Chapter 16: Undercurrents in the Trial Valley
When the Wolf Clan team stepped into the Trial Valley, the midday sun had dispelled the morning mist. The camps of the three clans spread out in a tripod formation along the valley's edge. The Stone Fang Tribe's leather tents were built against the mountains, with dried beast bone totems hanging at the entrances. The Vampire Clan's black silk tents were shrouded in a pale purple shadow barrier; nobles held parasols inlaid with blood crystals, glancing contemptuously at other races. Most striking of all was the Human Camp—tall Holy Light banners stood in the center of the Church's golden tent cluster, while to the east, in front of another row of silver-gray tents, knights polished long swords engraved with the "Protect the People" crest. That was the headquarters of the Holy See's Knight Order Lynn had come to find.
"The registration desk is by the stone tablet in the valley center," Lina whispered, pointing toward the crowded direction. "The registration is handled by the elders of the three clans, but I saw Church acolytes recording information nearby—they must be checking the blood purity of the participants." Lynn nodded, pulling the collar of his leather armor to hide the "Kiss of Shadow" inside his chest, revealing only the Stone Fang Tribe's honorary token. The two followed the crowd toward the registration desk, encountering strange glances along the way. Although the mixed-blood aura was concealed by the Wolf Clan totem, it still drew scrutiny from sensitive vampires and Church clergymen.
"Stone Fang Tribe, Honorary Clan Member Lynn; Red Claw Tribe, Lina." The Wolf Clan elder registering them glanced at the token, made a mark on the leather scroll, and was about to return the identity plates when a robed acolyte suddenly stepped forward. The Holy Light gem on his staff glowed faintly: "Elder, according to the Church's new regulations, all participants must undergo a blood purity test to prevent shadow creatures from infiltrating." The Holy Light at the top of the staff pointed directly at Lynn—clearly detecting the shadow essence within him.
Lina immediately stood in front of Lynn, her wolf claws faintly showing: "The Tri-Clan Trial has never had such a rule! How dare you, a Church acolyte, interfere with the elder's judgment?" Other Wolf Clan warriors gathered around, and the atmosphere tensed instantly. Just then, a steady voice came from outside the crowd: "The trial rules are jointly formulated by the elders of the three clans. The Church has no right to add clauses without authorization." The crowd parted to make way, and Samuel, clad in silver-gray armor, walked over. A sapphire long sword hung slung at his waist, and the "Protector Knight Order" crest on the scabbard shone brightly in the sun.
Seeing Samuel, the acolyte's expression changed slightly, but he still argued: "Commander Samuel, the Church is trying to prevent shadow corruption of the trial..." "Shadow corruption?" Samuel interrupted him, his gaze falling on the Holy Light gem of the acolyte's staff. "I rather think some people are using 'purification' as an excuse to spy." He turned to nod at the Wolf Clan elder: "Elder, please continue with the registration. The Knight Order will ensure the fairness of the trial rules." The acolyte dared not argue further, glared fiercely at Lynn, and retreated angrily.
After registration, Samuel casually walked over to Lynn, lowering his voice: "Your aura is unusual—hiding the wildness of the Wolf Clan and the calm of shadow. The Church's men are most vigilant against such anomalies; you'd better be careful lately." He paused, glancing at the honorary token at Lynn's waist, and added: "Few people go near the ancient pine tree east of the valley. If you're in trouble, it might be a temporary refuge." With that, he turned and left, his silver-gray armor cutting a neat arc through the crowd. Lina looked at Lynn in surprise: "Why would he go out of his way to warn you?" Lynn shook his head, running his fingers over the shadow threads on his wrist. Samuel's words seemed ordinary, but they subtly pointed out his mixed-blood nature—clearly conveying veiled goodwill. This man was indeed not simple.
At dusk, Lynn took the excuse of patrolling the camp to head for the ancient pine tree east of the valley. Samuel's reminder earlier had been too deliberate, and he wanted to find out the other's true intentions. As soon as he approached the shade, a silver-gray figure stepped out from behind the tree. Samuel's long sword remained sheathed, but he maintained a ready posture: "The Church acolyte specially marked you during registration. They've always paid extra attention to 'special bloodlines.'" His gaze swept over the faint outline of the weapon under Lynn's chest, his tone cold: "I don't care about the origin of your blood, but the Church has tampered with the trial. Anyone they target will become a pawn." Dusk's shadow enshrouded Lynn. Samuel had been waiting, his hands behind his back, fingers unconsciously brushing the hilt of his sword—his posture showing obvious vigilance. "The Tri-Clan Trial has three rounds. The first round, 'Shadow Hunting Ground,' requires hunting corrupted monsters; advancement is based on the number of crystal cores collected. The second round, 'Rune Maze,' involves deciphering ancient runes to test racial cooperation. The final round, 'Essence Resonance,' requires activating the barrier core—the winner becomes the Arbitrator." He suddenly changed his tone, his gaze sharp as a sword: "But this year, the Church has tampered with the rules. They've installed devices at the energy nodes of each round."
