Lynn's request was not excessive, and after a brief moment of thought, Sonya agreed to his conditions.
However, before the formal transaction, the two returned to the Furnace and spent some contribution points to appraise the Amber Heart that Lynn provided.
The results were satisfying thanks to Lynn's skilled refining techniques.
Even the weakest of the three bottles of Amber Heart was confirmed by the Furnace to be as effective as the officially supplied auxiliary potions.
This reassurance put Lynn at ease.
He had already planned to keep the best bottle for himself, to support his future breakthrough to a full-fledged wizard, while the other two could be used for trade.
Now, by trading one bottle of Amber Heart with Sonya, he still had another bottle left for other purposes.
After completing the appraisal, Lynn and Sonya once again arrived at the Furnace outpost.
As the War Merit Treasury came into view, Lynn's heartbeat unconsciously quickened.
With this exchange, he would finally be able to dissolve his contract with the Furnace. Freedom was within reach, filling his heart with excitement.
Soon, the bespectacled male apprentice in charge of war merit exchanges accepted Lynn's points.
Moments later, a bat fluttered over shakily, holding a small box in its mouth.
"According to the description, consuming the fruit inside will dissolve the master-servant contract," the bespectacled apprentice explained briefly.
Lynn eagerly took the box, feeling a surge of anticipation and an urgent desire to return and consume the fruit immediately.
Through the sale of a bottle of Amber Heart, Lynn had gained 110 war merit points from his deal with Sonya.
Adding to the 20 points he had previously accumulated, he spent 100 points to purchase the fruit that would break his contract, leaving him with 30 war merit points.
Originally, Lynn had planned to buy some potions to enhance his cultivation, but like the auxiliary potions, they were completely out of stock, leaving him no choice but to postpone his plans.
For now, he was in no hurry to spend the remaining points.
After completing their exchange, Lynn and Sonya left the treasury and returned to the Furnace.
"As per our agreement, I'll invite you to witness my official breakthrough when the time comes…"
Leaving these words behind, Sonya strode towards the Furnace's central tower, seemingly preparing for something.
Lynn watched her figure disappear before turning and hurrying back to his room.
He carefully locked the doors and windows, then retrieved the black box with golden patterns from his robe and gently opened it.
Inside lay a walnut-sized, pink fruit, its surface glowing with a faint radiance, resembling a precious gemstone.
"According to the instructions, I need to drop a bit of fresh blood and infuse it with spiritual energy…"
Taking a deep breath, Lynn drew a dagger from his spatial tool and lightly pricked his fingertip, squeezing out a drop of blood to coat the fruit's surface.
As the blood merged with the fruit, he carefully channeled his spiritual energy into it.
At first, his energy sank into it without any response.
But in the next instant, the surface of the fruit shifted, revealing a blurred image of Lynn's face!
"Why is it my face again…"
Lynn shook his head helplessly, recalling his experiences in the Emerald Forest Labyrinth, where eerie images had frequently appeared.
Still, he didn't dwell on it. After all, this fruit was the key to breaking free from the Furnace's contract.
Even if eating a fruit-bearing his face felt a bit strange, it was a small price to pay for his long-awaited freedom.
Without hesitation, Lynn placed the fruit into his mouth and swallowed it whole.
The moment it entered his stomach, a surge of fiery energy spread through his body.
Within seconds, his eyes flashed with an unusual light as a phantom scroll unfolded before him.
The scroll was engraved with wizard runes, detailing the terms of the master-servant contract he had signed with the Furnace.
Lynn wasted no time his spirit ignited like a flame, engulfing the scroll.
The emerald-green fire rapidly consumed the entire contract, reducing its clauses to ashes and erasing them.
As the scroll burned away, Lynn was overwhelmed by an immense sense of relief, as if an invisible shackle had been broken, making his soul feel lighter than ever before.
"Finally… I'm free."
Lynn let out a long sigh of relief.
His next priority was to find a safe place and advance to a full-fledged wizard as soon as possible…
Meanwhile, atop the central tower of the Furnace, the Lord of the Furnace stood side by side with the White Heart Tower Master, their figures reflected in the vast hall.
"According to Aestry's reports, the number of people who have passed the first three labyrinth layers has now reached 150. That should be enough…"
The Lord of the Furnace spoke in a deep, distant voice, breaking the silence of the hall.
"Notify all full-fledged wizards that in seven days, they may proceed directly into the depths of the forest. Those willing to enter should come to me… At the same time, issue another mandatory mission, covering all apprentices."
As his words fell, the Furnace Spirit embedded in the hall's walls trembled slightly, its glow flickering as it swiftly relayed the message to every corner of the Furnace.
The White Heart Tower Master, tall and sharp-eyed, wore a faint, knowing smile. In a low voice, he said:
"Mobilizing the entire Furnace to penetrate the forest depths… It seems that after this, we may never see you again. I hope you will completely escape the grasp of the Landscape…"
His tone carried a hint of sentimentality, yet he remained composed, as if he had already foreseen this outcome.
The Lord of the Furnace's transformation into a Starshatterer was already a fact. While maintaining the Furnace yielded certain benefits, its importance had diminished.
In truth, the decision to position the Furnace near the Emerald Forest's outskirts seemed to have been a long-prepared move leading up to this moment.
"Everything that has been harvested here will eventually return… And now, the time has come."
The Lord of the Furnace sighed, his gaze profound, silently acknowledging the Tower Master's words.
The Tower Master chuckled softly, a teasing note in his voice:
"Still, your gains in the Landscape are nothing to scoff at. In such a short time, you've already reached the level of a Morning Star Wizard… Tsk, tsk. If the Third-Level Wizards found out, they'd want to follow the same path."
"There are times when I wish I had never set foot on this path, never come into contact with this forest…"
The Lord of the Furnace murmured.
"The road of the stars is brilliant, yet the price of the Landscape's bounty is far too great. This was never a fair exchange the scales were tilted from the very beginning."
As their figures faded into the interplay of light and shadow, their voices gradually dimmed until silence reclaimed the grand hall.
The Furnace Spirit swiftly relayed the Lord of the Furnace's decree from the tower's pinnacle to all full-fledged wizards.
Meanwhile, for the apprentices, the mandatory mission order was also received, spreading like an arrow piercing through their hearts, filling the entire Furnace with renewed tension.
Though Lynn had dissolved his contract and was not bound by the mandatory mission, two people contacted him regarding the task.
One was his mentor, Rosalind.
The other was Sonya.
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