Chapter 375 Long-term
Adam's eyelids couldn't help but twitch. "Lord Elrod, please tell ."
"Hmm, where do I begin." Elrod stroked his chin. "Firstly, this dallion can grant you access to the Brothrhood's libraries that are situated throughout the Empire and even beyond."
Adam's eyes shone with a brilliant light. "You an even the Europa and Indus Continents?"
"Of course," Elrod stated matter-of-factly.
"The Brotherhood is one of the oldest, if not the oldest organizations in Tron. Over ti, it has amassed a lot of arcane knowledge."
"I see." Adam nodded. "That makes sense."
He suddenly thought of sothing and asked, "What about the Yen-Lu Continent?"
"We do have so presence in that continent, but it isn't as strong as compared to the rest of the world," said Elrod.
He paused for a mont before continuing, "To support its mbers, the Brotherhood has employed a large network of drop boxes, hidden caches, and safe houses worldwide.
"Here, you can find supplies and a place to stay. Your dallion gives you access to vast resources in places secretly owned and operated by our organization."
Adam's eyes shone brightly when he heard the term 'resources'.
He couldn't help but ask, "Is the Brotherhood very rich?"
Elrod spoke with pride, "That goes without saying. Over the years, our organization has been able to amass significant resources and an exponential amount of wealth. I dare say it rivals even so of Tron's wealthiest kingdoms and empires."
"Whoa…" Just thinking about all the money this secret society must have gathered until now, Adam couldn't help but salivate.
The elf knew what a moneygrubber Adam was. So he added with a chuckle, "If you complete the missions given to you by the Brotherhood, rest assured you will be handsoly rewarded."
Adam nodded his head intensely. "Yes, yes, I understand!"
Elrod wanted to take this ti to familiarize the youth with the inner workings of the Brotherhood, so he continued to explain patiently.
"Our organization has an extensive network of Herbalists, Artisans, and Runesmiths. Showing them your dallion will give you great discounts."
"Discounts?!" Adam gasped in shock. His grip around the dallion tightened instantly.
Suddenly, he thought of sothing and asked, "My lord, these people, I an the Herbalists, Artisans, and Runesmiths, are they also part of the Brotherhood?"
"Yes, of course." Elrod nodded. "Our reach goes deeper than anything you can imagine."
"Hmm." Adam began to stroke his chin, deep in thought. He mumbled under his breath, "The old man was right, after all. The Twilight Brotherhood truly has vast resources at its disposal for
to utilize."
"Indeed." Elrod nodded yet again. "But I must remind you, Adam. There is no free lunch in this world. If you want access to these resources, you'll have to do your fair share of work for the organization."
"That goes without saying," the youth replied with a solemn look.
He then glanced at the elf's black cloak and asked, "What about uniforms? Do we have those?"
Elrod chuckled, "I'm afraid not. Such things are needless in an organization that prioritizes secrecy. Just the Twilight dallion and secret greeting is more than enough to recognize fellow brothers."
"Hmm, that makes sense." Adam nodded.
He was so excited about his future prospects within this organization that he couldn't help but shoot a series of questions at the elf.
Thankfully, Elrod was very patient with him.
Adam spoke with a hint of unease, "My lord… the oath that I just took before the stone altar, was it bound by mana? What I an to say is…"
Seeing the discomfort in the youth's face, the elf couldn't help but chuckle, "You don't have to worry. Those eight tenets that you swore to uphold are simple statents, yet very difficult to live by."
Adam couldn't help but nod in agreent. "Especially the one about acting with integrity, honesty, and honor in all endeavors. Truth be told, I don't have it in
to abide by that."
"Hahaha!" Elrod burst into laughter. "You're awfully honest, aren't you?"
Adam replied shalessly, "That's because I'm very familiar with you. If it were soone else, I would have lied through my teeth."
Elrod broke into another round of boisterous laughter. Perhaps it was the alcohol, or maybe it was the youth who was so amusing.
After calming down a little, he added, "You needn't worry. Those tenets aren't rules that you have to strictly follow. Think of them as guidelines."
Adam nodded with a serious face. "I will do my best to live by those codes."
Elrod deeply looked at the youth, wondering if he was serious about it or not. In the end, he couldn't help but chuckle, "I have faith that you will do the right thing."
Suddenly, he recalled sothing and took out a rolled parchnt paper from his storage ring. He handed it to Adam and stated, "This is very important. morize it and then burn it."
"What's this?" Adam asked curiously as he unfurled the scroll. Inside, he saw a complex spell model with intricate geotrical patterns.
"This is our thod of communication," Elrod began. "This spell will summon a creature from the Spirit World. With the help of this creature, you can send and receive ssages."
"Oho!" Adam's eyes lit up. "Sending ssages through the Spirit World? This indeed seems like the safest and the fastest option."
"Last but not least, take this." Elrod conjured a small booklet from his ring and handed it to the youth.
"This is a copy of the to that you previously placed your hand on during the initiation ritual. It contains the eight tenets of the Twilight Brotherhood.
"Keep this copy with you at all tis. It will serve as a reminder. When you feel lost, give it a read. It has helped
on many occasions."
Adam grabbed the small leather book which fit into the palm of his hands. He flipped through the pages with a faint smile. "Is there anything special about the to used during my initiation?"
Elrod replied with a mysterious smile, "Rumor has it the founder of the Brotherhood personally wrote the eight codes in that book."
"What?!" Adam was shocked. "The founder of the Brotherhood himself?!"
"Yes," replied Elrod.
"Do we know who he is?" Adam blurted out, "I an, is he still alive?"
"I'm not sure." Elrod shrugged. "His origins are shrouded in mystery. Perhaps, only the Council of Dawn is privy to such information."
It took a while for Adam to calm down his emotions. He couldn't help but think to himself, The legendary founder of the Twilight Brotherhood! It's very likely that he's at the Mana Vortex Rank. Or perhaps, even higher!
Elrod patiently waited for the youth to digest this newfound information.
"Now let's talk about your upcoming long-term mission," he said.
Adam's expression turned solemn. He looked at the elf and nodded. "Please go ahead, my lord."
"It's an extended surveillance mission," Elrod began. "I was able to pull so strings and make it so that this mission also served another purpose, one that is fairly important to your growth."
"Another purpose?" Adam asked with a raised eyebrow, his eyes flashing with anticipation. "What is it?"
Elrod's lips curled up into a smirk, "Do you not wish to pursue higher arcane studies?"
Adam's eyes lit up. "Of course I do!"
"Very good!" Elrod nodded in acknowledgnt. "That is the unwavering spirit of learning that a Magus should embody."
He paused for a mont before continuing, "That being said, for your mission, you will have to journey to Ravenfell, ho to one of the Four Pillars of the Empire.
"Saratoga Castle!"
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