Zane and Lancelot were shocked, and were wondering what was going on. What on earth was Yuri talking about, and since when and how did he even come to possess an official token of Lunaris? As both of them scrutinized the gleaming emblem in Zane's hand, they could tell without a shadow of a doubt that this was indeed the real deal, a genuine, high-tier token of the Lunaris Sect. Specific intricacies in its runic engraving revealed to Zane that it had been crafted directly by his own father, the Sect Master himself. Yet, the sheer mystery of when and how such a meeting had taken place left both young cultivators utterly baffled.“I have been officially appointed as a Venerable of Core Disciples of Lunaris by the Sect Master himself,” Yuri explained smoothly to Zane and Lancelot.Seeing their bewildered expressions, he offered a brief yet thorough summary of his unexpected encounter with Conri Bluemoon on the isolated island just moments before tracking them down. He detailed their conv

Two weeks later...Somewhere in the vast, open expanse of the western sea of Aetheria, hundreds of kilometers away from the bustling Starport City of Lunaris...A lonely, dark vessel floated silently upon the water, completely devoid of movement as the gentle waves lapped against its wooden hull. As the morning sun rose over the horizon, casting its golden rays across the deep blue expanse, the dark canvas of the vessel’s sails caught the light, revealing a sinister, unmistakable crest emblazoned across the fabric. The mark was identical to the dark emblem discovered on the sniper assassin who had been slain by Lancelot: a ring of spiked, barbed wire forming a perfect circle, cradling a slender crescent moon directly in its middle.This was a ship of the fearsome Hanging Corpses Guild.While the sun outside flooded the morning sky with radiant warmth, the interior of the main cabin sat in stark, shadowy opposition. Lit only by a few flickering, low-burning candles, two figures sat i