Blackstone City was indeed prosperous; at the very least, it was easy enough to find an inn that could accommodate a hundred people.
Not long after leaving the Gilt Inn, Morrison led them to another establishment. The price was about the same, and its distance from the teleportation array was not far.
Inside the room.
Lynn set down his pack and, with Lucky by his side, carefully inspected the somewhat cramped guestroom.
The chamber wasn't large, just a single room with a small washroom. Its walls were entirely black, patterned with natural stone grain.
Blackstone City was scorching hot by day and cold by night, with extreme fluctuations between the two.
At that moment, it was noon, the hottest part of the day. Yet even without any temperature-regulating arrays, the narrow room maintained a comfortable climate.
The credit lay entirely with the material used to build it
The special stones are scattered throughout the desert surrounding Blackstone City.
This blackstone was the city's namesake: light in weight yet excellent at insulating against heat.
Buildings made from it did not heat up easily under the sun, nor did they cool too much at night.
After carefully checking the room and confirming there was nothing out of place, Lynn sat down in the single armchair by the window and turned his attention to the tiny, nearly invisible substance he had discovered clinging to him.
It was extremely well concealed. If it hadn't briefly pulsed while he was still in the Gilt Inn, Lynn might never have noticed it at all, even as it lay on the skin of his neck.
When did this thing attach itself to me? Lynn frowned in thought, baffled.
Since advancing his body to the First-Rank level, his perception had grown even sharper. Even if it was subtle, he should have felt something the moment it landed on his skin.
I only dulled my senses briefly when I stepped onto the viewing balcony to block out the sting of the cold wind. Every moment after that, my perception was fully open. Could it have happened then?
He considered it carefully.
The Blackmoon Blood Qi flowed within his body, forming a layer of armor woven into his very skin.
From the outside, it looked less like a shield around him and more like his flesh itself had hardened.
Because this defense was fundamentally just strengthened skin, Lynn could choose whether or not to dull his sensory perception.
He could blunt pain, like when he had stood against the Frostwind Blades, or open his senses fully, and either way, the armor's defensive power would remain the same.
It was a small detail, but one that set the Blackmoon Blood Qi apart. Most common defensive spells always dulled one's senses as a side effect.
So… this invisible substance must have been planted by that stranger who spoke to me. It looks like some kind of tracking method.
Lynn rubbed the strange material between his fingers, clarity dawning.
But why target me specifically?
Muttering inwardly, he activated Serpent's Scent.
In his infrared vision, the substance appeared clearly as a tiny, disk-shaped object. At the same time, a faint aroma reached his senses.
The smell was beyond human detection and even difficult for Serpent's Scent to pick up; he had to bring it right up to his nose to catch the trace of a subtle, almost floral fragrance.
Move it just a few centimeters away, and the scent disappeared completely.
Buzz
Just then, the emblem pinned to Lynn's chest lit up.
It was a message from Morrison, summoning the Goldthorn apprentices for an afternoon excursion through the city.
Lynn raised an eyebrow, still studying the substance in his hand.
After a long pause, he decided not to destroy it at least, not yet. He slipped it away instead.
...
"I'll repeat this once more, Second-Rank apprentices, when you're out in the city, stay close to your assigned First-Rank apprentice.
"Those leading teams, keep track of your people. Don't stray too far from us three Goldthorns. Always stay within the range of the school badge communication!"
Outside the inn, Morrison's voice was stern as he issued his orders.
The next teleportation wasn't until noon tomorrow.
Morrison knew that keeping all these wizard apprentices locked up in their rooms for an entire day was unrealistic.
In such a bustling, dazzling city, some of them were bound to wander off on their own.
Better, then, to organize them into a group outing through Blackstone City, safer that way.
After repeating his warnings several times, Morrison led the group forward.
The streets of Blackstone City were broad and open. Tall buildings were few, and from higher ground one could clearly see the endless desert beyond the city, its sands studded here and there with large or small chunks of blackstone.
The scenery was the polar opposite of Emeraldwood City. Here, yellow and black dominated the landscape; the vibrant green that was so common in Emeraldwood was rare indeed.
