Chapter 781 The Messenger

Chapter 781 The Messenger

"Great... We are not in a hurry. We just want to make sure that we'll be completely safe." Jin said after hearing Elowen's words."

"Of course, I can recommend two guides who have just arrived in the city. They've actually completed four similar tasks already. They brought people to the Shadow Immortal's domain safely, and one of them even gained a successful audience for the Immortal. You have to trust those two!" Elowen explained with a smug expression as she truly felt proud of those two Arcanists.

"Right, since they're experienced, the price for hiring them would be quite higher than normal escort missions." Elowen added.

"That's fine..." Jin said while still feeling curious as to how other Arcanists were able to meet the immortal. He knew that these Immortals were normally arrogant after being able to possess Divinity.

They would normally disdain listening to others or even giving an audience to others.

"Money will not be an issue. We like to hire them if they're that good." Giorgi added.

Elowen then smiled at these two customers as she asked them to wait momentarily while calling the two Arcanists.

Luckily, it didn't take that long, as she seemed to have a link with their Communication Crystals.

"Meet your guides... Fox and Axe... They were using their codenames and doesn't want to reveal their real names, so don't ask them. However, I can assure you that they were trustworthy people."

Fox, with silver hair and eyes like starlight, stepped forward.

"The Forbidden Forest is a bit too far from here, but I've walked its paths. I'll guide you... With my abilities, we can even avoid the Demons lurking in small groups."

Axe, a bespectacled and scholarly-looking man, added... "And I've entered the Forbidden Forests for several times now. We will be able to avoid trouble as long as you stay with... Furthermore, there were still remnants of the worshippers of the Eminence of the Sea... Make sure not to tell anyone that you want to meet the Shadow Immortal, or we'll be attacked by those hiding worshippers."

Indeed, Fox and Axe were the agents of the Arcane Bureau and working for the Shadow Immortal. Kyle had been working with the many members of the Arcane Bureau all over the world to get real-time updates about the situation of the continent during this invasion.

This time, however, none of the two groups were aware of their secret identities...

Jin and Giorgi exchanged glances. These arcanists weren' truly needed to visit the Forbidden Forest. However, they have to lie low for now and ensure that no remnant of Temporal Energy would be left in their bodies...

They couldn't use spells that could alter time, as the Shadow Immortal with the Dimensional Creature would surely notice it!

They had to approach the territory of the Immortal without being recognized as a Time Manipulator if they wanted a smooth mission.

Even if they had to use their Temporal Spells, that should be when they were fully ready to fight the Immortal head-on and steal the Golden Key from him.

"Very well... Let's talk about the payment." Jin said.

Soon, they agreed to the terms, and the guild even provided them with a free enchanted compass. Elowen explained that these aetheric needles pointed toward hidden ley lines that would allow them to have an easier time avoiding the rifts of the Demons.

"It's created by the Rune Arts Faction and were being given to everyone for a dirt cheap price. The Shadow Immortal assisted them in making this when they entered the Abyss Realm." Elowen explained after seeing their surprised reaction.

She just smiled at this as she had a similar reaction when she learned that the Immortal assisted an Elite Group of Runecasters in studying the Abyss Realm for a brief duration.

It was truly amazing how the Shadow Immortal involved himself in various organizations.

***

As they left Aetherholm Arcanist Guild Hall, Fox and Axe led the way.

The rhythmic clatter of wheels against rails lulled them into a sense of security.

More than half a day had passed since they left Aetherholm.

The sun dipped low, casting long shadows across the train's interior.

Passengers dozed while their faces were etched with weariness. But then, something caught Jin's eye—a blur of movement outside the window.

Whoosh~

"What's that? Did you see it?" Jin asked but he didn't have to hear their answer as he could tell from the expression on their faces that they had seen it.

He leaned closer, his breath fogging the glass.

There, for a fleeting moment, he glimpsed a thrall once again. It was a creature of darkness that was racing alongside the train.

Its eyes glowed crimson, and its limbs stretched impossibly long. The thrall moved with terrifying speed, keeping pace effortlessly. No, it was speeding up as the darkness seemed to be helping this creature!

Soon, they could no longer see the thrall!

Giorgi felt something was off with that thrall... They weren't normally that impressive!

"What kind of mutation was that?" He muttered. He could only believe that it was an abnormal thrall.

Jin's mind raced. "That's a suspicious thrall..." he said. "It normally craves for human lives... But it's not attacking. It's just focused on its mission."

Giorgi frowned. 'Is that one of the Vampire's summons?'

He asked Jin through telepathy.

Jin hesitated.

'It can't be. The vampire is dead. Her summons should have vanished.'

Giorgi nodded, but unease settled in his gut.

The thrall's presence defied reason. It wasn't normal—even in a world teeming with demons due to the Invasion, there shouldn't be a thrall on that level.

He glanced at Fox and Axe, who sat across from them. The arcanists exchanged a knowing look, their expressions mirroring Jin and Giorgi's concern.

Fox also used a telepathy on her partner.

'We need to report this to the Arcane Bureau.' She said.

Axe grunted in agreement. 'That speed—it's unnatural. The Bureau needs to know.'

As the train hurtled onward, the four people decided not to talk about it anymore.

Although Jin and Giorgi felt a little flustered as they thought that they were being targeted by the Vampire, they finally calmed down...

'There's no way that Vampire is still alive.' Jin thought to himself as he slowly relaxed.