Chapter 107: Shadow Blade's Lair

"Arrange a carriage for me this afternoon; I need to go out for a while," Suo Fu Man said to the steward after finishing his lunch.

"Very well, sir," a man replied respectfully.

The exchange between them was brief, sounding like a perfectly ordinary matter, and nothing else followed.

Lei En sat on a bench outside the academy's dormitory area, cradling a book and pretending to read; hearing their words, his spirit perked up and he instantly sensed an opportunity.

He had eavesdropped on Suo Fu Man for over half a month, knowing the man's habits like the back of his hand; his daily routine was a three‑point line—home, the lecture hall, and Wu Shi Ta—and apart from that day when he returned from outside the academy, he had never set foot beyond the academy.

As expected, the follower of the evil god was about to contact his accomplice.

"Finally, you've waited for me."

Lei En didn't even bother to eat lunch, fearing he'd miss Suo Fu Man's departure; he sat on the bench for hours, buried in his book, and passersby who saw him raised no suspicion.

Diligent, book‑worm students like this are not uncommon in the academy.

Around three o'clock, Suo Fu Man's figure appeared; since the academy forbids external vehicles from entering, he had to walk to the gate and board the carriage himself.

The carriage had barely set off when Lei En also left Silver Star Academy.

He calmly entered the parking lot beside the academy's main gate, where a dozen cars and carriages were parked, along with numerous bicycles under the watch of dedicated guards.

Lei En skillfully greeted the guard, took out a key, and unlocked a bicycle.

Since he had been hauling books to the Grand Library daily, he bought this bicycle for convenience.

Weighing over 350 pounds, a normal bike couldn't bear the load, so Lei En spent extra money to have a mechanic adjust and reinforce the frame, essentially custom‑making it for himself.

He adeptly mounted the bike, pedaled with both feet, and accelerated to catch up.

All Things' Voice had already locked onto Suo Fu Man's carriage; to avoid detection, Lei En deliberately kept his distance, trailing half a street behind.

The carriage's pace was slow, so Lei En followed with ease.

After riding for over half an hour, the carriage ahead came to a halt.

Lei En heard Suo Fu Man dismount and enter a building by the street; after waiting a moment, he rode over, looked up, and realized it was a club.

"Fabian Wanling Card Club."

"A place dedicated to playing cards?"

The three‑story building looked perfectly ordinary from the outside, leaving Lei En slightly puzzled.

Because Wanling Card is so popular, clubs like this are everywhere in the Empire; the largest rival theaters and serve as gathering spots for wealthy card players, while smaller ones are usually bars or inns, such as Zorutan's Basil Inn.

This club named Fabian appears only medium‑sized, yet it draws many patrons.

Lei En observed from the street for a while, seeing several waves of guests come and go, including some transcendants and nobles; in the Soul Eye they all appeared as ordinary people, with no followers of the evil god.

He listened carefully; the club's noise was chaotic, patrons playing cards while drinking, interspersed with women's giggling.

Suo Fu Man also joined a game, showing no abnormality.

"This should be a normal club; Suo Fu Man is merely using it as a meeting point."

Lei En made his judgment.

Having eavesdropped on Suo Fu Man for half a month, Lei En noted that in daily life Suo Fu Man never mentioned Wanling Card, clearly not a genuine card enthusiast; his club visit was merely a disguise.

Lei En didn't keep waiting outside the club; he rode a bicycle along the road, doing nothing, as lingering would be too conspicuous.

He found a nearby restaurant, ate while monitoring the club's situation.

Suo Fu Man played like a true card player, completing over a dozen rounds, switching tables a few times, winning and losing, and his conversation with opponents stayed strictly about the game.

During that time he got up to use the restroom a few times, without speaking to anyone.

When night fell, Lei En still hadn't uncovered anything useful, so he changed tactics, entered a café opposite the club, chose a seat by the window, and observed patrons entering and leaving the club.

Suo Fu Man's presence at the club was certainly not for playing cards.

He sat idle for over another hour; from the sounds, Suo Fu Man remained at the table, not uttering a single word beyond the game.

Lei En still felt no hint of discouragement.

At that moment, a car stopped outside the club; two patrons emerged, one after the other, and slipped into the back seat.

In the night, across nearly a hundred meters and in just a few seconds, Lei En managed to see the two figures clearly.

He instantly sat up straight.

He had seen these two before.

One was a youth in his thirties, dressed impeccably, wearing a confident smile—a picture of a successful man; his companion, a few years older, had an ordinary face, a slightly gloomy demeanor, sharp eyes, and moved with light steps.

The former was a Loxian follower Lei En had incidentally discovered on a magical airship; later, riding a gryphon, he tracked down Sir Ebuli's mansion, reported it, and then disappeared ahead of schedule.

