In the corner of the library, the group of five sat around a round table.
It was very quiet, with the occasional sound of pages turning drifting from afar.
“Echo Valley’s terrain is divided into three layers.”
Valeris moved her finger across the map, focused and calm.
“The outer layer is forest, the middle is valley, and the inner layer is caves. Seven assessment nodes are scattered across these three areas, but the Academy hasn’t released their specific locations. We need to find them ourselves.”
Elsa leaned in. “So we’d have to search the entire Echo Valley?”
“No need. The nodes periodically emit energy fluctuations.” Valeris looked up at Xuanxi.
“Xuanxi’s water perception can pick them up. The concentration of Qi and water elements in Echo Valley is very high. Your perception range will be three to five times larger than usual.”
Xuanxi was taken aback. “How do you know?”
“It’s written in the notes.” Valeris’s tone was flat.
“Also, eastern dragon race water-element practitioners see a significant boost in perception in environments rich in water Qi. The abnormal energy fluctuations in Echo Valley are likely Qi from the East.”
Four people looked at Xuanxi at the same time.
Xuanxi looked down at her hands. Her perception had indeed grown much stronger since she entered the Academy, but she had never tested it in a “Qi-rich” environment. “I’m not sure I can do it.”
“You can do it.”
Hildegrifa’s voice came from the side.
Elsa rolled her eyes. “How do you know she can?”
“Because I believe in her.”
Hildegrifa offered no further explanation.
“Okay, then I’ll take point for pathfinding.” Xuanxi said.
Valeris nodded and moved her finger to several red dots marked on the map. “These are the known danger zones.”
“The Academy hasn’t released detailed information, but according to upperclassmen experience, there are three threats in Echo Valley. First, energy disorder zones. Elements and Qi conflict there. Your attacks might go out of control.”
Elsa’s face changed. “Out of control to what extent?”
“Fireballs become fire walls, ice spikes become hail, ordinary attacks get amplified a lot.”
Reginald answered for Valeris.
“Second,” Valeris continued, “echo illusions. Echo Valley isn’t named for nothing. There’s a special energy field inside the valley that records sounds and replays them under certain conditions.”
“The accidents involving upperclassmen are said to be related to the echo illusions—they heard sounds they shouldn’t have heard, or saw sights they shouldn’t have seen.”
Xuanxi’s pen stopped on the paper. She remembered what her foster father had said.
“Echo Valley wasn’t always called that. It used to be called Mist Valley. Later, someone discovered that if you shout in the valley, the echo lasts a long time and gets clearer and clearer, like someone repeating your words.”
“A energy field that records sounds.”
Hildegrifa’s voice was very soft.
“And replays them.”
Valeris finished her sentence.
The two exchanged a glance, then looked away at the same time.
“What’s the third?” Elsa broke the silence.
Valeris moved her finger to the deepest part of the map.
“Traces left by the eastern dragon race. They’re not part of the assessment, but the Academy said ‘you can record them if encountered.’ That means the Academy itself isn’t sure what’s there.” She looked at Xuanxi. “This part of the mission can only be done by you.”
Xuanxi nodded.
“Then what about me?” Elsa pointed at herself. “What do I do?”
“You’re in charge of firepower coverage.”
Reginald said.
“You’re in charge of tanking damage.”
Valeris said.
“You’re in charge of not getting lost.”
Hildegrifa said.
Elsa opened her mouth, then closed it. She realized her role in this team was very clear—she was the one responsible for “going in headfirst.” She sighed. “Alright, then I’ll blow the enemy up into fireworks.”
Reginald patted her shoulder but said nothing.
Division of labor was set: Xuanxi guided, scouted, and interpreted runes; Hildegrifa was main attacker with thunder-fire output; Reginald was front-line defense and crowd control; Elsa provided firepower coverage and flank suppression; Valeris handled ice control, support, and tactical backup.
“Let’s confirm one more time.” Valeris took out her notebook.
“After entering Echo Valley, Xuanxi walks at the very front, using perception to scout. Xige is on her right, protecting her flank. Reginald takes the rear to prevent ambushes. Elsa walks on the left. Valeris walks in the middle, ready to support at any time.”
She stopped writing. Xuanxi didn’t speak, but she noticed Hildegrifa lightly tapped her finger on the table, then pushed her own water cup toward Xuanxi—replacing Xuanxi’s already empty cup with a full one. The movement was very light, as if done casually.
Valeris saw it but said nothing. She just continued discussing the final assessment’s profit distribution, not paying it any mind.
