In a narrow alley beside the Zinan Commercial Tower
At the corner, a disguised Lynn walked straight toward a blue door.
He didn't knock. As he approached, the door swung open, and Daphne stood behind it, her expression unusually grave.
"What's your compulsory mission?" she asked as she closed the door and turned back to him.
"It's a hunting and gathering mission to the White-Striped Spider Nest on the western edge of Silverring City. Have you heard of it?"
Lynn replied, sitting down on the sofa, then asked in return, "So, what did you want to see me about this time?"
Daphne sat beside him, her voice heavy.
"Nelson hasn't come to see me."
"I know." Lynn nodded slowly. "Keep waiting. He won't be more patient than we are."
But Daphne continued to stare at him, her expression still tense. "Nelson's behavior is… unusual."
Lynn frowned slightly, thought for a moment, then caught on. "You suspect he'll make a move while I'm away on this mission?"
Daphne nodded. "There are still nearly four months until the inheritance deadline at the end of the year, but only a little over a month left until the Saint Miring Assembly. If Nelson doesn't want any accidents, this is the window he'll have to act."
Lynn understood.
The Saint Miring Assembly was of enormous importance to an ordinary Silverring apprentice; it was the single greatest opportunity to change one's fate during the apprenticeship years.
Not only because it was the time to obtain a precious Talent Seed, but also because it was when official wizards scouted for disciples.
Even without a Talent Seed, outstanding performance could catch the eye of a formal wizard and lead to being taken in as a student, a chance to ascend in a single step.
So, yes, if Nelson wanted to avoid risk, he would have to strike now.
And with Lynn being sent outside on a mission, it was the perfect opportunity.
"What do you plan to do?" Lynn asked after a moment's thought.
"I don't know." Daphne brushed a lock of golden hair back behind her ear, then looked at him seriously. "But I don't want to sit and wait for death."
"Do you know where Nelson lives?" Lynn asked.
"You're thinking of striking first? But he's also a Silverring apprentice. Even if you kill him, without some special means, it's nearly impossible to escape the city unscathed." Daphne shook her head. "The reason I fear Black Crow is that he once killed a Silverring apprentice who held a Black Moon relic and evaded the Academy's enforcers completely."
"I'm not talking about killing him. I just want more information." Lynn shook his head. "The truth is, you know too little. We both do. Even if we wanted to fight back, we don't know where to begin."
Daphne's face fell.
She had already tried investigating, but Nelson had spent a fortune on magic stones and had never found anything useful.
She had known despair. That was why, when she discovered Lynn carried a Black Moon relic, she had dragged him into the Association without hesitation.
She had hoped his extraordinary concealment ability would change the game.
But so far… it hadn't.
"I already looked into Nelson," Daphne said listlessly. "He's wealthy, lives in a heavily guarded tower. Nothing I can use."
"And his personal connections? Did you look at those?" Lynn pressed.
"I did. Everything seemed normal." Daphne stared blankly at the teacup in her hands.
The freshly brewed red tea still steamed gently, the rising tendrils of heat making her lost expression look even more fragile.
"Then it seems," Lynn said calmly, "we'll have no choice but to wait for death."
Daphne blinked, frowning, ready to scold him for his defeatist words until the next moment, when she heard him continue:
"But when I say 'wait for death,' I don't mean surrender.
"If Nelson and Black Crow are bound to act during this time, and we can't strike first, then the best choice is to prepare thoroughly.
"I need you to shadow me quietly when I head to the White-Striped Spider Nest.
"When Black Crow makes his move, that might be the best time to end this, once and for all.
"And I should tell you now: my combat strength is not as weak as you think. Don't underestimate what we're capable of together."
Though still skeptical about his last claim, Daphne's eyes slowly brightened. She bit her lip, then said fiercely:
"You're right. If there's no other way, then let's use this chance to finish Black Crow for good!"
At least one thing Lynn had said was true when Black Crow struck: that could indeed be the moment to settle everything.
Seeing Daphne's fighting spirit rekindled, Lynn gave a satisfied smile. "But before that, we should discuss profits.
"If I help you take care of Black Crow, what do I get in return?"
"Black Crow is your enemy as well."
"Daphne, let's not play that game." Lynn's tone cooled. "We both know the truth. If you hadn't dragged me into the Black Moon Exploration Association, none of this would have involved me at all."
"I just…" Daphne faltered, guilt flickering in her eyes.
"I know. You just wanted to survive." Lynn cut her off evenly. "So let's talk business."
Daphne stared at his calm face, her faint guilt twisting into a storm of complicated feelings.
At last, she took a deep breath. "If we survive this crisis, I'll give you half of Tilo's profits."
Lynn froze for a moment.
Half. That was far more generous than he had expected; he had only hoped for thirty percent at most.
After a pause, he said, "Then we'll need to carefully plan how to deal with this.
"Simply sitting around, or clinging together blindly, won't be enough against Black Crow."
Daphne nodded, edging closer. "Do you have a plan?"
She shook her head when he asked, and Lynn smiled.
"I do have an idea."
...
...
At dawn the next morning, Lynn packed his belongings, donned the advanced battle robe Daphne had temporarily lent him, and set off toward the mission's assembly point.
