The night was hazy. A hanging lamp cast a dim, orange glow over the scene.
The streetlights' radiance spread outward, inducing a drowsy feeling, and beside the hanging lamp sat a bar that had already closed for the night.
A "Closed" sign hung on the door, and the surroundings were utterly still.
The nearby residents, exhausted after a full day of labor, had long since drifted off to sleep. Even the drunks and vagrants had found their warm little dens, with no intention of sleeping on the streets in such bitter cold.
And at that moment, the sound of boots scraping across the floor echoed through the silence.
A tall figure emerged from the darkness, walked up to the bar's door, and knocked casually.
Thump, thump! The muffled sound carried over, possessing a unique rhythm and cadence.
After a moment, the door opened to reveal the face of an old woman—guarded, yet tinged with a hint of reverence. "My lord! You've finally arrived!"
"There was a bit of trouble on the way. Got held up!"
The newcomer stepped inside the bar, pulled back his hood, and revealed his true appearance—a strikingly handsome yet unsettlingly strange face, with long black hair tied loosely behind his head in a manner that was both neat and effortless. Within his dark pupils, a mysterious vortex spun ceaselessly, and even a single glance seemed nearly enough to pull one's soul in.
This was Leilin. After defeating Bevis and obtaining the other's Bloodline, he had worked nonstop, immediately refining the Bloodline into a Sigil—he had nearly been late for his appointment with Melinda as a result.
But in Leilin's view, it had all been worth it. The extra time spent had given him a new trump card in the form of a Bloodline Sigil, more than justifying the cost.
After all, what they were dealing with this time was a Solar Throne—one of the most exalted existences on the Central Continent. Leilin could not afford to be anything less than cautious.
After entering the bar, Leilin followed the old woman down to a cellar.
Through a dark, damp spiral passage that reeked of decay, Leilin finally laid eyes on Melinda once more.
"Leilin, you're finally here! We've been waiting for ages!"
When Melinda saw Leilin, her eyes lit up, and she spoke with a hint of petulance.
"We?" Leilin's gaze flickered briefly, then shifted to the other "people" in the room.
The old woman had already withdrawn respectfully after guiding Leilin inside. Besides Melinda, three strange figures remained.
One was a burly man clad in black armor. Another was a woman wrapped entirely in a black Wizard's Robe.
The last one had no human form at all—it was simply a dark shadow existing within a mirror.
"A Spirit Wizard?!" Leilin stared at the shadow in the mirror, clearly sensing that this was no mere Clone or similar technique. The shadow truly was the other's main body, and he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
A Wizard's Spiritual Power was immensely powerful. Even after death, there was a high probability of transforming into a Wraith or similar entity, and if such a Wraith retained its reason, it could even learn Wizardry and become a Spirit Wizard!
For those who had mastered Soul power—Morning Star and above—Spirit transformation was nothing more than a minor procedure.
Though Leilin had heard of Spirit Wizards before, their circle was extremely small and obscure. He hadn't expected Melinda to have managed to recruit one, and a Radiant Moon Wizard of the fifth rank at that.
"Leilin, your eye for talent is as sharp as ever!" Melinda praised. "This is 'Mirror'—a dear old friend of mine. And these two beside me are Clark and Joanna. They're helpers I've brought in!"
"I've long heard of the reputation of you two—'The Mid-Star Twins'! I didn't expect Melinda to have managed to bring even you on board!"
Leilin smiled and greeted Clark and Joanna.
According to his intelligence, both of these Wizards possessed Radiant Moon rank cultivation. They were siblings who had supported each other throughout the Central Continent, their names well-known among those few Wizards who remained unaffiliated with any major power.
"Lord Leilin!" Joanna, entirely shrouded in her black robe, did not appear to be the sociable type—Clark, the armored giant, handled all such matters on her behalf.
"And Lord 'Mirror' as well!" Leilin glanced at the shadow in the mirror once more. Although he knew full well the other was a Spirit Wizard, he still sensed something hidden beneath the surface—an aura that made him profoundly uncomfortable.
"Sssss... You... on your body..."
The shadow in the mirror rippled, transmitting something akin to a thought: "...carry something... that I find... dangerous..."
"That's something I prepared specifically for this operation."
Leilin smiled, but his right hand tightened slightly. On his index finger, a grey ring emitted a brief, faint glimmer.