"Madness Drinker!"

  Gwen's expression instantly turned solemn, the relaxed atmosphere vanishing without a trace. Pierce’s gaze also sharpened slightly, alarm bells ringing in his mind.

  A Madness Drinker was roughly equivalent to a Legendary Knight who had mastered the element of Earth. A powerhouse of this level possessed despair-inducing defense and destructive power. If Rank 3 apprentices like them encountered one head-on, they would have zero ability to resist; escaping with their limbs intact would be considered a stroke of immense ancestral luck.

  "With so many Wizards and Legendary Knights joining forces, how could they let a Madness Drinker escape?" Gwen frowned, her tone full of confusion and worry.

  Vance shook his head and sighed. "That Madness Drinker happened to be absent from the stronghold that night. The City Guard only learned of the existence of such an extremely dangerous individual after interrogating other captives under torture."

  Pierce and Gwen nodded in understanding, but the shadow over their hearts refused to disperse.

  At this moment, a commotion arose at the door. The City Guard officers, led by Jareth, pushed the doors open and entered. Harlan was among them.

  His gloomy gaze swept through the crowd like a viper and happened to meet Pierce's calm eyes. Pierce smiled faintly, a meaningful expression on his face, as if silently mocking him. The corner of Harlan's eye twitched violently, and he forced his gaze away expressionlessly, as if looking for one second longer would make his blood pressure skyrocket, causing him to lose his composure on the spot.

  After the officers took their places, the tall officer from before explained the upcoming action plan. The content was roughly what Vance had just divulged, only more specific and rigorous in detail.

  "All teams will be assigned patrol zones shortly. Starting tomorrow night, your task is to locate and eliminate any heretics hiding within your designated areas."

  "Additionally, if patrol soldiers signal for help, nearby teams must rush to support immediately."

  "How are we supposed to find the rats hiding in the sewers?" a Wizard Apprentice raised his hand and asked, voicing the question on everyone's mind.

  The tall officer was clearly prepared. He took an item from his pocket and displayed it in his palm. It was a greyish-white object shaped like a human index finger, but completely dehydrated, with wrinkled skin and a sharp, hook-like nail at the tip, emitting a faint, cold aura.

  "This is a finger taken from a Disciple, refined into a temporary magic item by the Wizard Masters. As long as you get within 500 meters of a follower of Apep, it will sense their demonic aura. The effect will last for about a month."

  The crowd visibly relaxed, and the tension in the hall eased considerably.

  With this item, finding heretics would be much easier. Although the 500-meter range wasn't huge, it was far better than running around like headless flies in the maze-like Northern District.

  "We will distribute one to each team shortly." The tall officer put away the finger and said in a deep voice, "Also, a reminder: there is still a Madness Drinker among the remnants. If anyone discovers his tracks, please issue a maximum-level alert immediately and stall him as best as you can until reinforcements arrive."

  At these words, a buzz of discussion erupted in the crowd. Many apprentices furrowed their brows, fear flashing in their eyes.

  Stall a Madness Drinker? Are you kidding? That's a legendary-level monster; do we have the skill to tangle with him? If we really meet him, we won't even have time to run!

  Many secretly made up their minds: if they encountered the Madness Drinker, they would turn and flee without a second thought. They were here to earn Merit Points, not to throw their lives away.

  The tall officer saw everyone's reaction but said nothing more. When the noise died down, he raised his voice, "Now, we will begin assigning patrol zones."

  Since the scope had expanded to the entire Northern Outer City, the area each team was responsible for was more than ten times larger than before. To search it thoroughly would take at least half a month.

  After the meeting, every Wizard Apprentice received a Disciple's finger. Pierce was no exception. He received a thumb, which felt like holding a cold, hard chunk of a corpse in his palm, the texture causing discomfort.

  Walking out of the Command Hall, Vance was the first to bid farewell and leave.

  Watching Vance disappear, Gwen suddenly turned around, a competitive light flashing in her eyes. "Pierce, let's have a contest this time. Let's see who gets more Merit Points next. How about it?"

  Pierce glanced at her and said indifferently, "What's the wager?"

  Gwen rolled her eyes and held up two pale fingers. "20 Magic Stones. How about that?"

