society's lowest rungs knew better than he ever could how to survive.
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