July 14th, afternoon.
Lynn returned to Emeraldwood City.
He parked the land-barge back at its designated spot and disembarked with Daphne and Clifford.
Wilfred did not accompany them; instead, he headed to Outpost No. 38 to face his punishment.
"Lord Lynn, here are five mid-grade magic stones as additional compensation for my reckless behavior. I hope you won't hold what happened before against me.
"If you ever come to the Silver Ring Academy in the future, I will be sure to treat you well."
Clifford approached Lynn at the farewell, handing him a pouch with an earnest expression.
"I don't hold it against you, Lord Clifford. After all, the blame rests entirely on Wilfred." Lynn replied with a polite smile, saying the right words, but accepting the pouch without hesitation.
Five mid-grade magic stones are worth five hundred low-grade ones, just a hundred short of the six hundred Clifford had already paid earlier.
Together, Clifford had now spent the equivalent of eleven hundred low-grade magic stones to mend relations and erase any resentment between them!
That was even more than Wilfred's compensation of eight hundred.
Clifford had indeed shown great sincerity.
After exchanging a few more courteous words, Clifford departed.
Daphne, who had been politely waiting at a distance, finally walked over once Clifford was out of sight. Producing a silver-violet ring, she spoke softly:
"Your concealment spell is impressive indeed. Its only weakness is that it leaves faint traces while you're moving.
"If I'm not mistaken, this Darklight Ring is enchanted with the high-tier zero-ring spell Trace Erasure. It should cover that flaw perfectly."
Lynn blinked in surprise, not immediately accepting the gift. Instead, he asked with some puzzlement:
"Lady Daphne, what is this about?"
"Just a small gift." Daphne smiled.
Lynn looked at the ring in her hand, its fine craftsmanship, its aura of value.
This must be worth several hundred magic stones at least… he thought, glancing back at Daphne. Strangely, the cute young girl before him carried an unmistakable air of wealth and privilege.
"If I've guessed right, Clifford approached you earlier to mend ties. My gift serves the same purpose."
"My heart isn't that narrow. You, Lady Daphne, were the only one who never raised a hand against me. How could I possibly bear a grudge?" Lynn answered frankly.
"In that case, all the better. Just treat it as a token of friendship." Daphne smiled again.
Later, it took Lynn only half a day, with some basic materials from the land-barge, to completely repair the damaged array node.
When they reported the mission's outcome, a First-Rank wizard came to inspect the node. The result: no issues whatsoever, virtually as though it had never been damaged.
Such mastery of array work was rare even among the Silver Ring Academy's First-Rank apprentices.
It was more than enough reason for Daphne to extend a hand of friendship.
Lynn hesitated briefly, then accepted the ring.
"Then I thank you, Lady Daphne."
"There's no need for thanks," Daphne replied with a gentle smile.
July 14th, afternoon.
Aside from his knowledge of arrays, what Daphne admired even more was Lynn's way of handling things earlier.
Back then, Wilfred had tried to push Lynn into standing against everyone, yet with just a few words, Lynn completely turned the tables, not only defusing the crisis but also securing tremendous profit.
Lynn had many choices at that moment, but none could have led to a better outcome than the one he chose.
"There are no eternal hatreds in this world, only eternal interests…" Daphne mused silently before smiling and taking her leave.
Once both of them were gone, Lynn finally felt himself relax, the fatigue from days of traveling flickering across his face.
But that weariness was soon replaced by sheer delight.
*Clifford gave me a total of eleven mid-grade magic stones. Daphne, not wanting to overshadow him, offered five, but that magic ring she later gave is worth at least another five or six mid-grade stones.
"As for Wilfred, eight mid-grade magic stones… heh.
"All in all, that's twenty-four mid-grade stones, two thousand four hundred low-grade stones. Add the Darklight Ring, and with the task's own three hundred-stone reward, my total haul comes to roughly three thousand three hundred low-grade magic stones!"*
The corners of his lips curved upward, his heart racing with excitement.
More than three thousand stones, this was the most wealth he had ever held in his life!
"I wonder how many stones Daphne's enchanted robe must be worth…"
The thought left him feeling a little inflated with pride as he made his way back to the Academy.
...
"Congratulations on completing the mission. I've read through the full report. You did very well, Lynn."
In her office, Grace's tone was warm.
"I'll be giving you the highest mark for this practical assignment, a perfect score of ten.
"And don't worry about that Silver Ring apprentice, Wilfred. The Hossens Academy stands firmly behind you."
"I understand. Thank you, Mentor Grace." Lynn bowed his head politely.
