Leoric had no idea who Lavoc was and didn't feel like caring at the moment. Suddenly, he had bumped into a Prince of Shades on campus, who was also his superior; suddenly, he had become a civil servant and was being dispatched on a mission to deliver a letter – and he had to leave immediately.

  "I need to say goodbye to my sister!" he protested.

  "You don't need to," said the officer escorting him out of Spiritshade City, expressionless. "We'll notify Miss Lannister."

  "Today is Greengrass Festival, I have the right to rest!"

  "Indeed, continuing to serve the Empire on a rest day, your diligence and dedication are admirable."

  "I haven't signed a labor contract yet! I don't even know how much I'll be paid!"

  The officer looked atLeoric like he was a monster, or more likely, he simply didn't understand what he was saying.

  "At least I need to pack some change of clothes…"Leoric insisted weakly.

  "They're already prepared for you, Mr. Lannister, in that yellow package," said the officer. "Alright, please stand steady, we're landing."

  Several packages loaded with food, water, clothes, and other supplies were carried down by an airship. The officer handed the camel's reins toLeoric, saluted, and walked back to the airship.

  "Safe journey, Mr. Lannister."

  The airship ascended and flew back to Spiritshade City floating in the sky, leavingLeoric standing alone in the desert. Although it was still early spring, it was already hot in the desert at noon. His boots protected his feet from the heat, but sweat was already pouring down his face.

  Is… is this it?

  This morning, he was still having a pure breakfast with his sister… Well, he had secretly imagined finding a suitable opportunity to 'consume' Leovena; twenty minutes ago, he was still wandering around the wizard school in Spiritshade City, feeling lost and headache-y about his future monotonous life; now he was standing in the hot desert, looking at the floating city in the sky, like a majestic aerial fortress casting a huge shadow on the ground.

  He had always hoped to leave Spiritshade City and explore the outside world freely, but this was too sudden and too fast, without any psychological preparation.

  So, what's next?

  Leoric could fly, and he had prepared for it this morning, wearing a robe and carrying spellcasting materials in his pockets – meaning that even though Spiritshade City floated high in the sky, it wouldn't be difficult forLeoric to fly up if he wanted to.

  But what would happen if he flew up? Most likely, he would be shot down as an enemy. Prince of Shades Brenas Tanshul had personally assigned this task, and if he dared to return without completing it, he would be either shot dead by the giant crossbows on the city walls or punished for dereliction of duty.

  Forget it, since he couldn't go back, he might as well complete this trip and return early. Honestly, he didn't mind the other things; everyone has to work, earn money, and eat. Being a civil servant and running errands were fine with him – but leaving Leovena alone in Spiritshade City madeLeoric uneasy. When she was younger, it was fine, but now that she was fifteen, in the bloom of youth, if some malicious wolf took advantage of his absence… Even if he came back and chopped the guy into pieces, it wouldn't ease his hatred.

  Get there early, come back early.

  With this decision made,Leoric quickly pulled out the map that Brenas had given him, studied the route carefully, judged the direction, and climbed onto the camel to start his shaky journey north.

  In a room in the palace of Spiritshade City, Brenas leisurely sipped crimson wine while watchingLeoric's figure fade away into the yellow sand in the crystal ball held in his palm.

  "Well done, Fangado," praised the young Prince of Shades, "sorry for the inconvenience."

  "For the Empire," replied Fangado, a middle-aged man standing behind the prince, bowing slightly with reverence. He wore a finely crafted, very antique black wizard robe embroidered with the emblem of a long-beaked kingfisher on the chest. His skin was also pale, with a faint gray hue.

  For the Empire, sacrificing a few people, even one's own bloodline descendants, wouldn't bother Fangado, who was loyal and devoted.

  "Just…" He hesitated, as if unsure whether to voice his opinion, "Teacher, the Kukens have fully aligned with the Temple. Isn't this time…"

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  "Some sacrifices must be made," Brenas smiled dismissively, "the greater the cost, the greater the risk, and the greater the reward."

  Fangado understood this principle, but what he really wanted to say was the next sentence.

  "But, Teacher, do you really think he's the best candidate? In my opinion, he's probably not even as good as Fiji, let alone the Kukens…"

  "He's certainly not the best candidate," said Prince Brenas, "he's the least bad."

  "Huh?" Fangado obviously didn't understand Brenas' meaning.

  "There's never the best in this world, but there is the least bad," Brenas curled his fingers and lightly tapped the crystal ball, producing a crisp sound, "to some extent, he's just an ordinary person – if we talk about talent, there are hundreds of people in the city with similar abilities. But in terms of a certain point… Fangado, believe me, he's a natural grand arcanist, which is very rare."

  "I think," said the prince, looking at the crystal ball with an innocent smile, "I can foresee his fate."

  "Fate?" Fangado was startled, "Teacher, fate is the most mysterious thing in the world, even the gods cannot foresee it…"

  "Look, look," Brenas smiled, "that's the crucial difference between you and him."

