104: Chapter 42 Invitation

With the dust settled on the ambush of Ince Zangwill, the underground world of Backlund returned to complete stability.

Deep in the Fog Sea, the spirituality fluctuations of the black sail ship at Storm Cape remained low, its power having decayed to less than thirty percent of its peak, rendering it completely incapable of cross-sea warfare or inciting further chaos.

The forces of the Aurora Order that had long entrenched themselves in the Old Industrial District were uprooted, and all remaining personnel were handed over to the Church's Judgement Tribunal for processing.

The Church's cleanup squads tread through every inch of the abandoned factories with holy water, meticulously scrubbing every wall and crevice to thoroughly eradicate the hidden mold spores and residual spiritual contamination, leaving behind no hidden dangers.

Inside his apartment in the River Bay District, Lu Li remained behind closed doors for several days, focusing on sorting through all the remaining intelligence from the battle.

The debris of the rune fragments left behind by Ince was properly sealed in lead evidence bags; the trace amounts of 0-08's corruptive aura attached to the surface of the fragments were extremely subtle, yet they served as the most precise and unique spiritual beacon for tracking this defector.

Relying on the underground intelligence network of the Abraham family that spanned across Loen, the complete confessions of the Aurora Order captives were all compiled.

The intelligence confirmed that the wraith entity puppets relied upon by the black sail ship for assaults had long been exhausted before the end of the spring tides, posing no further threat.

Lu Li classified and archived each piece of intelligence, taking up his pen to update the latest movement assessment of the remaining Aurora Order forces in his personal intelligence notebook, refining his system for controlling the hidden situation in Backlund.

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

As evening fell, Backlund shed the clamor of the day, and the evening breeze, carrying the damp scent of the riverside, gently brushed through the streets and alleys.

Lu Li arrived at Water Pump Street as promised.

Old Eye was still crouching between the bookshelves, holding a feather duster, slowly and methodically cleaning and organizing a batch of newly arrived old books.

Sensing someone entering, he didn't even look up, merely lifting his chin slightly to signal, reaching into the counter drawer to take out a neatly folded letter, which he gently pushed to the center of the wooden counter.

The envelope was a subtle light gray, sealed with an exquisitely patterned snake-shaped emblem—the unique mark of the Secret Order. In the recipient's section, a codename was clearly written: Mr. Traveler.

"Vera entrusted me to pass this on to you." Old Eye dusted off the pages, his voice flat and hoarse, carrying the calm of someone who understood the ways of the world. "The Secret Order's internal review committee has unanimously passed the resolution, formally finalizing the conclusion on the closure of the Antigonus Ruins seal."

He paused for a moment and continued, "All field investigation reports and original records of the ruins inspection have been made public to all internal members. Basic content unrelated to classified information is all displayed in the Old Book Exhibition Hall in the Dock District, open for public viewing. The review board gave a very high professional evaluation of the analysis you provided during the quarry inspection regarding the inert dormancy of the power supply circuit."

Lu Li reached out to pick up the envelope, his fingertips touching the cool paper surface. He tore open the seal with his hands and pulled out the letter inside.

The handwriting on the paper was crisp and neat, the strokes sharp, with no unnecessary dragging or curves at the end of the strokes—it was exactly the same as the handwriting on the note Vera had left in the warehouse at the dock.

The content of the letter was concise and direct, without redundant pleasantries.

The Secret Order review committee formally recognized that the independent intelligence merchant with the codename "Traveler" had provided highly valuable professional analysis in the capacity of a third-party independent witness during the Antigonus Ruins seal inspection incident.

His precise prediction of the dormancy cycle of the power supply circuit on the sacrificial platform at the quarry filled a key gap in the chain of evidence, directly pushing the seal review of these ruins to a successful conclusion.

For this reason, the Secret Order, in its official capacity, extended a formal invitation to "Traveler," cordially inviting him to become an official registered member of the Secret Order.

"The Secret Order has always had a very high threshold and never casually admits external personnel." Old Eye took off the copper-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose, wiped the lenses carefully with the corner of his clothes, and slowly stated the core rules of the Secret Order. "Their core members are mostly scholar-type Beyonders who have delved deep into ancient ruins, spellcraft, and hidden knowledge, valuing reputation, independent stance, and genuine professional ability above all else."

"This invitation is not just a recognition of your reputation in the underground circles of Backlund, but also an academic-level affirmation of your ability to research the Antigonus Ruins seal system—a pure recognition of strength, unrelated to any exchange of interests."