The Academy truly was his strongest support. Yet he knew that once he left for the Silver Ring Academy, that support would feel… distant.
...
After handling the post-mission formalities, Lynn immediately received his rewards.
Wasting no time, he hurried to the Hossens Academy library and finally exchanged for the Golden Mist Phantom!
"You're sure about this flying spell?" the First-Circle wizard on duty reminded him.
"I must warn you, the training difficulty is extremely high. Without the right talent, it could consume years of your precious time."
"I'm certain," Lynn replied without hesitation.
The wizard said no more, simply took Lynn's Academy badge and magic stones, and processed the exchange.
In an instant, Lynn Hossen's contribution points dropped from 355 to just 5.
Fortunately, his magic stones were still abundant. Excluding his magic tools, he still held nearly three thousand low-grade stones, quite a fortune by apprentice standards!
And while his Hossens' contribution was nearly exhausted, he still held ten points of Silver Ring contribution.
"I wonder… what exactly can those ten points be used for?"
...
By the time the sky had dimmed, Lynn returned home.
"Master, you're back!" Adeline greeted him with a smile.
"Have the servants prepare some hot water, and fix me dinner." Lynn gave his instructions, finally allowing himself to relax now that the mission was done and the Golden Mist Phantom was in his hands.
"Yes, Master." Adeline curtsied and went to prepare the meal.
"Adeline, while I was away, has everything been well?" Lynn asked, pausing.
"Everything has been fine. Yesterday, Lord Lucas sent a letter. I placed it in the study for you."
Lucas… could it be…?
Just as he sat down on the sofa, Lynn felt a surge of excitement. He immediately rose and strode quickly to the second-floor study.
Finding the letter, he tore it open eagerly.
The moment his eyes skimmed the words, his face lit with joy.
*"As I thought, news of the Light-Absorbing Black Stone!
"Counting the compensation, the Golden Mist Phantom, and now this… today alone has brought me three blessings. Truly triple joy!"*
...
Nightfall
Inside the meditation chamber, Lynn held two low-grade magic stones in his palms, quietly delving into the mysteries of the Golden Mist Phantom.
After advancing to a First-Rank Apprentice, his source energy had risen once again, already reaching 2 points and still steadily growing.
By his estimate, when he reached the peak of First-Rank Apprentice, if he had only focused on cultivating his spirit, his source energy might have reached about 2.5 points.
But whether it was 2 or 2.5, the cost of insight was no more than twenty to twenty-five mid-grade magic stones, equivalent to just two or two and a half low-grade stones.
For Lynn, now a First-Rank Apprentice, such a price was hardly a burden anymore.
He had also discovered something else: the rate of recovery of his source energy wasn't tied to how much he had in total.
The exact influencing factors remained unclear, but what he had confirmed was this: when his body and spirit were kept in balance, recovery was fastest, taking only five to six days.
At present, however, his spirit was already at the First-Rank level, while his body was only at Second-Rank. The gap between the two stretched his recovery time to nearly ten days.
*"Still, once I complete the Black Moon Physique and bring spirit and body back into balance, the recovery time will shorten again.
"And as my body grows stronger, the amount of source energy itself should also rise further."*
The session of insight ended quickly. Lynn closed his eyes, quietly reflecting on the Golden Mist Phantom.
The key to practicing this flying spell lay in cloaking one's physical body with a special golden particulate energy.
Once enveloped, the body would merge with these particles, transforming into a strange form of "golden mist."
This mist was almost weightless and naturally possessed the ability to float, while also granting immunity to most physical attacks.
That, in essence, was why the Golden Mist Phantom granted both incredible speed and extraordinary damage reduction.
After a while, Lynn opened his eyes, pleasantly surprised by the progress.
"Three more sessions of insight should be enough to fully grasp the basics of the Golden Mist Phantom!"
His speed of progress was unusually fast. Part of that came from the increase in his source energy, which amplified the effects of insight.
But even more crucial was the frequent use of the Golden Shadow Pendant, which had given him repeated experience of what it felt like to merge with those golden particles.
The greatest hurdle in mastering the spell was guiding the body into fusion with the golden mist.
Yet for Lynn, that step had already been rehearsed countless times through the pendant.
Without it, attempting to enter this spell would have been at least twice as difficult.
"Perhaps this pendant was created by the Golden Shadow Wizard himself, specifically to help apprentices master the Golden Mist Phantom…"
Whether that was true or not, Lynn had no way of knowing. The Golden Shadow Wizard was long dead, and the Golden Shadow Society had vanished with him.
