Chapter 135: Chapter 94: Promotion! Lynch Becomes a Half-Step Noble
He spoke rapidly, recounting everything that had happened at the very end in the depths of the mine: the appearance of Lady Pale Elegy Victoria’s phantom, her playful attitude, Golding’s madness, the Vampire Esther’s transformation and her pledge of allegiance, and—most critically—the ghastly white light that had shot into his soul.
"...Mentor, what should I do now?" Lynch asked uneasily.
After hearing his story, Mentor Annabella’s expression turned extremely grave.
She extended a slender, pale finger and gently touched the center of Lynch’s forehead.
In an instant, an extremely pure stream of Spiritual Power carefully probed inside Lynch’s body, gently wrapping around his soul.
Lynch felt his soul tremble slightly, and his entire body shivered uncontrollably.
A moment later, Annabella withdrew her finger, her expression grim.
"It is indeed a Demigod’s mark," she said grimly. "The mark itself isn’t aggressive; it’s more like she ’followed’ you. But the energy level of the mark is too high. With my abilities, forcefully removing it would likely cause severe damage to the core of your soul, and it might even alert that entity directly."
’Is there really no way to get rid of it?’
Lynch’s face fell.
Seeing this, Annabella comforted him gently, "You don’t have to despair. The mark won’t cause you any direct harm. As long as you don’t willingly travel to the Netherworld or enter special regions deeply intertwined with it, its impact on your daily life will be minuscule."
"Pale Elegy is a Demigod, after all. She’s mainly interested in higher-level games. This time, she just saw an interesting ’toy’ and left a mark on a whim. She might even forget all about it after a while."
"But the mark..." Lynch was still unsettled.
"I will write a letter to my mentor from my time studying in the Realm of the Dead to ask about the situation. He is a Witch Demon Archmage and is extremely well-versed in the Nether God pantheon and advanced Undead Magic."
Annabella reassured him.
"He might know more about Pale Elegy, or even have a method to safely remove such a mark. Until then, stay vigilant, but don’t panic. Above all, don’t scare yourself into a state of mental instability."
His mentor’s words were both comforting and, at the same time, not comforting at all.
Resigned to his fate, he could only nod. "I understand, Mentor. Until this is resolved, I will stay far away from the Netherworld and avoid any event related to that entity."
After relaxing a bit, Lynch asked, "Mentor, that ship... did you catch up to it?"
Annabella shook her head. "I gave chase for a while but couldn’t stop them. There was a very powerful individual on board, at least a Tier Seven Peak. He’s very likely the Draenei Brotherhood’s director for the Storm Bay region. And..."
She paused before continuing, "At the time, I vaguely sensed through my mental link with the Silver Armored Corpse that you were in trouble. After weighing my options, I had to abandon the pursuit and rush back."
’So that’s why she gave up the chase. She sensed I was in danger.’
Lynch felt a surge of gratitude, but also a cold dread. If even his mentor considered that person "very powerful," then the enemy on that ship was truly no simple foe.
After the two exchanged information, Annabella quickly laid out a plan. "As for what comes next, I’ll compile a detailed report and explain the situation personally to the dean and the relevant Imperial departments."
"For the time being, you are to return to the Fishing Port, lie low, and keep the lowest possible profile."
"Golding had many cronies and relatives by marriage, all tied together in a tangled web of interests. Now that he’s dead, people will definitely come out of the woodwork to cause trouble, maybe even try to muddy the waters."
She added with a meaningful look, "A student from a commoner background like you is the easiest target. Therefore, let Avril, Ophelia, and Lilith handle all external negotiations and any potential pressure. The families behind them are not to be trifled with. This is precisely when that backing comes in handy. Understand?"
Lynch immediately bobbed his head emphatically. "Understood! Mentor, I’ll hole up like a turtle and won’t stick my neck out for anything!"
’Although his mentor’s words were a bit blunt, they were also very practical. Besides, the three girls earned plenty of merit from this incident, so their families were bound to step up and shoulder some of the pressure.’
"Alright, remember what I said." Annabella dissipated the Spiritual Power barrier. "Go back and rest for now. Your losses were considerable this time, so use the time to recover and strengthen your Undead Corps. Strength is, and always will be, the best Protective Talisman."
Lynch replied solemnly, "Yes, Mentor!"
His mentor was right about everything.
This incident had shown him the vast gulf between himself and the truly powerful. He now understood that to survive in this world, relying on petty cleverness and his ’panel’ was not enough.
He had to possess real strength, but also know how to leverage his connections and conceal his own shortcomings.
’From now on, I’ll focus on my training and do everything I can to improve.’ Lynch now had a clear path forward.
Afterwards, Lynch bid farewell to the three young women, gathered the remnants of his Undead Corps, and rendezvoused with his bone wolves and Bone Shaman Blazing Flame’s unit, who were guarding the prisoners at the ruins.
Lynch handed over all the captives, including one called Bloodeye, as well as the related evidence and letters, to Mentors Annabella and Gwen to handle.
He, in turn, took only his Undead Corps and the collected materials and returned to the Fishing Port to recuperate.
****
「Three months passed in a flash.」
Night fell over the Red Ridge Mountain region of the southern province.
In a clearing amid a sparse forest, a bonfire crackled.
Flames licked at an iron pot suspended above, its contents bubbling away—a stew of local delicacies: flavorful mushrooms, plump Sunfish, and chunks of jungle wolf meat.
