Bolen pushed three Silver Shards toward Lu Yuan.
"You can think of it as me opening a back door in Bronze City's defensive inscriptions."
He looked at Lu Yuan, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
"But the back door is a little small."
"Three shards, three uses per shard, nine uses total. You can use them separately or together. Used together, the effect will be more concentrated, but the number of uses will be reduced accordingly."
He paused.
"I've already reported it on my end. That back door will have to be closed sooner or later, but these Silver Shards were made beforehand, so they're considered tacitly permitted."
Lu Yuan picked up the Silver Shards.
They were even lighter than they looked. Stacked together, all three were almost weightless. But the instant his fingertips touched them, an exceedingly faint ripple seeped from the inscription patterns, carrying the same presence as the city wall inscriptions.
He carefully tucked the three Silver Shards into the inner pocket against his body.
"Thanks."
Bolen waved a hand.
"As long as they're useful."
Kael stepped out from the side at that moment.
He stopped before Lu Yuan, straightened his body, and gave a slight bow. The movement was somewhat stiff, as though he had spent a long time deciding to do it this way.
"Captain Lu."
His voice was quiet, but earnest.
"Thank you for taking care of us these past days."
Lu Yuan looked at him. The wound on his shoulder had healed, and he looked much more spirited too.
When he had first arrived at the Branch, he had hidden behind Bolen and barely dared to speak. Now, standing before Lu Yuan, his back was perfectly straight.
"Keep in touch," Kael said.
Lu Yuan nodded.
"The path of Dark Inscription Studies isn't