Chapter 335: Surveillance

Helag underestimated the impact he made at the gathering.

Since then, he’s received occasional invitations to meals from notable individuals, making it hard to refuse.

While dining with Israel, Muir, and Goodwin, Helag learned that Seranthiel’s pioneer team was grateful to him and planned to thank him personally upon their return.

Helag was curious about the pioneers and looked forward to speaking with them.

Despite the social engagements, Helag remained focused on his meditation practice, not neglecting it.

Whenever he had time, Helag would go to the wizard tower for meditation.

In the evening, as usual, Helag finished meditating and walked home from the wizard tower.

Aware of the internal and external threats in the Land of Dawn, Helag maintained the habit of using environment detection.

Walking down King Street, he appeared calm but was highly alert.

Helag noticed a young man in a hotel outside King Street.

The man sat on a bed, holding an eyeball in his palm.

Though unsure of the eyeball’s target, Helag suspected the young man was an Abyssal cultist.

The eyeball resembled the one seen above Israel’s house, only smaller.

Helag suspected surveillance but didn’t feel watched.

He couldn’t be certain; if the eyeball was the dark god’s power, it might be undetectable.

Formal wizards have heightened senses.

Conventional surveillance would alert a wizard.

Special methods are needed to avoid detection.

Without Deep Blue’s environment detection, Helag wouldn’t have noticed the young man’s actions.

He couldn’t determine the surveillance target.

King Street housed Seranthiel members, making cultist surveillance plausible.

Helag observed the young man’s actions, noting he only watched the eyeball without other movements.

Seeing no unusual behavior, Helag didn’t act rashly.

He couldn’t just tell Pruis about a cultist in a hotel; it would seem suspicious.

Normally, Helag had no reason to detect a cultist across the street.

It would appear too unusual.

Returning home, Helag didn’t mention the matter to Reese, maintaining normalcy.

He continued monitoring the young man, who remained fixated on the eyeball.

“Doesn’t his eye get tired?” Helag wondered.

If not for the man’s breathing, Helag might have thought him dead.

***

In the hotel, Bron stared at the eyeball in his palm.

Though appearing to watch his hand, his vision was on Helag, a street away.

This was the god’s blessing, allowing undetectable surveillance.

Only a third-level wizard could possibly notice.

Bron was always cautious.

Though Helag was a liquefied wizard, Bron didn’t act hastily.

Near King Street, Bron began monitoring Helag.

He aimed to understand Helag’s routine, finding the right moment to strike.

Bron arrived at the hotel in the afternoon, waiting for Helag to enter the wizard tower.

The tower’s protective array blocked the dark god’s eye, obscuring its interior.

Patiently, Bron waited for Helag to emerge.

When Helag exited, Bron noted the time.

A patient hunter, Bron awaited the perfect moment to strike.

King Street housed many Seranthiel members, necessitating a suitable opportunity.

To Bron, Helag was a prey within reach.

For five days, Helag’s life was monotonous and simple.

Meditating at the wizard tower, returning home to sleep, and repeating the cycle.

Bron remained in the hotel, eating and sleeping occasionally, focused on monitoring Helag.

After days of observation, Bron felt ready to act.

Helag typically left the wizard tower near dusk, when the streets were quieter.

The path from the tower had fewer people, ideal for action.

***

Today, Helag left the wizard tower later than usual, after dark.

From his observations, Helag was nearly certain the young man was watching him.

In King Street, others hadn’t stayed long; most went out occasionally.

But the young man remained in the hotel, indicating his target stayed in the area.

Considering recent events, Helag suspected he was targeted by cultists.

Having indirectly or directly dealt with several cultists, he’d likely attracted their ire.

On the street, Helag appeared relaxed but was fully alert, ready for combat.

His communication stone was prepared to alert Pruis immediately.

If cultists attacked, Helag was confident he could react in time.

He’d observed that the young man seemed alone, without accomplices.

The young man appeared ordinary, just a third-class wizard apprentice.

But Helag doubted that was his true strength, suspecting hidden abilities.

Exiting the wizard tower, Helag noticed the young man wasn’t in the hotel.

The young man was now on Helag’s route home, casually leaning against the roadside, drinking.

The area was sparsely populated; passersby glanced at him but paid little attention.

In King Street, no one dared cause trouble.