The latter, whom Lei En had faced personally, was the Gale Demon Swordsman Weierte.

In the Soul Eye, their souls were shrouded by black‑red flames of belief.

"These two have come together."

Lei En felt it was somewhat unexpected yet also logical; both were Loxian followers who had come to Longshande for a certain objective, so their connection was natural—perhaps they were co‑conspirators from the start.

Moreover, they were likely the ones meeting Suo Fu Man!

The car set off, quickly pulling away from the club.

Lei En didn't know how they had contacted Suo Fu Man, but it was clearly done; he ignored the still‑playing Suo Fu Man, hopped on his bicycle, and hurried after them.

The car's speed was high, making Lei En's pursuit on his bike somewhat strenuous.

The reinforced frame emitted a wobbling, creaking sound, as if it might fall apart at any moment.

Lei En felt helpless; if he weren't afraid of drawing a patrol's scrutiny, he would have discarded the bicycle long ago and chased on foot.

Fortunately, the car reached its destination shortly after.

Within All Things' Voice, the car slipped into the indoor parking of a large store; the two Weierte stepped out, walked a short distance, and then vanished.

Lei En couldn't help but stop pedaling, the bicycle coming to a halt by the road.

He looked at the familiar surroundings; this was Brent Street, the most bustling quarter of the Silver Star District— even at night, the gas lamps lit the sidewalks clearly, and the street remained lively.

"Where are they?"

Lei En was very surprised; among the sounds of all things, he could no longer hear the footsteps of those two people.

This was still his first time losing track of someone.

The previous second was perfectly normal, the next second the sound waves suddenly all cut off, as if the two had vanished into thin air.

Lei En rode his bike past the front of that shop, glanced at it; it was a comprehensive Transcendent shop selling various enchanted equipment, alchemy materials, Demon Souls, offering Soul Transformation services, etc., similar to the Violet House but on a larger scale.

On the whole Brent Street, only three or four shops of this size existed.

"Sword of Oath."

Lei En silently recited the shop's name; he remembered that he had been there two or three times before, but back then he was still an ordinary person who understood nothing.

At this moment, the shop was still bustling, with Transcendents coming and going.

He looked up along the street; in the night a towering black silhouette rose—that was the Wu Shi Ta.

It was not far from the Violet House, only a few hundred meters away.

Though it seemed a safe place, Lei En felt increasingly uneasy, his heart on high alert; the ground still bore tire marks, and from the shop's side‑dedicated passage he could enter, where a car was parked behind the shop.

He was absolutely certain that Weierte and the other person had entered the Sword of Oath and disappeared inside.

This place was very likely the hidden base of the Loxian followers in Longshande!

These people dared to strike at the Silver Star Duke, a powerful Holy Soul Wizard; they must possess terrifying strength, perhaps harboring legendary strongmen. If he rashly entered to investigate and his conflict mark was sensed, he might not even know how he died.

Lei En decisively turned and left.

For the next two days he made no rash moves; instead he covertly investigated the background of the Sword of Oath, and soon discovered that the shop's owners were several nobles, one of whom was very familiar: Sir Ebuli.

"Sure enough, this Sir Ebuli is problematic."

Lei En became even more convinced that the Sword of Oath was the Loxian followers, i. e., the Shadow Blade's lair.

He didn't plan to storm in to seek death, but he also didn't want to give up.

Every evil god follower, in Lei En's eyes, was a mobile power bank; he was now eager to harvest souls and could only target these people.

He couldn't dare enter the Sword of Oath, but could try to lure one or two out and eliminate the isolated ones.

Lei En lodged at a high‑end hotel on Brent Street, deliberately choosing a room on the fifth floor by the window, so he could observe the Sword of Oath from above.

Every person who entered or left that shop could not escape the observation of the Soul Eye.

After several days of continuous observation, the results left Lei En secretly startled.

Almost every day an evil god follower appeared; they were all Transcendents, outwardly holding various identities—merchants, nobles, civilians, students, guards, soul‑hunting squads, etc. —more than half were Shadow Warriors, hidden in every corner of the city, forming a vast net in secret.

Moreover, those who entered the Sword of Oath vanished without a sound, only to reappear after a while.

Lei En suspected that inside the Sword of Oath there was a hidden space or rune formation that blocked sound waves and detection, concealing secrets.

During this period, Weierte emerged every day.

Lei En tracked him once and found that Weierte went to the Demon Soul Market, wandering the market wildly as if searching for someone.

This action made Lei En instantly understand that the other side was looking for him.

He immediately got an idea, deciding to go after Weierte: a fourth‑rank Demon Swordsman, whose soul‑provided energy was enough for him to boost himself to third rank!

(End of Chapter)