  Pierce raised an eyebrow. 20 Magic Stones was enough to buy a common Glimmer-tier magic item. Gwen was this confident? She must have some other, more effective means of searching.

  His eyes flickered slightly, and he smiled. "How about this. If you win, I'll give you 20 Magic Stones. If I win, you teach me Gem Magic."

  "That's impossible!"

  Gwen rejected it without thinking, rolling her eyes at Pierce. "Gem Magic is my family's core inheritance; it can absolutely never be taught to outsiders. Unless..."

  Mid-sentence, Gwen suddenly paused, glanced at Pierce, and her face turned imperceptibly red. She huffed, "Anyway, it's impossible. And that wager puts me at too much of a disadvantage."

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  Pierce knew she wouldn't agree and threw out his real bait. "Then how about this: if I win, you teach me the basics of Gem Enchantment. Deal?"

  Gwen paused slightly, thought for a few seconds, and nodded. "Deal."

  Gem Enchantment was a branch of Enchantment, not exclusive to the Gu family, just rare on the market. Its value was roughly equivalent to 20 Magic Stones. Besides, she was confident she would win against Pierce.

  "It's settled then." A sly look flashed in Gwen's eyes.

  Pierce wore a smile that wasn't quite a smile. "Then you'd better do your best. Don't lose too badly like last time."

  Gwen lifted her chin, brimming with confidence. "Just you wait and see! Unless you kill that Madness Drinker, I'm definitely winning this contest!"

  Leaving those words behind, the girl turned and walked away briskly, like a proud peacock.

  Watching her retreating figure, a smile curled on Pierce's lips. He could tell Gwen had her trump card, but... didn't he have one too?

  Looking down at the shriveled Disciple's finger in his palm, Pierce recited silently in his mind:

  "Eye of Omniscience, analyze the attached spell."

  [Task created. Analyzing attached spell. Estimated time: 5 days 12 hours.]

  Pierce decisively consumed Spirit to accelerate, completing the analysis instantly.

  A flood of information poured into his mind. In moments, Pierce thoroughly understood the principle of the spell. Simply put, it was a detection spell similar to Detect Undead, but with a much shorter range and requiring Disciple tissue as a medium to function.

  Clearly, this was a "special edition" cobbled together by some wizard to deal with the current situation. Once the operation was over, this spell would become useless. However, because it was cobbled together, its structure wasn't complex, only slightly harder than a Rank 0 spell.

  "Eye of Omniscience, without damaging the item, improve the attached spell to enhance the detection effect," Pierce issued a new command.

  [Task created. Enhancing magic item effect. Estimated time: 12 days.]

  Without hesitation, Pierce consumed Spirit to accelerate again.

  Instantly, a perfect improvement plan emerged in the depths of his mind. Pierce reviewed it carefully and nodded secretly.

  According to the plan, the detection radius of the improved finger would skyrocket from 500 meters to 1000 meters, and it would add an intensity sensing function, allowing him to roughly judge the target's strength based on the aura's intensity.

  This was equivalent to adding an IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) system to a radar; the effect was improved by leaps and bounds.

  "Pity I know nothing about Enchantment. To modify it, I'll need a professional Enchanter."

  This wasn't a big problem. Most magic shops in Aurora City offered custom services. A modification of this level could be handled by any decent Enchanter.

  However, for secrecy, Pierce decided to visit the Black Market. Taking out an improvement plan in less than a day was too shocking and could attract unnecessary trouble. It just so happened that tonight was when the Black Market was open.

  "I wonder how Gwen's trump card compares to my improved radar?" Pierce mused.

  20 Magic Stones meant nothing to him, but Enchantment knowledge was a hard currency that money couldn't always buy. Especially for him, wanting to boost his combat power, Magic Tattoos and Elemental Runes were must-have skills.

  "This wager, I must win no matter what!"

  Night fell, and deep darkness enveloped the base.

  In the early hours of the morning, Pierce changed into an inconspicuous grey robe and slipped out of the garrison, heading for the underground Black Market at the edge of the Northern District.

  Although the situation was tense recently, the Black Market was bustling, clearly indicating its backers had significant power.

