Chương 65: Chosen

[Mission item received.] The blood-colored fine words surfaced in his palm, then quickly withdrew beneath his skin. Rowan carried the tray and walked from the entrance of Service Corridor Three back into the outer ring of the central exhibition hall. The twelfth floor was still lively. In front of The Boundless Martial Diagram, the fourth batch of young Tier 1s had already been guided forward.

Some were holding their breath, some had clenched their fingers, and some were clearly standing outside the viewing line, yet kept rising on tiptoe to look inside. Rowan placed the empty cups into the recovery tray. The instant his fingers left the wall of the cup, his palm itched again. This time, it was not a line of words. Blood-colored granulation surfaced from the lines of his palm and slowly crawled along the inner side of his wrist, like an extremely fine red thread. Rowan kept his hand lowered.

He used the edge of the tray to block his wrist. One by one, the blood-colored fibers stretched straight and formed new words. [Completeness: usable.] That line of words entered the corner of his eye, while the cups and plates in his hands were still being placed back onto the chilled counter in their original order. Usable. The receipt and verification had both been too fast. The other party might not necessarily be inside this building, but they had at least connected to some process within it.

Did they know something was missing from the redacted crystal disk? Or was it that what they wanted had never been the whole thing in the first place? The blood-colored granulation paused for one breath. Then new words surfaced on the inner side of his wrist. [Well done, Rowan.] Rowan's steps remained steady. But in that instant, every hair on the back of his neck stood up. The edge of the tray pressed against the pad of his finger, as cold as a thin blade. In the next breath, he flattened his breathing again.

It was still the Gray Chrysalis borrowing flesh and blood to form words. Since the other party was still using this method to pass messages, it meant that at least for now, they had no intention of dragging this matter into the open. They know my name. Perhaps they knew from the very beginning. Grey Raven was dead. The Gray Chrysalis had changed hosts. And Rowan had sent the redacted crystal disk into C-19. As for these things, Rowan did not know exactly how much they knew.

But at the very least, they already knew that the person standing here was not the original Ring Finger member. Rowan carried the tray and circled around a guest. He did not lower his head to look at his wrist. The blood-colored granulation continued contracting and arranging itself. [Ring Finger-7.] [Gray Chrysalis inheritance: passed.] Deep within his mental sea, that gnawing sensation that had always been faintly present suddenly faded.

The Gray Chrysalis mark was like something that had originally been grinding its teeth at the edge of his mental sea, only to suddenly close its mouthparts and quietly crouch down. So quiet it was almost friendly. Rowan did not relax because of that. The blood words continued surfacing. [Butterfly Emergence Day: the nineteenth of every month.] [Cocoon Gathering: awaiting connection.] [Reward verification in progress.] [Welcome, newcomer.] After the final line of words dissipated, the granulation withdrew beneath his skin again. Rowan's right hand naturally lowered. The silver cups on the tray touched lightly, producing a very soft, crisp sound. He raised his eyes and looked toward the central exhibition hall. The Boundless Martial Diagram was still slowly flowing behind the dark curtain. Everyone's attention was on that diagram. Something seen by everyone could, on the contrary, cover up even more things that could not be seen.

In front of the viewing line, a young man with short golden-brown hair suddenly let out a muffled grunt. His hands closed around empty air, as if gripping a long spear that did not exist. The next moment, an extremely faint trace of light lit up on the surface of The Boundless Martial Diagram. Very short. Only for an instant. But the people around him still saw it.

"There's a reaction!" Someone called out in a suppressed voice. The conversation in the outer ring immediately lowered. The young man with short golden-brown hair opened his eyes, his face flushed red, his chest rising and falling violently. He had clearly seen that light as well. Vann finally raised his head from the control panel and looked toward the center of the viewing line. A guide beside him immediately approached and confirmed the young man's condition in a low voice.

"Name."

"Brian Carlo."

"What did you resonate with?" The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"I... I saw a spear art." The young man's voice trembled.

"No, not just a spear art. There seemed to be a spell too. Silverlight Pursuing Spear?" The eyes of the young Tier 1s around him changed all at once. Envy. Jealousy. Unwillingness. And excitement they could not suppress. Inside the twelfth-floor public exhibition hall, The Boundless Martial Diagram had produced its first clear response. Rowan stood beside the chilled food counter, lowering his head to tidy cups and plates like the other attendants. But from the corner of his eye, he saw Julian stop as well.

