The Skull Society

# Chapter 20: Skull Society

"Master, this is what we found on him."

Under the twilight, Macken held up some items with both hands and presented them respectfully.

Luo Ning nodded slightly and took them one by one to examine.

His attention first focused on the small black pouch and four pieces of parchment.

The small black pouch was clearly for holding money—it jingled as soon as he touched it, who knew how many gold coins were inside.

And the four pieces of parchment...

When Luo Ning saw the contents clearly, he couldn't help but show a look of surprise.

Three of the parchments clearly recorded three wind-attribute spells: the First-level Magic Clear Wind Spell, the Level 2 Magic Light Body Spell, and the Wind Blade Spell.

"Heaven helps me!"

Luo Ning was overjoyed inside. He had just been thinking about having no way to learn spells, and unexpectedly he had obtained three at once.

"What is this?"

Luo Ning looked at the fourth piece of parchment with some confusion. It was marked with red patterns, somewhat similar to the patterns on the parchment recording the Clear Wind Spell.

"Could It Be someone trying to copy a Clear Wind Spell magic introduction to sell?" Luo Ning guessed.

He glanced at the three small bottles and a Quill Pen in the guard's hands, but had no interest in them.

He put the money pouch and parchments into his own pocket, then waved his hand. "Give the remaining items to Chahar later, have him store them properly."

Luo Ning looked at the trapped mage. "Macken, find a rope and tie him up tight. I have questions for him later."

He planned to interrogate this man thoroughly and extract more Magic Knowledge.

Mages were rare and valuable.

After handling the mage matter, Luo Ning dismounted. Now it was time to communicate with the Green Family.

Seeing Luo Ning approach, the three members of the Green Family quickly bowed.

Chahar introduced at the right moment: "Master, this is Young Master Malik and Miss Marina of the Green Family, and their knight Cain."

Luo Ning placed his left hand on his chest, maintaining noble etiquette. "Apologies for arriving a bit late. How are your injuries?"

The boy Malik forced a faint smile. "Your Excellency Luo Ning, on behalf of the Green Family, I extend our sincerest gratitude. If you hadn't arrived in time today, we would surely have lost our lives."

The girl added, "You truly are the finest bloodline of the Wushan Family. That battle just now was magnificent!"

Luo Ning smiled slightly. Magnificent, yes—but the finest bloodline of the Wushan Family was a bit off the mark.

The reputation of his Previous Self was surely known to the Minor and Major Nobles of Wushan Territory. Most said that with an heir like Luo Ning, the Wushan Family had no future.

As he spoke, he was also observing the two members of the Green Family.

The girl's voice was rather soft, with a pleasant tone, but her appearance was extremely ordinary.

She was about one meter fifty-six tall. Although she wore a loose long dress, it was still clear she was somewhat overweight, and she seemed to have quite a few freckles on her face.

As for the boy Malik beside her, he was probably younger. Perhaps due to losing a lot of blood, his complexion was somewhat pale.

Though he tried hard to maintain noble etiquette without losing face, it was clear he was already very exhausted.

Luo Ning didn't prolong the conversation. He let them rest and recover first.

"Chahar, bring my carriage over. Let the brave Young Master and the beautiful Miss rest inside for a while."

"Yes, Master!"

Chahar quickly turned and brought the carriage over.

Malik and Marina, the brother and sister, didn't force themselves either. After thanking Luo Ning again, they entered the carriage to rest with the support of Knight Cain.

"Your Excellency Cain, what exactly happened to you?" Luo Ning finally asked about their encounter.

It turned out that during Count Wiggins's punitive expedition against the Black Gold Brotherhood, the Green Family's patriarch, Baron German, had unfortunately been injured.

Lady Flavia had sent Knight Noel with his Knight Squad to pick up Malik and Marina from Wushan Supernatural Academy, never expecting such an incident on the way.

"That mage hid in the shadows and struck with two Wind Blades right away. Captain Noel barely blocked one, but the second slit his throat!"

