Half a year had passed, and Emeraldshadow City had nearly doubled in size.

The eastern district, closest to the outside world, had become the most crowded with wizards, swelled by caravans and other outsiders pouring in.

The western and southern districts, deeper within the Emerald Forest, had grown just as bustling, drawing in hunters and adventuring wizards.

As for the northern district, already the most prosperous part of the city, it retained its wealth and bustle.

Here lay the richest mana lodes, making it the favored home for well-off wizards. The largest markets and most established shops naturally clustered there as well.

Thus, Emeraldshadow City was no longer divided into the old Stone Houses, Wooden Houses, and Shanty Quarters; it had reorganized itself into four great districts: East, West, South, and North.

Seated in a carriage on his way to report for duty, Lynn quietly read through the materials about the Security Office.

*“To better govern Emeraldshadow, the Hossens School has established five Security Offices, one for each of the four districts, with the East District being the largest and most crowded, housing two: the Upper East and Lower East offices.

The other three stand in the North, West, and South districts, respectively.

I’ve been assigned to the North District Security Office.”*

At the top of the chain was Anderson, the Second-Rank Wizard. Beneath him, each Security Office was managed by a First-Rank Wizard of at least mid-stage.

Four of these were drawn from the School’s own ranks. But one posted to the Lower East Office was an outside recruit, a late-stage First-Rank Wizard.

Lynn frowned inwardly.

*“The good news is, the manager of my office, the North District, is Denis, a School wizard.

The bad news is… if even an outsider can hold a management post in the Security Offices, it means the School has likely recruited more external wizards than I realized.”*

The School was clearly running short of First-Rank wizards. The same shortage, he suspected, applied to apprentices.

“So then… the Security Office must already have plenty of outsider apprentices mixed in.”

Lynn let out a quiet sigh.

He couldn’t pretend to understand Hossens’ grand design. He only knew, on a personal level, that he would rather be surrounded by School members than strangers.

...

The carriage rolled to a stop.

The North District Security Office loomed ahead.

Lynn stepped down, his face once again calm and composed.

He had lived in relative ease these past months within the School, but he had never deceived himself into thinking this world was gentle.

Still, he was not afraid. The world he had awakened into after his transmigration had been far harsher than anything a Security Office could throw at him.

Following the directions, Lynn arrived at the reporting office.

On the door was written: North District Security Office, Squad Eleven.

That was the squad to which he and Leah had been assigned.

Today’s purpose was simple: to receive their Security uniforms and be assigned their patrol area.

Lynn hadn’t arrived particularly early; the office was already nearly full.

In the corner, Leah spotted him and waved with a bright smile.

He nodded back, smiling, and took a place at her side.

Truth be told, he had been a little surprised when Leah chose the Security Corps.

With her talent, she had plenty of easier options open to her. Most of them are far less taxing than the dangerous work of patrolling the streets.

A few minutes later, all sixteen members of Squad Eleven had gathered.

The door opened, and a First-Rank Apprentice entered. He had a round face, looked to be about thirty, and wore a kindly expression.

“Allow me to introduce myself,” he said warmly.

“I am Wilson Code, captain of the North District Security Office’s Eleventh Squad.”

Lynn studied the First-Rank Apprentice before him, trying to judge whether Wilson was one of the School’s original members, or one of the newcomers recruited from outside.

Unfortunately, with everyone dressed in identical Hossens School uniforms, there was no way to tell just by appearance.

“Presumably, you all know why you’re here today, so I’ll keep it brief.

“As the newly-formed Eleventh Squad, our duty is to maintain order in the Vincent District, alongside the Sixth Squad.

“Our work is routine patrol. Shifts are divided into day and night. For the next two weeks, the Sixth Squad will cover nights. We’ll handle days from nine in the morning until nine at night.

“By regulation, the Vincent District is divided into four patrol zones.

“We have sixteen Second-Rank Apprentices in this squad. Next, you’ll pair up in groups of two and line up before me. I’ll issue your uniforms and assign each pair to their patrol zone.” Wilson’s voice was firm, steady.