Not only the scenery but the local products were unique as well: "blackwater" that could burn on the surface of water, enormous arthropods… everything was an eye-opener for the apprentices.
Even Lynn couldn't resist trying a few local delicacies. Some tasted good, some not so much, but even the unpleasant ones left behind an interesting memory.
As they passed through a marketplace, a particular stall caught the attention of Lynn, along with Leah and Caroline, who followed beside him.
It was a barbecue stand—run, to their astonishment, by a giant scorpion. The creature raised its massive black pincers, grilling great skewers of meat over the fire.
No one could say what beast the meat came from, but the aroma was rich and enticing, and customers thronged around.
Lynn was intrigued. Leah and Caroline gasped softly in surprise, and Leah even cast a glance at Good Fortune by Lynn's feet.
"Hey, move aside. If you're not buying, don't block the way."
A voice came from behind them.
Lynn frowned and turned, recognizing a few "familiar" faces.
They were the apprentices from the Root School, the same ones they had seen earlier at the Gilt Inn.
But the group didn't pay Lynn and the others much attention, walking past as if they'd already forgotten about the "country apprentices" they had met before.
Lynn watched their retreating backs, fingers rubbing at the invisible substance hidden in his hand. His eyes narrowed slightly.
For a moment, he considered acting, then thought better of it and let the impulse pass.
But at the very next stall, they crossed paths again.
This time, the Root apprentices stopped them.
"Gentlemen, ladies, we'd like to buy those Scorpion-Heart Pendants you just picked up."
The speaker, a blond apprentice, kept his tone polite, though his eyes never left the golden pendants in their hands.
"If you want one, you can buy it directly from the stall," Lynn replied calmly, shielding Leah and Caroline behind him as he quietly sent word to Morrison through his badge.
"There were only two left at the stall," the blond said as though it were only natural. "There are five of us. With the three you hold, that makes enough for everyone."
The so-called Scorpion-Heart Pendant was a rare item that Lynn's group had stumbled across at a popular stall nearby.
Worn long-term, the pendant could slightly strengthen the body and improve resistance to toxins.
The effect wasn't particularly powerful.
After all, for a wizard, strengthening the body or improving toxin resistance was not especially difficult.
But when one added the crucial qualifier pure strengthening, meaning the enhancement came without compromising the body's purity, things changed.
Methods that preserved purity were extremely rare, and most required long, arduous cultivation.
For something like the Scorpion-Heart Pendant to grant gradual improvements simply by wearing it, with no training or rituals? That was exceedingly uncommon.
And the price was hardly extravagant, just 150 low-grade magic stones apiece.
Naturally, when the three of them had seen the pendants, they'd bought them on the spot.
"Sorry, but we're not selling." Lynn's voice remained even.
"When we bought ours, the stall had more than a dozen left. Many others bought pendants too. Why not try asking them instead?"
The blond apprentice smiled faintly. "I remember you. At noon, at the Gilt Inn, we met, didn't we?"
"I thought those badges looked familiar. Turns out you're that bunch of wild apprentices…" one of his companions sneered.
"Hey, I'll add five stones for each pendant. How about it?"
"Five medium stones?" Lynn chuckled. His badge glowed faintly. Morrison and the other Goldthorns were already nearly there.
"Medium stones? Have you ever even seen a medium stone?!"
The apprentice who had spoken up flushed red at the mockery in Lynn's tone, raising his voice in indignation.
The blond-haired apprentice's expression hardened. His temper wasn't normally so short.
But there was a certain kind of person for them; the slightest defiance from someone weaker was a grave insult.
In his eyes, these apprentices who had slunk away meekly before their mentor were nothing more than small fry to be toyed with.
That was why, when he realized there weren't enough Scorpion-Heart Pendants, he came straight to Lynn and his companions first.
But never had he expected these so-called "weaklings" to be so unyielding!
The blond apprentice sneered, stepping forward with a dark threat:
"Blackstone City's security isn't exactly the best…"
"Lynn, what's going on?"