Cain was still immersed in the grief of losing his captain. "The Young Master and Miss's carriage was also cut open by the Lingering Force of that Wind Blade, which is how they were injured."

Only then did Luo Ning understand why a convoy escorting the Green Family's heir would be led by a Beginner Knight—the captain had died instantly.

From the other's description, Luo Ning also became more vigilant about magic.

The scene of the mage using the Wind Blade Spell was still vivid in his mind. It was thanks to Macken's quick reaction that they had dodged safely.

"Skull Society?"

Luo Ning looked at the fallen assassin's bodies. There was indeed a white skull pattern on the chests of their clothes. "Is it a Killer organization?"

Cain sniffled and wiped away his tears. "I don't know much. They say the Skull Society appeared around the same time as the Black Gold Brotherhood and the Poland Thief Group."

"But the latter two have bases; the Skull Society doesn't. Their members are scattered, and they show up in many assassination missions."

Luo Ning committed the name to memory. These organizations active in Wushan Territory—who knew if they would come causing trouble for him someday.

He hoped the remoteness of Mountain Forest Town would keep him from drawing too much attention.

"I'm sorry to hear about your harrowing experience. I'll have my guards help you arrange the bodies and bury them by the roadside."

"Thank you, Lord Luo Ning!" Cain bowed in gratitude.

Watching Cain bury his companions with the guards' assistance, Luo Ning couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion.

This pair of siblings must have offended someone to invite such deadly misfortune—truly an undeserved calamity.

"The Green Family..."

Luo Ning began sorting through his knowledge of this family.

The Green Family's territory was in Lakeside Town, which, as the name suggested, was dotted with many lakes of various sizes. As a result, the family's aquatic products were abundant, and their freshwater fish and shrimp were well-loved throughout Wushan Territory.

Luo Ning recalled that the tastiest Whisker Horn Fish came from Lakeside Town.

"Could this assassination stem from an economic dispute?"

Luo Ning pondered for a moment, then decided not to dwell on it. Noble affairs were tangled and complex—how could he, an Outsider, possibly sort them out?

Anyway, he had just saved the heir of the Green Family and his daughter. Baron German ought to show some gratitude, shouldn't he?

Figuring out what to ask from the other party—that was the real matter Luo Ning needed to consider.

"Right, killing that Beginner Knight just now completed an achievement for me."

Luo Ning led his horse back to the guards' convoy and called up the system interface.

At this moment, his Attribute Points and Energy Essence had reached 30 and 140 respectively—enough not only to max out his Knight level progress but also to push the upcoming Light Mage's level progress to Beginner late stage.

Soon, he would have an Intermediate Mage.

After witnessing the power of a Wind Attribute Intermediate Mage, Luo Ning was quite looking forward to the Light Mage.

"As expected, reserving Energy Essence instead of dumping it all into Adding Points for Macken was the right call."

Of course, once the Light Mage also reached Intermediate and his strength had notably improved, Luo Ning still planned to let Macken break through to Advanced Knight first.

After all, a team needed a combat flagship; always raising everyone evenly wasn't the optimal choice.

Luo Ning consumed all 30 Attribute Points. As his physique improved, he Perceived his Mental Power rapidly expanding as well.

[Level]: 1 - Beginner Knight (100/100); 1 - Beginner Mage (25/150)

With the growth of his Mental Power, Luo Ning felt his Mana Space expand slightly, allowing him to refine more mana.

Thinking of the three spells he had just acquired, Luo Ning decided to test them out later.

He turned his gaze to the Achievement Master interface, guessing that the [King of Slaughter] achievement should have advanced.

A look confirmed it—the new content read:

[King of Slaughter]: Kill any one Tier 2 Transcendent Unit. Reward: Attribute Points +50, Energy Essence +100

Luo Ning's eyes lit up. He happened to have a Tier 2 Transcendent Unit right at hand.