Important Information

Late at night, the profound darkness hung over the entire land like a curtain, enveloping everything in a silence resembling a deep slumber.

In the well-lit study, Arkhan handed a cup of tea to Yulina and placed it in front of her.

"How are you feeling now? Any discomfort?" Arkhan asked.

Taking the tea, Yulina shook her head slightly.

"No, I feel fine now."

Arkhan nodded slightly, sitting on the sofa opposite her.

"Tell me, what happened."

Initially, when Arkhan sent Yulina to gather intelligence in the northern territories, he thought with her ability to devour magical energy and transform into mist, nothing unexpected would occur. However, he hadn't anticipated the severe injuries she sustained.

"I accidentally got exposed..." Yulina sighed. "I sneaked into the royal palace of Kent to quietly steal some information. But, I stumbled upon some Dead Apostles hiding in the palace, and they caught sight of me."

Arkhan furrowed his brow slightly as he heard her explanation.

"With your abilities, even if a few Dead Apostles spotted you, you should have been able to escape, right?"

"Normally, yes..." Yulina shook her head in frustration. "But among those Dead Apostles, there was an extremely powerful one. He's the one who inflicted serious injuries on me."

"Who is it?" Arkhan asked.

Yulina took a deep breath and said slowly, "The White Wing Lord, Trhvmn Ortenrosse..."

"Ahh... Him, huh..." Arkhan nodded.

The White Wing Lord, Trhvmn Ortenrosse, was one of the oldest Dead Apostles and could be said to be the right-hand man of Crimson Moon.

According to the original story, after Crimson Moon got defeated by Zelretch, Trhvmn would become the King of the Dead Apostles, representing the Twenty-seven Dead Apostle Ancestors and possessing the highest authority. He was a figure capable of rivaling the pinnacle Dead Apostle, Altrouge.

Given that Yulina encountered the White Wing Lord, her severe injuries made sense.

Watching Arkhan's calm reaction, Yulina was momentarily dumbfounded. 

"Master, aren't you surprised at all...?" She asked cautiously.

"Surprised? Why should I be surprised? Just because the White Wing Lord appeared in Kent?"

Arkhan looked at Yulina with a half-smile.

"I guess you want to tell me that the entire Northern Kingdoms are now in cahoots with the Dead Apostles, right?"

"That..." Yulina stared at him in shock.

"Moreover, besides Dead Apostles, you probably also discovered traces of Phantasmal Species there, like Chimeras and Mountain Giants, for example." Arkhan continued with a casual tone.

Yulina stared at Arkhan dumbfounded. All the intelligence she had painstakingly gathered, he already knew?

As if realizing something, a strong anger suddenly surged in her heart.

Even though her master knew everything, she was still sent to the northern territories under the guise of gathering intelligence. What was this? Was he using her as entertainment? She almost died over there!

"I know you're angry, but trust me, I never joke about the lives of my people." Seemingly understanding her thoughts, Arkhan explained calmly. "When I sent you to the northern territories, I truly did not know the situation over there. I only learned about these details because I've had dealings with them myself recently."

He then proceeded to recount the events of the beast tides in Lucanmont and the War of the Great Plains to Yulina.

Only then did she realize the true nature of the situation.

Yulina awkwardly scratched her face, lowered her head, and muttered softly, "I'm really sorry, Master. I misunderstood you."

"No worries, this time it's indeed my negligence. If I had been more careful from the beginning, you wouldn't have ended up in that kind of situation." Arkhan shook his head, pondered for a moment, and with a casual wave, a golden sword appeared in his hand.

"Consider this as compensation from me."

Yulina hesitated as she looked at the golden sword.

"But, I don't know how to use a sword..."

"No problem, you'll figure it out once you try." Arkhan mysteriously smiled and handed the golden sword to her.

Although Yulina was puzzled, she accepted it obediently. The moment she took it, the Key of Domination suddenly emitted a pure golden light and enveloped her.

Arkhan leaned back on the sofa, calmly watching the scene unfold.

After about ten minutes, the light gradually faded, and her figure reappeared. The golden sword had disappeared, and was replaced by—

A scythe.

It was a predominantly black scythe with rose-shaped red patterns all over it. The blade displayed an absolute crimson hue, exuding a deathly cold and bloody aura.

A strange expression appeared in Arkhan's eyes. He didn't expect Yulina to choose such a unique weapon.

But, he had to admit, the weapon did look pretty cool.

Perhaps it was the nature of girls.

Yulina slowly opened her eyes and looked at the scythe in her hand, and a strong sense of joy immediately appeared in her crimson eyes.

"How is it? Does it suit you?" Arkhan smiled.

"Perfectly! Thank you, Master!" Yulina exclaimed excitedly, then a bit shyly added, "But I haven't fully gained the weapon's recognition yet, so I can't unleash its full power."

"No worries, practice and strengthen your will, and soon you'll master the weapon completely."

Arkhan smiled and then gestured with his hand.

"Come a bit closer."

Yulina obediently leaned forward, feeling a finger tapping on her forehead. Suddenly, she felt a strange relaxation throughout her body, as if a peculiar power had been added.

"I've released the power of corruption I planted within you. I've merged it into your body, and you can freely use this power from now on." Arkhan explained.

Yulina turned her head and, in the reflection of the mirror nearby, saw that the black flame mark on her forehead had indeed disappeared!

Deep gratitude welled up in her heart. Her master's actions demonstrated his trust in her!

"Alright, it's getting late. Rest early. I've prepared a room for you, and someone will guide you there when you leave." Arkhan said while lifting a cup of tea from the table.

Yulina nodded slightly, then seemed to remember something suddenly, and hurriedly said, "Oh, Master, I have important information!"

Arkhan calmly sipped his tea.

"Go on."

Yulina's face turned serious.

"When I eavesdropped in the royal palace, I overheard a conversation between the King of Kent and the White Wing Lord. They mentioned that in a month, Kent, Sussex, and Wessex would assemble fifty thousand soldiers and launch an attack on the southern border—or, more precisely, Hadrian's Wall!"

*Crack!*

Arkhan instantly crushed the teacup in his hand!