"The Golden Shadow Pendant…"
Daniels quickly vanished.
Inside the study, Lynn examined the pendant artifact in his hand. After carefully inspecting it to make sure there was nothing unusual, he attempted to activate it.
A surge of magic and mental power poured out of him. Starting from the hand holding the pendant, Lynn's body gradually turned into golden mist.
Moments later, only the part above his collarbone remained in its original form; the rest had transformed into golden vapor.
The sense of touch seems to be greatly diminished. My mana consumption reached nearly 80%, and about 60% of my mental power is drained… Such an enormous cost. If not for the White Crow Sword Art, this would only be useful for fleeing.
Suspended midair, Lynn carefully savored this strange sensation.
The ability to fly is normally granted only by high-tier apprentice spells at least Upper Zero-Ring level.
Which is why, at the apprentice stage, usually only First-Rank Apprentices could hope to fly.
Yet the Golden Shadow Pendant allowed a mere Third-Rank Apprentice to cast a weakened version of the famed Golden Mist Form, barely reaching Upper Zero-Ring strength. Its value was undeniably immense!
Lynn was delighted for a moment, but soon his brows furrowed.
There's no such thing as a free lunch… What does the Golden Shadow Wizard want from me?
He floated to the nearby bookshelf, took out a pen and paper, and wrote down a question:
"What do I possess that could be of use to a First-Rank Wizard?"
He thought deeply, listing every possible reason.
Finally, his focus narrowed to two:
His knowledge of magical arrays
His identity as a rejected apprentice of the Hossens School
Apart from these, he was nothing more than an ordinary Second-Tier member, a Third-Rank apprentice, nothing special.
After committing these two likely reasons to memory, he burned the paper and went downstairs to give instructions:
"Prepare the carriage. I'm going to visit Lord Lucas."
Lucas Moen was another apprentice cast aside by the Hossens School.
If the reason was indeed connected to their shared background, then perhaps Lucas had also received a message from the Golden Shadow Wizard.
By the time Lynn arrived at Lucas's residence, the latter was deeply engrossed in cultivation.
This fellow, discarded by Hossens, was the exact opposite of Martin, the one who drowned himself in drink every day.
Lucas lived a simple life, spending his days either working for society or training.
Lynn had invited him to the birthday banquet, but Lucas hadn't come; he'd only sent a gift.
After waiting more than an hour, Lynn finally met Lucas in the reception room.
"Sorry, Lynn. Yesterday I was at a critical point in my cultivation, so I couldn't attend your birthday." Lucas sat down with an apologetic smile.
He assumed Lynn had come because of the missed celebration.
"No problem, Lord Lucas. I'm here for another matter." Lynn shook his head, carefully testing the waters.
"These past few days… have you been cultivating at home the whole time?"
"That's right."
"Have you received any… unusual messages?"
Lucas looked puzzled. He thought for a moment before asking:
"You mean about you and Somlai? I only heard about that this morning…"
The confusion on his face was genuine. Lynn's heart sank.
It seemed very likely Lucas had not received any instruction from the Golden Shadow Wizard.
Which meant the reason the wizard had sought Lynn was probably not about their discarded apprentice status, but rather… magical arrays.
Magical arrays… Lynn frowned. What could the Golden Shadow Wizard possibly need me for in that field?
He couldn't figure it out, and the thought knotted his brow tighter.
Lucas, misinterpreting his expression, offered comfort:
"Somlai is a seasoned Second-Rank apprentice, yes, his strength is considerable… but you don't need to worry too much. As long as you avoid the Shack District, he won't dare attack you within the Golden Shadow's territory.
"Provocation is one thing. But an actual fight is another matter entirely… That's an unspoken agreement between all societies.
"So be patient. When the day comes that your strength surpasses Somlai's, then it will be his turn to tremble."
His words were sincere.
Lynn regained his composure. Though he didn't entirely agree, he didn't reject the goodwill either. He simply nodded.
Bending or standing tall, it was a complicated matter.
Blindly choosing either path was foolish.
So far, with the ability to Comprehend Truths, time had always been on his side. That allowed him to proceed steadily, patiently laying out his plans.
At his current cultivation pace, after the new year, he estimated he could advance to Second-Rank Apprentice.
Originally, he had intended to wait until then before dealing with Somlai.
But now, with the Golden Shadow Pendant in hand, perhaps the counterattack could be brought forward.
After all, "guarding against a thief" was only a temporary measure. True resolution lay in striking first.
Taking leave of Lucas, Lynn boarded his carriage and instructed the driver:
"Head to 187 Copperwood Street."
Ever since Somlai had stopped him on the road, Lynn had been secretly investigating him and planning for a counterstrike.
And 187 Copperwood Street was the residence of one of his "allies."
...
...
Headquarters of the Golden Shadow Society.
Beneath the central tower.
Wizard Lyman floated beside the massive core of the magical array. His body was bare, and several faint golden mist-like conduits extended from his back, connecting directly into the array.
His face was pale, cheeks sunken, clearly still gravely injured.
In truth, had Lyman not acted with ruthless decisiveness, returning here at once despite the risk of permanent damage to his spirit and forcing the array to begin treatment, he might have already perished in that calamity.
Buzz
From the core of the array, a message rippled forth:
"Wizard Harold requests an audience."
Lyman exhaled softly and refused the request through the array.
Harold was another First-Rank wizard of the Golden Shadow Society. He was not yet aware of Lyman's condition. And Lyman had no intention of letting him know.
Through the array's vision, Lyman watched Harold turn and leave. Then he stepped down to the base of the core, running his hand along the intricate engravings, and his mind returned to a piece of news he had stumbled upon in Black Rose City not long ago.
"The Hossens School has secretly recalled most of its wandering First-Rank wizards…"
Although the Hossens School was based in the Emerald Forest, many of its members, especially First-Rank wizards and outstanding apprentices, spent years away, either exploring the Astral or "studying abroad" in distant academy lands.
Unless something significant had happened, Hossens would never summon them back.
"Could it be because of that appearance of the Emerald Shadow?" Lyman wondered silently.
He quickly thought of Hossens' long-time rival: the Herland School.
Ever since Hossens relocated to the Emerald Forest, friction between the two schools had only grown fiercer.
"That Emerald Shadow… could it truly be the handiwork of the Herland School?"
Lyman frowned, weighing every thread of unease in his heart.
He was already over 160 years old, older than the First-Rank wizards of the Bloodmark and Serpentpath Societies.
In those years, he had weathered countless crises and survived every one of them, relying on careful vigilance and unyielding caution.
At length, he concluded:
"The Autumn Hunt… something major will happen. At the very least, that is what Hossens believes. Could it be… war is coming?"
A deep sigh escaped him. He hesitated: should he leave immediately?
Cough cough cough…
Suddenly, a violent fit seized him, flecks of blood dripping from his lips.
"…Even if I wanted to flee, in this condition I'll need to at least wait until after the Hunt…"
He wiped the blood away and raised his eyes to the towering array-core before him. His gaze flickered.
The truth was, he was unwilling to simply abandon everything.
He had lived in Hossens' domain for decades, founded the Golden Shadow Society, and amassed a fortune.
All of this was his foundation for climbing further along the wizard's path. How could he give it up so easily?
But if he wished to take his wealth with him, he would first need to make certain modifications to the Society's great array.
Drawing back his hand, he returned to healing.
Yet in the midst of this, a thought struck him. His eyes snapped open.
"If I recall correctly, when I first came to the Hossens domain, my investigations showed that beyond the Third-Tier mana ore vein here… this land was also once the site of an ancient Second-Tier school…"
Moving closer to the array, Lyman summoned the library archives.
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