  Pierce made his way familiarly to the largest magic item shop. Paving the way with gold coins, the bald shopkeeper readily accepted the job, asking no questions about the origin of the Disciple's finger.

  Half an hour later.

  "Please check if you are satisfied." The bald shopkeeper wiped magic powder from his hands and handed the finger back to Pierce.

  Pierce took the finger and secretly checked it with the Eye of Omniscience. Although the effect wasn't up to the theoretical perfection, it reached over 90%. For manual operation, this was the limit.

  Clearing his thoughts, Pierce offered a few casual compliments and left amidst the shopkeeper's enthusiastic farewells.

  After that, he strolled around the Black Market but found little of interest. Whether it was Witch Tools or Rank 2 Phantasmal Potions, they were rare items one could only hope to stumble upon, not something he could pick up easily.

  When he returned to the garrison, the sky was just turning light.

  Early the next morning.

  Just as Pierce stepped out, he saw Sia and Peyton waiting at the door, fully armed.

  "My Lord!" The two bowed simultaneously.

  Pierce nodded slightly and walked out. "Let's go."

  To facilitate patrols, the City Guard assigned a carriage to each team. Pulling the carriage was a beast called a Black-horned Horse—jet black with a single horn, resembling the legendary Nightmare, possessing endurance and speed far surpassing ordinary horses.

  The coachman was a Di-luo barbarian. Seeing Pierce's trio, he immediately jumped down and opened the door obsequiously.

  "My Lord, please."

  Pierce nodded in acknowledgment and boarded the carriage. The coachman was instantly flattered. In the strictly stratified Aurora City, when had a lowly person like him ever received such courtesy from a Wizard Apprentice?

  The carriage interior was spacious and comfortable, inscribed with defensive arrays.

  "Set off," Pierce ordered.

  "Yes, My Lord!" The coachman cracked his whip on the Black-horned Horse, and the carriage sped out of the garrison.

  Inside, Sia unfolded a map. "My Lord, this is our patrol zone."

  Pierce glanced at it and pointed to the nearest block. "Start here."

  Although a carpet search was clumsy, with the improved radar, it was the most effective method. Before long, the carriage entered the target area.

  Pierce took out the Disciple's finger, held it in his palm, and closed his eyes to rest.

  It was now the busiest time in the outer city, and noise drifted in from outside the window. Sia was about to close the window to block the noise when Pierce suddenly opened his eyes and stopped her.

  "Turn left," Pierce said in a deep voice.

  The coachman obeyed immediately.

  Sia and Peyton's eyes lit up. "My Lord, found a target?"

  Pierce nodded. Just now, the finger in his palm had transmitted a clear sensation.

  As the carriage moved forward, the two became increasingly puzzled. Didn't they say the range was only 500 meters? We've gone nearly 800 meters already.

  But seeing Pierce's composed demeanor, they suppressed their doubts.

  "Stop."

  The carriage halted in front of a three-story red-roofed building. It was an ordinary residential area, quiet all around.

  Sia frowned slightly. Fighting here could easily endanger civilians.

  Pierce patted his robe. "Get out."

  The three stepped down. To Sia's surprise, Pierce just stood quietly in front of the carriage, making no move.

  After a while, Sia finally couldn't hold back. "My Lord..."

  Before she could finish, a short, abrupt scream rang out from the building! Then two more followed.

  "What happened?"

  Just as the two were bewildered, a flock of crows flew out from the top-floor window, clutching three corpses in their claws and dumping them onto the street.

  They were three grey-skinned Corrupted, with fatal tearing wounds on their throats.

  "!!!"

  Sia and Peyton looked at each other, instantly realizing the truth.

  So Pierce had already sent his familiar to infiltrate silently! While they attracted attention outside, he caught the turtles in the jar.

  This method... is too brilliant!

  "Three Corrupted, worth only 5 Merit Points."

  Pierce finished absorbing the soul energy with his Recording Ring, turned back to the carriage, his tone flat.

  "Let's go. Continue the search."

  Having verified the effect of the improved finger and the assassination capability of his familiar, Pierce's confidence soared. And this perfect start made Sia and Peyton even more motivated.

  The trio continued to roam the city like ghosts.