“Lynn, shall we be a team?” Leah asked at his side.

“Of course,” Lynn nodded.

He was just about to step forward with her to draw their assigned zone when a Second-Rank Apprentice ignored the rule to pair up. Instead, he sidled up to Wilson with a sycophantic grin, one hand slipping into his pocket as though to pull something out.

Before he could speak, Wilson’s face hardened.

“If you can’t find a partner, stand aside, and I’ll assign you later.

“If you’re trying to bribe me… unless you don’t plan on lasting in the Security Corps, I suggest you abandon that idea.”

The apprentice froze, his hand still in his pocket, his face flickering pale and flushed by turns. At last, he muttered awkwardly:

“I… just joined the School. I don’t know anyone here to team with, so I was going to ask what I should do.”

Wilson gave no further comment, only a faint nod.

Even within the same Vincent District, the four zones were not equal.

The west was mostly residential and quiet, with little trouble.

The east held the bustling markets, noisy and troublesome.

The north fell somewhere in between.

The south was lined with shops busier than the west, but still relatively calm.

Lynn and Leah, being the first to pair up, stepped forward.

“Captain Wilson, we’ve formed our group.”

Wilson nodded, considered a moment, then handed them their robes while saying:

“Your patrol zone will be the North.”

Not a bad result, Lynn thought to himself.

The North District was relatively peaceful and, best of all, closest to where he lived. Less time wasted commuting meant more time for cultivation.

Taking the standard-issue crimson-trimmed robe of the Security Corps from Wilson’s hand, Lynn felt today’s purpose had essentially been accomplished.

What remained was to wait for the other pair assigned to the North Zone and coordinate patrol schedules with them.

Each day or night shift was divided into two blocks, one per pair. Whether to alternate shifts or stick to fixed times was left for the pairs themselves to decide.

Before long, more apprentices formed their pairs and stepped forward.

Wilson assigned zones one after another. To Lynn’s eye, the assignments seemed random, no clear pattern at all.

Eventually, two younger male apprentices approached. Neither looked remarkable; the only notable feature was that one of them had a rare gray-blond hair color.

Wilson glanced at them, his gaze lingering briefly on the gray-blond-haired apprentice before saying:

“Your patrol zone is also the North.”

“Thank you, Captain Wilson,” the pair chorused.

Lynn thought nothing of it.

Not until later, after dismissal, did he, through Good Fortune’s eyes, glimpse Wilson quietly conversing with the two apprentices.

“Captain Wilson, this is a gift for you,” said the gray-blond-haired one, Kaili, who had only just been arranging patrol times with him and Leah. He smiled obsequiously, holding out a wooden box.

The other, Theodore, stood beside him with the same fawning expression.

Wilson had shed his stern façade, smiling as he clapped Kaili on the shoulder.

“You’re far smarter than that fool earlier. …I’ll accept this.

“Remember to do your jobs well. Don’t waste the price you paid for your Security Corps badges.”

“We will. Thank you, Captain Wilson,” they replied eagerly.

That was all. Just a few words, nothing explicit.

But Lynn could piece it together easily enough: Kaili and Theodore had likely bought their way into the Security Corps.

Not exactly shocking, but it put Lynn on guard.

Most likely, both Kaili and Theodore were newly recruited outsiders.

And as for Wilson, their “kindly” First-Rank captain, whatever his background, he clearly wasn’t as upright as he pretended to be.

...

...

Vincent District, Brownstone Road.

“…Your patrol duties are quite simple. You just need to make a round every half hour. If it’s a minor problem, handle it yourselves. If it’s something major, call for backup immediately using your badge.

“The Security Corps badges are inscribed with special communication arrays. Together with the city’s array network, they allow long-distance message transmission.”

Today was the Eleventh Squad’s first official patrol.

Wilson was walking them through the routine, showing each step once. The work wasn’t complicated. After a quick walkthrough, he dismissed them to their assigned areas.

Since it was still early morning, the groups who had agreed to take the afternoon shift could return for now, including Kaili and Theodore, who were also responsible for patrols in the Vincent District’s north side.

