Rustle, rustle
An old wizard in a gray robe, hair and beard entirely white, landed in front of Lynn.
He studied Lynn, his eyes glowing faintly. After a moment, his brows lifted slightly as he asked,
"The Hossens apprentice meditation method… Are you a reserve apprentice who was eliminated from the Order?"
"Yes, sir. Lynn Kent came down from the mountain just two months ago," Lynn replied respectfully.
On the old wizard's chest hung a golden triangular badge of the Hossens Order, very different from the one worn by the First-Class apprentice Lynn had seen since arriving here.
Not only was it more finely crafted, but around the edges floated a suspended ring of thorn-like patterns, faintly pulsing with magical energy, clearly a powerful magical device.
Lynn had seen such badges only a handful of times during large lectures. They signified a First-Rank Wizard.
The old wizard nodded, then pointed at the patch of grayish flesh nearby.
"Can you tell me what this is?"
Lynn nodded and turned to answer, but froze.
The body that had previously mutated into a wolf-like form, Ant had, at some point, melted into a puddle of flesh. And that flesh had lost its crimson vitality, now a dull, ashen gray.
It was as if… all its essence had been drained away.
"What is it?" the old wizard pressed.
Lynn hesitated briefly, then began explaining everything he knew.
...
One week later
Northern Emeraldwood City, Hossens Order Headquarters.
On the third floor of the central wizard tower
"So, what's the total reduction in eliminated reserve apprentices?"
Anderson sat on a brown sofa by the window, dressed in white wizard robes. His features were sharp, his build lean and solid; he looked to be in his thirties.
He wore no badge, nor did he need one.
Anderson was one of the leading First-Rank Wizards of the Hossens Order and a direct student of Hossens himself.
He was also one of the older and stronger among them.
During the years when Hossens focused entirely on advancing along the wizard's path, Anderson had handled most of the Order's affairs.
Especially in the decades since the Order had moved into the Emeraldshadow Forest, Hossens had been a hands-off leader, leaving Anderson to manage nearly everything.
"If we compare it to previous years, this batch of eliminated apprentices is down by about 50%."
Sitting across from him was Matthew, the First-Rank Intermediate Wizard in charge of Emeraldwood City, also the very same man Lynn had met that night.
Matthew was about to turn 200 years old. His hair and beard were white, his face deeply lined, making him look like any other old man.
"So, only a 50% decrease year-on-year. That means from the 70-plus eliminated reserve apprentices, only 20 remain… Which also means that, even in previous years, nearly half of them were gone by the second month?"
"That's correct, Lord Anderson," Matthew nodded.
Anderson frowned in puzzlement.
"I recall when I set the elimination rules, I calculated that these reserve apprentices could generally survive at least five years. As long as they worked hard, they could easily live until the day they repaid their debt.
"How did it come to this?"
"As you said, Lord Anderson, that was back then," Matthew replied.
"You've been campaigning in the Astral Realm for a long time, so you might not remember, but it's been nearly twenty years since you set those rules. Back then, Emeraldwood City didn't have nearly as many people. There were plenty of jobs, plenty of opportunities.
"But now, the city is overcrowded."
Anderson was no fool. With Matthew's reminder, realization dawned. He sighed.
"I see… This is something I failed to consider back then."
Back then, he had been twenty-eight years old, newly advanced to a First-Rank wizard and preparing for his first venture into the Astral Realm, so he hadn't paid much attention to such matters.
When setting the rules, he hadn't devoted much effort, just made a rough estimate of the reserve apprentices' income levels and set the current debt at five gold dragons per month.
"What a pity…" Anderson sighed repeatedly.
"If I'd realized this sooner, perhaps more of those eliminated apprentices could have survived.
"And the Order would have earned more revenue as well."
"Lord Anderson, there's no need to dwell on it," Matthew replied with a cheerful smile. "At most, we're talking about a few hundred or a thousand magic stones, insignificant for the Order as a whole."
