Neftor nodded faster than his neck was meant to move.His head bobbed repeatedly, almost violently, as if afraid that a slower motion might be interpreted as hesitation.His face had turned pale, beads of sweat forming along his temples and sliding down past his jaw.The wind brushed against his torn shoulder, and each gust sent sharp jolts of pain radiating through his body.“Yes—yes…” Neftor stuttered, his voice trembling.His knees nearly buckled as another wave of agony surged through him.He clenched his teeth, trying to suppress a cry.The martial aura he had used to seal the wound flickered unevenly, struggling to stabilize the bleeding completely.“I won’t even dare listen—nor look—at anything that has to do with Lunaris,” he continued hurriedly.“Even if I see writings about Lunaris, I will look the other way.”His voice cracked on the last words.“Good,” Zane replied calmly.He did not even spare Neftor another glance.“Let’s go, Elder Yuri.”With that, Zane ascended even fu

“Let’s see how I fare. As long as I don’t kill the kid—I was given permission, after all,”Lukan thought, his lips curling faintly as he crouched behind the shade of a broad oak within the courtyard.He steadied his breathing.The afternoon air was warm, thick with the scent of trimmed grass and roasted meat drifting from the canopy where Vesta and Delvan sat.Sunlight filtered through the leaves in fractured beams, painting golden patterns across the stone paths.Servants passed in the distance, oblivious. Guards stood at ease, their gazes scanning lazily.“But this doesn’t feel right at all—me, an Enlightened, crouching like this to target a child,” he thought.Lukan slowly raised his hand.His fingers twitched—subtle, precise.A thin current of water mana stirred within his mana system, slipping toward his fingertips like a silent serpent.He extended his perception, attempting to connect his mana with the moisture lingering in the air around Vesta.The humidity beneath the tree ca

“It seems you are not resting. I thought you would be resting for maybe a few weeks, but no—here you are, young nephew.”Pecunia Merchant Association Amon's private chamber was silent and insulated from the noise of the bustling headquarters outside.The room was spacious yet intimate, draped in deep burgundy curtains that muffled sound and blocked prying gazes.A circular table carved from dark mahogany stood at the center, its surface polished to a mirror sheen.Golden lanterns embedded in the walls emitted a warm, steady glow.Only three figures occupied the chamber.Amon Pecunia sat at the head of the table, his posture relaxed but commanding, his merchant’s robes pristine and heavy with embroidered gold thread.Across from him sat Oasis, calm and composed, while Daku stood slightly behind Oasis’ right shoulder, silent and observant, like a shadow given form.“Time, Elder. Time,” Oasis replied evenly.“I am already out of time. Initially, when I entered this city, I intended to re

Then outside the main hall of the Booker Family estate, beneath a sky swallowed by thick midnight clouds,Ghecho Mokai and Iren Booker walked side by side along the stone pathway that cut through the inner courtyards.The night air was cool.Lanterns mounted along the corridor pillars burned with steady orange flames, casting long wavering shadows across the tiled ground.The distant murmur of guards changing shifts echoed faintly.Crickets sang from the manicured gardens, and the scent of night-blooming flowers lingered faintly in the air.They walked slowly.Measured steps.Their conversation had already begun.It was evident from the way Iren carried himself that he deeply respected his master.His posture was slightly lowered—not submissive, but attentive.His hands were clasped behind his back, and whenever Ghecho spoke, Iren inclined his head slightly, nodding in agreement.“Iren,” Ghecho began, his voice calm but firm, “one thing you must understand is this—if you do not have y

“We are really in a bind…” Akuma Muramasa thought as he kept his gaze fixed on the endless darkness ahead.The wind pressed against his face, cold and sharp, yet he remained unmoved.“I wonder… if the traitors were my own blood, what would I do? Would I carry out my duty as a guild member… or would I become a traitor as well?”His fingers tapped lightly against the wooden beam beneath him.“These situations are surely difficult,” he continued inwardly.“But what concerns me more is this—what kind of force was involved to be capable of wiping them all out?”His eyes narrowed slightly.“A group of Enlightened cultivators moving together… annihilated as if they were nothing more than a flock of sheep.”The sea below rolled in slow, heavy swells, reflecting the faint glow of the stars in fractured streaks.“If this had happened near certain regions of Emberfall,” he thought, “one could assume they encountered a dragon and angered it.”His gaze hardened.“But this side of the realm… are th