Robb offered a polite response. His enhanced perception caught subtle inconsistencies on Oliver's face.
Barely visible suture marks, almost undetectable, but unmistakable under Robb's spirit awareness, which had now crossed a major threshold.
He thought of Marcus's ugly, stunted features, then looked again at Oliver's near-perfect face.
He quickly severed that line of thinking. So dangerous associations were best left unexplored.
"Well then, I won't keep you." Oliver gave a slight bow in an elegant farewell. "I hope we'll et again."
Marcus trailed behind his brother. At the doorway, he turned back to look at Robb.
That single glance contained a tangle of emotions, the pity one reserves for a dead man, deep schadenfreude, and an indescribable satisfaction of anticipated revenge.
The look sent a chill through Robb. Instinct told him Oliver's "cordial visit" boded nothing good.
Only after both figures vanished around the corridor's end did Robb exhale. He gathered his belongings.
Since he'd been granted freedom, there was no reason to linger.
Moreover, with his current spirit perception, he could clearly detect a wisp of eerie energy lingering in the cell, so kind of magical trace Oliver had left behind.
Robb shuddered and resolved to leave imdiately.
Whatever Oliver was planning, Robb's current strength was nowhere near enough to contend with him.
The mont he stepped out of detention, he drew a deep breath.
The Black Mist Order's air still carried that distinctive sweet-tallic tang, but to soone freshly released from confinent, it felt like a luxury.
"What is that man really after..."
Robb walked and pondered, deciding to head to his room first, then find Arnor for a thorough briefing.
Along the way, he could feel how drastically he'd changed in two weeks.
The qualitative shift in spirit power had massively boosted his perception. Even his gait had beco lighter and more assured.
Other Elentary Apprentices passing nearby registered in his awareness like individual flas, each person's spirit strength and fluctuation frequency roughly visible.
This ability might be commonplace for established apprentices, but for Robb, fresh from his breakthrough, it still felt wonderfully novel.
Soon he reached his door.
The lock was intact, apparently no one had broken in during his absence.
Still, Robb carefully checked the trap markers he'd set before leaving, tiny telltales designed to reveal any intrusion.
Everything checked out. He finally relaxed.
"Seems I was being paranoid."
He smiled self-deprecatingly, then began organizing his things.
This humble apprentice dormitory was far from comfortable, but compared to the detention cell, it was paradise.
He'd barely sat down when rapid knocking ca at his door.
"Robb, you're back?" Arnor's voice filtered through.
Robb raised an eyebrow. The Thirteenth Prince's intelligence network was impressively fast.
"Co in. It's unlocked."
Arnor pushed through, surprise written across his face. "I was eating in the dining hall when soone ntioned seeing you in the dormitory corridor. Figured I'd check. Did you pay the early release fee? That's quite the extravagance..."
His words died mid-sentence. His pupils contracted slightly. "Wait, you've already..."
Robb knew what he'd sensed. He allowed himself a small smile. "That's right. I broke through."
"Elentary Apprentice!" Arnor sucked in a breath. "In the detention cell? That's absolutely..."
His tone brimd with disbelief, but composure returned quickly. "Though given your rate of progress lately, I suppose it's not entirely shocking."
Robb gestured for him to sit and gave a simplified account of his breakthrough, naturally omitting the class panel's contributions.
"Impressive as always." Arnor's admiration was genuine. "The detention cell is torture for most people, but you turned it into an opportunity for focused training."
A complicated, wistful look flickered through his eyes.
"Robb, you know... sotis I'm genuinely curious how you've made such enormous progress in such a short ti..."
Robb smiled without taking the bait, swiftly redirecting. "What do you know about Oliver? What kind of person is he?"
At the na, Arnor's expression instantly turned grave. "He ca to see you?"
Robb nodded. "Just now. The reason I got out early was because he paid the fragnts."
"That's not a good sign." Arnor's voice dropped. "Oliver's reputation in the faction is far from sterling. He's a notorious wolf in sheep's clothing, and his research direction is too..."
He searched for the right word. "Too twisted. Even so High Apprentices at his level keep their distance."
"Be specific?" Robb pressed.
Arnor hesitated, apparently weighing how much to reveal. "His research focus is 'living modification'..."
His voice dropped further. "Supposedly, most of the 'materials' in his laboratory are servants Marcus collected for him."
Robb thought of Emily. His heart sank.
"But what I can't figure out is why he'd go out of his way to visit you." Arnor frowned. "A minor scuffle between Marcus and you should be beneath soone at his level."
"I think..." Robb said quietly, "it might be related to Dagon's sonic magic."
Arnor caught his aning. "You're saying he's interested in the research?"
"More than interested." Robb recalled Oliver's words. "He said sonic magic and cursed sorcery share common ground, both influence targets through subtle, sustained ans."
"There's so logic to that." Arnor mused. "But even so, a High Apprentice deliberately reaching out to soone who just broke through from Initiate to Elentary Apprentice is still strange..."
Both fell into brief silence, each turning over the possibilities.
Arnor broke it. "Regardless, be extra cautious from now on. Oliver is not soone to trifle with. Even our royal family's network within the Black Mist Order can barely..."
Robb nodded, fully appreciating the weight of that warning.
"Oh, one more thing." Arnor rembered sothing. "Over the past two weeks, the black market rchants have beco active again. Several more Initiates have gotten into trouble..."
"The sa banned substances?" Robb asked.
"Yes, but this ti it's different." Arnor's expression darkened. "The drugs seem to involve cursed elents. The mutation patterns are more..."
He paused, searching for words. "More controlled. As if precisely engineered."
Robb's mind raced. "Are you saying these drugs might be connected to Oliver?"
"Just my speculation." Arnor said carefully. "But the timing is certainly coincidental."
Robb's eyes shifted, and he casually raised what seed like an unrelated topic.
"I've been wondering, would the black market carry any... unusual materials or formulas?"
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