「Early morning.」
When Aidele pushed open the Workshop’s main doors, six figures followed behind her.
The sound of their footsteps was a jumble, yet not chaotic, carrying the kind of tacit understanding that comes from long training.
Old Finn came forward to greet them, his cloudy eyes sweeping over the six people.
"My lady."
His voice was hoarse, and his gaze landed on the middle-aged man at the head of the group.
The man was nearly two meters tall, dressed in a simple gray combat outfit, the contours of his muscles faintly visible beneath the fabric.
He stood in the center of the courtyard, his back as straight as a spear, his eyes scanning every corner of the Workshop.
"Naseng."
Aidele turned to the side, introducing him to Ian, who was walking out of the Laboratory.
"My father’s former personal guard, a Level Two Middle Stage Body Refining Wizard. He followed my father for twenty years."
Her voice paused for a moment.
"These people... they are the last loyalists my parents left for me."
Naseng’s gaze fell upon Ian.
There was no hostility in his dark brown pupils, but no warmth either, as if he were assessing a weapon.
He gave a slight nod, the movement as precise as a military salute.
"Hello, Wizard Marcus."
His voice was deep, carrying the steady confidence of someone accustomed to giving orders.
Ian nodded in return, his gaze sweeping over the man and woman behind him, who were dressed in different styles of Wizard Robes.
The man on the left had delicate features, his fingers long, slender, and pale. Twisted Runes were embroidered on his cuffs.
’A Level Two Initial Stage Cursed Wizard.’
The woman on the right was about thirty, her long, dark-blue hair tied up in a high ponytail. Three Crystal Bottles of different colors hung from her waist.
’Also a Level Two Initial Stage Elemental Wizard. It seems Aidele’s own power is considerable.’
Including Ian himself, their side now had six Level Two Wizards.
’Back in the day, the entire Shadow Moon Tower only had about this many Level Two Wizards in total.’
Both of them bowed their heads slightly to Ian in a polite gesture, but a scrutinizing look was hidden deep in their eyes.
The last three were middle-aged Stewards.
They wore plain gray robes, with heavy ledgers and keyrings hanging from their waists.
Their knuckles were thick, and their palms had calluses from holding a Feather Pen for long periods.
One was in charge of mineral channels, another managed the supply of medicinal ingredients, and the last one... specialized in intelligence gathering.
All three had calm gazes, looking like old sailors who had seen their share of storms.
"It’s not convenient to talk here."
Aidele turned and pushed open the Metal door to the underground Laboratory.
"Let’s talk inside."
Inside the Laboratory, the Crystal Stone Lamps were turned to their brightest setting.
A pale white halo of light enveloped the lab bench, illuminating everyone’s face clearly.
Aidele took out a thick roll of Parchment from her Dimension Ring.
The surface of the paper was yellowed, its edges heavily worn.
She spread the Parchment out on the lab bench. It was covered in densely packed names.
There were nearly a hundred in total.
Behind each name was a note of their identity, strength, current position, and... the favors they had received in the past.
"Seventeen people from the collateral branches."
Aidele’s fingertip tapped lightly on the first column.
"Twenty-three down-on-their-luck minor families, making up forty-one people in total."
Her finger moved to the second column.
"And thirty-nine more... they are commoner Apprentices my father sponsored back in the day, now scattered throughout the various corners of the family."
Her voice was calm.
But beneath that calm, Ian could hear a weight she had suppressed for a long time.
This was the foundation her parents had left behind, and it was also the only bargaining chip she now held in her hand.
Naseng stood opposite the lab bench, his hands clasped behind his back.
He stared at the names, the scar on his face twitching slightly in the light.
"My lady," he said, his voice low.
"These people... their loyalty needs to be re-evaluated."
"While your father was in a coma, your eldest and second brothers seized a great deal of the family’s power. Many of these people have already switched sides."
Aidele looked up, silver patterns swirling in her deep, cyan eyes.
"I know," she said, pausing.
"That’s why I brought you all here today. It’s time to... reignite these embers."
She turned to look at Ian, her gaze questioning.
Ian didn’t speak. He walked to the lab bench, his eyes scanning the names on the Parchment.
His finger moved slowly across the surface of the paper, his fingertip tracing over the words marked "High Level Apprentice" and "Level One Initial Stage."
Three seconds later, he looked up.
"We don’t need to activate all of them at once."
Naseng’s brow furrowed slightly. The Cursed Wizard and Elemental Wizard behind him also exchanged a look.
Ian paid no mind to their reactions.
He picked up a Feather Pen and began to sketch quickly in a blank area of the Parchment.
The tip of the pen scratched against the paper as rows of names were circled and lines were drawn to connect them.
"First, we’ll select fifty people."
He stopped writing and turned the Parchment toward Aidele.
"The ones I’ve chosen are all in key positions and have potential for cultivation."
His fingertip tapped on a few of the names.
"The Guard at the ore warehouse, the Apprentice in the Potion Workshop, a squad leader in the patrol team..."
"These people don’t need to be that strong, but their positions will allow us to see things others can’t."
Aidele stared at the circled names. Of course she understood what Ian meant.
Lookouts, sleeper agents, the most basic nodes of an intelligence network.
"But..." She looked up, a flicker of worry in her eyes.
"What will we use to maintain their loyalty?"
Naseng also looked at Ian, the same question in his eyes.
In this family, loyalty... has always come at a price.
Ian turned, walked to the Constant Temperature cabinet in the corner of the Laboratory, and gently pulled it open.
A draft of cold air mixed with the faint, fresh scent of medicinal herbs instantly filled the entire Laboratory.
Inside the cabinet, everything was arranged neatly, stacked like soldiers in formation.
On the left were fifty Crystal Tubes of a dark, dull amber color, which flowed with a heavy luster like that of the Earth under the cold light.
[Rock Bear Potion].
On the right were two hundred Potions of a starry-sky blue. Inside them, what looked like Star Fragments seemed to slowly rotate.