Lynn quietly gathered shadow energy in his fingertips, watching the other warily: "Commander, you didn't bring me here just to warn me of this, did you?" Samuel pulled a wooden chip carved with a simple rune from his bosom and tossed it at Lynn's feet: "This is the Knight Order's warning rune. The Church's Holy Light detection can't penetrate it. If you see the rune flickering during the trial, there's one of their extraction devices nearby—those things absorb the essence energy scattered during battles." He paused, turning to leave: "I only care about the trial's fairness. What you choose to do is none of my business." Lynn silently gathered shadow energy in his fingertips, not responding—he knew that being overly eager at this initial stage would only arouse the other's vigilance. Samuel seemed satisfied with his calmness and continued: "Those devices collect the essence scattered by participants during battles. Especially in the first round's hunting ground—the monsters have been injected with distorted energy by the Church. Participants must unleash greater power to defeat them, which makes it easy for the Church to harvest the essence." He pulled half a rune fragment from his bosom and handed it over: "This was removed from one of the devices. It shares the same energy fluctuation as the barrier core." As soon as Lynn's fingers touched the fragment, the sound of the Church's hymn suddenly came from afar. The two exchanged a glance and immediately vanished into the dense shade of the ancient pine. A group of Church clergymen passed by holding Holy Light torches, led by the very acolyte who had troubled Lynn earlier. He was reporting to a communication rune: "The target has been registered. Blood tests show both shadow and werewolf auras, matching the 'special essence' record..."
Lynn picked up the wooden chip. As soon as his fingers touched the rune, the Church's hymn sounded in the distance. The two tacitly hid behind the tree at the same time. The acolyte who had troubled him earlier was patrolling with two clergymen. In the notebook he held, Lynn's name was marked with a striking Holy Light symbol. After the acolyte left, Lynn looked at the rune on the wooden chip, deep in thought. Samuel clearly knew the Church's conspiracy but was unwilling to show his willingness to cooperate. This vigilance precisely meant he was trustworthy. After the clergyman team left, Samuel whispered 补充: "During the final round's 'Essence Resonance,' all collected energy will be siphoned off by the core device. The Church calls this 'purification,' but it's actually charging their plan." He deliberately paused, observing Lynn's reaction: "I don't care what you're planning, but destroying those node devices will benefit both of us. The device in the first round's hunting ground is at Dry Bone Slope to the northwest—that's where the monsters are most concentrated." Lynn nodded, putting away the rune fragment. Instead of proposing cooperation, he said: "I understand the rules. We'll each rely on our own abilities." As he turned to leave, Samuel suddenly spoke: "The Church's men are watching you. Be careful in the hunting ground—don't become their 'priority collection target.'"
When he returned to the Wolf Clan camp, Lina was waiting anxiously: "The Church's men came to check the tent just now and asked about your whereabouts." Lynn hid the wooden chip in his leather belt, a cold glint flashing in his eyes: "The Church is indeed targeting me. Tomorrow, in the first round of the trial, the 'Shadow Hunting Ground,' you'll track the acolyte's movements. Once you find them placing extraction devices, signal with the Wolf Clan flare." He brushed the shadow threads on his wrist: "Kaylan is waiting outside the valley. As soon as we locate the devices, we can destroy them in advance." Under the moonlight, the beast bone totems of the Wolf Clan camp confronted the Church's Holy Light torches in the distance. An unspoken test and tacit understanding had quietly taken shape amid the undercurrents. When he returned to the Wolf Clan camp, Lina was waiting anxiously: "The Church's men came to check the tent just now and asked about your whereabouts." Lynn hid the rune fragment in his leather belt and explained the trial rules to Lina: "The first round's hunting ground is about the number of crystal cores, the second round's maze tests cooperation, and the final round's resonance determines the winner. But the Church has installed extraction devices at the energy nodes—especially near Dry Bone Slope. We need to be extra careful there." A cold glint flashed in his eyes: "Tomorrow, you collect crystal cores normally to advance. Don't worry about me—I'll go check out Dry Bone Slope."