"Help me…" The weak voice came again. Ryan turned toward the sound, his pupils narrowing slightly.

  At the edge of the pile of corpses lay Doris, the head of Lunar Sanctum. A deep, bone-exposing wound marred her neck, and by all rights, she should have been dead.

  Yet her chest still rose and fell faintly, and the Soulweaver's Pendant hanging at her throat emitted a faint, wavering glow. Clearly, this magical item had preserved her life.

  Ryan quickly scanned the emptied storage pouches on the ground to make sure nothing was overlooked, then hurried to Doris's side.

  He half-lifted her and asked,"What exactly did you do to make her strike so viciously?"

  Doris's body shuddered violently, terror flickering in her eyes. The image of the sword slicing through her neck replayed in her mind as if it were happening again.

  She opened her mouth and said,"We only told Void Spire where she was."

  "I see," Ryan said, understanding the situation.

  Looking at Doris's pale face, he slowed his tone."Close your eyes. I'll use my magic to temporarily stabilize your injuries."

  Doris obediently shut her eyes. Ryan raised his hand and gently placed it over her head. A thread of magic gathered in his palm. But instead of entering her body, the magic enveloped her skull completely.

  "Sorry about this. I just always seem to run into Evelyn."

  Before the words left his mouth, the magical claws in his palm tightened abruptly. Doris's body went limp, and the Soulweaver's Pendant that had kept her alive dimmed.

  Expressionless, Ryan removed the storage pouch from her waist. His fingers brushed the pouch, but his gaze was drawn to the Soulweaver's Pendant at her neck.

  He yanked it free. The pendant felt slightly cool in his hand. Though its runes were broken, an ancient magical energy could be faintly sensed it was clearly no ordinary defensive item.

  There was no time to investigate further. Ryan turned and left. Void Spire reinforcements could arrive at any moment; lingering here was impossible.

  In the magical world, strength ruled above all. Ryan knew that the idea of"taking the blame to save someone" meant nothing in the face of life and death.

  His past eight lifetimes had taught him that compassion was a fatal weakness. Unless real gain could be obtained, no potential threat could be left behind.

  As long as Doris lived, Void Spire could trace the killer, and Evelyn's wrath might even turn toward him.

  Only if she died would this massacre truly be seen as a conflict between two factions, leaving him as a mere"bystander."

  After Ryan left, the town fell into an eerie silence. An hour later, a few daring mortals cautiously emerged from the defensive basement to look toward the center of the street.

  The sight of bloodstains across the ground made them scream and retreat immediately.

  Moments later, a group in teal mage robes charged in. Seeing Regan fallen among the corpses and Doris with her twisted neck, their pupils shrank, and one of them shouted in shock,"Regan is dead!"

  The Void Spire apprentices behind him panicked. They knew too well the methods of the Voidmaster. Even their own sons had died outside, and all magical forces within a hundred-mile radius might pay for this massacre.

  Suppressing their fear, they crouched to inspect Regan's body and found his storage pouch completely empty.

  They scanned the other corpses, their expressions darkening further."All the storage pouches have been emptied. Looks like there's a third faction or perhaps a lone powerful intervenor."

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  Now that Regan was dead and Doris had also perished on the spot, this conflict was bound to cause a huge stir.

  "Carry the bodies of our people back and give them a proper burial. As for these Lunar Sanctum members, inform the town authorities and let them deal with it."

  The apprentices behind him quickly obeyed, each lifting the corpses of their comrades and hurrying toward the direction of Void Spire.

  ……

  Night fell, and the inn in the town had long returned to calm.

  Inside his room, Ryan suddenly felt a familiar icy magical aura envelop the space.

  Before he could even react, an ultimate ice sword, radiating a bone-chilling cold, was already pressed against his neck.

  "Evelyn, can you move your sword for a moment?" Ryan's body stiffened instantly, forcing a strained smile onto his face.

  Evelyn looked at him and said,"Then why did you run?"

  She knew perfectly well that Ryan had been avoiding her, yet she asked deliberately, wanting to see how he would make up an excuse.

  Ryan's mind raced, and he quickly came up with a line:"You misunderstood! I saw you had regained your magic and wanted to prepare a celebratory gift for you. But by the time I found the right gift and came back, you were no longer there."