But what he did know was that the pendant's help was real and invaluable.
...
July 17th, Morning
Riding a land-barge, Lynn arrived at the 12th Outpost.
Lucas was already waiting at the gates, and beside him stood a plump young wizard.
"This must be Lord Collins," Lynn greeted warmly, nodding to Lucas before turning to the round-faced wizard.
"Indeed, Collins Dieter," the young man replied with a polite smile.
He was the very one Lucas had mentioned earlier, the First-Rank Apprentice with a supply of Light-Absorbing Black Stones.
"Come on, it's stifling out here. Let's talk inside," Lucas suggested.
The three of them entered Lucas's quarters.
As expected of an outpost, the living conditions were nowhere near as comfortable as those in Verdant City.
His room was modest, barely thirty square meters, forty at most if the meditation chamber at the back was included.
They settled onto the mats in the meditation room. After brief introductions and small talk, Lynn, impatient to get to the heart of the matter, asked first:
"How many magic stones are you asking for your Light-Absorbing Black Stones, Lord Collins?"
With a fortune in hand, Lynn now spoke with complete confidence.
"The price depends on how many you intend to buy," Collins replied with a faint smile.
Lynn's heart skipped slightly. After a moment's hesitation, he said,
"If you're talking about twenty or thirty stones, I'm afraid I won't be able to afford that many."
At that, Collins actually froze before chuckling.
"You jest, surely. I don't have nearly that many. I only have six Light-Absorbing Black Stones in total. If you want just one or two, the price is one hundred and fifty low-grade stones apiece. But if you buy them all, I'll lower it to a hundred and thirty-five each. If you only want half"
"I'll take them all," Lynn said with an easy smile.
The market price for a Light-Absorbing Black Stone was about 150 low-grade magic stones each.
Collins's offer was already very fair, and Lynn had no intention of haggling. After all, in the future Collins might very well be able to supply him with even more Light-Absorbing Black Stones.
"Are you certain you want them all, at 135 stones each?" Collins asked again, unable to resist confirming.
"I'm certain," Lynn replied.
A smile spread across Collins's face. After a moment's thought, he added,
"Since you're so straightforward, I'll shave it down a bit more, 130 stones apiece. That's 780 stones in total!"
Lynn nodded, immediately counting out the required amount and handing it over.
Collins didn't take the payment right away. Instead, he first produced the Light-Absorbing Black Stones, saying,
"Please inspect them first, my lord."
Lynn nodded again, appreciating the gesture.
Birds of a feather flock together, he thought. Lucas's introduction hadn't disappointed; this friend of his was just as reliable.
After carefully examining them, Lynn confirmed they were indeed genuine Light-Absorbing Black Stones. The deal went through without a hitch.
Collins excused himself to the washroom, and during that moment, Lynn took out one mid-grade magic stone, the equivalent of a hundred low-grade stones, and quietly passed it to Lucas.
Lucas tried to refuse at first, but under Lynn's insistence, he finally accepted.
Having achieved the purpose of his visit to the outpost, Lynn felt no need to linger. After chatting casually with Lucas for a while, he boarded the next land-barge bound for Emeraldwood City and soon bade the two farewell.
"Golden Thorn apprentices truly are wealthy," Collins sighed, watching the land-barge roll into the distance. "People like us can't even compare."
"Indeed…" Lucas's tone was just as wistful. "When I first met him, that boy was nothing more than a frail, Third-Rank apprentice. And now, in the blink of an eye, he's already risen to a place I can hardly reach.
"Next month, I hear this batch of Golden Thorn apprentices will be going to study at Silverring Academy. That's something to envy."
"It certainly is enviable," Collins agreed, before adding, "But for your friend to climb from the status of a discarded apprentice to where he is today… The hardships he must have endured are probably beyond what you or I could imagine.
"Even in the old days, before the Golden Thorn system existed, the school still sent apprentices to Silverring every year… and every year, some never came back.
"That place may be prosperous, but it's riddled with danger."
"Tell me, what place in this world is without danger?" Lucas shook his head.
"If we are to climb, we may as well climb the brightest path."
Collins didn't reply, already calculating how best to spend the unexpected windfall of over seven hundred magic stones.
Should he use them to exchange for new spells, buy a useful artifact, or perhaps pay for a few extra classes?
Lucas, too, withdrew his gaze. Together, they walked deeper into the outpost.
Another's path will always belong to them. Envy it, admire it… in the end, it can't replace the importance of walking your own road.
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