***
After the meeting, the group of five packed up to leave the library. Elsa stretched widely, Reginald pushed his chair back into place, and Valeris folded the map and put it into her notebook.
“By the way,” Valeris looked up, “have you heard about something?”
“What?” Xuanxi asked.
“The Myriad Merchants auction is coming to the Academy next week for an auction.”
Elsa’s eyes lit up. “Which Myriad Merchants? The one that spans the Western Continent, Central Continent, and the Human Kingdom?”
“A chamber of commerce that spans three continents, and you ask which one?” Valeris looked at Elsa, a hint of helplessness in her ice-blue eyes.
“I know! I was just confirming!” Elsa turned to Reginald. “The Myriad Merchants auction! They have everything! Eastern spiritual medicines, Western dragon crystals, human machinery, beast tribe armor—they say last time there was even an elven bow!”
Reginald nodded. “That’s right, but the entry tickets are very expensive.”
“And it’s not just about money to get in.” Valeris hugged her notebook to her chest. “The auction has a regular area and a VIP area. The VIP area usually only invites families with standing in the Academy.”
Elsa’s shoulders slumped. “Then I definitely can’t get in.”
“You can.”
Hildegrifa’s voice came from the side.
Four people looked at her at the same time.
“The Edelstein Family is a long-term client of Myriad Merchants.” Hildegrifa’s tone was light. “We get VIP area invitations every year.”
Elsa’s eyes lit up again. “So you can bring people in?”
“Mm.”
“How many?”
“Unlimited.”
Elsa grabbed Hildegrifa’s hand. “Xige! You’re my goddess!”
Reginald pulled her back. “Calm down.”
“I can’t calm down! That’s the Myriad Merchants auction, and VIP seats! I dreamed of going when I was a kid!”
Valeris watched Elsa’s excitement, a slight curve at the corner of her mouth. “And Xuanxi?”
“She’ll naturally come with me.”
Hildegrifa answered.
Valeris’s gaze lingered between them for a moment.
“Then we’ll also—” Elsa started, but Valeris cut her off.
“The House of Frostmark has invitations too.”
“The Steel Bristle Family also has them.” Reginald said.
“The Ashen Family…” Elsa’s voice trailed off.
Valeris glanced at her. “You can come with the House of Frostmark.”
Elsa was stunned. Valeris had already turned and walked away, her pale gold fishtail braid swaying on her back. “Tomorrow at 2:00 PM, meet at the Academy gate.”
Elsa stared at her back, taking several seconds to find her voice. “Did she… just invite me?”
Reginald patted her shoulder. “Let’s go.”
On the way back to the dormitory, Xuanxi and Hildegrifa walked at the very back.
“What kind of chamber of commerce is Myriad Merchants, really?” Xuanxi asked.
Hildegrifa thought for a moment. “It’s more than just a chamber of commerce.”
“What do you mean?”
“On the surface, they do auctions and trade—collecting spiritual medicines from the East and selling them in the West, collecting dragon crystals from the West and selling them in the Human Kingdom.” She paused.
“But privately, Myriad Merchants is also the largest intelligence organization on the entire continent.”
Xuanxi’s steps slowed. “Intelligence organization?”
“Mm. Their caravans travel across all three continents. Every road, every city, every family’s movements are in their intelligence network.” Hildegrifa lowered her voice.
“Some say the Master of the Pavilion at Myriad Merchants holds more secrets than any royal intelligence department.”
“Then aren’t they…”
“Very dangerous.” Hildegrifa glanced at her. “But they also follow the rules very strictly. Myriad Merchants only does business. They don’t take sides. That’s their rule, and precisely because of this rule, the powers of the three continents tolerate their existence.”
Xuanxi was silent for a while. “Then if we go to the auction, won’t we…”
“No.” Hildegrifa cut her off, her tone firm. “The information of VIP area guests is protected more tightly by Myriad Merchants than anyone else. Leaking client information would be smashing their own reputation.”
Xuanxi nodded, but she still made a mental note of it.
On the afternoon of the auction, a row of black carriages was parked at the Academy gate.
They were not the Edelstein Family carriages with silver emblems. These were sent by the Myriad Merchants auction—black bodies, no emblems, only the gold-stamped characters “Myriad Merchants” on the doors.
The wheels were made of a silver-white metal, not iron, but some material Xuanxi couldn’t name, giving off a cold gleam in the sunlight.
An old man in a dark blue uniform stood in front of the carriages, his silver-white hair immaculate, a golden badge pinned to his chest—the emblem of the Myriad Merchants auction.
“Miss Hildegrifa.” The old man bowed slightly. “The VIP area is ready.”
