After a while;

The heavy door slid open with a hiss of escaping air. As Lin Fang stepped out calmly, Shen Kai, the guild leader, was already waiting outside. His sharp eyes assessed Lin Fang from head to toe before furrowing his brows. "Your mana…"

He didn't find a change in Lin Fang's mana reserves. To that, Lin Fang shrugged, "I have done with obtaining Legacy as you wanted. That should be enough, right?"

"I guess so…" Shen Kai nodded.

He then reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a badge, its surface engraved with the insignia of the Zero Guild. "Here."

The badge shimmered faintly, reacting to Lin Fang's mark as he took it.

"From this moment," Kai said solemnly, "you are officially the Manager of Huaxi City's Zero Guild. You'll oversee the branch's revival and internal affairs. The authority is yours—so is the responsibility."

Lin Fang accepted the badge with both hands, bowing slightly. "Understood."

Kai's expression softened a little. "Good. Now for the guild matters. For years, Master Li has operated it secretly in that rundown place as he wasn't interested in running a guild, until his niece took over it and attempted to run it like a proper guild. The same goes for you. If you need it to be run like a guild and wish to own it, we will build the guild residence for you according to your taste. We will finance it, but you gotta pay it back to us. Or if you just want to run the Spirit Valley, we will leave it as it is and help you create a barrier so that people don't enter that place. We can also move the Spirit Valley to better places in that guild district. Each choice has different conditions and rules that come with it. We will give you a week of time to answer. After that, we will make the choice for you."

Lin Fang didn't react much to his explanation, as his mind isn't currently on the guild at all. He merely gave a faint nod and quietly said. "Thank you."

Shen Kai then took out a silver medallion from his dimensional ring. Its front bore the carving of an all-seeing eye—the symbol of Zero Guild, while the back depicted the four mythical beasts—Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise—encircling a sun.

He handed it over carefully.

"Take this. It's a guild master medallion, which has a high-level access clearance. It will let you use any of our training chambers or artifact facilities without prior booking. Don't lose it."

Lin Fang turned the medallion in his hand, observing it for a bit. The faint mana signature etched into it confirmed it was bound to his mark.

"Understood," he said quietly again.

Kai nodded once more, his tone turning formal again.

"As for your duties and the internal regulations… the list is long. I'll forward it to your guild mail. You can leave your contact details at the reception before you go."

Lin Fang smiled faintly. "Sure."

He offered a final handshake before heading toward the elevator. As the doors closed, Shen Kai watched him go, murmuring under his breath, "Master Li… Just because he was bonded to Nemesis, do you really need to give your legacy to this fellow when there are far more qualified individuals you know? Even after receiving your legacy, his mana reserves didn't improve at all. Sigh…" He shook his head in pity for the master.

Outside, the golden light of early afternoon painted the streets of Peking City. Lin Fang hailed a cab and got in, quietly saying, "Four Seasons Hotel."

As the car pulled away, he leaned back against the seat and opened the system interface on his phone.

*

A few hours later;

The sun had barely begun to dip when Lin Fang and Vivian arrived at Nengyi Manor. The sprawling estate loomed ahead with its gates gilded and its walls draped in ivy that had grown wild over decades. It looked ancient yet strangely alive.

Vivian presented her invitation crystal, and the guards, clad in mana-powered armor, stepped aside.

"Miss Vivian Han. Welcome to the Nengyi Charity Auction," one of them greeted politely. "And your escort?"

She replied smoothly. "He's with me."

The guard scanned his bracelet, nodded once, and let them through.

As they entered the main grounds, Lin Fang blinked.

The gravel path transformed into a red carpet, lined with photographers and flashing lights. Dozens of elegantly dressed men and women walked past — some in tuxedos, others in robes etched with glowing runes. The air was filled with chatter and camera flashes.

"What the—" Lin Fang muttered.

He turned his gaze toward the people posing for the media, recognizing several famous hunters and even a few idols he'd seen in magazines. Reporters pushed forward, shouting questions. The entire atmosphere was glitzy, glamorous… and wrong.

"Didn't expect this to be a media circus," he said under his breath.

Vivian, walking beside him with practiced poise, simply smiled and adjusted her silver hairpin. "Auctions like these often double as PR events, Lin Fang. Don't worry—just keep your mask on and stay quiet."

He nodded — but then, something shifted.

A faint tingle ran through his body. His system blinked red for a split second

*Ding!

[Alert: Illusion-type skill is detected.]

[Resistance check initiated.]

[Status: Resistance Passed.]

[Dispelling the illusion…]

The world warped. In the blink of an eye, the carpet vanished. The flashing lights died. The cameras, the glamorous guests — gone.

The so-called "media personnel" were nowhere to be seen.

Lin Fang froze, instincts kicking in. His mana flared as he reached toward Vivian, his hand half-raised to grab her shoulder—

"Lin Fang," Alpha's calm voice echoed in his head, "don't. She's aware."

He stopped mid-motion.

"What do you mean, aware?" he muttered internally.

"All Arbiters are immune to illusions. She's pretending to be under it," Alpha explained. "Just play along."

Lin Fang's eyes narrowed behind his wolf mask. He looked ahead — Vivian was still walking gracefully down the corridor, acting as if nothing was wrong.

She then stopped and glanced back over her shoulder. "What are you spacing out for? Forget about those celebrities. Come on."

He straightened, giving a small nod. "Coming."

Lin Fang followed silently behind Vivian as she strode gracefully down the red carpet, smiling faintly toward both sides where clusters of "guests" stood in their tailored suits and glittering dresses.

Every few seconds, she nodded politely, like a noble greeting acquaintances at a gala.

Lin Fang, however, couldn't bring himself to mimic her. His expression remained unreadable beneath the wolf mask.

"There's no point in pretending," he thought dryly. "None of them are even real."

Alpha's voice echoed inside his mind again in amusement. "And that, Lin Fang, is precisely why you humans fascinate me the most. Look at her—pretending to enjoy illusions. Look at you—too cautious to play along. You humans don't even share one pattern. Even those so-called gods couldn't fit your kind into a single category."

Lin Fang sighed mentally. "I'm not in the mood for philosophical talk, Alpha."

"Heh. You rarely are," Alpha replied with a chuckle.

Lin Fang ignored the comment and kept walking. The air grew heavier, thicker, the mana density almost oppressive as they neared the entrance door.

And just as he stepped inside…

A familiar crisp, electronic chime rang in his mind:

*Ding!

[You entered a Man-Made Dungeon, Carleon Manor.]

Lin Fang froze for a heartbeat. "A… dungeon?"

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