  "What do you mean?" Fangado didn't quite understand Brenas' meaning.

  "Fate is the most complex and unpredictable thing, but it's also the simplest," Brenas leaned back in his wide, soft chair, looking up at the dark ceiling, "the gods possess too much power, causing them to overlook the simplest facts. Only mortals can truly understand mortals, Fangado, remember that."

  "Yes, but Sir Rivalan should have also noticed him. I'm worried…"

  "Rivalan the Archpriest?" Brenas sneered, "don't worry, he's too… well, to some extent, he's too kind."

  Fangado's face showed a strange expression. Rivalan Tanshul, the leader of the Twelve Princes of Shades and the supreme representative of the Night Goddess Shar in Spiritshade City, being described as "too kind" was the biggest joke in the world.

  But looking at Brenas' expression, he obviously wasn't joking but seriously stating a fact. Fangado didn't dare to ask further; he knew that Brenas and his eldest brother had always been at odds, and he didn't want to get involved in royal intrigue.

  He served only the Empire.

  "But, Teacher, if we can't deceive Sir Rivalan, what's the meaning of all this trouble? I don't understand…"

  "Deceive Rivalan?" The young prince asked back, his eyebrows slightly raised, "Fangado, is that what you think? Do you think it's possible?"

  "It's indeed difficult," Fangado admitted, "but if we could do it more cleverly…"

  Brenas shook his head.

  "Wrong, Fangado," he said, pointing at his student, "tell me, if you have a huge plan and you don't want it to be interrupted by others, what do you think is the most crucial thing?"

  "Confidentiality," Fangado immediately replied, "using informational superiority to strike at opponents and complete the plan."

  "No, no," Brenas shook his head repeatedly, "that's an inferior approach, Fangado. Step out of your professional limitations and don't always see things through the eyes of a seer. We are all seers, but we are also wizards… Alright, Fangado, let me give you an example. You don't like playing chess, but you've at least seen me play, right?"

  "Yes," Fangado replied. He didn't like playing chess himself, but Prince Brenas loved it very much, and as a student, he naturally saw it often.

  "When playing chess, all your pieces are clearly visible to your opponent, and all your moves are clear to them," said Prince Brenas, "but skilled players always defeat their opponents, Fangado. Why is that?"

  "Don't delude yourself into thinking your plan is flawless and unknown to anyone," the prince continued. "That's a pipe dream, impossible unless your opponent is a fool—but do fools deserve your attention?" He looked at Vangardo and nodded. "We are the chess players, not relying on deception or praying daily that our opponents won't see our flaws, hoping for success based on their stupidity—no, that's a fundamentally flawed mindset, Vangardo. What we need to do is ensure that even when our opponent knows everything, they can only surrender in the end."

  "Of course, reality differs from playing chess in some ways," the prince said, rarely in the mood to instruct his student. Vangardo dared not interrupt and let him ramble on. "When it comes to minor details, it's okay to use a bit of cunning—but only for details. To think your opponent won't see through your intentions at all is an insult to both your intelligences."

  "You're overly confident in your wisdom," Vangardo wanted to say but kept it to himself. The opponent was Prince Brennus, his teacher, and Vangardo wouldn't dare to offend him.

  Yet he felt the need to offer a reminder.

  "But reality is still different from chess," Vangardo ventured. "In chess, both sides have equal strength, which isn't the case in reality. And the pieces on the chessboard are lifeless, obeying the player's commands completely; the pieces in reality are alive... They're not real pieces, they, uh, teacher, pose risks."

  Prince Brennus applauded lightly.

  "Absolutely," he said. "Vangardo, you're absolutely right. Life is like a game of chess, yet it differs. In chess, full exposure is necessary, while in reality, you can manipulate details—this is an advantage; in chess, strengths are equal, but in reality, they're not—this is our disadvantage. These two can cancel each other out, so..."

  "So?" Vangardo asked, puzzled.

  "So, there's a third difference," the prince nodded slightly to his student. "As you mentioned, the pieces on the chessboard are lifeless, while the pieces in reality are alive."

  "Is this our advantage?"

  "No, it's neither an advantage nor a disadvantage; it's a variable," said the prince. "Because of this variable, everything becomes interesting."

  Interesting?

  Vangardo smiled bitterly. Often, he struggled to understand his teacher's thoughts, but he wisely changed the subject. "So, teacher, what should we do next?"

  "Us?" The youngest Prince Brennus glanced at the map hanging on the wall, scanning it. "Malegant is still in Iverasca, let them handle the fighting. We stay out of it. We, of course, continue with our archaeological endeavors... Have they finished digging at Lith Plain?"

  "Finished," Vangardo frowned. "It's strange; we've turned almost the entire desert upside down and found nothing, a complete waste of effort."

  "Indeed," Brennus sighed. "Odd, considering all divinations pointed there... Never mind, let's move on. Let me take a closer look at the map."