WHOOSH!
The frigid winds of the Northern Territory cut across the land like blades, kicking up a blizzard that swept away the last vestiges of warmth from the world.
Snowflakes battered Old Allen’s face, but he simply reached out a leisurely hand to catch a few, watching them slowly lt in his palm.
In years past, the cold would have driven him scurrying back indoors long ago. Now, however, he was enjoying the refreshing chill.
The reason was simple: it was far too hot inside his house.
The charcoal fire was burning so fiercely that an old man like him had no choice but to step outside for a breath of fresh air.
How old was he this year, anyway?
Sixty, or seventy?
The traces of ti were like the lting snowflakes in his hand, one after another, and he had long since lost count.
Behind him, the wooden cabin he had lived in his entire life glowed with a warm, yellow light seeping through the cracks in the door. Smoke from the chimney rose stubbornly against the wind and snow.
Ten years ago, a scene like this would have been beyond Old Allen’s wildest dreams.
Back then, although Baron Sylvan had already reduced taxes and life had beco much easier, he still couldn’t have borne to burn his charcoal so extravagantly in such frigid weather.
But gradually, as he saved money on taxes year after year, his family began to have a surplus of food.
With full bellies, they had more strength, enough energy to go up the mountain and cut more firewood during the off-season.
To his even greater surprise, at so point, even the tax on cutting firewood was abolished.
And so, his stockpile of charcoal grew and grew—so much so that he now found his house too hot, even in the midst of a frozen blizzard.
This familiar warmth sent him back in a daze to his ti twenty-odd years ago, when he cared for the warhorses in the Baron’s Castle.
The winters had been just as cold back then. After finishing his work in the stables, if he felt stuffy, he would also co out for a walk in the snow.
He had thought that after leaving the Baron’s Castle twenty years ago, he would never enjoy such days again in his lifeti...
Speaking of which, he wondered, when exactly had the upheaval of twenty years ago begun?
Was it when the Old Baron died?
Or when he and Lord Luca were sent on a mission to the Black Wood Forest Outpost?
Or could it have been the accidental death of that young Groom nad Murphy?
Ah, he couldn’t rember.
Just like that young man, Murphy, who was now nothing more than a hazy na in his mory.
Old Allen shakily got to his feet. Facing the castle, he piously made the sign of a crescent moon embracing a star in the howling wind and whispered, "Thank you for your grace, Baron Sylvan."
Just then, he faintly heard the sound of footsteps up ahead, but his old ears were no longer sharp, and he couldn’t be certain.
He lifted his cloudy eyes and strained to see in the direction of the sound, but could only make out a group of blurry figures swaying in the blizzard.
As the group drew closer, Old Allen could finally make out their silhouettes. Startled, he scrambled to prostrate himself in the snow, his forehead nearly touching the drifts.
In his field of vision, he could only glimpse a pair of exquisite, low-cut leather shoes that had stopped before him. A rose of golden thread on their tips glead faintly in the snow’s reflection. Beside them stood a pair of tall, thick-soled boots embroidered with intricate silver patterns.
"This old man certainly knows his place," a youthful voice chuckled from above. "It’s rare to find soone lingering outside in this blizzard. But seeing all the smoking chimneys, it seems the domain is in good condition indeed. Hey, you. Tell us about your Baron’s Domain."
Old Allen, still prostrate in the snow, answered with a trembling voice, "My... my lords... I..."
"Lift your head when you speak," another, more imperious voice commanded, its tone leaving no room for argunt. "With taxes decreasing year after year, how does your Baron maintain the domain’s operations? And how does he maintain its prosperity?"
"It’s... it’s because the taxes were lightened..." Old Allen cautiously raised his head, though he still didn’t dare to look at them directly. A fleeting glance at their magnificent clothing had reminded him of the pageantry surrounding the visit of the Witch who claid to be Duke Douglas’s daughter more than twenty years ago. The status of these two was clearly just as extraordinary. "The Lord Baron is rciful. He has been reducing taxes for all these years..."
"Reducing taxes?" the imperious voice scoffed. "A re Border Baron—what gives him the audacity to reduce taxes? Does he plan to neglect his military readiness?"
Just then, the youthful voice interjected, "I hear your Baron holes himself up in the castle all day, conducting so sort of bizarre research?"
Old Allen stamred, "I... I don’t know about the Lord Baron’s affairs... but I’ve heard there are only ten Knight’s Attendants in the castle now..."
"Ten?" The imperious voice rose sharply. "That’s not even enough to patrol the border! When the Holy War breaks out, who do you expect to protect this land?"
