Everyone in town was packing their belongings, preparing to leave this cursed place. Sorlin Castle had come to an end.

Xiao Manxue checked out, and the team members returned to their rooms to pack their things. They gathered again at the inn's entrance, ready to leave. Unexpectedly, Granny Mary returned from the church to see them off. And she wasn't the only one; many residents came to bid farewell, including the ten pairs of newlyweds.

"Young people, there's no fresh lavender left in Sorlin Castle now. Here are some dried ones for you to take as a keepsake. At least they bear witness to the existence of Sorlin Castle," Granny Mary said, handing them a sachet, with a sigh.

Granny Mary had lived through the story from sixty years ago. At this moment, her feelings might have been mixed with reluctance and relief. A story that had weighed on her mind finally had an ending, albeit not a very satisfactory one.

As the residents watched, Lin Tian and his companions got into the car and drove away from Sorlin Castle. As they crossed the boundary of Sorlin Castle, the difference was clear: outside, flowers and plants thrived, while inside, they had withered and died. Just a line apart, it was a world of difference.

"By the way, Lin Tian, where's Rossi? I haven't seen him since Clark died," Xiao Manxue asked curiously.

"Rossi had something to attend to, so I let him go ahead," Lin Tian said without offering further explanation.

Xiao Manxue didn't question further, closing her eyes to rest. The return journey seemed unexpectedly quick. By four in the afternoon, the convoy arrived back at the covered bridge stables.

Fatty Green had already prepared the horses, and the team members mounted them, setting off for Holy Spirit Town. Returning to Holy Spirit Town, Lin Tian felt a twinge of emotion as he compared it to Sorlin Castle.

Both were ancient towns, equally quiet, but Holy Spirit Town's peace came from the residents' contentment, while Sorlin Castle felt more like a silent, ghostly city.

In the central square between the two academies, a group was waiting. Seeing Lin Tian's team, they hurriedly came forward.

Surprisingly, the person leading them turned out to be Li Wenfeng. Wasn't he supposed to be leading a hunting expedition? Lin Tian also recognized several others, including Yuwen Luofei and other members of the Frostwind Team.

"Cousin, my team returned a day earlier than yours. Sorry for taking the top spot," Li Wenfeng said with a grin.

Xiao Manxue merely gave him a glance, ignoring him entirely as she led her team past him, treating him like air.

Li Wenfeng felt a wave of awkwardness, quickly catching up and grabbing Jin Lisi to ask, "Jin Lisi, what happened to you guys? Why does everyone look so serious?"

Jin Lisi glanced at Lin Tian and Xiao Manxue ahead, his expression not very pleasant as he said, "It's a long story. Suffice it to say, this hunt was a complete embarrassment for me."

"Oh? You're the vice-captain, your strength matches mine, how could that be?" Li Wenfeng asked.

"Vice-captain? Strength? Ha ha..." Jin Lisi laughed bitterly, recalling all they went through in Sorlin Castle.

Li Wenfeng feigned curiosity, inquiring, "Did that Lin Tian go against you? Do you need me to..."

"Absolutely not!" Jin Lisi interrupted, sternly saying, "Since we're on good terms, consider this a warning: don't provoke Lin Tian, or you'll regret it."

Yuwen Luofei was slightly surprised, unable to resist asking, "Jin Lisi, this isn't like you. What's up with this Lin Tian?"

"I can't say. Instructor Reina and Mr. Mark instructed all the team members to keep the details of the action secret," Jin Lisi shook his head, refusing.

"Jin Lisi, you know some of our Frostwind Team members participated in your action, can't we ask him?" one Frostwind Team member mentioned casually.

His mention only made Jin Lisi even more embarrassed. Hesitating, Jin Lisi said, "Your team member fainted on the first day of the mission and hasn't woken up since. He has no idea what happened afterward."

"Fainted on the first day, how come?" Li Wenfeng frowned in confusion. Fainting on the first day meant the situation must have been intense; these team members grew more curious.

Jin Lisi did not respond but said, "I must report back now. Farewell," and left quickly.

"Captain, what exactly happened to them? The reward points from this action won't exceed the captain's, right?" a team member questioned.

Li Wenfeng's eyes flickered for a moment but said nothing. Meanwhile, Yuwen Luofei stared curiously at Lin Tian's departing figure, a scene that didn't escape Li Wenfeng, whose eyes glinted coldly.

Lin Tian and Xiao Manxue returned to the academy to report, which was mainly a recounting of the entire operation process. However, since Reina and Mr. Mark were involved later, the report was more of a formality.

After reporting, Xiao Manxue dismissed the team and returned to the dormitory area with Lin Tian.

As they parted ways, Lin Tian asked, "Miss, when are we leaving Holy Spirit Town?"

Xiao Manxue gave him a look and said, "You're in such a hurry to leave Holy Spirit Town, you must have something going on, right?"

"What could I have? I just don't want to continue pestering poor Zhu Li here," Lin Tian said calmly.

"You admit you're quite the flirt, charming girls wherever you go," Xiao Manxue teased.

"I'm an honest man, never flirted with Zhu Li. I'm leaving to let her move on quickly, so she won't be distracted from her studies. Don't wrongly accuse me of anything," Lin Tian protested.

Xiao Manxue, well aware of the truth, knew Lin Tian's tall and handsome appearance, young and promising nature, exceptional skills, and mysterious aura all naturally attracted girls. Any of these traits, let alone all combined, were bound to attract attention.

She simply said, "Zhu Li is my good friend, just make sure not to hurt her."

"Okay, Miss, your word is final," Lin Tian conceded, helplessly.

Xiao Manxue then smiled charmingly, satisfied: "Rest assured, we'll leave after the reward points from this operation are announced tomorrow. As the team leader, I have some concluding tasks to finish."

"The reward points will be announced? I thought Sorlin Castle's operation was a secret?" Lin Tian asked curiously.

"It's only the reward points being announced, not the task content," Xiao Manxue clarified.

Lin Tian still seemed puzzled: "What if the reward points are exceptionally high, and the students demand disclosure of the mission details?"

"That's possible, but there has never been an excessively outrageous reward points situation, so that issue has never come up," Xiao Manxue said with a blink.

"What's considered outrageous?" Lin Tian asked curiously.

Xiao Manxue thought for a moment and replied, "For instance, at the level of Li Wenfeng or Jin Lisi, their highest recorded reward is a thousand points. If a ten thousand points reward appeared, it could be considered outrageous."

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