Julian stood on the other side of the crowd. Beneath the cuff of his black formal suit, the silver button engraved with a flame pattern reflected the cold light of the exhibition hall. His expression was very calm. Only the knuckles pressing against the wall of his cup had gone slightly pale. Julian had already completed his viewing. But that diagram had not lit up with this kind of light for him. Even though he was already a Tier 1 Dual-Phase genius. Seventeenth floor.

On the other side of the VIP venue, Lydia Hill was standing before a semi-transparent viewing screen. The earlier talks had already ended, unsurprisingly. That group of people had gathered around like sharks that had smelled blood. One generous contract after another had been handed over, all of them expecting to use her father to make another profit. But she had another purpose for coming here as well. The change in the twelfth-floor projection had been synchronized and projected in front of her.

She glanced at it. The black-clad assistant beside her said in a low voice,"A shallow response has appeared in the twelfth-floor projection. Viewer: Brian Carlo. Tier 1 Single-Phase. A collateral branch of the local Carlo family." On the dark scroll, that trace of light had already dissipated. She looked at the recorded projection of the young man's spear-gripping posture. After a moment, she shook her head.

"Only a shallow pull." The assistant said in a low voice, "Should he be registered?"

"He can be registered," Lydia said.

"But there is no need to be too surprised."

"The Seventh Abyssal Hive really gets worse year after year. The young people are becoming more and more mediocre." She paused, then asked,"What about Cecilia?" The assistant quickly pulled up the records.

"Miss Cecilia did not enter the viewing line." Only then did Lydia turn her face slightly.

"She didn't?"

"Yes. She has remained in the outer ring the whole time and has not actively sensed The Boundless Martial Diagram." Lydia was quiet for one breath.

"What did she notice?" The assistant did not answer. Lydia looked at the profile of the blond girl in the twelfth-floor image, her gaze deepening slightly. This time, she might have to disappoint her father. There were hardly any good seedlings. They could only pick the best from a mediocre lot. A genius like Seraphina had, after all, only been a brief bloom. When she thought of that name, the corner of Lydia's mouth tightened. It was a pity she had never witnessed what the younger sister's talent was like.

Lydia watched the blond girl silently take a sip of her specially blended mana drink. Twelfth floor. The viewing was still in full swing. When Brian Carlo stepped down, he still could not hide his excitement. Several people immediately gathered around him. Some congratulated him, some probed him, and some asked what exactly he had seen. Brian tried hard to suppress the curve of his mouth. But the light in his eyes could not be hidden at all. Tonight, he was the only special one.

When Rowan passed by him, he heard Brian lower his voice and say to his companions,"That light can't possibly be meaningless." His companion immediately said, "The Hill family will definitely remember you." Brian took a deep breath.

"I know." Not far away, C-38 also heard this sentence. He held a cold-food platter, his expression complicated. He had squeezed close to The Boundless Martial Diagram earlier and watched it for a long time. There had been nothing. Only a mass of oppressive darkness and a few traces of light he could not understand. He could not help looking toward Rowan, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he did not speak. Rowan ignored him. The fifth batch of viewers stepped forward. Then the sixth batch.

The seventh batch. Some people saw fist shadows. Some saw blade edges. Some saw nothing at all and merely retreated with pale faces. Brian remained at the edge of the viewing area and did not leave. He watched every person who came after him. Whenever the scroll showed no obvious reaction, the light in his eyes grew steadier by another fraction. Until the final round. At the center of the viewing line stood a blue-haired boy.

His clothes were not particularly luxurious, but there was an academy emblem pinned to his chest. Clearly, he was also a registered young Tier 1. He closed his eyes. Just as thirty breaths were about to end, the depths of The Boundless Martial Diagram suddenly darkened for an instant. It was not brightness. Rather, all the traces of light seemed to have been pressed down by some even deeper shadow. The entire central exhibition hall fell silent. Vann raised his head.

The black-clad security guards also looked toward the scroll. The expression on Brian's face froze. In the depths of the scroll, a blurry middle-aged figure slowly emerged from behind. The figure was not clear. There was only the line of the shoulders, a long robe, and one hand hanging at his side. Yet almost everyone present realized at the same time that this was no ordinary response.

"Master Hill..." Someone said in a low voice. No one knew who. The blue-haired boy stood at the center of the viewing line, his eyes snapping open. His face turned crimson in an instant. Even Brian's eyes changed completely at that moment. Jealousy, unwillingness, and bewilderment seemed to be pressed into his face by an invisible hand. If it had only been a shallow response, he could still say that he had been the first tonight.

