Helice had left without looking back; she had no reason to. She had already settled things with Amis, and that phase of her life was practically over. There was no reason to dwell on it. She had chosen to leave in the dead of night. By the time Amis noticed anything, she would have been long gone. Even if he were to wake up in the middle of the night, he would have no way of following her.
She glided through the wheat farm. The main village was only a few minutes away, but that wasn't her stop. She was headed for the nearest big city, which was the City of Midnight.
She breathed the night air deeply, her thoughts clear and unwavering. Her eyes lacked any regrets and seemed resolved; a new chapter of her life was starting.
Although the night was pitch black and would prove challenging for anyone to navigate at this hour, thankfully, one of the five runes she had mastered included the ability to see at night. Although she couldn't see as clearly as during the day, it was still enough for her to navigate the night. It worked more like infrared vision; she could see heat signatures.
Pretty quickly, she passed by the main Golden Wheat Village. Among the set of five runes, there was one for enhanced stamina. This allowed her to move for a prolonged period of time without having to rest, though she would still need rest at some point. Continuous usage of the mind rune would put a strain on her psyche, but she had no intention of stopping anytime soon. She didn't want Amis to follow or locate her in any way. After all, she had just robbed and betrayed the man right after he confessed his love to her. She doubted their little session would count as payment for the priceless antiques.
---
**Three Days Later**
The sun shone brightly in the sky; the City of Midnight loomed in the distance. It was actually midday when she arrived. After she had run out of energy, she had taken a few short breaks.
The distance from Golden Wheat Village to the City of Midnight included an astronomically large forest that took her two days to cross. She had intentionally chosen the furthest city she knew. It took her close to a week to reach this city, and it would take ordinary humans even longer to make the journey.
Right now, Helice was wearing a black acolyte robe. To her surprise, the material seemed to have been infused with a rune that made it adjust to fit the wearer, making it even more convenient. Helice could sense other runes whose functions she didn't yet know, but she did notice a self-cleaning feature, evident from the fact that the fabric didn't have any stains on it after spending the last three days traversing a literal swampy forest.
After exiting the forest, she noticed a large gate in the distance. She quickly headed in the direction of the gate. Moments later, she noticed a swarm of other people, notably trooping toward the gate, and some of them were acolytes too.
When they arrived before the gate, everyone was instructed to pay a fine of one gold coin. Although Helice didn't have a single dime on her, she wasn't the least bit worried. Earlier, the guards had announced that acolytes were exempted from the fee, and since she was an acolyte, that meant she was also exempt.
---
In a lavishly decorated room, a middle-aged man could be seen reading a scroll when he was interrupted by a knock at the door. A notable frown arced across his brows at the thought of the interruption. But at that moment, he pulled out a simple pocket watch from his coat and looked at the time. After that, he sighed and rested his brows.
"You may come," he said without looking at the door, his eyes still glued to the scroll in his hand.
From the door came a young man, looking no older than twenty. In fact, he appeared to be in his mid-twenties. "Greetings, Sir Ferlon." This was Sir Baron Ferlon of the Baron family, one of the four minor families in the City of Midnight.
The City of Midnight was governed by three major and four minor families, and the Baron family was one of the four minor families. Although they were originally one of the major families, they had been demoted to minor family status after the family lost their guardian and protector. The patriarch of the Baron family went missing a hundred and fifty years ago and had been presumed dead. After so much time had passed, it was only natural for them to fall to the minor ranks. Only with an official magus among them could they once again reclaim their rightful place at the top. Until then, they could only dream.
"How many?" the man asked.
"Three, sir," the young man responded. This was not unusual in the city. Whenever a new acolyte showed up, the top families would try to recruit them into their ranks. This way, the family would not only bolster their strength, but the acolyte would also gain protection and resources. However, this was usually on a contract basis. As long as they didn't go around offending people, they should be fine.
In fact, in the other families, the exact same thing was currently happening. The top families often stationed their men at the gate, sometimes even posing as commoners to remain undetected, before reporting to their respective families. Naturally, the family with the most enticing offer often got the newcomers. Baron Ferlon was actually in charge of the Baron family at the moment, and he was a Rank 3 acolyte, only a single step away from the official magus ranks, but he wasn't one yet.
"Stick to protocols," the man said before burying his face in the scroll once more.
Having received his orders, the young man turned to leave. His goal was to at least recruit one of the new acolytes.
Completely clueless about the inner workings of the city or the fact that she was about to be presented with a contract, Helice slithered through the streets of the City of Midnight. The city looked like an advanced medieval period; it bustled with activities. Each district was meticulously layered in different rows on both sides of stone-floored streets, and by each side of the streets were lampposts, which she guessed illuminated the streets at night. The architecture was completely stunning.
Helice had actually wandered the city until nightfall with no clear direction in mind. Even as nighttime approached, the city bustled with activities. It seemed like acolytes were the norm in these parts, she mused.
The city was no stranger to acolytes, all clad in the same robe as hers. They walked around the city as if this was normal. As Helice walked, she suddenly stopped before making a turn and entering a dark alleyway. She then paused.
"You can come out now!"
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