On the way leading to the Magic Tower, there were layers of guards.
They wore silver full-body armor with the emblem of the Mage Guild engraved on their chests.
They stood ramrod straight, their auras sharp.
However, when they saw Freya, they all stepped aside.
They lowered their heads and offered a salute.
Their movements were perfectly synchronized.
Freya gave a slight nod, her pace never faltering.
Lin Gui followed behind her.
Just as they were passing through the final corridor, a group of people appeared, coming from the direction of the Magic Tower.
Freya looked up.
When she saw clearly who they were, her expression instantly turned grave.
She reached out, shielding Lin Gui behind her.
She retreated to one side of the corridor, turning slightly to clear the way.
Lin Gui looked up, his gaze falling upon the group.
There were four of them.
Walking at the front was an old man wearing deep purple mage robes.
His beard and hair were entirely white, and his face was lean.
Pinned to his chest was a Mage Guild badge, and the stars on the badge were bordered with three gold edges.
That was the symbol of a High-tier Legendary mage.
Behind him followed two men dressed in dark leather armor.
They had lean builds and soundless steps.
Their auras were restrained to the absolute limit, yet they still exuded a trace of cold severity.
Mid-tier Legendary assassins.
In the middle of these three Legendaries was a young man.
He looked to be no more than in his early twenties.
He wore exquisite dark mage robes made of excellent material and perfectly tailored.
However, he did not wear any badge on his chest.
His strength was merely that of a Low-tier High Rank.
Lin Gui silently activated his Eyes of the Netherworld.
Deep within his gray pupils, four soul fires were reflected.
Two were as cold and sharp as knives, one was deep as an abyss.
And one was as weak as a candle flame.
His gaze settled on the young man's position.
He was bracketed by the three Legendaries; it wasn't just protection—he was being escorted.
The two Mid-tier Legendary assassins trailed half a step behind him.
Though the High-tier Legendary old man walked at the very front, he occasionally turned his head as if to confirm the young man's condition.
Their postures, their gazes, and the rhythm of their steps all conveyed the same message.
This Low-tier High Rank young man's status was far from low.
The four people coming from the Magic Tower naturally saw Freya as she stepped aside.
Although she had proactively cleared the path, Freya did not appear humble or fearful.
She stood straight, her gaze fixed directly on them.
Her ice-blue hair draped over her shoulders, and there was no retreat in her azure eyes.
The group looked at her, merely casting a faint glance before looking away.
They did not stop their pace.
Just as the two parties were about to pass each other, the young man in the center stopped in his tracks.
His gaze had originally been casually sweeping over both sides of the corridor.
It swept over Freya, and then over Lin Gui behind her.
Then, he halted.
He turned his head, his gaze falling directly on Lin Gui.
He wasn't looking at Freya; he was looking at Lin Gui.
The young man's strange behavior caused everyone to freeze for a moment.
The three Legendaries also stopped, following his gaze to look at the young man behind Freya.
He was in casual clothes, with black hair and black eyes.
He emitted mana fluctuations of the High-tier High Rank.
The young man stared at Lin Gui, his gaze lingering on his black hair for a moment before settling on his black eyes.
Then, he spoke.
"Are you... a member of the Ashley family?"
Lin Gui was taken aback.
The Ashley family, that magic family where every member had black hair.
He remembered that back when they were at the auction, Elvia had told him to pose as a member of this family.
He didn't know what the other party meant by suddenly bringing this up.
Freya, however, furrowed her brows and spoke first.
"He is not."
"The members of the Ashley family have been under your forced monitoring in the City of a Thousand Towers ever since that incident occurred."
"He simply has naturally black hair and eyes."
Her voice was very cold.
One of the Mid-tier Legendary assassins curled his lips into a mocking arc.
"What if he's some bastard child out in the world?"
His gaze swept over Lin Gui with a condescending, predatory scrutiny.
"Enough."
A low voice sounded.
It was the High-tier Legendary old man.
His tone was flat, but it carried an unquestionable sense of urgency.
"Time is short; that thing is about to arrive."
He paused for a second.
"If we fail this mission, we'll all have hell to pay."
The assassin shrugged and said to the old man, "Lord Edwin, you're being too cautious."
Then, he retracted his gaze.
"With Arthur here this time, what is there to fear?"
He patted the young man's shoulder, his tone relaxed and even slightly teasing.
"Right, Arthur?"
The young man named Arthur did not respond.
His gaze was still fixed on Lin Gui, as if he were trying to recognize something or perhaps confirm something.
After a few seconds, he finally looked away.
Then he turned around, following the three Legendaries as they continued walking out.
The sound of their footsteps gradually faded in the corridor until they completely disappeared around the corner.
Lin Gui watched the direction in which they had vanished, then turned to look at Freya.
"Who are they?"
Freya remained silent.
Her expression was somewhat unsightly, as if she were remembering some unforgettable, humiliating matter.
After a long time, she finally spoke.
Her voice was soft, carrying an imperceptible trace of stiffness.
"Knowing too much will not do you any good."
"It might even bring you fatal trouble."
She turned to look at Lin Gui, a serious and warning expression in her azure eyes.
"In your pursuit of magic, you can go as deep as you like."
"But as for those upper-tier mages..."
She paused.
"Stay as far away from them as you can."
With that, she turned around and continued toward the Magic Tower.
Lin Gui looked at her back.
Her ice-blue hair glinted coldly under the light of the magic glowstones.
Her pace was a bit faster than before, as if she were fleeing from something.
Rate on N.U.