"Lord Matthew, you've been in Emeraldwood City for a long time. I suspect you noticed this issue long ago. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"You wrong me there, Lord Anderson." Matthew shook his head.
"The Order eliminates anywhere from a few dozen to about a hundred reserve apprentices each year. Over twenty years, that's just over a thousand people.
"But the population of Emeraldwood City is approaching half a million… In a city this large, countless things happen every day. I can't possibly keep track of such minor matters.
"Besides, these were your rules…"
"Our teacher once said, 'Truth becomes clearer through debate.' You are free to question me…"
Halfway through, Anderson looked at Matthew's respectfully nodding face and suddenly lost interest. With a sigh, he continued to himself:
"To the Order, these eliminated reserve apprentices are like wands already made but ill-suited to the hand.
"At the time, I felt it was a waste to expel them outright, yet we had no space to keep them on the mountain… So, after some thought, I came up with the current debt arrangement.
"But looking at it now, even with these debt contracts, we recover very little magic stone in the end…
"Forget it. From now on, reduce the debt for reserve apprentices to three gold dragons per month, with no annual increase, and shorten the repayment term to sixty years."
"As you wish, Lord Anderson." Matthew nodded, noting down the new regulation.
Anderson inclined his head and continued,
"Have all surviving eliminated apprentices in Emeraldwood City been checked?"
"They have," Matthew replied. "No irregularities found."
"No irregularities… It seems their deaths truly have little to do with that emerald shadow."
Anderson rubbed his chin, recalling the scene he had found during his investigation in the Emeraldshadow Forest.
It was a dim, lakeside stone cavern, hidden beneath dense woodland.
He had seen traces of some strange creature's activity within.
But the creature itself was long gone, and every sign had been thoroughly erased.
He had searched the surrounding area for two more days without much success…
It was the fault of those hedge-wizards hastily recruited from local gangs, dawdling, unwilling to put in real effort, missing the opportunity, and letting the thing escape.
And Matthew, if he had gone into the Emeraldshadow Forest to investigate that very night, perhaps…
Anderson sighed inwardly.
He had only learned of the matter the following day.
After gathering all the information, he had examined the patch of ashen flesh, but found nothing.
He had then summoned available wizards from the Order and conscripted gang-affiliated wizards to search the forest.
But they were still too late. All he had found was the creature's abandoned lair.
"How is that apprentice named Ido?" Anderson asked next.
"He still hasn't woken. I fear he won't last." Matthew's tone was grim.
A Second-Rank apprentice dead…
For the Hossens Order, it was not unheard of. Apprentices were lost while campaigning in other realms, maintaining the Order's holdings, or during the autumn hunts to clear Emeraldwood City's outskirts.
It was normal.
But this case was different; this apprentice had been attacked and killed inside Emeraldwood City. And they still hadn't found the culprit…
"With something like this, all the city's factions are watching. The Order cannot simply do nothing."
Anderson muttered, then, after a moment's thought, said in a deep voice,
"In some time, under the pretext of investigating the green-shadow creature, I'll select suitable apprentices to leave the mountain and establish a dedicated Emeraldwood City Guard Post.
"This Guard Post will take over the city-monitoring duties currently handled by the Order's local station.
"What do you think, Lord Matthew?"
The creation of a Guard Post was, in essence, a reduction of Matthew's nominal authority as head of the city's affairs.
But Matthew only nodded casually. "As you wish, Lord Anderson.
"And it's about time the city's gangs were given a warning."
A typical First-Rank wizard's lifespan was about two hundred and sixty years.
Matthew was already two hundred. Despite many life-extension methods, he had only a few decades left.
He simply wanted to enjoy life for the remainder.
"By the way, Lord Anderson, what is that emerald shadow? If even you couldn't catch it, should we report to Lord Hossens?"
"Unclear. It doesn't seem like a naturally-born creature of the Emeraldshadow Forest… I've already reported it to our teacher, but have yet to receive a reply." Anderson paused, then reassured him,
"There's no need to worry too much. Lord Hossens is on the mountain, and we still have the warding arrays."
