037 Visual Synchronization

The Tower of Yin Spirits had considerable reach and influence, but as a Transcendent organization, it was hardly powerful.

The Holy Son Green had killed was already the Tower of Yin Spirits' strongest fighter. Without a Formal Rank powerhouse, a Transcendent organization could never truly command respect.

The tower had survived unscathed because the Landon City government had turned a blind eye, while local nobles and capitalists had secretly worked with it. Now, under pressure, it could barely move. Nearly all its members in Landon City had withdrawn to the Secret Hideout in Boris Town and were preparing to leave the city for a time. For now, though, its key personnel remained in Boris Town.

Green arrived in Boris Town but did not charge straight for the Ceramic Factory like a reckless fool. Instead, he checked into the town's inn under the guise of a traveling mage.

The town had once prospered, so the inn was fairly comfortable. Green took two rooms, one for himself and one for the Coachman.

After bathing, Green sat on the bed and entered a meditative state.

Ever since obtaining the Gelfis Meditation Method, he had used meditation in place of sleep. He usually slept less than two hours a day and, when necessary, could go several days and nights without sleeping while remaining full of energy.

After midnight, Green opened his eyes and went to the window. From there, he could see the Ceramic Factory. He had chosen the room for precisely that reason.

Boris Town had two large ceramic factories. With the clay deposits exhausted, both had nearly ceased production. Their vast grounds lay pitch-black; even the kiln fires that had burned for decades were out. A stifling air of decline hung over the whole town.

Green opened the window and let the cool breeze into the room. Then, with a slight wave of his hand, he released Maxim, the Evil Spirit he had recently subdued.

A flash of red appeared, and an Evil Spirit materialized outside the window. He was gray-white on the outside, with a faint dark-red glow within.

"My master, what are your orders?" the Evil Spirit asked in a low, raspy voice produced by vibrations of his spirit body.

Green did not know whether Evil Spirits, as tier-three elite troops, were generally more intelligent or whether Maxim was unusual. But he could sense something different about him. He could speak coherently after only a few hours. Could this Evil Spirit have the potential to become a Hero Unit?

Building the Hero Hall in the Graveyard would allow him to recruit Hero Units. Ordinary Undead creatures rarely grew into heroes, but the Hard-Skin Ghoul and this Evil Spirit had both been captured in the wild. It was not impossible for either to become one, and Green could not help feeling a stir of anticipation.

"Remember? That's the factory where you worked." Green looked toward the Ceramic Factory. Unfortunately, Maxim had lost his memories when he became an Evil Spirit. He followed Green's gaze without the slightest hint of nostalgia. Green might as well have been playing a lute to a cow. With a faint smile, he ordered, "Go scout it out. There are Transcendents over there, so stay hidden."

"As you command, my master," Maxim replied. In a sudden flicker, he vanished.

Even with Death Spirit Sight, Green could make out only the faintest shadow streaking through the air. And he was a Necromancer, Maxim's master, able to sense where the Evil Spirit was. Someone else would have had an even harder time spotting him.

Compared with a true Transcendent organization, whether righteous or evil, the Tower of Yin Spirits was only a small group that had barely crossed the threshold. It had no high-end fighters and no deep-rooted legacy. Its sprawling organization endured entirely through Pontiff David Rute's connection to the Void Yin Spirit.

The Transcendents who joined the tower did not believe in its teachings. They wanted David Rute to connect them with the Void Yin Spirit so they could draw on its power to grow stronger. Otherwise, someone with David Rute's strength as an Intermediate Apprentice priest could never have held the position of Pontiff.

Green had gathered plenty of information when he first decided to raid the Tower of Yin Spirits for Psychic Energy.

A true Transcendent organization would have two or three Formal Rank powerhouses at the very least, with hundreds or thousands of trainees and Apprentice Rank members beneath them. Green could not stand against one alone. Charging in would be asking for death.

Green stood at the window, staring unfocused into the distance. In reality, he had used Visual Synchronization to follow the departing Evil Spirit's sight.

It was a universal first-circle spell with a simple principle but considerable difficulty. Even many Formal Rank mages could not cast it reliably.

By rights, Green's magical skill was nowhere near sufficient. But he had his special advantage: with the Graveyard's assistance, he used magic to project an Undead creature's sight into the Graveyard, then had the Town Hall simulate a large display screen. By completing only half the spell, he achieved the effect of Visual Synchronization.

Under the deep cover of night, Maxim drifted through the air at roughly the pace of an ordinary person jogging. He crossed the factory wall and entered the grounds.

He had worked here for twenty years. Though all his memories were gone, returning still stirred a faint, inexplicable sense of familiarity in Maxim.

The feeling made Maxim uncomfortable, but nothing more. The factory grounds were dark and still; the vast complex seemed deserted. Yet as an Evil Spirit, he could sense nearby auras, and he soon detected people.

They were inside an office building whose windows and doors had been nailed shut with thick planks. It stood not far from the entrance to the Ancient Ruins that had been discovered earlier.

Maxim flew over and passed straight through the wall.

Unlike the stillness outside, the building was startlingly lively. Men and women in revealing clothes, or none at all, drank, flirted, indulged in sex, and abandoned themselves to pleasure...

Even Green was startled by what he saw. He had not expected the Tower of Yin Spirits' people to indulge like this. They had brought in more than twenty young women from somewhere. The women appeared to be under some kind of illusion, their reason gone and their eyes filled with desire.

Looking down through Maxim's eyes, Green worked out who was a Transcendent and who was an ordinary person.

He had come to raid this place for Psychic Energy. Killing ordinary people, no matter how many, would serve no purpose. Only Transcendents could provide Psychic Energy to the Graveyard.

"Thirteen Transcendents in all, and every one a Junior Apprentice..." Green counted them, dissatisfied. "Everyone from the Tower of Yin Spirits around Landon City is supposed to have gathered here. There should be more Transcendents than this, and I haven't seen any Intermediate or Advanced Apprentices. Is there somewhere else?"

Just then, a figure emerged from a corner and hurried away, apparently on some errand.

Green gave a curious sound and ordered Maxim to follow. Sure enough, he found an entrance leading underground.

The Ancient Ruins discovered by chance lay nearby, but this was not the original entrance. It was likely a passage the Tower of Yin Spirits had built after moving into the factory. Judging by the iron door and the concrete, it could not be more than half a year old.