24: Even if the King of Heaven himself came, you wouldn't get your money back!

"Using Spiritual Power to simulate the trajectories of stars as a foundation, achieving resonance with the universe, thereby drawing upon the power of the stars to temper the soul..."

The very beginning of the Meditation Method mentioned stars, the universe, and the soul.

Whether it was effective or not was unclear, but its prestige was certainly maxed out.

This was Ronan's first time encountering a Meditation Method; even the original owner had never practiced one.

Whether it could temper the soul was a separate matter; he was more concerned with whether his Spiritual Power would recover fast enough.

In the previous battle, he had suffered from a lack of endurance because he didn't have a Meditation Method.

As for being mocked as a 'Wild Mage', he didn't care at all; anyway, the last person who said that had their soul used as a consumable after death.

The best time to practice the Starry Sky Meditation Method was undoubtedly a night filled with stars.

Ronan simply sat on the ground and tried to practice according to the method recorded within.

"Concentrate your Spiritual Power as much as possible into a single point, then make it explode and expand to its maximum limit..."

How is this like simulating the Big Bang... Isn't the most important part of a Meditation Method the meditation?

Starting off so intensely, I wonder if I can handle it.

Following the method in the Meditation Method, Ronan focused his mind and actively compressed his Spiritual Power.

After a short while, he felt dizzy and almost threw up his stomach.

Is this Meditation Method reliable... He slightly regretted blindly practicing a picked-up Meditation Method without any preparation.

Especially in such a godforsaken place.

After resting for a while, he noticed the horizon was turning white, and the orange-red morning sun was slowly rising.

Putting the matter of cultivation aside for now, Ronan left Jiuwan Village and set out on the road to the abandoned castle.

The terrain around Moonless City mostly consisted of hills and plains, not as desolate as the outskirts of the Monster Forest, nor filled with the hidden dangers of forest ambushes.

After walking for a long time, a castle stood in the distance on the unobstructed plain.

If nothing went wrong, that should be the location of the mission.

It took another half day for Ronan to arrive at the foot of the castle, panting for breath.

Although a mage didn't need to engage in close combat, an overly weak constitution would also become a shortcoming.

Seen from up close, this castle could be called magnificent; its overall size was comparable to the gatehouse of Moonless City.

Under the erosion of time, the walls were already covered in green vines, and the castle gate was in a state of total disrepair.

At this time, several figures were standing at the entrance of the castle.

Judging by their attire, they looked like Adventurers of different classes.

"Why are you only arriving now?"

The leader, a tall figure, was a Green-skinned Orc. He spoke with a strange accent, and his gaze toward Ronan was somewhat dissatisfied.

"As long as everyone's here, shut the hell up!" Before Ronan could speak, the Female Dwarf beside him spoke up.

"It's not sunset yet, there's plenty of time." A female Grey Elf winked at Ronan, "Right? Mage."

"Are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else?" Ronan paused and asked back.

"Stop joking, Red Star," the orc said in an annoyed tone.

The Female Dwarf thumped her chest confidently, "Your senior has already made the arrangements. Just leave it to us, no problem."

"To emphasize once more, we are responsible for the kills, and all materials belong to us. You only get the mission points."

The Grey Elf emphasized the word 'materials' with great seriousness.

Ronan looked at the three of them with some suspicion, "You know me?"

"Mage, Prefabricated Academy Robe, age and height also match, although you arrived a bit late..."

The Grey Elf was somewhat dissatisfied, "But this joke isn't funny, Red Star."

Academy robe?

Ronan instinctively glanced at the magic robe he was wearing; after several battles, it was still as clean as new, with no damage to be seen.

Is there something special about this clothing?

"Your senior has already paid." The Grey Elf narrowed her eyes, "Even if you regret it now, it's impossible for us to give you a refund."

"Don't, don't even think about it!" The orc realized and shouted hurriedly.

"Refund? You f—" Thinking that he was the Employer, the Female Dwarf immediately stopped herself.

Then, she quickly pulled out a Blood-red Crystal and crushed it, "The mission has begun. Even if the King of Heaven comes, don't even think about a refund!"

The crystal shattered, instantly turning into a burst of blood-colored mist that enveloped all four of them.

"Wait, no..." Ronan just wanted to run when he felt a bout of dizziness.

When he opened his eyes again, another scene was before him.

"Mission record number 263 for Team 408, officially entered the castle at 6:10 PM."

"Mission members are Savage Stone, Red Hammer, Ash Leaf, and... Red Star."

The Grey Elf suddenly pulled out a small notebook and recorded as she spoke, her tone as official as could be.

"Mage, keep up!"

The surroundings looked like the interior of the castle, but Ronan immediately noticed something abnormal.

When they were at the castle gate earlier, the sky had only just started to get dark.

But now, a blood-colored crescent moon hung in the sky, and the scarlet moonlight shining down gave the castle a hint of eeriness and danger.

The orc and the Female Dwarf in front were already fighting an unknown creature.

The Grey Elf continued recording in her notebook, "6:12 PM, encountered one Low-level Blood Slave."

"Where is this?" Ronan walked to her side and looked around.

"The Crimson Castle." The Grey Elf's eyes were full of cunning, "You're already inside, the mission has officially begun, and you can't back out now."

"How did we get in?" he pressed. That dizzying sensation was almost identical to when he entered the temple.

"If you want to know the principles, then I suggest you go ask your senior."

The Grey Elf brushed him off casually, seemingly used to people chasing her with similar questions.

"If you're asking what was used, it's that Blood-red Crystal you saw."

Ronan felt that the other party seemed to have some kind of stereotype, so he changed the question, "Aren't you going to help?"

"I'm only responsible for recording." The Grey Elf looked at him in confusion, "What, do you want to practice a bit?"

She chuckled, "Practicing is fine, just tell those two."

"But forget it if we run into something stronger later, otherwise I'll have to step in to protect you."

"Aren't you only responsible for recording?" Ronan was confused.

"Provided that no one falls into danger."

The Grey Elf narrowed her eyes at him, clearly indicating who she was referring to.

Ronan looked at the so-called Blood Slave.

It looked like a humanoid creature merged with a cloak; its skin was very tough, and its physical defense was extremely high.

It took three swings of the orc's giant axe to tear open a wound.

Instead, it was the Female Dwarf's heavy hammer that had higher lethality against them.

"What kind of monster is this?" He had no knowledge related to Blood Slaves.

"This isn't a monster; it's a failed product of Blood Kin experiments." The Grey Elf put down her notebook, her face showing confusion, "Isn't this the kind of knowledge you people know best?"

Ronan shook his head, "I don't know, actually I..."

"I get it, I get it." The Grey Elf had a look of understanding; it seemed she took him for a newbie who knew nothing but could afford to pay.

"No, what I mean is..."

"Oh, take it slow."

"You've mistaken me for someone else..."

"Yeah, yeah, right..."

Prejudice in a person's heart is a great mountain... Ronan simply gave up, looked around, and asked, "Are there many monsters here?"

"Not many." The Grey Elf flipped through her notebook and found the specific intelligence, "According to reliable information, there are only a few Blood Slaves here and one..."

Before the Grey Elf could finish, roars suddenly came from all directions of the castle.

Immediately following, from various corners, a group of creatures carrying a scarlet aura crawled out, their appearance no different from that Blood Slave.

Ronan counted them, pointed at the roughly thirty Blood Slaves, and turned to ask:

"Does this count as the 'few' you mentioned?"

The Grey Elf put away her notebook and pulled out a Wooden Short Staff with a grim expression, "Few my ass! We've been set up!"