“Lynn, Lady Leah, thank you for taking the first patrol. We’ll head back for now,” the two said politely.

“It’s no trouble. That was the arrangement,” Leah answered earnestly.

The two smiled but didn’t reply further, turning their gaze to Lynn.

Lynn’s expression was calm. He only gave them a faint smile and said, “Safe travels.”

The dealings between Wilson and the two were their own business. It didn’t affect him, so Lynn didn’t care.

He wasn’t one to meddle at heart; he only concerned himself with those close to him.

With polite smiles still fixed on their faces, Kaili and Theodore departed.

“Come on, Lynn, let’s start patrolling properly!” Leah turned with bright determination.

“Mm.” Lynn nodded.

They had barely walked a few steps when the sound of an argument reached their ears.

Leah’s eyes lit up instantly, and she headed straight toward the commotion.

It came from a newly opened crystal shop. A round-bellied apprentice was quarreling with the shopkeeper.

“L–Lord!”

The moment the apprentice noticed them, he froze mid-argument and hurriedly bowed in greeting.

The young shopkeeper still wore traces of anger, but seeing the uniformed Security apprentices arrive, he forced it down and squeezed out a smile.

“Good morning, officers.”

“What happened here?” Leah asked.

The shopkeeper hesitated, then shook his head.

“It’s nothing serious.”

The apprentice quickly chimed in:

“Yes, just a small dispute over the price of a crystal.”

Leah frowned, unsure how to handle this kind of situation.

Lynn stepped forward and said,

“If it’s nothing serious, then let’s move on, Leah. We should continue our patrol.”

Leah was quiet for a moment, then nodded.

“…They don’t trust us, do they?” she said softly as they walked away.

Kind as she was, Leah wasn’t naïve.

“No,” Lynn agreed. “That shop looks new. Judging by the marks, the owner just moved to Emeraldwood City. He still needs time to build trust with the School.”

Leah nodded. Lynn thought for a moment and added,

“But don’t worry about them hiding anything. I left Lucky behind. She has a sound-recording crystal with her. When she comes back, we’ll know what they were really arguing about.”

The “recording crystal” was just an excuse. Lynn could directly observe the apprentice through his spiritual link with Lucky.

Sure enough, the quarrel had indeed been over the crystals, though it looked more like the apprentice was deliberately nitpicking about their quality, trying to cause trouble.

Leah blinked at his words, startled.

She hadn’t expected Lynn to be so cautious, always leaving a fallback plan.

“…Lynn, before you returned to the School, you must have gone through a lot,” she murmured.

Lynn only smiled faintly.

Meanwhile, the quarrel at the shopfront reached its peak. The young shopkeeper finally snapped, shouting:

“These crystals work perfectly fine! I’m not selling to you. Get out or I’ll call the Security Corps!”

Lynn was just about to summon Lucky back when several more apprentices walked up behind the troublemaker.

Their stares were cold and threatening as they closed in on the shopkeeper.

“What do you want?” the shopkeeper demanded, his voice tight with unease.

“Relax, boss, we’re not here to cause trouble.

“It’s just that one of our brothers from the Sorco Syndicate bought a faulty crystal here. You need to give us an explanation.”

At that, Lynn finally understood.

This was no random squabble. It was extortion, a gang leaning on a new shopkeeper.

So soon… already a syndicate has appeared in Emeraldwood City? Lynn thought grimly.

The shopkeeper clearly realized the same. His face changed several times before he finally forced a smile and, under pressure, paid twenty times the crystal’s price as “compensation.”

Lynn called Lucky back, his thoughts conflicted on how to handle the matter.

Technically, extortion like this did fall under the Security Corps’ jurisdiction.

But reality wasn’t that simple.

If the shopkeeper had resisted fiercely, Lynn could have stepped in openly with Leah and made a ruling.

But since the man didn’t trust them and chose to submit, any outside interference might only backfire, offending both sides.

After a pause, Lynn decided to let Lucky return.

Still, as he glanced at Leah, he hesitated. Should he tell her the truth of what he’d seen?

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/AetherTL