Elena's pale green eyes suddenly lit up as she asked,
"What do you need me to do?"
Lynn leaned back into the sofa, his tone calm.
"So… you want to escape as well?"
Elena didn't answer directly. Instead, she spoke softly:
"The situation is worse than you think, Lynn.
"The Herland Society has formally declared war on Hossens.
"In recent weeks, all of Hossen's external holdings have suffered varying degrees of attack. The incident with the exchange students, you know about that, was only one of many.
"Just yesterday, Anderson, one of Hossen's official disciples, a newly advanced First-Rank wizard who had gone to the Silver Ring Academy, also lost all contact with the Society."
Her voice was heavy. Compared to the fall of the Third-Rank Black Rose Society, the disappearance of Anderson, a First-Rank wizard, unsettled her even more.
"There are also rumors that Herland has gained a new Second-Rank wizard."
"A new… Second-Rank?" Lynn froze. He hadn't even processed the shocking news about Anderson's disappearance before being hit with something even more devastating.
Originally, both Hossens and Herland each had only a single Second-Rank wizard.
Now that the balance had been broken, shattered, even.
If Hossens once had a 50% chance of victory on paper, with Herland adding another Second-Rank, that chance had dropped to no more than 5%.
Hossens has already abandoned all external industries. They've decided to hole up within the Hossens domain and make their last stand."
Elena sighed, her gaze drifting.
"Formal war could break out at any moment. Soonest, even tomorrow.
"At first, I thought the Society must have some hidden trump card, that's why they'd chosen to defend.
"But the truth is, Lynn, stories of the weak overcoming the strong are just that, stories.
"Hossens is already arranging in secret for its most gifted apprentices to escape with fragments of the inheritance…
"Just like the Black Rose Society did."
A heavy sense of urgency welled up in Lynn's chest.
"But," Elena continued, "whatever the outcome of the war, the best choice is to be far away from Hossens when it happens."
She had already weighed everything.
Her presence here would change nothing in the larger battle. Her survival odds, however, would skyrocket if she left.
If Hossens somehow won, she could always slip back later.
There was no real choice to be made.
Silence stretched between them until Lynn finally said:
"Materials.
"I need you to help me gather the resources to construct a Lambiel Skiff."
Elena straightened in her seat, testing him:
"As payment, I'll have one seat aboard?"
"Of course." Lynn nodded. "The Skiff has eight seats. I only need four. If you provide the materials, the remaining three are yours to distribute however you like."
"No need." Elena shook her head. "I only need one.
"Not everyone has the resolve to leave, especially Society members.
"Regret, attachment, denial… They're bound by those chains."
Her gaze was steady on Lynn as she said,
"In truth, I'm a member of Hossens, too. If I had a choice, I wouldn't leave either.
"Leaving Hossens means becoming a wild wizard.
"And a wild wizard's path…" Elena shook her head with a sigh, "Is the hardest road to truth strewn with thorns a hundredfold worse?"
Lynn stayed silent. Of course, he understood.
No inherited knowledge. No organizational protection. Scarce resources…
"But I did find out something." Elena's lips curved into a faint smile.
"Outside of their own chosen seeds, the Silver Ring Academy also admits outsiders.
"As long as one meets their standards and passes their trials, they'll accept you.
"Consider that a gift of information, Lynn, my thanks for coming to me."
Lynn paused, then admitted frankly:
"I don't have other options. You're the only candidate."
Elena wasn't disappointed. Instead, her smile grew brighter.
"Good. Alliances forged from shared interest are the strongest of all."
Lynn gave no reply.
"How long would it take you to finish the Skiff, if you had all the materials?" Elena asked.
"I'm not sure yet. But at the earliest, I wouldn't be able to start for another half a month."
"Half a month?" Elena frowned. "Because of the Golden Shadow wizard…?"
"I'm bound by a secrecy contract. I can't say more." Lynn cut her off.
Elena understood immediately and dropped the subject.
The two went on to discuss more details of their plan, and Lynn handed her the materials list for the Lambiel Skiff.
The complexity of what was required clearly caught Elena off guard. She frowned at the list, thought for a moment, and said:
"It'll take me quite a while to gather all of this.
"And with the time you'll need to build it, we might not make it in time."
"It doesn't matter," Lynn shook his head. "We can't control everything. All we can do is what's within our reach."
Elena lifted her gaze to him, as if struck by a sudden thought, and said:
"Since you're good with magical arrays… I have something I want you to take a look at."
She turned, pulled several sheets of paper from a bookshelf, and handed them to him. Strange markings were sketched across them.
"Do you recognize these?"
Lynn studied them carefully, then answered uncertainly:
"They look like fragments of some kind of array pattern… Where did you find these?"
"Can you tell what they do?"
Lynn shook his head. Elena retrieved the papers and said,
"I found them in some old ruins around Emeraldwood City."
She didn't elaborate further, just extended her hand with a smile:
"I'll do my best to gather the materials in the meantime… a pleasure working with you, Lynn."
Lynn didn't shake her hand, only nodded calmly.
"A pleasure. Once I'm ready to begin work on the Skiff, I'll let you know."
He stood, preparing to leave. But at the door, he paused as another thought came to him.
"To avoid suspicion, I'll need you to visit me regularly over the next while."
"Of course." Elena nodded, smiling lightly. "Two young people who grew up together, from the same hometown, it's only natural we'd stay close."
Lynn said nothing and left through the door.
When he returned home, he didn't rest. There were still about seven hours before he had to be back at six the next morning.
He meant to use that time to study the Lambiel Skiff through Insight.
Not long after, he withdrew from the trance.
Glancing at his own status, he saw a new entry under Skills:
[Lambiel Skiff Construction (Beginner)].
"It seems all that intense work recently has raised my knowledge in arrays even further," Lynn thought.
Lyman's mastery of arrays was indeed profound. While working on the Tower, he would occasionally offer pointers, and every time Lynn felt as though a veil had been lifted from his eyes.
"But… beginner level isn't enough. To ensure I can build the Skiff swiftly and in one attempt, I'll need at least mastery."
At six sharp the next morning, Lynn returned to the Golden Shadow Society's underground hall.
Lyman was still hard at work. Without looking up, he said,
"Good. Rest is important, but now, back to work.
"For me, yes, but also for yourself, and for those you love. Make the most of your talent, Lynn. Show me what you can really do. Understand?"
"Yes." Lynn nodded evenly, not picking up on the deeper meaning behind Lyman's words.
He walked straight to the tower.
Perhaps because of last night's Insight into the Skiff, he felt his skill with arrays had risen again. His efficiency in carving energy circuits was noticeably higher than before.
"At this pace, I should be able to finish nearly a third faster each day," Lynn thought with growing satisfaction, gripping the engraving knife as he turned back to the glowing circuits before him.
-support me in Patreon for more chapter, 145+ chapters in there
patreon.com/AetherTL