Matthew nodded, though his face held concern.
"That's true. The forest is vast. Without clearer clues, searching blindly would be pointless."
Then he lowered his voice and asked,
"Lord Anderson… Do you think the emerald shadow could be the work of the Herland Order?
"That kind of power doesn't seem like something native to the forest… And with the city's spring and autumn hunts each year, even beasts with some wit avoid coming close, let alone attacking us."
"The Herland Order…" Anderson's brows furrowed deeply.
The enmity between Hossens and Herland went back over a century. Matthew's suspicion was not unfounded.
"It's possible. But without evidence, we'll treat it as a strange beast for now.
"Our teacher has instructed me to keep a low profile for the next ten years. Without solid proof, it would be unwise to provoke a dispute with Herland."
Matthew nodded, then seemed to recall something.
"Do you remember that eliminated apprentice who killed the green-shadow creature?"
"You mean the one who successfully advanced afterward?"
"Yes. He's still being held at the Guard Post."
"Still held? Let him go," Anderson said. "We've learned all we can from him.
"If the new Guard Post needs his cooperation later, they can summon him again."
Matthew nodded and said no more.
...
Beside the wizard tower stood a five-story building.
In a corner suite on the second floor, Lynn sat cross-legged in a private meditation room, eyes closed in quiet focus.
His expression was calm, and compared to a week ago, there was now a deeper, almost abyss-like stillness about him.
After a long while, Lynn opened his eyes and looked inward.
[Name]: Lynn Kent
[Age]: 16
[Rank]: Third-Rank Wizard Apprentice (1/100); White Crow Swordsmanship · First Form (100/100) / Second Form (5/100)
[Skills]: Mind Shock Crystal Spell Plate Crafting (Proficient); White Crow Swordsmanship · First Form (Mastery) / Second Form · Fragmentary (Beginner); Horsens Apprentice Meditation Method (Beginner)
[Source Energy]: 0.5 (Self); 0 (World)
It's been a week already… he thought silently.
That evening, the old wizard Matthew had brought him here.
Since then, there had been constant questioning and examinations.
Still, perhaps because Lynn had once been part of the Order and had now advanced to a wizard apprentice, he had not been treated harshly.
His quarters had a soft, spacious bed, a comfortable washroom, and even a dedicated meditation chamber.
Meals were prepared for him three times a day, and anything he requested would be delivered the next day.
But being under this kind of house arrest still doesn't feel good…
I don't know when they'll let me leave… Once I'm out, I'll have to cancel my debt contract and exchange it for the next stage of the meditation method…
The apprentices' Horsens meditation technique was incomplete; to continue cultivating, they had to redeem the subsequent sections from the Order.
That day, right after his advancement, Lynn had gone to the garrison to register, but because Ido had asked him to help investigate the eliminated apprentices, many post-promotion procedures had been left undone.
I wonder if the magic stones I hid have been found… And those white-shadow mushrooms… They've probably rotted by now. A pity…
Just then
Knock, knock, knock
From outside came the sound of knocking.
"Lord Lynn, may I come in?" It was the knight assigned to watch him and deliver meals.
"Please, come in."
Lynn went to the door and greeted the knight.
"Lord Lynn, you're now free to leave," the knight said directly.
Lynn raised an eyebrow, feeling a weight lift from his chest.
"But," the knight added after a pause, "my lord says that if needed in the future, you may be called back to assist with the investigation."
Lynn nodded, unsurprised, then asked,
"Do you know where my friend is?"
"Your friend?" The knight looked puzzled.
"A tall, thin boy who was brought here for questioning along with me. He's a mortal."
The knight shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't know, Lord Lynn.
"But if he's a mortal, he's most likely still being held. As for where exactly… I couldn't say."
After a few more questions yielded no useful answers, Lynn frowned and left the headquarters alone.
Yet as soon as he stepped out of the main gates, a man in wizard robes blocked his path.
And not far behind the man stood a familiar figure, Giggs.
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