Hundreds of grey-stone lamps illuminated the entire command hall as brightly as day.

  When Pierce entered the hall, hundreds of people had already gathered inside. The expansive floor was divided into rectangular sections by glowing white magical lines, each marked with a prominent number.

  All participating Wizard Apprentices and their accompanying knights stood in their designated areas according to their team numbers. Pierce’s team number was 32, placing him right next to Gwen’s No. 33.

  "Lord Pierce!"

  Sia and Peyton had arrived early and immediately bowed respectfully upon seeing Pierce.

  Pierce nodded slightly and casually tossed a crimson potion to each of them.

  "Take these. Use them only when your lives are in danger."

  The two caught the vials, and upon closer inspection, their breathing instantly quickened—Boiling Blood Potion!

  Their faces revealed unconcealed ecstasy and gratitude. Although they had prepared some potions for this operation, most were low-grade items like Potions of Strength or basic Antidotes. A Rank 1 strategic resource like the Boiling Blood Potion, costing hundreds of gold coins, was something even a Grand Knight could hardly afford.

  To use this potion well in a critical moment was tantamount to having an extra life. To receive such a heavy treasure before the action had even begun—they had truly chosen the right master!

  Sia and Peyton were filled with joy.

  Watching this scene, the two knight students behind Gwen couldn't help but show envious expressions. Gwen rolled her eyes. Although she came from a wealthy background, Gem Magic was a bottomless pit for gold; most of her family's resources were poured into it, leaving her with no capacity for such casual generosity as Pierce's.

  "Did you brew these potions yourself?" Gwen leaned in and whispered.

  Pierce glanced at her and said with a straight face, "Bought them."

  Gwen gave a skeptical "Oh." Although reason told her that brewing Rank 1 potions after only two or three months of study was a fantasy—after all, even a genius like Yuna took half a year to succeed—looking at Pierce’s calm expression, she felt a nagging suspicion that it might not be impossible for him.

  At that moment, the heavy doors of the hall swung open, and a group of figures in heavy armor marched in, their auras thick and imposing.

  Legendary Knights!

  With their arrival, the buzzing discussions in the hall vanished instantly, leaving the air heavy and silent.

  The gazes of the Wizard Apprentices all converged on these officers, their expressions solemn. In Aurora City, knights generally held a lower status than wizards, but Legendary Knights were the exception. Warriors at this level had mastered Elemental Power, enough to pose a threat to Official Wizards.

  To ordinary apprentices, they were invincible existences. In the City Guard, they were invariably high-ranking officers holding great power.

  Three men at the front stepped forward. The one in the center, with eyes as sharp as a hawk's, scanned the room and spoke in a deep voice:

  "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Jareth, Warlord of the City Guard and the Chief Commander of this suppression operation."

  As Jareth's voice fell, the man to his right, with a hooked nose, followed with a cold voice: "Harlan, Warlord, one of the commanders for this operation."

  The middle-aged man on the left spoke briefly: "Darius, Warlord, one of the commanders for this operation."

  The presence of three Warlords demonstrated the City Guard's extreme seriousness regarding this operation.

  Jareth wasted no time. With a wave of his hand, a tall officer behind him stepped forward and placed a fist-sized crystal in the center of the hall. As mana was injected, the crystal hummed, and countless rays of light interwove to project a lifelike 3D map in the air—it was the Northern District of Aurora's Outer City.

  "This is the target location for tonight's operation."

  The tall officer pointed to a manor on the map that instantly turned red.

  "According to our intelligence, this manor is a stronghold for the followers of Apep. Preliminary estimates suggest there are over 300 heretics hiding inside, including at least one High Priest and five Madness Drinkers."

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  "The operation will commence at midnight sharp. At that time, two Wizards from The Spire Academy, along with the Warlords and Chiliarchs present here, and the elite main force of the City Guard, will raid the manor's core."

  "As for your task, it is to coordinate with other colleagues of the City Guard to establish a defensive line around the manor and exterminate any fleeing heretics."

  As the tall officer spoke, two concentric defensive lines instantly appeared on the map, encircling the manor. The outermost yellow circle was divided by lines into 120 equal-area conical zones, each marked with a number.

  This division was concise and clear. The Wizard Apprentices quickly understood the plan: they were only responsible for the outermost perimeter.

  Seeing this, many apprentices sighed in relief. Their greatest fear was being assigned to raid the stronghold, which would undoubtedly be extremely dangerous. Encountering a Madness Drinker would likely mean no chance of escape. "Scavenging" on the periphery carried significantly lower risk.

  "There are two defensive lines in total. The first is the responsibility of the City Guard; you are primarily responsible for the outermost line."

  The tall officer scanned the room with a solemn expression and began the assignments.

  "Zone No. 1 will be the responsibility of Team No. 1."

  "Zone No. 2 will be the responsibility of Team No. 2."

  "Zone No. 3 will be..."

  Taking advantage of the pause in assignments, Gwen suddenly whispered, "Luck is on our side. We are Zone 32 and Zone 33."

