It’s just that no one ever thought to investigate a marginalized old administrator.
And certainly, no one would use the authority of a Core Elder to invoke the Eye of Surveillance as he had.
"It’s time to end this."
He stood up and walked out the door.
This time, it was just for... confirmation.
The Abandoned Scripture Archiving Department was located in the westernmost corner of the Shadow Moon Tower.
It was a three-story stone building, its outer walls covered in vines and most of its windows broken.
The stone slab path before the door was overgrown with moss, a clear sign that no one had come here in a long time.
Ian pushed open the door.
CREAK!
The hinges let out a piercing screech.
A cloud of dust billowed out, carrying the smell of decaying paper.
The main hall was filled with broken bookshelves, stuffed with all sorts of tattered ancient texts, Scrolls, and Parchment.
Some had weathered away completely, turning to dust at the slightest touch.
Ian didn’t linger and headed straight for the basement.
The stairs were narrow and steep, the edges of the stone steps worn smooth.
Gaga flew up from his shoulder, scouting ahead.
"There’s something down there, gaga... It’s very faint, but it’s definitely there."
"Mm."
Ian continued without breaking his stride.
The basement was even messier than the floor above.
Besides bookshelves, there were also large quantities of broken Alchemy Vessels, Witchcraft Model Fragments, and even a few incomplete Alchemy Puppets.
The air was thick with the smell of mold and the faint residue of Magic Power.
Ian walked to the innermost corner.
A pile of damaged books was stacked there, looking no different from the surrounding clutter.
But he could feel it.
Beneath the pile of books, there was an extremely well-hidden secret compartment.
Ian raised his right hand and tapped his index finger.
HISS!
A slender beam of pale purple light shot out, striking the pile of books with precision.
It wasn’t the full power of the Frost Ash Beam.
It was just a tiny wisp, imbued with a sliver of the Entropy Change Domain’s properties.
The pile of books instantly turned to ashes.
It revealed a palm-sized secret compartment underneath.
Inside the compartment lay a book with a black cover.
The book was thin, only a dozen or so pages long.
On its cover, drawn in dark red pigment, was an... eye without a pupil.
The symbol of the Eye of Dusk.
Ian picked up the book and opened it.
Inside were densely packed notes.
They recorded the intelligence Matthias had gathered over the years, a list of "seeds" he had selected, and the methods for passing information to his superiors.
On the last page, a single sentence was written:
"Shadow Moon is no longer of value. Withdraw after advancing to Liquefaction."
The handwriting was fresh; it seemed to have been written recently.
Ian closed the book, and a wisp of pale golden flame ignited at his fingertip.
The book’s pages turned to ash in the flame, and even the Soul imprint was utterly incinerated.
Having done all this, he turned and left.
Outside the main hall door, the sunlight was blinding.
He stood before the stone building and glanced back at the decaying structure.
Then, without looking back again, he walked away.
On his shoulder, Gaga asked in a small voice:
"Ian, is there anything else we need to investigate?"
"No."
Ian’s steps were steady, his voice calm.
"What needed investigating has been investigated. Who needed killing has been killed."
"From now on, I have... no more loose ends here in Shadow Moon."
Gaga nodded, only half-understanding, and nuzzled its head against his cheek.
"So where are we going, gaga?"
"Back to my residence first."
Ian looked toward the depths of the High Tower, at the tallest, spire-topped building.
"There are still some things... I need to discuss with the Tower Master."
As his voice fell, the figures of the man and his bird gradually vanished at the end of the long corridor.
The wind blew through the abandoned stone building, rustling a few withered leaves.
Like a silent farewell.
「That night, in the basement of his residence.」
Ian sat cross-legged before the Abyssal Altar but did not activate it.
He just sat there quietly, his eyes slightly closed, seemingly lost in thought.
In his mind, scenes from all these years flashed by.
From the terror of his initial transmigration to the trembling of his first kill.
From the life-and-death crisis in the library to the blood and fire of the Demon Hunting Battlefield.
From the difficult advancement to a Level One Wizard to the natural progression to Level Two Crystalization.
And... the people who had died.
Sterling, Murphy, Bazaar, Selas...
And Matthias, whom he had just crushed into the Void.
"It’s all over," he murmured to himself, his voice faint and distant.
As if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him.
Gaga curled up by his leg. Seeming to sense something, it raised its head and stared at him with its small eyes.
"Ian, are you... sad, gaga?"
"Sad?"
Ian opened his eyes, the dim light of the altar reflecting in their depths.
"No."
He reached out and stroked Gaga’s head, feeling the soft touch of its feathers on his fingertips.
"I’m just confirming... whether I can truly leave with peace of mind."
"So... can you?"
"Yes."
Ian stood up, walked to the wall, and pulled a notebook from the shelf.
He opened it. Inside were his accumulated insights on Magic Potions, Witchcraft, and Cultivation over the years.
Some of the pages were yellowed, and the handwriting was a bit messy.
He looked at it for a while, then closed the notebook and put it back on the shelf.
"Time to prepare for the next step."
His voice was soft, yet it carried an unquestionable resolve.
Gaga flew to his shoulder and asked quietly, "Are we leaving?"
"Soon."
Ian gazed out the window. The night sky was sparsely dotted with stars, and the moonlight was dim.
"But before we leave... there are still a few things that need to be done."