Chapter 200: Guardian of Balance

‘How could this be…’

Silver Moon Corridor, second floor.

The night was like diluted ink. A kerosene lamp hanging in the corner cast a steady halo of light. The fireplace was unlit, making the room a little cooler than it had been during the day.

In the drawing room, Freya’s expression was grave. Her fingers unconsciously traced the silver thread embroidery on her cuff.

It had been six or seven days since she arrived in Heitai Town, and she had maintained the calm indifference expected of a noblewoman all the while.

But the latest intelligence Gante had just brought back caused her to show a flicker of emotion for the first time—

Lu Wei might be a member of the Dusk Shadow Association.

As a noble, Freya naturally knew far more about the “Dusk Shadow Association” than Marcus did.

She also had a clearer understanding of just how powerful this Mysterious Organization was.

This group called themselves the “Guardians of Balance,” believing that the world must operate in complete accordance with the law of “Dynamic Balance.” They regarded absolute light and absolute stillness as equally terrifying ends.

Therefore, when the world grew too chaotic, they became “Saviors” and re-established order.

But when the world grew too peaceful, they would transform into devils, creating all sorts of disasters and wars to plunge the world into chaos.

Some called them conspirators, manipulators.

Some saw them as equal to Divine Spirits.

Some considered them madmen.

But it was undeniable that such a group did exist, dwelling in the shadows of worldly power and between the blank pages of history.

They simply hid among the populace, and unless they chose to reveal themselves, they would almost never be noticed.

The only rumored characteristic was the vague description of “black hair and black eyes.”

No one knew where this rumor came from.

And very few ever had the chance to confirm whether it was true.

After all, for nearly everyone who learned the true identity of a Dusk Shadow Association member, there were only two possible outcomes—

1. Become a member of the Dusk Shadow Association.

2. Be silenced forever.

Considering the former likely required an extremely rigorous screening and set of requirements, most who learned the truth probably ended up with the latter fate.

Whether they were slaves, commoners, Professionals, or nobles.

From this perspective, the Power of the Dusk Shadow Association was truly beyond question.

And this was precisely why Freya was being so cautious right now.

Before such a Mysterious Organization, she—or rather, the Delaroca Clan—was nothing more than an ant.

Therefore, she had to take this piece of intelligence seriously.

Even if she believed the probability of Lu Wei being a member of the Dusk Shadow Association was less than one percent.

…

A gust of night wind blew in, gently rustling the exquisite gauze curtains.

In the courtyard, several stone lanterns amidst the neatly trimmed flowerbeds glowed with a warm yellow light. In the distance, the moon outlined a continuous silhouette of rooftops.

Standing behind the window, Freya watched until Mirana had walked out the main doors of the Silver Moon Corridor before finally looking away.

The moonlight spread a swath of silver-white behind her, making her features seem even more cold and noble.

She looked at Gante before her and asked calmly,

“What’s the source of this intelligence?”

“It’s hard to trace the original source, but at the very least, a lot of people in town are talking about it.”

Gante’s expression was also quite serious. “However, there are other rumors, too. For instance, some say he’s the illegitimate son of a certain Count from the south.”

“So he must have done something to arouse suspicion.”

Freya frowned slightly, analyzing aloud to herself, “Black hair and black eyes might be a trait of the Dusk Shadow Association, but many people fit that description. It’s hardly conclusive evidence.”

“The fact that he concealed his identity as a Priest, on the other hand, is more suspicious…”

“Yes, and that Gravity Gemstone.”

Gante nodded in agreement. “While a Star Core isn’t a top-tier gemstone, it’s one of the most powerful among Rare Level gems. Its effects are almost on par with the Extraordinary Level.”

“A gemstone of this Level couldn’t possibly be found on the market in Gelan Forest or Heitai Town. It must have come from other channels.”

“Furthermore, the Weapon it’s embedded in is of Master-level craftsmanship. If it were in Kalin Port, that Sword would sell for at least 60 Gold Coins.”

Perhaps because he was a Warrior, Gante’s focus clearly skewed toward Lu Wei’s Power and Equipment. As he spoke, a look of envy even crept onto his face.

Freya, however, was better at grasping the essence of the matter. She knew that the root of all these “impossibilities” came down to one thing—

Wealth.

…

…

Unlike what many Adventurers with unrealistic dreams might think,

becoming a Professional required not only personal effort and Talent, but also money—a barrier that was just as difficult to overcome.

Scholars had even conducted specific research on the topic, eventually arriving at a widely accepted “minimum promotion cost.”

Among the twelve mainstream Professions, the Mage and the Warrior were the least expensive.

The former depended on Bloodline inheritance—

without an inherited Bloodline, no amount of money would help.

With an inherited Bloodline, as long as it wasn’t too diluted, one could almost certainly become a Professional.

Thus, the average cost was relatively low.

The latter, on the other hand, was the only “commoner” Profession.

If you didn’t have professional equipment, you could run, lift rocks, and carry sandbags.

If you couldn’t afford a Skill Book, you could spend a little money to learn an Ordinary Combat Skill and practice it day after day on your own.

If all else failed, you could even “work while you train.”

After all, if you were strong enough, you could earn a little more than others even as a manual laborer.

As long as you worked hard, you could always make up for a lack of resources with time.

But even so, the “minimum promotion cost” for a Warrior was still around 15 gold.

An amount many Adventurers could never save up in their entire lives.

To say nothing of the most expensive Professions.

The Mage, known as the “Gold Coin Incinerator,” was the second most expensive, averaging 60 gold.

In first place was the Magic Master at around 100 gold—a true “noble’s Profession.”

As for the Priest, its cost was about average, similar to the Minstrel and the Holy Knight.

In the most frugal of circumstances, it could be done for 30 gold.

But this was just the “promotion cost,” and didn’t include other expenses like Equipment and Skills.

If one were to factor in the Skill Book for Light-guided Arrow, plus Lu Wei’s set of Equipment…

‘120 gold.’

Freya quickly calculated a minimum amount.

And if she added the Golden Sword Hu Grocery Store, which was currently under construction…

‘At least 150 gold. It could only be more, never less.’

She took a soft breath, a flash of astonishment in her eyes. It seemed even she found the number somewhat unbelievable.

But the facts were the facts.

This proved that whether Lu Wei was a “member of the Dusk Shadow Association” or an “illegitimate son of a Count,” his identity could not possibly be as Ordinary as most residents of Heitai Town believed.

He was definitely hiding a secret.

“My lady, Young Master Furen must know some of the inside story. Perhaps we’ll have a clearer picture when Cersei returns.”

Seeing Freya’s troubled expression, Gante, who was standing beside her, quickly tried to offer a few words of comfort.

But as luck would have it, a knock sounded at the door the moment the words left his mouth.

“Come in.”

Freya lifted her gaze and responded faintly.

Immediately after, Cersei pushed the door open and strode to her side, reporting with a grave expression,

“My lady, Young Master Furen is missing.”