“The time has come, Mardo.”
In the dimly lit basement of 187 Copperwood Street, Lynn spoke softly.
Standing before him was a middle-aged man with disheveled hair, his whole body wrapped in a black robe. His face was shrouded in shadow, making his expression hard to see.
It wasn’t until Lynn’s words fully fell that the man suddenly raised his head. His pale yellow eyes reflected a cold, gloomy light.
“I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time, Lord Lynn… You’ve finally advanced to Second-Rank Apprentice!”
“I haven’t.” Lynn shook his head. He didn’t explain further, but instead activated the Golden Shadow Pendant.
In an instant, most of his body once again turned into golden mist, glowing faintly in the darkness of the basement.
“Although I haven’t advanced, I already possess the ability to kill Somlai.
“The time we’ve been waiting for has arrived, Mardo.”
“This is… Golden Mistform?”
Mardo was once a Third-Tier member of the Bloodmark Society. Though he had since fled, he could still recognize this signature sorcery of the Golden Shadow Wizard.
“That’s right.” Lynn nodded, then added, “And we can’t afford to wait any longer.
“The Hossens Wizard Domain is far from stable, and the Autumn Hunt is only a few days away. If we drag this out, I fear something may change.”
“I understand.” Mardo took a deep breath, hatred burning deep in his eyes.
His beloved wife and his six-year-old daughter had both died at Somlai’s hands.
He alone had narrowly escaped.
But though he lived, life had been more painful than death.
For two long years, Mardo had finally seen a glimmer of vengeance. His eyes reddened, and he spoke in a low voice:
“Lord Lynn, what do you need me to do?”
“It’s simple, just as we agreed in the beginning. You lure him to the designated place, and together we’ll finish him. Simple and effective.
“As for the exact location, I still need some time to prepare. When it’s ready, I’ll notify you.”
Mardo nodded, having no doubts about Lynn’s judgment.
After hearing the news that Somlai’s close companion, his friend, or perhaps lover, Russo, had died, Mardo had taken the initiative to find Lynn.
At that time, his only thought was to beg Lynn to help him deal with Somlai.
He knew Somlai would never spare Lynn.
But back then, Lynn had been occupied with problems related to the magical arrays and had not yet realized the true danger Somlai posed, so he refused.
Later, when Somlai directly threatened Lynn, he wasted no time in finding Mardo again, this time laying out his counterattack plan.
Mardo initially refused until the two of them sparred once.
Though he believed himself stronger, having become a Third-Rank Apprentice years earlier than Lynn, he was utterly crushed in that duel.
Remembering the overwhelming strength the youth had displayed, Mardo felt a dark joy. His wife and daughter’s faces flashed before him, and suddenly he sank to his knees, saying:
“Thank you, my lord, for being willing to help me.”
Lynn’s expression remained calm. He shook his head and replied evenly:
“Mardo, I am not helping anyone. Somlai is my enemy as much as he is yours.”
“I know… but still, I want to thank you.”
Mardo knelt for a long time before slowly rising. His pale yellow eyes held no tears, only a deep, unyielding hatred.
A thousand five hundred years ago, a school known as the Black Moon once arose in the Emerald Forest.
Its leader was a powerful Second-Rank Wizard, called Black Moon.
Deep beneath the Golden Shadow Society headquarters, Lyman carefully read through the records he had uncovered back when he first moved into the Hossens Wizard Domain, driven by curiosity.
He continued down the page.
At the height of the Black Moon School’s power, they even opened up a relatively safe passage between the Emerald Forest and the outside world, one secure enough that even ordinary Third-Rank Apprentices could pass unharmed.
But sadly, the Black Moon School lasted only fifty short years. The Black Moon Wizard, for unknown reasons, suddenly died, and the school quickly declined before vanishing entirely from the Emerald Forest.
*In the century that followed, the ruins of the Black Moon School became a favorite destination for nearby wizards seeking adventure.
During that time, there were attempts by First-Rank Wizards to establish new schools there, but they all abandoned the effort due to the Emerald Forest’s harsh conditions.
Back then, the area still had many unclaimed mana-rich mines. Second-Rank Wizards looked down on the place, and eventually it was abandoned once more, returning to its original wild state…*
The sudden rise and just as sudden fall of the Black Moon School left behind very few records.
Lyman had gone through considerable effort before finally finding the related notes in an obscure chronicle.
But after discovering the truth back then, he quickly lost interest and put it aside.
A ruin belonging to a school that had already been plundered countless times more than a thousand years ago, there was no way it could still hold anything of value.
The real reason the Hossens School had moved here was simply that the mana-rich vein at their original residence had gradually run dry. Get full chapters from NoveIＦire.net
And all the better nearby veins had already been claimed.
So, with no other choice, they had relocated to this harsh and untamed wilderness.
That was what Lyman thought at the time, and to this day, he hasn’t wavered from that belief.
But now, he suddenly realized something.
If he were to view matters from the perspective of the Herland School, then no matter how slim the possibility, they would have to consider the chance that the Hossens School might have uncovered some remnant of the Black Moon School’s legacy.
After all, in recent decades, the Hossens School had indeed grown much more low-key compared to before.
Lyman had always assumed this was simply because, having just relocated to the Emerald Forest, they needed a period of stability to grow, and so they had changed their behavior.
But if one looked at it from Herland’s perspective, this change could just as easily mean the Hossens School was quietly digesting some great inheritance.
Lyman’s thoughts opened wider, and more possibilities came to him.
The old Hossens School had been situated on an open plain, with vast empty surroundings and reinforced by powerful magical arrays. It was extremely stable, leaving few weaknesses.
But now, after moving into the Emerald Forest, though they had spent enormous resources setting up new arrays, the surrounding environment was far more complicated, riddled with far more “loopholes.”
Take the Emerald Shadow, for example. If not for the Emerald Forest’s complex and ever-changing conditions, the Hossens School would have already rooted it out long ago.
It seems that Emerald Shadow very likely is indeed the work of the Herland School… As for the Black Moon’s inheritance, the chances are slim.
Lyman stopped flipping through the records. He lifted his head, as if his gaze could pierce through the earth and see Emeraldwood City above.
War… is almost certainly coming.
With a sigh, Lyman closed his eyes again and returned his focus to healing.
He needed to hurry to heal his wounds, adjust the magical arrays, and finally take his core assets and leave this place.
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