The robe was called Gray Dove, one of the mainstream advanced battle robes on the market, worth around 5,000 Low-grade magic stones.
A so-called battle robe was essentially a large-scale magical tool, a robe embedded with arrays for reconnaissance, defense, and other auxiliary functions, designed to aid a wizard in combat.
However, since magical tools had inherent limitations, a battle robe didn't provide apprentices with a huge increase in combat power.
This Gray Dove robe was already quite decent, but for Lynn, its boost was not especially significant.
Of course, that only applied in general circumstances; there were always exceptions.
For example, Daphne's custom robe, a gift from her uncle, a full-fledged wizard, when she advanced to First-Rank Apprentice. Its cost was at least ten times that of the Gray Dove.
Though its strength wasn't ten times greater, the increase it provided was still remarkable.
With the robe, Daphne's strength, which had been merely above average among apprentices, was pushed into the top five percent of Silverring apprentices. The improvement was nothing short of tremendous.
Half an hour later, Lynn stepped off a public floater at a plaza.
Thanks to the sensing badge Daphne had given him, he knew she was sitting on the south side of the square.
He didn't look her way, but walked straight toward the gathering spot.
After only a few steps, however, he spotted two familiar faces among the gathered apprentices.
"Gray, Kaori, you two were assigned to this mission as well?" Lynn approached, pleasantly surprised.
Both Gray and Kaori were Goldthorns of the Hossens school.
Lynn was well aware of their strength.
Even now, after mastering Void White Lightning, he had only just begun, and his overall power might not yet surpass theirs.
If Black Crow really chooses to strike while I'm on this mission… A faint smile touched his lips.
Across the way, Gray and Kaori also smiled when they saw him.
Having a familiar companion on a mission was far better than being paired with strangers.
This compulsory mission was on a large scale, with some sixty apprentices participating. It was a seasonal task Silverring Academy assigned every few years.
The silk of White-Striped Spiders was extremely valuable thanks to its unique properties. Even Lynn's Gray Dove robe incorporated some of the material.
Since it was a routine assignment, the procedures were well established.
After a brief wait, a floater descended to carry them west of Silverring City, toward the White-Striped Spider Nest.
Through the floater's window, Lynn caught sight of another, ordinary-looking floater lifting off quietly.
Had he been able to see through its hull, he would have found Daphne seated inside.
...
The White-Striped Spider Nest lay within a shadowy forest to the west of Silverring City.
The forest was vast, its towering trees thick and lush, reminiscent of the Emeraldshadow Forest.
But unlike Emeraldshadow, this place was filled with swamps and poisonous mists, the trees darker in color, the atmosphere grim and oppressive.
The nest spanned a wide area. To improve efficiency, apprentices were divided into teams of three, each tasked with clearing spiders and collecting silk.
Naturally, Lynn joined Gray and Kaori. Their assigned sector was a cave beneath a withered tree.
The entrance was broad, roots jutting out of the soil, sunlight filtering weakly through branches above, but unable to pierce the yawning black mouth of the cave.
From its appearance alone, one could tell the interior was damp and dark, the perfect environment for White-Striped Spiders.
These creatures thrived in gloom and damp, and with their burrowing abilities, their lairs were notoriously complex.
Fortunately, reconnaissance missions had been conducted beforehand, so they had maps to guide them.
"Let's go. The sooner we start, the sooner we finish," Kaori said, stepping forward first.
Gray followed close behind.
Lynn, bringing up the rear, let his gaze drift left and right, pausing a moment to the left rear before stepping into the cave.
...
Boom!
In one of the nest's tunnels, an orange fireball exploded, striking a White-Striped Spider squarely. Flames roared up, enveloping the creature.
Lynn exhaled, dispersing the lingering magical energy in his hand.
Ahead of him, the half-human-high spider was blackened and twitching, its vitality stubborn but fading.
Drawing his Silverring Sword, he stepped forward and delivered the finishing blow.
Glancing around, he realized they were already deep inside the nest. Any further and they would exceed the mission's designated boundaries.
"There's one more tunnel. Clear the spiders there and collect the silk, and we're done," Kaori said, pulling specialized silk-collecting tools from her pack.
It was the fifth day of their mission.
So far, everything had gone smoothly. There had been no danger, no mishaps.
With Gray and Kaori holding the front, Lynn rarely had to exert himself before a tunnel was cleared.
The only near-disaster was when they almost lost an entire sack of collected silk.
By rights, the White-Striped Spider Nest, remote, labyrinthine, far from the Academy, was an ideal killing ground.
If Black Crow intended to make his move, this would be the place.
Yet the mission was nearly complete, and no such ambush had occurred.
No rush. As long as we haven't left the nest and boarded the floater, the danger remains.
So thinking, Lynn followed Gray and Kaori deeper into the next tunnel.
Once the three of them had moved on
Beside the charred corpse of the spider, near a bend in the tunnel, a dark shadow rippled faintly.
A moment later
Swish!
A streak of silver light shot forth, pinning the shadow in place!
Moments later, Lynn strode over, face grim, Gray and Kaori close behind with wary expressions.
The shadow had already dissipated, leaving only a single black feather on the ground.
Strange symbols seemed to be inscribed upon it.
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