Penny (1), Penny (2), Penny (3)

Green walked back inside and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was still early; Old One-Eye probably had not opened his shop yet.

Green had high hopes for this batch of Enchanted Rifles. Once his Skeleton Soldiers evolved into Gun Skeleton Soldiers, their combat strength would reach [6.3], roughly equal to an Intermediate Apprentice Knight. In the Kingdom Knights Order, anyone that strong would be an elite soldier. With enough years of service, they could even become officers.

Just then, someone knocked at the door.

Green called out, but before he could open it, the door was pushed in from outside. Vincent strode in with a young woman dressed in fitted leather armor.

Green glanced at Vincent, then turned to the beautiful young woman beside him. He immediately recognized her as the rider who had arrived earlier.

"Penny? Why are you back?" Green looked in surprise at the graceful young woman standing beside Vincent, and a flood of memories surfaced.

The young woman was Penny Wilson, the daughter of Vincent's uncle. After her parents died, she had come to live in the castle, much as Green's former self had. But Penny's father had been Viscount Paul's younger brother, and the two had apparently been close. Viscount Paul doted on her, raising her standing in the castle.

Their similar circumstances had led Green and Penny to become good friends, until Penny received Viscount Paul's recommendation two years ago and left for Faerun City Knight Academy.

"Green! This is wonderful. I can't believe you really became a mage!" Penny beamed at him and strode up to clap him boldly on the shoulder. With her pretty face and affected air of seniority, she was almost impossible to take seriously.

"Why are you back? The Knights Academy shouldn't be on spring break yet," Green asked. He felt no aversion to her; the moment he saw her, a closeness rose from deep within him.

"I took leave. I heard Lillisa was nearly kidnapped, so I came back to drag out whoever tried it and show those rats in the gutter that the Wilson Family isn't to be trifled with!" Penny declared indignantly. A murderous glint flashed in her eyes. Two years of training had changed her, and her strength as an Intermediate Apprentice Knight filled her with confidence.

Green's face darkened. He did not believe one Intermediate Apprentice Knight could topple a cult like the Tower of Yin Spirits. But he knew Penny's temperament; trying to stop her would be useless. He could only nod. "Then be careful. If you find anything, don't act rashly. Tell me or Vincent at once."

"Don't worry. I haven't spent the last two years at the Knights Academy eating for free." She finished with a challenging glance at Vincent.

The three went inside and sat talking about old times. Eventually, the conversation turned to Lillisa's attempted kidnapping and the Tower of Yin Spirits, which had suddenly vanished from sight.

Penny waved her small fist and swore she would drag out every last lunatic in the Tower of Yin Spirits...

Half an hour later, after seeing Vincent and Penny off, Green took a carriage to Old One-Eye's shop.

Green held out no hope that Penny would uncover the Tower of Yin Spirits. The cult's roots ran deep; it had existed for years, and no young woman fresh from the academy could shake it. He was not too worried about her safety, though. An Intermediate Apprentice Knight was hardly weak. If she kept her wits about her, she should have a chance to escape.

"Hahaha! Brother Green, you finally came!" Old One-Eye laughed and hurried over as Green entered. Truthfully, Green's failure to collect the goods yesterday had worried him. The thirty Enchanted Rifles had come straight from the Kingdom Equipment Bureau. Setting aside the cost of the rifles themselves, he had spent a fortune greasing palms. He had also promised an important figure at the bureau that this was merely a trial run, with larger orders to follow. If Green backed out, the deposit would cover his costs and leave him money to spare. But he would lose standing with that important figure, leave a bad impression, and find future business much harder.

Fortunately, what Old One-Eye feared had not happened. Green appeared just a day later. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they went straight to the Basement to inspect the rifles. Once he had confirmed everything was in order, Green paid the balance. From that moment on, the thirty Enchanted Rifles were his.

Old One-Eye grinned as he counted a stack of Gold Pound notes and tucked them into his pocket. He did not forget to praise his own wares. "Brother, this batch came straight out of the Kingdom Equipment Bureau's warehouse. You got yourself a bargain. Without my connections, that price would only buy you discarded stock."

Green nodded repeatedly. He was thoroughly satisfied with the quality of the thirty Enchanted Rifles. Then, with a thought, he cast five Soul Summoning spells in succession without uttering a word. Fifteen Skeleton Soldiers appeared before Old One-Eye and methodically opened the rifle crates. They dropped their Short Swords and shields, then picked up an Enchanted Rifle in each hand.

Silent casting and summoning three Skeleton Soldiers with a single Soul Summoning spell were Green's latest advances in his study of magic.

