Dual Cultivation: Beasts and Women!

In contrast to what Liam had faced, after the initial attack against them, the two only had to deal with the dangers typical of the forests. These were dangers that could take lives and cause stress, but they were no match for groups that came after you intending to kill.

Without so many enemies to get in their way or stress them out, Jane and Mary were quickly back on their feet, the green-haired girl alongside Liam's favorite blonde, having completed two months of the mission in just over two days of hunting.

Liam had thought of doing his two-month mission on one trip out of town, but many other disciples did the same.

Even Mary had taken the opportunity to complete the mission she would surely have when she became an Initiate in the future. She had collected the equivalent of 30 King-grade Arcane Crystals of the Middle-level. Almost as strong as Jane, it would have been a mistake for her to miss this opportunity.

'From now on, I'll probably face the same hostility from Emerald Owl that Liam faced.'

This was Mary's thought as she decided to finish her future responsibility of collecting crystals so as not to leave the city unnecessarily soon.

She and Jane passed through the entrance post, retrieved their permits, and then made their way up the main staircase to the Records Hall.

"Sister Mary, when are we going to meet your friend?" asked the green-haired girl, dressed like a boy in black trousers and a shirt, with small metal plates attached to her body.

Jane looked like a little warrior in her combat outfit, only missing a weapon and a helmet to make her look like an earthling soldier.

Mary was dressed more demurely, in a typical female cultivator's dress that could be stretched or retracted depending on her movements and mana infusion. She had a few pieces of armor around her back and abdomen, but they were hidden under her dress.

Releasing her hair into the air, Mary replied. "I'll talk to Liam the next time we see each other and we'll set a date and time. All right?"

"Okay. But make it quick. I hate to say it, but they're watching us," Jane warned, having noticed it the moment they left the entrance to the city and started walking up Street One.

"That fast?" Mary was smart enough not to look sideways or backwards after hearing it. "Emerald Owls?"

"Probably." Jane nodded affirmatively. "If I'm not mistaken, they probably left someone watching to wait for their group... But they didn't come back and we did."

"Let's not worry about that for now. A member of Emerald Owl with 5-Star cultivation would hardly have their vital energy observed by an enchanted artifact. Since they've offered me an alliance, they'll probably assume that I've accepted such a deal," Mary said in a determined tone.

"Oh?" Jane hadn't thought that far. "Even if that happens, it won't last long. Sooner or later, when those five don't come back, they will realize the reality."

"In that case, we must act and strike while we can!" Mary clenched her fists at the thought of an ambitious plan, dangerous to say the least.

Jane looked at her with a wince. "What are you thinking?"

Mary smiled. "Let's use their game against themselves!"

...

"Boss, Mary and Jane are back in town," said a man with short black hair to the man standing in front of him on a balcony of the arena.

Hearing this, Hannibal clenched one of his fists and asked expectantly. "And Abimael?"

"His group has not yet returned. But before I could come to you, Aspirant Mary left a message to us."

A smile formed on Hannibal's face as he turned to face his man.

The man, standing in the middle of Hannibal's office, gestured with a note in one of his hands. "She left this note with the symbol of our faction. I was worried and collected it before coming to warn you... Fortunately, it appears that Abimael and the others were successful."

Hannibal skimmed Mary's note, which said that she and Jane had signed an agreement with Abimael to work together. She would help them lead Liam into an ambush, but since she didn't want to take any chances, she wanted to do it quickly and without direct contact with the members of Emerald Owls.

{... Abimael and the others promised to stay behind and set up the ambush. I'll meet Liam later and convince him to help me with the Promotion Exam. Once I become an Initiate, I'll take him out of town to hunt for Arcane Crystals. We're lovers, so I'm sure he'll agree to protect me.

Then it will be your turn to act. I'll take him to the rendezvous point and separate from him so as not to get involved in the fight. Liam is already an 8-Star Spirit Lord. I don't want to get involved...}

Hannibal was pleased with Abimael's service and even more so with the speed of contact this woman had showed.

"8-Star, huh? As expected, the wretch hides his cultivation!" Hannibal said in a dark tone.

He finished reading the letter, not doubting the veracity of Mary's words in the slightest. It was dangerous to trust anyone in City Thirteen, but Hannibal had more than one reason to believe her, at least for the time being.

Mary was weak, which meant she could get into deadly trouble if she tried to deceive them. She was giving him information about Liam, something that, if she were a staunch ally of Liam's, would be a betrayal and would hurt him. Ultimately, the plan was for her to get him out of town.

This was something that could be verified and hell, even if she was doing it to deceive them, it would lead to something that Hannibal already wanted so that he would act against Liam outside the city walls.

For all these points and more, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, seeing a clear path to solving the problem called Liam Porter!

"All right, monitor the movements of Liam and this woman. Keep an eye out for any attempts at communication and see if she follows through with what's written here." Hannibal handed the note back to the man.

"If she does everything she promised, let me know when it's time for her to leave town. We'll join Abimael and the others to take action against that damned Liam!"

"Yes, boss!"

...

Later that day, Liam finished inscribing the runes on the last artifact he had acquired earlier, creating another First Class enchanted weapon.

The weapon in his hands at this point was slightly better than the staff he had made earlier. But it hadn't reached High Quality yet, it still needed something more to get there.

Either way, Liam was more than satisfied. With days of constant work, a lot of study and cultivation, he was close to where he could challenge the Second Class!

'Starting tomorrow, I'll start studying the Second Class material. I'll continue to train with the First Class item enchantment until I can test my first Second Class inscription.'

He put away his new enchanted artifact, dried off his sweat, and then got up from his bed to go to the bathroom to take a shower.

'I'm going to have a bite to eat at a pleasant restaurant and then stop by an artifact shop to buy more tools and items for enchanting... A set of ten items will probably be enough for me to finish tempering myself as a First Class Runemaster and get to where I can challenge the next step.'

After he finished washing, he dried his body and put on a set of comfortable clothes. It was chilly today, so he bundled up, planning to get something to eat and then meet Electa later.

But just as he finished tying his shoelaces, someone knocked on his bedroom door.

"Liam, it's me." A thin, feminine voice came from the other side of the door, causing his eyes to open and a smile to appear on his lips.

'Mary!'

He quickly unlocked the door to face the beautiful blonde woman who was on her third day out of town.

"Mary! You're finally back!" He took her in his arms after closing the door to his room and making sure that no one would see them together.

After waving to him and feeling comfortable in his arms, she kissed him on the mouth, but without letting herself be carried away by their wishes.

Before anything could happen, she pulled her lips away from his and said, "We have problems. Emerald Owls acted against me while I was away, and now we may have the opportunity to deal them a severe blow."