Blue Bridge Street, No. 74.
Lynn's residence, front yard.
The sky was just beginning to lighten.
Rustle
A cold autumn wind swept through, rustling the apple tree until several withered yellow leaves fluttered to the ground.
Carter, broom in hand, coughed a few times, tightening the scarf around his neck before continuing to sweep the yard.
The old woman had seemed hale and hearty during the summer, but perhaps the autumn chill had gotten to him now; he looked a little frail and sickly.
From the rooftop, Lynn withdrew his gaze and continued to look into the distance, where the Emerald Forest stretched endlessly beneath the pale light of dawn.
It was already late autumn, yet most of the trees in the Emerald Forest still held their greenery, resembling a vast sea of green from afar.
Five days had passed quietly. According to the plan, today was the day the Autumn Hunt teams were due to return.
Lynn, too, had risen early.
During these past five days, whenever he had the time, he would come up to the rooftop and peer toward the forest.
But the dense canopy concealed all traces of what might be happening inside; the hunting parties were like divers plunging into the deep sea until they resurfaced, and no one on shore could know what they had encountered.
Whoosh, whoosh
Suddenly, Lynn caught sight of several figures soaring out from the eastern side of the forest.
They appeared to be first-class apprentices of the Order, flying swiftly toward Emeraldwood City. Some headed toward the mountain, others to the Order's city headquarters.
Lynn tried hard to discern clues from their hurried departure, but he gained nothing before they vanished from view.
Looking again toward the eastern forest, he noticed tiny ant-like figures slowly making their way out.
He hesitated, then quickly descended the stairs and ordered:
"Prepare the carriage. We're going to the east gate."
The carriage soon rolled out from the front gate.
Sensing Lynn's urgency, the driver cracked the whip repeatedly, urging the horses into a brisk pace.
Wheels clattered against the stone-paved road as Lynn pulled down the window, eyes fixed outside.
Not long after, the carriage slowed.
Somehow, the streets had become crowded with people.
Most wore joyful expressions, carrying bundles on their backs, traveling in groups of two or three.
Lynn knew who they were; these were townsfolk heading to the makeshift markets outside the east and west gates of the Emerald Forest.
After every Autumn Hunt, temporary markets would spring up there to sell the spoils of the hunt.
Game meat was abundant, making prices cheap.
At the same time, depending on the situation, the Order would also recruit additional laborers for the autumn harvest.
For ordinary folk of Emeraldwood City, this was one of only two grand events of the year.
Many could only afford to taste meat during these occasions, while others relied on harvest wages to save up for winter.
That explained the bustling crowds.
The unusual nature of this year's hunt was known only to a select few.
For the majority of the city's people, this year's Autumn Hunt was no different from the last; they were just as cheerful, just as full of anticipation.
Lynn withdrew his gaze, shut his eyes, and rested.
The carriage pressed forward.
Before long, it brought him near the eastern gate.
The hunting parties had yet to enter the city; they still had to cross the wide fields.
But already, crowds of people had gathered, many even waiting beyond the gate itself.
Lynn did not go all the way to the front.
Instead, he stepped down at a distance, wearing no apprentice's robe, and blended into the crowd at a spot neither too near nor too far.
Everyone gazed eagerly out beyond the walls, necks craned in anticipation.
After some time, the hunting battalions finally appeared outside the eastern gate.
Part of the group halted outside the walls, while another part advanced toward the gate.
Lynn rose on tiptoe to look.
"Ah!"
A little girl perched on her father's shoulders suddenly let out a sharp cry, her eyes filled with fear.
Following her gaze, Lynn saw the scene clearly: the leading apprentices were drenched in blood, while the carts behind them carried corpses shrouded in gray cloth. Some apprentices bore grievous wounds, missing limbs, raw and bleeding.
Lynn's heart sank. The little girl beside him burst into tears.
Her father flustered, quickly set her down.
"Viya, I told you you'd be scared, but you insisted on coming…"
The girl continued sobbing, and her father hugged her, murmuring comfort:
"There, there, don't be afraid, Viya. Every Autumn Hunt is like this. The apprentices are injured because they cleared out the monsters in the forest. You don't need to be afraid of them."
Every Autumn Hunt is like this…
Hearing this, Lynn suddenly realized something and glanced around.
Sure enough, the crowd around them showed no fear. Instead, their eyes shone with eager expectation as they looked past the injured apprentices to the wagons carrying game.
Looking again at the returning hunters, though a few sighed heavily, most were relaxed, their faces merely marked by weariness.
This isn't right… Did nothing happen during the Autumn Hunt?
Lynn looked at the bustling crowd around him and suddenly felt strangely out of place.
Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a familiar figure within the hunting party.
His brows furrowed. He pushed his way through the crowd, drawing curious and uncertain glances, until he reached the man he knew.
"Lynn?" Garland raised his weary head from the line. His face was haggard, and his expression complicated when he saw Lynn walking toward him.
"Lord Garland…" Lynn began to speak, but Garland cut him off.
"Lynn, the Golden Shadow Society is finished." Garland's tone was bitter. His apprentice's robe was soaked in blood, and there were torn gashes across his shoulder.
"The Bloodmark Society ambushed us in the forest. Many of our people were killed.
"They even stole away most of our game. When the time comes to divide the Order's territories, our society will have nothing left to bargain with. The Golden Shadow is doomed…"
"Did anything else happen?" Lynn interrupted, his voice low and heavy.
That the Bloodmark Society would openly strike against the Golden Shadow was shocking enough, but what he needed to know was whether there had been other incidents.
"Something else?" Garland looked confused. "What else could there be? Lynn, did you not understand what I said? The Bloodmark attacked us! Our prey isn't enough! According to the agreement, we'll have to surrender huge amounts of territory. The Golden Shadow Society is finished!"
Whoosh!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!
Just as Garland's words fell, several powerful figures burst into the sky from the Hossens Order's base atop the northern hill of Emeraldwood City. They streaked into the air, then sped rapidly toward the distance!
Garland froze, murmuring under his breath:
"What… what's going on?"
Many apprentices in the crowd had also noticed and began speculating:
"Those are official wizards of the Hossens Order?"
"They're flying north…"
"Could it be the city is reopening its air routes with the outside world?"
Lynn pulled back his gaze, unease gnawing at his chest. He gave Garland a terse farewell and turned away.
...
At the Hossens Order's Emeraldwood garrison.
Lynn stepped down from his carriage at the gate and addressed the knight on duty.
"Lynn Kent, here to visit Second-Rank Apprentice Elena Ross. Please inform her."
"Apologies, my lord," the knight replied with a shake of her head. "All members of the garrison have just been summoned back to the Order, including Lady Elena."
"Did they say when they'll return?"
"That is not yet known."
Lynn turned his gaze toward the nearby hill.
In the air, he thought he glimpsed the faint shimmer of a protective barrier.
They've even activated the defensive arrays…
His brow tightened into a frown. He returned to the carriage.
"Master, where to next?" the driver asked.
Lynn remained silent for a long while before finally answering:
"Home."
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