For a Necromancer, summoning Undead Creatures was the primary way to fight, so bringing them forth quickly and discreetly mattered most. Since he began practicing the Meditation Method, Green's mental strength had risen rapidly, giving him finer control over Magic Power and letting him use Soul Summoning more flexibly. Of course, he had not invented these techniques. To a true Necromancer, silent casting and multiple summoning were basic skills. An Archmage-level Necromancer could even summon an Undead Army numbering in the tens of thousands with a single Soul Summoning spell.

Yet Green's display of magic genuinely shocked Old One-Eye.

Old One-Eye had assumed Green was merely a beginner Magic Apprentice and had paid him little mind. Even when Green bought weapons, he had taken Viscount Paul to be the real buyer behind the deal, with Green serving at most as the Wilson Family's agent. He had never imagined Green was this formidable. From what he knew of Necromancers, many advanced Necromancer apprentices could not perform silent casting and multiple summoning as effortlessly as Green had.

What surprised Old One-Eye even more was what happened after the dozen or so thick-boned Skeleton Soldiers picked up the rifles and ammunition. Green immediately reversed the Soul Summoning spell and sent them away. In the blink of an eye, all those Enchanted Rifles vanished before Old One-Eye's eyes as well.

Old One-Eye drew a sharp breath. "You sent all the rifles into the Netherworld!" His expression changed, and he looked at Green with new respect.

Clearly, Old One-Eye did not think Green had sent those costly Enchanted Rifles into the Netherworld on a whim. There was only one explanation: the Skeleton Soldiers were all Contract Undead Creatures, not random summons. The next time Green used Soul Summoning, they would bring the Enchanted Rifles back. Transporting goods this way was common among Necromancers who possessed permanent Contract Undead Creatures, but few Magic Apprentices had as many as Green did.

Old One-Eye reached a hasty conclusion: a powerful Necromancer stood behind Green, secretly teaching him. He could not gauge that person's strength, only that they must be formidable. How else could Green have suddenly become a Necromancer and acquired so many Contract Undead Creatures? A novice with no formal training could never possess all this.

Thinking he had seen through Green's background, Old One-Eye let a strange smile slip.

Green had deliberately shown off to intimidate Old One-Eye and keep the wily merchant—and the parasites hidden in the Kingdom government—from getting ideas about him. What Old One-Eye thought did not matter. The important thing was to leave room for imagination. Old One-Eye and the others would fill in plenty of details themselves. It would never occur to them that no great expert stood behind Green, or that the Skeleton Soldiers were not simply a means of transport. The Enchanted Rifles were meant for them.

Once the deal was done, Green arranged another transaction with Old One-Eye three months later: a hundred and fifty Enchanted Rifles, plus an old-model Enchanted Cannon.

They were taking goods out of the Equipment Bureau's warehouse without authorization. Even the important figure backing Old One-Eye could not be too reckless, so they needed time after this deal to fill the gap and balance the books. What Green had not expected was the size of their appetite. They dared sell not only rifles, but even an Enchanted Cannon. This cannon was not the latest model, though. It was secondhand and seven or eight years old, but well maintained. Without this under-the-table deal, it could have served for at least another ten years.

Green was not sure whether Skeleton Soldiers could operate a cannon. Much as he coveted an Enchanted Cannon's power, he agreed to buy only one as a trial. Even so, that single cannon cost as much as twenty of the newest Enchanted Rifles.

On the way back, Green sat in the carriage, his mind already immersed in the Graveyard.

In the desolate burial ground, all seventeen Skeleton Soldiers had been newly equipped, and the Graveyard had recognized their upgrade to Gun Skeleton Soldiers. The new Enchanted Rifles were now mottled with rust, and their shapes had changed somewhat. Even if Old One-Eye stood there, he would not recognize them as the rifles he had just sold Green. They looked old, but with bullets chambered and sharp bayonets fixed to their muzzles, the Skeleton Soldiers appeared more menacing than ever.

Green admired them with satisfaction while privately considering whether to seek out Lola. She had promised to investigate the Tower of Yin Spirits' Secret Hideout, but he had heard nothing from her; she must have run into trouble. He was not worried about her safety. Lola was a woman who worked alone and had survived for years in the murky world of adventurers. She must have ways to protect herself and could likely escape even if something went wrong.

But Green had long regarded the Tower of Yin Spirits as a challenge he had to clear. It meant vast amounts of Psychic Energy. If he waited too long, trouble might gather in the night—or someone else might beat him to it. From the rumors he had heard lately, quite a few influential people in Landon City seemed to be preparing to move against the Tower of Yin Spirits.

Just then, the carriage braked suddenly. Green pitched forward and snapped back to the present. Frowning, he asked the Coachman, "What happened?"

Before the Coachman could answer, someone slapped the carriage door bang, bang and called urgently, "Lord Green, is that you? Something's happened to Miss Penny!"

Green recognized the voice of a housekeeper from Wilson Castle, whose position was second only to Steward Laurence's. He immediately opened the carriage door.