"But..." Old Allen blurted out, mustering courage from so unknown source, "since the taxes were lightened and even the firewood tax was abolished, every family has a surplus of food. Everyone’s lives are so much better..."
The mont the words left his mouth, he regretted them and imdiately began kowtowing. "I was talking nonsense! Please forgive , my lords!"
"Ignorant!" the imperious voice said with undisguised contempt. "You think re food and warmth can stop the iron cavalry of Heresy?"
The youthful voice suddenly let out a soft laugh. "Still... this is rather interesting. A Lord who doesn’t focus on martial prowess, a noble who cuts his own tax revenue, an eccentric obsessed with research... This Baron is quite the enigma."
Kneeling in the snow, Old Allen listened to their conversation, not daring to even breathe too loudly.
...
Inside the study of the Baron’s Castle, Murphy was intently studying the [Shadow Ring] in his hand.
This Ancient Witchcraft Artifact, which had co from the Wizard Apprentice Saren, had been carefully disguised by him. The original deep black gemstone was now concealed, appearing as an unremarkable gray one.
The intricate patterns ford by fine, winding silver threads on the ring’s band were also embellishnts he had added later as part of the disguise.
At the mont, however, Murphy’s focus wasn’t on disguising the ring, but on studying its abilities.
He focused his attention on the ring, and his consciousness imdiately sank, transporting him to a gloomy, ethereal space.
Three Magic Models floated silently in the space, each emitting a faint glow of a different color.
The first model was a complex, three-dinsional lattice woven from countless silver threads, with each node flickering with a subtle blue light.
This was the ring’s first ability, [Spider Walk]. When activated, it allowed him to walk freely on vertical walls and even ceilings as if he were a spider, completely ignoring the pull of gravity.
The second model resembled a constantly flowing mass of shadow, its form subtly changing at every mont, its edges surrounded by a faint gray halo.
This was the ring’s second ability, [Concealnt]. When activated, it allowed him to blend more perfectly into the shadows.
What interested Murphy the most was the third model.
Before he had attained the "Slightly Accomplished" level in his Breathing and Guiding Technique, he had been unable to perceive this model’s existence.
But after his perception of Heaven and Earth Qi underwent a transformation, he used the ring again and discovered this Magic Model. It had layered, ripple-like textures, its lines of light constantly restructuring themselves into all sorts of strange patterns.
Murphy tried activating its effect and found that it had the ability to alter his aura and allow it to blend perfectly with his surroundings. He nad it [Disguise].
If this third ability could be perfectly combined with [Thousand-Faced Illusion], it would allow him to alter his aura to a much greater degree, making it harder for the approaching Archbishop to detect him.
’Let’s try again.’
Murphy thought to himself, consuming Spiritual Power to activate the [Disguise] effect.
The Gray Gemstone on the ring rippled with a nearly invisible wave, like ink spreading across the surface of a lake.
His aura began to change, gradually rging with the study’s environnt until he seed like a lifeless object, devoid of any vitality.
’No, not a lifeless object. It has to feel alive.’
Murphy continued to channel power into the ring, carefully adjusting the changes in his aura.
At the sa ti, a faint Black Light emanated from his body, working in concert with the [Disguise] effect released by the ring.
Under the control of these two powers, his aura constantly shifted while remaining in harmony with his surroundings, achieving a perfect integration.
Murphy only stopped when half of the ring’s power was depleted.
The source of the ring’s power was not Murphy’s Spiritual Power; his Spiritual Power only served to activate it.
The ring had its own power source, similar to the Black Light Energy within his body, called Shadow Power.
After being consud, the ring would slowly recover by drawing Heaven and Earth Qi from its surroundings.
Indeed, the various types of Heaven and Earth Qi could be converted into one another; it was just that using a corresponding type of Qi resulted in the highest conversion efficiency.
For the [Shadow Ring], Taiyin Cold Qi had the best conversion effect.
Therefore, Murphy suspected that the Shadow Power in the ring was deeply connected to Taiyin Qi in so way.
Perhaps they were different manifestations of the sa power.
Like carbon, which can be either graphite or diamond depending on its structure.
KNOCK KNOCK!
The crisp sound of knocking interrupted Murphy’s thoughts.
"Co in," he said calmly.
The study door was gently pushed open, and Bernard the butler stood respectfully outside. "My Lord, a ssage just arrived from the sentries. The Princess of the Royal Family and the Archbishop of the Truth Church Court have arrived near New Wood Town. They are expected to reach the castle in two hours."
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