  "Is that so?" Evelyn's voice carried a trace of scrutiny. She moved the ultimate ice sword slightly closer."Then where is your gift?"

  Ryan's heart tightened. Hastily, he took out the Clockwork Doll and held it out in front of her."Here! Look!"

  Evelyn stared at the Clockwork Doll, a faint, barely perceptible flicker passing through her eyes."You gave me a child's magical toy?"

  "You don't understand!" Ryan quickly explained."I guessed you probably never played with a toy like this as a child, so I spent eight days making this Clockwork Doll by hand just for you."

  "Take it!" Seeing that Evelyn did not immediately refuse, Ryan seized the chance to gently push the ultimate ice sword off his neck with the Clockwork Doll.

  He carefully placed the Clockwork Doll into her empty left hand."This Clockwork Doll can sense my position. As long as you shake it, I'll come to you immediately, no matter where I am!"

  Evelyn held the Clockwork Doll, remaining silent for a moment, then slowly retracted the ultimate ice sword."Did you forget something else?"

  Ryan's heart jumped into his throat. He knew exactly what she meant. He had secretly put stockings on Evelyn.

  "What thing?" Ryan feigned ignorance, quietly shifting toward the window, ready to escape through it at any moment.

  Evelyn, about to press him further, saw him suddenly leap toward the window.

  He moved with astonishing speed, his magic-infused body smashing through the wooden window frame, scattering wood splinters as he shot toward the alley outside the inn.

  Surprisingly, Evelyn did not immediately give chase. She stood by the broken window, looking down at the Clockwork Doll in her left hand, a rare softness flickering in her eyes.

  Strangely, she had not pursued Ryan despite the panicked look on his face when he fled.

  She gently lifted the Clockwork Doll, which seemed especially warm in the night.

  Then she turned and walked back to her room, her fingertips brushing the Clockwork Doll. Somehow, two patterns appeared on its sides: one side showed a boy with messy hair, the other a girl wearing a robe.

  These patterns only appeared while the Clockwork Doll was in Evelyn's hand.

  Downstairs in the inn, the owner and the guests, hearing the sound of the breaking window, all peered out, only to see a black figure darting away, quickly vanishing into the night.

  "Don't run! My window!" the owner shouted from the street, but the black figure was already gone.

  He hurried up to the third-floor room and, upon opening the door, found nothing damaged except the broken wooden window frame and scattered fragments.

  The owner slammed his thigh in frustration but then breathed a sigh of relief:"Good thing I'm not in charge of the third-floor rooms now. I don't have to pay for this window." He muttered to himself while calling someone to clean up.

  In the shadows, a boy clenched his fists tightly, his eyes shining with excitement. He was the apprentice who had wanted to ask Ryan to be his mentor during the day.

  Seeing Ryan leap from the third-floor window unharmed only confirmed to him that Ryan was truly a rejuvenated master of magic.

  "I must make him my mentor!" the boy silently vowed.

  Meanwhile, Ryan was sprinting through the alley at full speed when he suddenly felt a ripple of magic in his mind. No doubt about it, it was Evelyn shaking the Clockwork Doll.

  "She said it was a child's toy, yet she seemed to enjoy it, didn't she?" Ryan smirked but kept running, circling the town.

  He then bought a disguise potion from the Grimoire shop, one that could temporarily alter appearance and magical aura.

  After ingesting the potion, Ryan's appearance changed rapidly: his youthful figure became burly, and faint wrinkles appeared on his face, giving him the look of a middle-aged merchant.

  He adjusted his breathing, feigning casualness as he walked back into the inn and called to the owner behind the counter:"Boss, give me a room."

  "All right!" The owner glanced at him without noticing anything unusual.

  Ryan tossed a few bronze coins on the counter, took the key, and headed upstairs.

  Once inside the room, Ryan took out the Soulweaver's Pendant, the very one he had taken from Doris's neck.

  The Soulweaver's Pendant was clearly no ordinary defensive item.

  "Grimoire, scan the properties of this item," Ryan instructed the Grimoire in his mind, running his fingertips lightly over the surface of the pendant.

  【Scan complete. This item is Soulweaver's Pendant (No. 1)】

  【Quest Trigger: Collect 9 Soulweaver's Pendants. Quest Reward: Soulforge.】

  "Soulforge?" Ryan's eyes immediately lit up.