Xilin Mountain Range

Half a month later, Ma Wen finally sent word.

"Yan Jin, get ready. We leave tomorrow," Amon said.

"Yes! I'm finally going to become a Soul Master!" Yan Jin cheered excitedly.

Lei Yin and the other children were happy for her as well. They gathered around her, chattering away without pause.

"Big Sis is becoming a Soul Master. Shouldn't we celebrate and have a good meal?" Mo Lei, the slightly plump girl, said.

"Eat, eat, eat. All you know is eating. We need to save the money for Big Sis's schooling." Lei Yin rubbed her head.

"Hehe, once I get my Spirit Ring and come back, we'll go to a restaurant and feast!" Yan Jin declared grandly, waving her little hand.

Amon put down his book and said softly, "You'd better not raise that kind of flag. It's very unlucky."

"Huh? A flag?" She awkwardly pronounced the word, her face full of confusion.

"It means making a promise to someone before doing something dangerous, saying what you'll do after you come back. Usually, in that situation, the person never comes back. For example, before heading off to war, a soldier tells his fiancée that he'll come back to marry her once the war is over, and then he dies on the battlefield."

Amon shrugged. "Although it's just superstition, I think it's better to treat it cautiously. There seems to be some force in the dark driving the course of Fate."

"Why have you suddenly turned into some kind of mystic?" Yan Jin leaned close to Amon and stared at him for a while.

Amon smacked Yan Jin on the head with his book and walked out of the room. "You don't have to believe it. That's up to you."

Yan Jin hugged the book and rubbed her head. "Then let's go have a big meal today!"

"Yeah!" Mo Lei cheered.

Frostleaf City stood beside the Xilin Mountain Range. Stretching for hundreds of kilometers like a giant dragon lying across the land, it separated Northland Province from Idef Province.

A great many Soul Beasts lived in the Xilin Mountain Range, making it the first choice for Soul Masters in Frostleaf City seeking Spirit Rings.

Amon and Yan Jin waited at the city gate for the person Ma Wen had sent to assist them.

A figure clad in brown leather armor, draped in a black cloak, and with his face covered by black cloth silently appeared before them. "Are you the two brats?"

His voice was dry and hoarse, as though something were lodged in his throat.

Yan Jin jumped in fright and took a step back, staring uncertainly at the ghostlike man before her. She was certain she had not been distracted. Remaining alert to her surroundings at all times was the secret to her survival until now.

Yet he had suddenly appeared less than two steps away from her!

"Are you one of Lady Ma Wen's people?"

"Yes. Glen, Level 32 agility-attack Soul Elder." Glen introduced himself according to the etiquette for Soul Masters meeting one another.

Amon was taken aback. This man was surprisingly polite. It was also the first time someone had greeted him using the formal etiquette of Soul Masters.

"Amon, Level 12 support-type Soul Master."

"If you're both ready, then let's set off."

As they walked across the vast Frostleaf Plain, endless green grasslands stretched as far as the eye could see. Mountain ranges flickered in and out of view in the distance, while horses, elk, and other animals occasionally raced past.

"Summer in the Northlands is brief. You picked a good time. If it were winter, you'd have to trek a long distance through snow half a meter deep. That would be dangerous," Glen said.

"Just luck." Amon smiled. "Mr. Glen, what kind of work do you do under Ma Wen?"

"Assassin," Glen replied coldly. "For example, killing people who make her lose money."

He glanced at the two of them. The indifference in his eyes made Yan Jin shudder. Perhaps feeling that this was somewhat embarrassing, she widened her eyes and glared back at him.

Amon did not mind at all. "That sounds nice. We won't become your targets."

"I hope so."

The three of them walked for an entire day before finally reaching a small market at the foot of the mountains.

This was a campsite that had formed naturally due to the trade in mountain goods. Most of those passing through were merchants, hunters, and mercenaries.

Amon noticed that Soul Masters made up only a small proportion of those in the camp. Many were ordinary people, and most of the goods displayed on the stalls were furs from ordinary wild beasts. Only a few gave off fluctuations of Soul Power.

He could not help asking, "Do people who aren't Soul Masters dare enter the mountains to hunt?"

"Few Soul Beasts appear in the outer regions. Most are ten-year Soul Beasts, which even ordinary people can handle," Glen answered. "After all, Soul Masters are only a minority in this world."

"Anyone need a ride? Anyone? Carriages heading back to Frostleaf City, only one silver soul coin!"

Someone was shouting in the distance.

"Perhaps we should have come by carriage. It would have saved us quite a bit of time and effort," Amon said, pinching his lens.

Glen's steps halted. He had been so focused on leaving a strong, cold impression on these two brats that he had forgotten about that.

After a moment of silence, he said blandly, "I've already told you, I'm an assassin under Lady Ma Wen. I need to keep my movements secret."

Just then, a burly man passed by them and greeted him warmly. "Isn't this Glen? I heard you're taking two brats to hunt Slimes. Are these them? We happen to be heading into the mountains to hunt. Want to come with us?"

Yan Jin muttered softly, "Didn't you say you needed to keep your movements secret? Why does it feel like everyone already knows?"

Glen's forehead twitched as he refused, "No. I'm not used to acting with too many people."

Then he looked at Yan Jin. "That man was Collier, one of the suppliers for our Ice Thorn Chamber of Commerce. He's fairly capable. Lady Ma Wen specifically posted a reward some time ago for information to help you find a fire-attribute Slime, so it's not strange that he knows.

We'll rest here tonight and enter the mountains tomorrow to obtain your Spirit Ring. That way, those Slimes won't have time to wander elsewhere or die in some accident. If all goes well, we can finish in a day."

Amon nodded. "We'll do as you say."

Glen stopped in front of a shop and rented two tents.

He brought Amon to the edge of the camp and began setting them up.

As Glen hammered tent stakes into the ground, he reminded them, "Don't sleep too deeply at night. Beasts aren't the only things that can bring danger. People can as well. Although the camp generally maintains basic order and people won't attack casually, that isn't absolute."

"I never let down my guard," Amon said with a light smile.

Knowing that entering the Xilin Mountain Range was dangerous, how could he have come without making any preparations? The ones who had come here were merely his Main Body and two clones. His other two Time Clones were far away in Frostleaf City.

Even if his Main Body died in an accident, it would not prevent him from continuing to live. He was Amon. Only all of the Amons together made up the complete him.

After his Main Body died, his consciousness and personality would transfer to any one of his clones, forming a new Main Body.

The price of death was simply rather high. His Main Body was at least ten levels higher than all his other clones. If the position of Main Body transferred and the new Main Body's level was insufficient, the Soul Power Levels of the other clones would also have to decrease accordingly.

Therefore, Amon would not casually risk his Main Body.