Chapter 163 Pre-battle Mobilization

"What is it, Anna?" Seeming to sense the unusual hesitation behind him, Chu Yun asked, turning around with a puzzled look.

"This is a four-leaf clover amulet that brings good fortune. I'll give it... I'm lending it to you." Anna took off the talisman she always carried with her.

Chu Yun's eyes lit up. Equipment capable of boosting stats was exceptionally rare, and the luck attribute was a hidden stat that had never appeared on the attribute panel. He hadn't expected her to gift him such precious gear.

"I'm only lending it to you. You... you must come back safely with it," Anna said, turning her head away.

Confident as he was, Chu Yun couldn't guarantee a hundred percent return. After all, once he snatched the divine spark fragments, he might offend countless people and end up being hunted down.

If he couldn't make it back, wouldn't that mean he was taking someone else's equipment for good?

"No need, my luck has always been quite good." Right after saying something even he didn't quite believe, Paimon happened to descend from the sky.

He failed to notice Anna's expression, nor did he understand what the amulet truly signified.

According to the customs of the Kingdom of Elno, a young maiden would only ever bestow a four-leaf clover amulet upon the one she loved.

Chu Yun mounted Paimon and soared away at great speed. He certainly wouldn't interpret it that way—if that were truly the case, wouldn't the Four-Leaf Clover Adventurer Guild practically be a matchmaking agency?

Anna stood frozen in place, lost in a daze.

"As expected, he doesn't like me at all..."

"No, wait, he's from Northern Moon; perhaps he doesn't know the meaning of the four-leaf clover amulet?"

With this thought, Anna's mood seemed to lift slightly.

"But does the Kingdom of Northern Moon actually have such a custom?"

Anna's train of thought shifted rapidly. Driven by a spirit of inquiry, she entered the Mages' Guild library to look up customs related to the Northern Moon Kingdom.

It seemed that only reading could calm her turbulent heart for a moment.

Yet, when she discovered that this custom had actually originated in the ancient Northern Moon Kingdom and been passed down to the Kingdom of Elno, her composure instantly collapsed.

"No, no, Chu Yun is a wilderness mage, he probably doesn't know these things."

"Damn it, what on earth does he mean!"

"No, I have to ask him clearly!"

"Otherwise, I might really never see him again!"

During their usual days together, she hadn't felt it so strongly, but when true parting loomed, Anna realized she couldn't simply let go.

At the very least, before he left, she wanted to get the answer in her heart.

--------------------

Meanwhile, after returning to the Mage Academy, Chu Yun headed straight for the basement, dug out the Grimoire of the Abyss, and strapped it securely into the pack on Paimon's back. Afterward, he made his way to the room shared by Sylvana and Carlo.

"Carlo, I'll be leaving Blackstone City for a while. I don't know exactly how long I'll be gone."

Hearing Chu Yun's words, Carlo grew somewhat anxious. "Ah, then what about Sylvana? Will her condition worsen?"

As expected, the most important thing in Carlo's heart remained Sylvana.

"I can't guarantee her condition. You should stay here and take care of her; there is plenty of food in the basement to last until she wakes up."

"Without my healing, her recovery will be slower, but as long as she holds out until she wakes up naturally, her own strength will be enough to overcome the remaining bloodline curse," Chu Yun explained.

Carlo felt slightly more at ease. "Master, where are you going? As your slave, Carlo ought to follow..."

Chu Yun waved his hand. "I haven't fulfilled our original agreement yet. Only when her bloodline curse vanishes will you truly be considered my slave."

"If I haven't returned by the time Sylvana wakes up, then you may leave with her first."

Chu Yun's interest in the pair primarily stemmed from Sylvana's dragon soul and experience points; Carlo was merely a secondary bonus.

"Rest assured, Master, Carlo will wait for your return." Carlo simply assumed Chu Yun was testing her loyalty.

She was a person who kept her word and would not easily betray an agreement made with others, let alone one bound by a slave contract.

Chu Yun couldn't be bothered with further explanations. He returned to his room to meditate and recover his mental energy, while Paimon, having just completed its evolution, also required some rest.

Once his mental energy was largely restored, Chu Yun began making various preparations.

His preparations were simple: he took the items from the First Prince's spatial ring that would be useful for this adventure and piled them in categorized order. The First Prince had made thorough preparations, so Chu Yun didn't need to waste any extra thought.

After organizing the items inside the spatial ring, Chu Yun mounted Paimon, picked the right direction, and headed straight toward the Moon Lake in the Elven Forest. Arriving earlier meant he could set up his layout sooner; he had no interest in lingering in Blackstone City and playing along with their slow-paced scheming.

--------------------

By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, a sizable crowd had already gathered outside the City Lord's Mansion.

Among them, aside from several Tier 3 mages from the Mages' Guild, were elites from various major guilds. During an adventure, a rational combination of different classes allowed for mutual complementation, enabling each profession to play a greater role.

In addition to these brave adventurers preparing to enter Moon Lake, there were quite a few people planning to follow behind as logistical support staff.

Logistical personnel wouldn't earn much in the way of rewards, but having the chance to enter the Elven Forest and participate in this event was already a fantastic opportunity. Naturally, should they encounter real danger, they would simply choose to flee and leave.

Count Mond hadn't anticipated that so many people would gather. He felt a trace of worry—fearful that once these elites departed, the empire might seize the opportunity to launch a sneak attack.

Fortunately, judging by current intelligence, the Kingdom of Caracia seemed to have temporarily slowed its military operations because of this very incident.

Moreover, should the enemy launch a war at this juncture, they would undoubtedly become the common enemy of the elven race.

When faced with a contaminated Moon Lake and nowhere left to roost, the homeless elves might well join forces with the Kingdom of Elno to annihilate the Kingdom of Caracia in exchange for a new patch of land to live on.

Bessereina was also participating in this operation. As a member of the elven race, even though her injuries had not yet fully healed, she had to protect her homeland.

If not for Koli's special circumstances, the City Lord's wife might have joined the adventure as well.

Koli had previously been "mistakenly identified" by the First Prince as the bearer of the divine spark fragments, causing the holy spear to react in her presence.

Although this matter was later downplayed after the First Prince spared Koli, and rumors of the holy spear malfunctioning spread under his manipulation, in the eyes of those with discerning minds, Koli remained a subject worthy of investigation.

Certain malicious organizations had already set their sights on Koli, and Count Mond and Madam Ylisha's paramount duty now was to protect her.

As for the divine spark fragments, Koli seemed to be absorbing them at an extremely slow pace.

Count Mond began explaining the subsequent plans and operations, and the noisy crowd instantly quieted down.

"I will now brief you: this expedition to Moon Lake will be led by Commander Haige. Those wishing to officially join must register and strictly obey his orders, otherwise, they will be dealt with according to military law..."

Just as Count Mond was delivering his speech, amidst the bustling crowd, Anna was frantically searching everywhere for Chu Yun's figure.

Unfortunately, Chu Yun was not to be found; he had no intention of joining the group and had instead chosen to act alone.