  Pierce nodded slightly, smiling without speaking.

  Although they were all on the outermost line, the danger varied greatly between zones.

  For instance, to the north of the manor was the city gate, heavily guarded by troops, and to the west was the City Guard garrison. Unless the heretics had lost their minds, they wouldn't run in those directions. Combined with the "filtering" of the first defensive line, apprentices assigned there would face almost no pressure.

  In contrast, the south and east faced much greater pressure. Especially the east—the residential area. With its complex terrain and numerous buildings, once heretics escaped into it, it would be like fish entering the sea. Thus, many heretics would undoubtedly choose to break out in that direction.

  "The team in Zone No. 28 is going to be under immense pressure," Gwen whispered.

  Pierce looked at the Wizard Apprentice of Team No. 28, whose face had already turned extremely ugly.

  Zone No. 28 happened to be right in front of the entrance to the residential area. Among the 120 zones of the outer perimeter, the defensive pressure there was undoubtedly the highest. Even with the City Guard sharing the burden, the danger was extremely high.

  Judging by that apprentice's expression, he was likely already regretting joining this operation.

  Before long, the tall officer finished announcing the first 27 zones and reached No. 28.

  "Zone No. 28 will be the responsibility of Team No. 2..."

  "Wait."

  A cold voice suddenly rang out, interrupting the tall officer.

  The officer looked back in astonishment and saw that the speaker was Warlord Harlan. A look of confusion appeared on his face.

  "Warlord..."

  Harlan raised his hand to stop the officer's query. His gaze slowly swept across the crowd before finally locking onto Pierce like a viper, a gloomy light seemingly flashing in his eyes.

  "Zone No. 28 is of critical importance. It is safer to have a team with greater strength responsible for it. In my view, hand it over to Team No. 32."

  As Harlan's voice fell, the hall fell deathly silent.

  Everyone’s gaze snapped toward Pierce, their expressions incredibly strange.

  Harlan's words seemingly praised Team No. 32's strength, but anyone with eyes could see he was targeting Pierce.

  Some observant apprentices noticed that both Jareth and Darius frowned, clearly indicating that Harlan's decision had not been communicated to them beforehand.

  Under the gaze of the crowd, Pierce’s eyes merely flickered slightly; his expression remained calm, showing no significant reaction.

  On the other side, Jareth gave Harlan a deep look but said nothing.

  Seeing that neither of the chief commanders objected, the tall officer hesitated for a moment before announcing loudly: "Zone No. 28 will be the responsibility of Team No. 32."

  At these words, the gazes directed at Pierce were instantly tinged with pity.

  "Did he offend Warlord Harlan?"

  "Who knows? Either way, he's in trouble now."

  "Zone 28 is a meat grinder; just thinking about it gives me a headache."

  "Yeah, one wrong move and he might lose his life!"

  Many were also secretly gloating. The apprentice originally from Team No. 28 was visibly relieved.

  "Silence!"

  The tall officer coughed lightly, suppressing the whispers of the crowd, and continued the announcements.

  ...

  "When the operation begins, everyone will be issued a recording ring to log the operation and calculate merits."

  "Additionally, after this operation concludes, all Wizard Apprentices will receive 10 base Merit Points, and all knight students will receive 200 base Contribution Points."

  As the announcements ended, the atmosphere in the hall relaxed slightly.

  Only Sia, Gwen, and their group remained grim-faced.

  "Pierce, do you have a conflict with Harlan?" Gwen asked.

  Pierce shook his head. "Before today, I didn't even know him."

  Gwen frowned. "Then that's strange. Why would he target you for no reason?"

  "Perhaps it's not for no reason," Pierce said meaningfully.

  Gwen paused, then quickly realized the implication, showing a thoughtful expression.

  While a Legendary Knight held a higher status than a Rank 3 Wizard Apprentice, Pierce was a student of Master Morven and possessed high aptitude. Harlan wouldn't dare target him so blatantly without an Official Wizard backing him.

  The answer was almost on the tip of her tongue.

  "Even if we know why Harlan is targeting you, we can't change the plan now," Gwen said, her brows furrowed tight.

  Beside them, Sia looked equally solemn, hesitating to speak. Even the simple-minded Peyton realized the severity of the situation, his large face tense.

  Among them, only Pierce remained composed. He smiled faintly.

  "I joined this suppression operation to earn Merit Points. I was hoping to kill more heretics. I was worried the western zone wouldn't see any action, but now, isn't this perfect?"

  "Who knows, maybe after this operation, I'll be able to exchange for a slot in the Realm of Truth."

  Seeing Pierce’s calm demeanor, which didn't seem forced, Gwen couldn't help but admire his confidence and composure. She smiled and said, "Then you'd better hold on. I don't want to hear news of your death when I get back."

  "Don't worry," Pierce laughed.

  Gwen said no more and led her two companions out of the hall.

  Pierce glanced in Harlan's direction, the corner of his mouth curling into an imperceptible arc, and walked toward the hall exit.

  Sia and Peyton quickly followed, their steps firm.