Morrison appeared suddenly, the cautious middle-aged Goldthorn with a large group of apprentices behind him.
At his side were several First-Rank apprentices, and together they closed ranks around Lynn. Their presence alone overwhelmed the Root apprentices in an instant.
Seeing the sheer number of Goldthorn apprentices arrayed before him, a flicker of panic crossed the blond-haired apprentice's face.
Without their mentor around, the five of them could never hope to oppose so many First-Rank apprentices. For a moment, he was caught between fear and pride, unsure whether to advance or retreat.
Fortunately for him, as the two sides stood at an impasse, the woman running the pendant stall quietly called for the city guards.
Whoosh
"Don't let me see you again!"
As the figure of a guard-wizard swept down at astonishing speed, the blond apprentice could do nothing but snort coldly, spit out a threat, and turn to leave with his companions.
"We should leave as well," Morrison said gravely, though he didn't seem overly concerned.
Blackstone City was vast. Finding this group again in such a massive sprawl wouldn't be easy.
"Yes, apologies for the trouble." Lynn nodded, shaking his hand slightly.
The faint, invisible substance that had been clinging to the back of his hand had now vanished.
After this confrontation, Morrison decided it wasn't worth risking further incidents. He led the Goldthorn apprentices through a short stroll around the city before decisively returning to the inn.
The principle was simple: the apprentices would remain at the inn until noon the next day, when they would all head together to the teleportation array.
At least, unless something out of the ordinary occurred.
...
That night, Lynn donned a simple disguise and quietly approached the window.
Thanks to his refined control over his body, his movements made no sound at all, no more than Good Fortune, who followed silently at his heels.
Their room was on the second floor, not high. Lynn checked the street below, ensuring no one was watching, then vaulted out with practiced ease.
On the way down, he caught the wall to slow his fall, while activating the ring Daphne had given him.
The spell Trace Erasure worked perfectly. When he landed, there was no sound, no clatter of boots, not even a puff of dust stirred from the ground.
Good Fortune, already cloaked in concealment, left not even a shadow behind.
Lynn adjusted his hood, glanced around, and slipped into the main street.
It looked like he had only changed clothes and pulled up a hood, but subtle manipulations of his body altered his bearing so completely that even someone who knew him well might not recognize him.
Following the route from memory, he soon arrived again at the Gilt Inn.
Now all I need to do… is wait.
Finding a secluded corner, Lynn settled in to watch.
Night deepened quickly. The streets grew quiet, the air turned icy, and puddles froze over with a thin sheen of ice.
The cold couldn't harm Lynn, though with his senses wide open, he still felt its bite.
Good Fortune, perhaps thanks to the dragon blood running in her veins, showed no discomfort at all.
Minute by minute, the Gilt Inn remained quiet. Nothing stirred.
If that stranger's target really is me, then he'll likely make his move tonight…
Lynn was patient. To miss even the faintest anomaly would be unacceptable.
He layered spell upon spell: Serpent Sense, Eagle Eye, Whisperwind to sharpen his vigilance.
To ensure his magic reserves didn't dwindle, he even indulged in extravagance: activating his mana-release disk to rapidly replenish power.
Finally, around two in the morning, the silence was broken by a commotion inside the Gilt Inn.
"Henante, what's wrong with you?!"
"He's fainted! Quick, fetch the mentor!"
The panicked shouts reached Lynn's ears.
Yet instead of relief, his heart clenched tighter.
Because despite keeping the inn under constant surveillance, he had detected nothing.
Either the stranger never came… or he came, and I still failed to notice!
A chill ran through him. He immediately slipped into concealment, retreating swiftly from the inn.
This hidden enemy's methods were even more insidious than he had feared.
But Lynn did not run far. He dispelled his concealment just a street away, adopting the guise of an idle passerby, and circled back toward the Gilt Inn.
He knew full well it was dangerous.
But leaving an unknown enemy lurking in the shadows?
That was far, far more dangerous.
He needed to know who this hidden wizard was
And why they had set their sights on him.
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