But if the scroll had truly manifested Master Hill's back, then the meaning was entirely different. The blue-haired boy breathed rapidly and took half a step forward. The guide immediately reached out and stopped him.

"Do not cross the line." The blue-haired boy seemed not to hear. The middle-aged figure within the scroll slowly turned around. Rowan could not see his face clearly. He only felt an aura like the deep sea almost filling the entire twelfth floor, while the mana in his crystal core trembled continuously. His face was not turned toward the viewing line. His gaze passed over the blue-haired boy. Passed over Brian standing at the edge of the viewing area. Passed over all the young Tier 1s who were holding their breath.

Finally, it fell toward the outer ring. There, a young man wearing a temporary attendant uniform was being pulled by a companion toward the service corridor. He held an empty plate in his hands, and the tray covered half the number on his chest. Hearing the surroundings suddenly fall silent, he opened his eyes in confusion. When he found that the people around him were looking at him, his face went pale. He immediately regretted secretly resonating with the scroll. Now he probably would not get paid.

The figure within the scroll was nodding gently toward him. One breath. Two breaths. The entire twelfth floor seemed to have had its sound drained away. The young attendant stood at the edge of the outer ring, at a complete loss. The companion pulling him had also frozen.

"Who is he?"

"A temporary attendant?"

"Was he in the viewing line just now?"

"I don't think so..." Whispers spread like a tide. For the first time, Vann's expression truly changed. He lowered his head to look at the control panel, then raised his head to look at the young attendant.

"Number." The young attendant opened his mouth and only reacted after a long moment.

"C-52." His voice was terribly dry.

"I... I was just curious. I wasn't slacking off." No one answered him. Because the figure within the scroll had not yet dispersed. That figure seemed to have confirmed something before slowly sinking back into the depths of the dark scroll. The next moment, The Boundless Martial Diagram returned to calm. But the twelfth floor no longer had its earlier liveliness. Brian stood at the edge of the crowd, the color slowly draining from his face.

Just moments ago, he had still been enjoying everyone else's congratulations. Now, all those gazes had shifted away from him. Worse still, the person pointed out by the scroll had not even stood in the viewing line. Brian suddenly felt that his earlier excitement was like a joke. He looked toward C-52, and an uncontrollable jealousy slowly grew in his eyes. Julian was also looking at the young attendant. The expression on his face first emptied for an instant. Then he lowered his head and straightened his cuff.

The silver button engraved with a flame pattern gave off a little cold light beneath the lamps. Below his cuff, that originally stable fire-water dual-phase fluctuation seemed to be gently disturbed by something. Julian withdrew his gaze, the corners of his lips pressing slightly tight. Rad stood on the other side and opened his mouth.

"That works too?" Noah's face was pale. He looked at C-52, then toward The Boundless Martial Diagram, his eyes mixed with shock and something more complicated. As for C-38, his entire body had frozen beside the cold-food counter. He first looked at C-52, then at the place where he himself had squeezed into the edge of the crowd earlier.

"He was just now..." His voice was very soft.

"Wasn't he right beside me?" No one beside him answered. The excitement on C-38's face finally turned, bit by bit, into regret. If he had stayed a little longer just now. If he had not come back just now. If the one standing there just now had been him. Maybe... He did not continue thinking. Because Vann had already strode quickly toward C-52. The black-clad security guards also moved. They did not roughly pin the young attendant down.

They only separated the surrounding crowd and led him toward the side registration desk. C-52 followed blankly. As if he still had not understood what exactly had pushed him in front of everyone just now. Seventeenth floor. Lydia looked at the synchronized image and did not speak for a long time. The assistant's voice was also lower now.

"A deep response has appeared in the twelfth-floor projection. Target... suspected temporary attendant, number C-52." Lydia looked at that blank young face.

"Check his registration information."

"Yes."

"And," Lydia hesitated for a moment, "submit Brian's registered information as well." Lydia looked back toward the twelfth-floor image. She said quietly,"Tonight was not entirely in vain after all." Twelfth floor. The commotion had not completely subsided. Rowan stood beside the chilled food counter, holding the tray in his hands. Everyone was looking at C-52. Looking at the young attendant pointed out by the scroll. Rowan lowered his eyes.

He collected the old wine glasses and plates, then continued walking along the outer ring. Deep within his mental sea, the Gray Chrysalis was so docile it seemed as if it were truly standing on his side. He suddenly felt that being chosen might not necessarily be a good thing. Especially when you still did not know where the thing that had chosen you wanted to take you.