A middle-aged housekeeper in a well-tailored woman's suit stood outside. She had seen the family crest on the carriage and recognized it as Green's, then rushed up to stop it. She was breathing hard and looked badly shaken.

"What happened? What about Penny?" Green asked with a frown. He wondered what trouble Penny could have found so soon after returning to make this normally composed housekeeper so frantic.

"Lord Green, Miss Penny spotted someone from the Tower of Yin Spirits. She sent me back to tell the family and followed them herself." The housekeeper forced the words out between quick breaths. "I couldn't stop her, so I headed home. Then I saw your carriage..."

Green's frown deepened. So many people in Landon City had failed to find the Tower of Yin Spirits, yet Penny had spotted one of its members as soon as she returned. Was that good luck, or had disaster come knocking?

Green did not dare take it lightly. He was fond of Penny, and this was also a chance to find the Tower of Yin Spirits. He quickly got the direction from the housekeeper, sent her home in the carriage, and set off in pursuit.

Magic Staff in hand, Green ran the way the housekeeper had described and soon reached Novatz Street in the Lower District.

Novatz Street was one of Landon City's notorious slums, crowded with pickpockets, swindlers, robbers, gang members, and street thugs. Green hurried there but found no trace of Penny. He was about to ask a local Patrol Officer if anything had happened when a sudden boom came from a house beside the street, sounding like an explosion.

Green raised his guard. He recognized the sound of colliding Knightly Fighting Auras.

"They're already fighting." Green followed the sound at once and reached an old three-story building of brick and timber.

The shockwave from a clash of Fighting Auras had smashed through the wall of a second-floor room. Startled residents had streamed outside and were talking below, but Penny was nowhere in sight.

Green rushed inside and climbed to the second floor to examine the signs of the fight.

"This flame-aspected Fighting Aura should be Penny's. Her opponent is also an Apprentice Knight, with ice-aspected Fighting Aura, but weaker..." From the marks and lingering aura, Green pieced together what had happened. Penny appeared to have had the upper hand. They had exchanged combat techniques, and blood on the floor suggested she had wounded her opponent and was now pursuing them.

A combat technique was a Knight's charged attack, not some exceptionally profound secret art. Though powerful, it had many limitations. Against an experienced enemy, it was hard to find enough time to gather Fighting Aura. That was why battles between high-ranking Knights seldom featured such techniques, while newly trained Apprentice Knights often exchanged them head-on.

Green used Death Spirit Sight and found the direction in which the Fighting Aura trailed. To his surprise, it led toward the Upper District.

"Hm? They went toward the more heavily patrolled Upper District." Green thought it over. "If the person Penny met really belongs to the Tower of Yin Spirits, why flee toward the Upper District after being wounded? Is someone among the wealthy and noble residents waiting to help? No wonder the Tower of Yin Spirits has remained so well hidden. It couldn't have done it without help from inside. I wonder who would dare shelter it."

Still thinking, Green followed the trail out of Novatz Street and into the Upper District.

A large wasteland lay in the southeast corner of the Upper District. It had once belonged to a wealthy merchant who planned to build a lavish residence there, but for some unknown reason, he had abruptly left Landon City. What remained was several thousand square meters of land and a half-built shell. Since the merchant still owned the property, Landon City's government had no authority to intervene. All it could do was watch the abandoned grounds fill with weeds, an incurable sore on the Upper District.

Judging by the traces of Fighting Aura, Penny had last entered that abandoned property...

Meanwhile, the housekeeper's report had thrown Wilson Castle into an uproar. Viscount Paul immediately called on Doctor Wilkins, who rode out of the castle with Vincent and six Apprentice Knights retained by the Lineage. Viscount Paul took a carriage to City Hall to ask the mayor for reinforcements. Between Landon City's Anomalies Bureau and the personnel dispatched from Northwest Province Headquarters, they should have enough force to deal with the Tower of Yin Spirits now that it had been cornered.

Green did not yet know that the full force of Landon City's authorities had been set in motion. He climbed straight over the wall into the abandoned grounds. At the same time, he used Soul Summoning to bring three Skeleton Soldiers out of the Graveyard to stand guard, then summoned two Ghouls to lie hidden among the weeds.

Magic Staff in hand, Green moved step by step through the thick weeds, looking around as he went. Near the unfinished building, he soon found clear traces of Fighting Aura again, along with a good deal of blood.

"There was a fight here not long ago, and now there's an earth-aspected Fighting Aura too. Looks like Penny's in trouble." Green judged that reinforcements had reached her opponent. Against two enemies, Penny was likely at a disadvantage.

Green grew more cautious and summoned another group of Skeleton Soldiers. With three ahead and three behind, they shielded him between them.

