Chapter 121: New Changes and Experiences
For the remaining four months, Baines planned to venture to the ruins of Ashenfall, form his sixth star, and master its release. The memory of Wick’s overwhelming power against the Tyrell family still lingered deep in his heart, and he needed to learn it.
Once he departed for the Red Sun, he’d face missions far deadlier than Darkan’s trials, threats on a scale that demanded every hidden advantage. He needed to bolster his secret arsenal.
Back in his room, he packed his sparse belongings with deliberate movement.
"Hey, are you leaving?" Shuphern’s voice cut through, tinged with surprise as he watched from the doorway.
"Yes," Baines replied, his tone flat.
"Wait—what about our plan?" Shuphern’s eyes widened.
"Find me when you need something." Baines shut the door behind him, the click final. The warehouse incident had confirmed his suspicions: Shuphern’s group wouldn’t let him slip away so easily, not after realizing that much. They’d try to ensnare him, but they wouldn’t kill him, not when he was more valuable alive. But for now, they would watch him closely.
’When the time comes, I’ll take it, but I should find one in the meantime.’ He descended to the Moon Tower’s first floor and paid for a private room. For the next four months, he was going to disappear, so it was better to do it in a room where he was alone.
The room was sparse—bare stone walls, a narrow bed, a single window framing the Dominion’s pale sky. He tossed his luggage onto the bed and wasted no time. "Eye, give me Ashenfall’s coordinates."
Eye hummed, projecting glowing digits. Baines opened his travel book, inscribing the coordinates in the designated space. At his current magic level, a sixth-circle mage, he no longer needed Wick’s aid to form portals. Mana surged through his fingers, the air shimmering as a violet rift tore open.
He stepped through, a brief wave of dizziness washing over him.