Saul pushed open the door and immediately saw Kujin leaning against the opposite corridor wall.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

The other man silently watched Saul, his figure seeming less imposing than usual.

He didn’t ask about the negotiation with Ferguson, as if he couldn’t care less.

Since Kujin was pretending to be an outsider, Saul played along, gave him a nod, and walked away.

He’d deliberately set the meeting time at two o’clock just so no one would try to latch onto him afterward.

But even so, Saul wasn’t able to return to the warehouse before three in the afternoon.

On the way to the morgue in front of the second floor of the East Tower—an unavoidable path—a figure shrouded in a cloak was standing in the middle of the hallway, waiting for him.

Wizards really did like wearing those huge cloaks that covered their entire bodies.

Saul had seen Tower Master Gorsa wear one, Heywood too. Wizards traveling outside especially preferred hiding under them.

Not only did the cloaks block others’ gazes, but they also helped conceal the wizards’ often abnormal features.

Saul stopped five meters away from the cloaked figure.

From where he stood, he couldn’t even tell if the person was male or female.

“Long time no see, Saul.”

The figure extended a slender, pale hand from beneath the cloak and gently pulled down the hood.

Saul smiled. “Long time no see, Senior Kongsha.”

“I knew reaching Second Rank would be no issue for you. What I didn’t expect was for you to snatch this job from Kujin the moment you advanced.”

“It really wasn’t me doing the snatching.” Even though he was now a Second Rank apprentice, Saul still felt a little nervous in front of Kongsha.

Especially when her eyes began to surface one by one—Saul didn’t feel any less pressure than before.

But what puzzled him to this day was: why someone as powerful as Kongsha hadn’t yet advanced to Third Rank.

“Sometimes, taking something doesn’t require you to act. As long as you're recognized, you can replace someone with ease.” Her crimson lips curled ever so slightly in a fleeting smile.

Kongsha seemed genuinely pleased by how things had turned out.

“But gaining that recognition isn’t easy,” Saul said as he stepped forward. “Did you wait here just to see me, Senior Kongsha?”

Kongsha turned around, looking into the dark depths of the corridor.

“I want to continue our deal.”

“There aren’t any more heads in the warehouse I can give you,” Saul quickly said.

“I know. And I’m past the point of needing heads,” Kongsha said with a hint of bitterness.

Maybe because of her change in status, her tone toward Saul wasn’t so lofty anymore.

“Then what do you need?”

Kongsha went silent. Saul had cut straight to the point, but she hadn’t made up her mind yet.

Saul didn’t rush her. He quietly waited for Kongsha to respond.

The longer she hesitated, the more important the item must be.

And yet, Saul didn’t feel much pressure.

After all, he was the one in control of this deal.

That’s why, whether facing a Third Rank apprentice like Ferguson or someone like Kongsha, Saul remained calm.

“I need…” Kongsha started to speak, then suddenly snapped her head up. “Who’s there? Come out!”

Saul flinched and instinctively turned half around.

But he still kept half his attention on Kongsha—her outburst sounded far too much like a distraction tactic.

Yet the corridor behind him was completely empty. Even the nearest morgue was nearly a hundred meters away.

And while the corridor had a curve, there was nothing to hide behind.

“Could it be an apprentice skilled in Invisibility?” Saul noticed Kongsha wasn’t moving—just staring into the hallway behind him. That suggested there really might be a third party.

Invisibility was a Second Tier spell. If someone really was hidden nearby, they had to be at least Third Rank.

Kongsha seemed to realize that too. Suddenly, more than a dozen eyeballs surged onto her glassy head.

They stacked layer upon layer, each pupil scanning in a different direction.

Saul noticed that Kongsha had more eyes in her head now—and several of them clearly weren’t human.

Suddenly, one of her eyes dilated sharply, the pupil expanding until it nearly consumed the entire eyeball.

“I see you.” All her eyes rotated in unison, locking onto one specific direction.

But even under her collective gaze, nothing stirred.

“Saul, let’s go inside,” Kongsha said, stepping backward into the darkness at the end of the corridor.

Saul didn’t doubt her judgment. He glanced one last time at the spot she had focused on.

Unfortunately, the one lurking there wasn’t a spirit—his semi-immersive meditation method was useless.

He turned sideways and followed her, step by step, into the shadows.

Once both Saul and Kongsha had disappeared down the deep hallway on the East Tower’s second floor, a single foot suddenly became visible at the edge of the darkness. But its invisible owner remained hidden outside.

“Tch!” A low click of the tongue echoed through the corridor.

That foot eventually withdrew from the shadow and vanished without a trace.

Meanwhile, Saul and Kongsha had already arrived at the first floor of the East Tower, before a great bronze door.

The bronze door was ancient and heavy, but the arcane formations etched onto its surface gave it an eerie feeling.

Kongsha stood before the door, lips pressed tight, looking serious—maybe even a bit nervous.

Saul, being the one with the key, felt no pressure from the door at all.

“Senior Kongsha,” Saul said, standing at the door. “It’s almost three.”

Kongsha lifted her head. A few eyeballs popped out, warily staring at the bronze door. Then she spoke quickly: “What I need is item number 117—Whisper of the Elves.”

Saul’s expression darkened at once. “Senior Kongsha, anything with a serial number is a taboo item. I’m not even allowed to use them, let alone bring them out for someone else.”

One of Kongsha’s eyeballs turned to look directly at Saul. “I know. I won’t take it out. I’ll go in and use it myself. That way, you won’t have to touch the taboo item or smuggle anything out.”

“Then by all means. I’ll just pretend I was late for work.” Saul didn’t believe it would be that simple. He even moved aside to make room and closed his eyes as if playing dumb.

“I can’t get in… but you can bring me in.”

“Bring you in?” Saul knew he could, technically.

Just like Kujin had brought him in. And if the person he brought turned hostile, Saul could use the key to eject them instantly.

But there was a risk: if the other party acted fast enough to grab the item before he reacted, the second warehouse could suffer.

“So, Senior Kongsha, how can I be sure you won’t pull anything extra once you’re inside?”

If the benefit was high enough, Saul didn’t mind taking the risk. That was because of the mutual trust built over years of working with Kongsha.

If it were someone like Ferguson or Kujin, Saul wouldn’t even consider it.

“Whisper of the Elves is a green conch, about the size of a fist. You can’t use it but you can move it.”

“I move it to the inner side of the door and you use it there?”

“Yes.”

This way, even if Kongsha wanted to enter the warehouse’s interior, she couldn’t open the second door. And if she tried to steal the conch, she’d be risking her life and offending the Tower Master.

“That might be worth trying. So what price is Senior Kongsha offering for me to take this risk again?”

“A locator,” Kongsha replied. “Now that you’ve reached Second Rank, once you stabilize, you’ll need to think about your locator. I can offer you two relatively safe locator configurations.”

“I know your Mental aptitude is excellent. But Magic has always been your weakness. So you either keep pushing your Mental strength—or use the locator to forcibly boost your Magic. Oh, by the way, have you broken past 55 joules yet? If your Magic is too low, no need to rush the locator.”

Saul: “Just passed 80 joules.”

Kongsha: “…”

Kongsha: Why is it always me who gets hurt?

(End of Chapter)