It was still daylight, so even the abandoned building did not feel especially sinister. Sunlight poured through the windows onto mottled concrete walls. Rubbish had piled up indoors; quite a few vagrants seemed to have come through since the building was abandoned. None were in sight now. Most had probably been taken by the Tower of Yin Spirits as sacrifices to its evil god. Filthy, destitute vagrants could disappear without anyone caring.

The second floor of the unfinished building contained a spacious hall.

Following the blood and lingering Fighting Aura, Green had barely climbed the stairs when he saw a tall, thin man in a black trench coat and a fat old man covered in blood. They had cornered Penny, whose Knight's sword was gone and who clutched her left shoulder. Both men wore cruel smiles tinged with lust.

Penny pressed her lips together, despair showing in her eyes. She had too little real combat experience and had underestimated her enemies, rushing ahead. If she had not pursued them here, she might have found a way to maneuver and escape even against two attackers. Now that they had trapped her, breaking through would be far harder.

Then Penny's eyes lit up. She had spotted Green coming up the stairs.

She was not foolish enough to cry out. She even tried to hide her excitement. But the tall man and his fat companion were seasoned and wary. Though Penny's expression gave nothing away, they soon noticed Green, who had made no effort to conceal himself.

"Who's there?" the tall man barked, whirling around. He aimed the revolver in his left hand at Green, while keeping the Short Sword in his right pointed at Penny in case she seized the chance to break out.

The fat old man glanced over from the corner of his eye. The gem atop his Magic Staff glimmered blue: he had already prepared Water Bullet Spell, a first-circle water spell. He watched both directions, ready to lend support at any moment.

Green met the tall man's gun barrel with a cold smile and stopped at the top of the stairs. "You two are Transcendents of the Tower of Yin Spirits, yet you joined forces to bully a young woman. Hardly gentlemanly behavior, is it?"

At the mention of the Tower of Yin Spirits, both men's expressions changed. Their eyes hardened as they stared at Green with naked murderous intent.

"Hah. Another fool looking to die. I'll send you on your way first." The tall man grinned and suddenly pulled the trigger.

Bang! The bullet struck a Skeleton Soldier that appeared abruptly in front of Green. The shot carried no Fighting Aura, just an ordinary bullet, and could not pierce the upgraded Gun Skeleton Soldier's armor.

The tall man was startled. "So you're a Necromancer apprentice. No wonder you had the nerve to come rescue her." As he spoke, a gray Halo suddenly burst around him, enveloping the revolver in his hand. Intricate Magic Runes appeared on the gun.

Just then, a scream came from a room nearby. "Green! It really is you! You're still alive!"

At the sound, the tall man held his fire and looked toward the voice. Two men emerged. Green recognized them at once: the very men who had stabbed him through the heart when he first arrived in this world, then driven his body out into the wilderness to dump it. One was Les; the other was Bill.

Both had changed since then. Green could see an evil aura on them, the aura of Void Yin Spirits. It was Devouring their life force in exchange for temporary Transcendent power. Clearly, the two men had become sacrifices in the end. They might not be dead yet, but they would not survive another two years.

Les and Old Bill knew nothing of their fate. They had gained powerful abilities only a few days earlier and were still flushed with excitement. Seeing Green suddenly left them stunned. The cult they had originally joined was an outer organization of the Tower of Yin Spirits. As the situation in Landon City grew tense, the Tower of Yin Spirits had drawn its forces inward and gathered its outer members together. It claimed to bestow divine power on them, but in truth it was feeding their life force to the Void Yin Spirits it served.

Thus, Les and Old Bill had not heard that Green had come back from the dead. Encountering him again during this mission took them completely by surprise.

Both men now wore black robes resembling ritual vestments. Floating before them was a huge skull wreathed in black vapor, with Black Fire flickering in its eye sockets.

"Les, you know him?" the tall man asked darkly. "Then I'll leave him to you two. Let me see the power Lord Yin Spirit bestowed on you."

"As you command, my lord. But with the divine power Lord Yin Spirit granted me, I can deal with him alone." Les brimmed with confidence, showing no fear even at the sight of the Skeleton Soldier guarding Green.

To Green's surprise, Old Bill was nothing like the meek man he had once been. "What do you mean, alone?" he said gruffly. "The priest told both of us to do it. You want all the credit for yourself?"

A cold glint flashed in Les's eyes. He was furious at how his former subordinate's attitude had changed after receiving the Yin Spirit's divine power. Unfortunately, they were no longer superior and subordinate, and both possessed the same power. Les knew he could not keep Old Bill in line. He could only grit his teeth and resolve to make him pay later.

Green was also surprised to see these two men from his past. In a sense, he even had them to thank: if they had not plotted against the original Green Wilson, he would never have had the chance to cross into this world. But Green had no intention of showing them mercy for that.