Hildegrifa nodded, pulled open the carriage door, and stepped aside to let Xuanxi board first.
The interior was even more spacious than Xuanxi had imagined. In the corner was a bouquet of white flowers, water droplets still on the petals.
Xuanxi sat down, her gaze moving from the bouquet to the curtains, from the curtains to the intricate embroidery patterns on the seats. “This is even fancier than the carriage I rode to your house last time.”
“Well, that one at my house was bought a long time ago. This is a new model that came out in recent years.” Hildegrifa sat down beside her. “Myriad Merchants only sends this grade of carriage to VIP clients.”
“So you come here often?”
Hildegrifa was silent for a moment. “I came a few times with my mother when I was little.”
The carriage started moving. Four horses—no, not horses, but some creature Xuanxi had never seen before, with silver-white manes flowing in the wind, their hooves making no sound on the ground, the carriage gliding as smoothly as if it were floating on water.
Xuanxi peered through a gap in the curtains. The carriage passed through the Academy gates, through the town at the foot of the mountain, and entered an area she had never been to before.
The road was lined with neat rows of trees, their crowns interweaving overhead to form a green tunnel. At the end of the tunnel stood a white building. Not tall, but very large—its footprint even bigger than the Academy’s main teaching building.
“Is this the place?” Xuanxi asked.
“Mm.”
The carriage stopped. The old man opened the door. Hildegrifa got out first, turned around, and extended her hand. Xuanxi placed her hand in it, held on, and stepped out.
A long line had already formed at the entrance of the white building. Men and women in elaborate clothing waited to enter—some draped in fur shawls, others wearing jeweled necklaces, some leaning on silver canes.
Their eyes swept over Xuanxi and Hildegrifa. First they looked at Hildegrifa: silver-white hair, amethyst eyes, the Edelstein Family emblem. Their gazes immediately became respectful.
Then they saw Xuanxi: rare ink-green hair, amber-gold eyes, a silver-gray long dress. They didn’t recognize her.
No family emblem on her. Just an unfamiliar face. But the presence of Hildegrifa beside her said everything. Their gazes were still very respectful.
“This way, please.” The old man gestured.
He didn’t lead them through the main entrance. Instead, he went around the side of the white building, through an iron gate, and down a corridor carpeted in red.
Paintings hung on both walls. Xuanxi recognized a few of them—original famous paintings she had seen in Academy history textbooks.
At the end of the corridor was a double door. The old man pushed it open.
The VIP area was on the second floor, a semi-open circular hall. From here, every corner of the auction stage on the first floor was visible, but people below couldn’t see up. The seats were dark red velvet. Between every two seats was a small round table with tea and pastries.
Xuanxi walked in and found someone already there.
Valeris was sitting on the left side, wearing an ice-blue long dress, her pale gold fishtail braid draped over her left shoulder. When she saw Xuanxi, she nodded.
“Your family arrived really early.” Xuanxi sat down next to her.
“Mother says there are benefits to arriving early.” Valeris’s gaze fell on Xuanxi’s dress and paused. “This dress… was it a gift from Xige’s mother?”
Xuanxi looked down at her own dress. “How do you know?”
“The fabric is silk from the North Sea. In the Western Dragon Domain, only the Edelstein Family uses it.” Valeris picked up her teacup and took a sip.
Elsa poked her head in from the doorway, her brown short hair a mess. “I’m here, I’m here! I’m not late, am I? I just found parking!”
Reginald followed behind her, dressed in a dark brown formal suit—unusually not in training clothes.
“The Ashen Family carriage had some trouble, so we came with the Steel Bristle Family.” Elsa sat down next to Valeris, grabbed a pastry from the table, bit into it, and her eyes immediately lit up. “Mm! This is delicious!”
“That’s crisp candy imported from the Human Kingdom by Myriad Merchants.” Valeris’s tone didn’t change.
“Human stuff?” Elsa looked at the half-eaten pastry in her hand. “It’s pretty good.”
“They don’t just know how to fight. They also know how to make food.” Valeris lifted her teacup, the rim hiding the slight curve of her lips.
Xuanxi watched them, a smile tugging at her own lips. She turned to Hildegrifa. “Aren’t you going to sit?”
Hildegrifa stood beside her, her silver-white hair gleaming with a cold luster under the VIP area lights. Her eyes scanned the entire circular hall. Only after confirming there was nothing unusual did she sit down next to Xuanxi.
“What are you checking?” Xuanxi lowered her voice.
“Security.”
“This is an auction.”
“Many people, many eyes.” Hildegrifa’s tone was very light, as if stating the obvious. “Big woods, all kinds of birds.”
