Her combat prowess was formidable—she moved like a phantom, and almost nobody could stand in the way of her sword. Even more, her shooting was sharp. Not top-tier, but skilled and accurate. In the middle of the ssy fight, she could just snatch a gun from an Echo Quarry mber and imdiately start inflicting effective damage.
Soone like that… Wilber dug through his mory and ca up empty. He genuinely didn’t know her! He had zero intel on this woman.
It made no sense. Sure, the number of Apprentices in the Ruined Capital was huge, but the ones who hit the level of “almost third-rank” or “can threaten a third-ranker” were always known faces. Their nas showed up in faction intel reports sooner or later. How could she just erge from thin air with no warning?
But that’s what happened. Not only was she strong—suspected to be near third-rank—but her solid shooting also effectively “proved” she was probably a hidden card, a secret weapon Echo Quarry had kept tucked away.
Still, guessing didn’t change one fact: they knew nothing about her.
Thinking that, Wilber couldn’t help looking up at the figure a few steps away. Deep down, he figured Lord Aldrich—a veteran third-ranker—with all his built-up strength, years of connections, controlled resources, and intel networks… had to know way more than a “newcor” like him. People he didn’t know, faces he hadn’t heard… maybe Lord Aldrich would know?
But facing his hopeful look, Aldrich’s unfathomable eyes just looked calmly back at him, then slowly shook his head.
“The person you’re talking about,” Aldrich’s voice was still even, showing little feeling, “I also… don’t have any relevant intel on.” He paused a beat. “Maybe Echo Quarry purposely hid everything about this woman. At the very least, as an unexpected ‘wild card’ or ‘variable’ nobody saw coming… they definitely succeeded.”
Wilber’s heart sank, but on the outside he nodded fast. Then he got back to the story he’d left off, continuing very carefully.
“Originally, I could use the ritual array’s power to trade blows with the two third-ranks on their side, just barely keeping things steady.” Wilber’s voice dropped on purpose, sounding even more miserable. “But because of this suddenly-appearing, strong woman… several key ritual nodes were destroyed way faster than our worst guesses. In the end, the entire ritual array had collapsed.”
“Without the ritual’s empowernt, my strength dropped hard. I couldn’t face the two third-ranks head-on anymore. I could only…” He swallowed hard, his voice carrying a thread of sha and anger. “…Pull back.”
The study got quiet again. Only the occasional rustle of wind in the lakeside reeds outside the window, and the faint, far-off sounds of the ruined city at night.
That was the whole story of the fight at the Botanical Garden tonight. Echo Quarry and their own Ascension Road were old enemies who’d fought for years. They knew each other’s playbooks. What the other side might do, how much power they’d throw in—most of it was predicted. And this ti, backed by abundant resources, they had set up targeted defenses early. In theory, they should’ve had a seventy percent chance to hold the garden, or at least last until the main resources were moved.
In the end, the main reason for tonight’s loss was one “unexpected” factor. And this accidental factor was really, really “strong.”
Aldrich’s gaze fell heavy on the lake surface. His fingers tapped lightly on the smooth wood of the desk beside him.
Just when Wilber thought Lord Aldrich would stay quiet, or maybe deliver a harsher rebuke, Aldrich suddenly spoke. His voice wasn’t loud. He took his ti, analyzing it coolly.
“Actually,” he said, “she wasn’t ‘that’ strong. She simply seized the perfect ‘timing’.”
“There’s actually one thing that’s simple to figure out—” Aldrich turned his head a little, eyeing Wilber from the side. “And that is, she didn’t fight you straight on. She even purposely avoided a direct clash with you. Why?”
He asked the question and answered it himself, his voice leaving no room for doubt.
“Because she isn’t third-rank yet.”
“Maybe in so areas—like ambush, or assassination—she really does have the speed or threat of a third-ranker. But actually jumping into a head-on third-rank brawl is different. Especially tonight’s kind of high-intensity clash. As long as she still has clear ‘weak spots’ from being second-rank—like defense that’s not good enough, or limited high-power output… one slip, and you might’ve found the gap, and then…” Aldrich’s voice stopped, spitting out a cold word. “Killed her right there.”
“So she didn’t dare face you head-on. She picked a plan that was ‘safer’ for her and showed off her skills better—picking at our ritual nodes.”
Saying that, Aldrich paused for a second. His fingers tapped lightly on his temple again.
“Of course, this isn’t to downplay her threat.”
“As enemies, we have to ‘look at’ her straight. We need to be clear exactly what level her strength is at, what kind of fighting style she uses, and also…” Aldrich’s finger tapped his forehead lightly again. “…her head.” He clearly ant “brains.”
“Alright,” Aldrich turned his look back to the window. That calm analysis just now had taken a good bit of his focus. “I have largely grasped the main reason for tonight’s loss. The main mistake really wasn’t all yours. So this ti… I won’t punish you more.”
His tone was flat, but it carried a weight you couldn’t miss.
Hearing that, Wilber’s heart loosened. He felt an instinctive urge to thank him.
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