Lu Li rubbed the smooth letter paper with his fingertips and said indifferently, "Previously, was there still disagreement within the Secret Order regarding the conclusion on the closure of the ruins seal?"

"There is none now." Old Eye put his glasses back on, his gaze looking toward the deepening twilight outside the window. "The factions that originally held reservations completely dispelled their doubts after reading your analysis report on the power supply circuit dormancy, and all of them withdrew their objections."

"Now the official conclusion of the Secret Order is set: the remnant soul of the Snake of Fate has completely dissipated, and the seal nodes of the Antigonus Family scattered everywhere will enter a state of complete inert dormancy one after another before the end of this year. The entire conclusion is cross-verified by two independent chains of evidence, and your field analysis data is a crucial one among them."

He looked at Lu Li, his tone sincere. "Whether or not to join is entirely up to you. But the Secret Order has always acted fairly and does not claim credit it hasn't earned. Regardless of whether you accept the invitation, the codename 'Traveler' will be officially recorded in the final version of the public investigation report for posterity."

Lu Li carefully folded the letter, put it back into the envelope, and tucked it into his pocket, quickly weighing this sudden honor in his heart.

The identity of an official member of the Secret Order had very distinct pros and cons.

The benefits were obvious: holding membership authority meant being able to freely access the core internal archives accumulated by the Secret Order over a hundred years, including analyses of ancient spells, secrets of ruins, and even advanced research materials on the high Sequences of the Marauder Pathway.

These precious documents, which belonged exclusively to top-tier occult scholars, were top-tier resources that were difficult to obtain for any amount of money in the underground black market and had no channels of acquisition.

But the corresponding obligations were equally unavoidable: official members had to participate in regular ruins inspections and internal academic reviews, which would consume a large amount of time and energy, and would very likely disrupt his original plans of tracking 0-08, exploring Sefirah Castle, and steadily advancing.

Between the trade-offs, careful consideration was still needed.

Bidding farewell to Old Eye, Lu Li walked slowly eastward along the bank of the Hoi River. The twilight spread over the river surface, dyeing the flowing water a deep, leaden gray.

Passing by Warehouse No. 4 in the Dock District, he caught a glimpse of Old Kohler curled up on the steps, silently gnawing on a piece of coarse black bread.

Seeing Lu Li's figure, Old Kohler hurriedly put down the food in his hand, carefully took out a small object wrapped in layers of old newspaper from his bosom, stood up, and handed it over with a simple, rustic smile on his face.

It was his daughter's new drawing.

Unfolding the newspaper, a childish yet vivid charcoal drawing came into view.

In the drawing, an old man wearing copper-rimmed glasses stood at the entrance of the Old Book Exhibition Hall, holding an open comic book in his hands. On the page of the comic book, there was a snake drawn, connecting its head to its tail in an infinite loop.

Although the child's strokes were crooked, they accurately outlined the core contour of the snake-shaped emblem; the unique hook at the end of the stroke was exactly the same as the exclusive mark of the Antigonus Family and the Secret Order.

This innocent and naive drawing quietly reflected the undercurrent trajectory of the hidden world of Backlund.

Returning to the apartment in the River Bay District, the night had already saturated the entire city.

Lu Li laid this new drawing flat on his desk, pressed it under the tempered glass, and displayed it side by side with the previous drawing of the Oak Angel signpost.

Then he opened his personal intelligence notebook, briefly recorded the Secret Order's membership invitation, and then clearly listed a to-do plan: go to the Old Book Exhibition Hall in the Dock District, read through all the public investigation reports, and filter out effective information that could be used for subsequent intelligence gathering and seal research.

The ivy on the windowsill bathed in the damp night breeze of the spring night, quietly sprouting a fresh, tender new leaf, full of vitality, growing silently.

Outside the window, the water in the lower reaches of the Hoi River was quiet, having shed the turbulent restlessness of the spring tides. The thick fog in the Sea of Wraith at the Old Wharf had completely dissipated, leaving only layers of white salt stains on the stone piers, silently recounting the disturbances of the past.

The surface disturbances of Backlund had already ended, but behind the hidden curtain, the deep secrets belonging to the Antigonus seal, the remnant soul of the Snake of Fate, and the Marauder Pathway had only just revealed the tip of the iceberg.

The formal membership invitation from the Secret Order was right before his eyes, with countless rare and hidden knowledge within reach, but it also concealed unknown constraints and new entanglements.

Lu Li looked at the snake-shaped drawing pressed under the glass, his eyes calm.

He clearly knew that this trade-off regarding a choice would likely completely change his hidden path in the Loen Kingdom.