“Xige.”
“Mm.”
“Nothing will happen here.”
Hildegrifa didn’t answer, but the hand resting on the armrest moved an inch closer to Xuanxi’s.
The crowd on the first floor started entering. Men and women in fine clothes took their seats in front of the auction stage. The sounds of conversation, laughter, and clinking cups mixed together, rising from below to form a humming background noise.
Xuanxi’s gaze swept over those faces, then suddenly stopped.
“That person…” She pointed at a figure in the corner downstairs.
Hildegrifa followed her finger. “The Wolf Family.”
Rex Wolf stood in a corner of the first floor, with silver-gray short hair and a dark blue formal suit. His brows and eyes carried a coldness similar to Hildegrifa’s. His gaze wasn’t on the auction stage but on the second floor—on Hildegrifa.
“The Wolf Family?” Xuanxi recalled the name the Duke had mentioned.
“The one from the letter.” Hildegrifa’s tone was flat. “His father wants to set us up.”
Xuanxi’s eyes landed on Rex Wolf: silver-gray hair, amethyst eyes, somewhat resembling Hildegrifa. “He’s not bad-looking.”
Hildegrifa didn’t look at her. “Mm.”
“What about his personality?”
“Don’t know.”
“Do you like this type?”
Hildegrifa turned her head, amethyst eyes meeting amber-gold eyes. “No.”
“Why?”
“Because he wasn’t my choice.”
Xuanxi’s lips curved. She picked up her teacup and took a sip. The tea was warm, not hot.
A few more people entered the first floor. Xuanxi recognized two of them—an elder of the Steel Bristle Family, Reginald’s father. And another…
“Is that Elsa’s sister?” Xuanxi asked.
Elsa leaned over to look. “Mm, the current head of the Ashen Family. Even though she’s been managing well since taking over, the Ashen Family still has a considerable gap compared to those traditional families.”
“Your sister looks so young.”
“But she’s 20 years older than me.”
Xuanxi silently took another sip of tea.
People continued to file into the venue. A woman in a dark blue long dress walked in, with pale gold hair and ice-blue eyes—identical to Valeris.
Valeris’s mother. Behind her was a man Xuanxi had never seen before, with silver-gray short hair, but his features didn’t resemble Valeris’s at all.
“Your father?” Xuanxi asked.
“Dead.”
Valeris’s tone was as calm as always.
“Didn’t you say he…”
“He passed away.” Valeris’s voice had no fluctuation. “That’s my stepfather.”
Xuanxi opened her mouth. She knew Valeris’s father had died, and her mother had later married someone else. Valeris lived alone in Frostmark Manor, cooked alone, organized her mother’s notes alone.
When she said “living alone, you have to learn to take care of yourself,” her tone had been so calm, as if stating something very ordinary.
“Is your stepfather good to you?” Xuanxi asked.
Valeris was silent for a moment. “He’s okay.” She picked up her teacup but didn’t drink.
Reginald leaned over from the side. “My father is downstairs too.”
Xuanxi followed his gaze. The head of the Steel Bristle Family sat in the front row on the first floor, with silver-gray hair and the same amber eyes as Reginald. He was talking to an elderly man Xuanxi didn’t recognize.
“Who’s that?” Xuanxi asked.
“An elder of the Ashen Family.”
Elsa answered. “My sister’s assistant.”
Xuanxi didn’t ask further. Hildegrifa tapped her finger lightly on the armrest. Xuanxi turned and saw that Hildegrifa was looking toward the entrance downstairs—an elderly man with silver-white hair was entering, followed by several attendants in dark blue uniforms.
“Who’s that?” Xuanxi asked.
“An elder of the Edelstein Family.”
“What is he here for?”
“My mother sent him.”
“To see you.”
Hildegrifa said.
Xuanxi was taken aback. Hildegrifa lifted her teacup, hiding her expression. “Mother said she wants the family to know you.”
“Know me?”
“Mm, as Xuanxi.” Hildegrifa added softly, “Of course, if you wanted, you could also be known as Xuanxi Edelstein.” Unfortunately, Xuanxi didn’t hear that last part.
The elder sat down on the first floor and didn’t look up at the second floor again. But Xuanxi felt a gaze—not the elder’s, but from another direction downstairs.
Rex Wolf was still standing there, silver-gray hair, amethyst eyes, looking at the second floor, at Hildegrifa, and at her.
A cold gaze, purely observing its target.
Xuanxi didn’t look away. She gave a slight nod.
Rex Wolf nodded back, then averted his gaze.
The auction began.
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