( Meanwhile Lin Mu )
Lin Mu had accompanied Ben on his journey from the capital city of StrongHaven to the northern duchy, where Ben had departed for an urgent mission.
At first, Ben refused to guide her in her path as an assassin, however, after seeing her continued persistence over the months, he eventually allowed her to call him 'Teacher' and guided her in areas where she lacked as an assassin.
It was only under Ben that she realized just how lacking she was as an assassin, and it was only after Ben began training her that he realized what a normal student looked like.
Unlike Leo who absorbed every lesson that he gave him within weeks, Lin had to struggle for months to even grasp the basics as she progressed at a rate similar to Ben himself back when he was a student.
Nonetheless, Lin Mu was more than worthy of his teachings, as after spending 7 months together, she managed to master [Vanish] to basic mastery, now being able to blend in the shadows completely, like Leo and Ben.
"I did it teacher…. I mastered this technique!" Lin Mu said in joy the day she managed to master the move, as Ben nodded happily to her words.
"Will you teach me any other moves? Will you teach me the technique that you used back at the castle?" Lin Mu asked, eager to learn some of Ben's best moves however Ben simply denied this request.
"I'm sorry little girl, however, my core moves are a legacy left behind by my ancestors.
They can only be passed on to my heir or my direct disciple and the only one who fits that criteria is Jin.
Although you call me a teacher. I'm not your master, so teaching you Vanish is as far as I can go" Ben said, as he bluntly denied Lin Mu's request to learn his core skills.
"I understand….May I ask a different question as a reward for mastering this technique then?" Lin Mu asked, as after thinking for a while Ben nodded in agreement.
"Sure, you have earned yourself the right to ask me one question" Ben said, as Lin Mu beamed with joy.
"Can you tell me what exactly it is that we are looking for in this old abandoned castle with such an extensive network of labyrinths underneath?
Just what is this place? And why are we here?" Lin Mu asked as although they had arrived at these ancient ruins over four months ago, they still had not managed to find whatever it was that Ben was searching for here.
About three months ago, they finally found the hidden entrance to the underground labyrinth maze, which had provided the two with a wide range of bizzare adventures, however, despite the two of them exploring the labyrinth every single day for the past 3 months, they still did not seem to be able explore it in full.
Previously, Lin Mu had tried to figure out Ben's purpose behind coming here a lot of times, however, without having the basic context of what he was looking for here, she could not piece together what this place really was?
"This ....is the headquarters of the previous Assassin's Alliance, the first one.
It was founded well before this Empire ever existed, and apparently it houses the secrets of the ancient Faulkner clan–" Ben began, as after thinking about it for a while, he decided to indulge Lin Mu in a bit of lore.
"My father had once told me about this place and that his father had tried to look for this underground entrance but had never succeeded.
We were almost convinced that this place is not real, however, then I managed to master [Mirror World] to an (Advanced) grade and that made me question everything all over again—" Ben said, as a soft smile spread over his face.
"As a little child, my father always told me that the version of [Kill Strike] and [Mirror World] we know is a much inferior version of the real skill.
The Faulkner clan was only a branch clan of the Nightblade family who were the rulers of this land before the Empire existed and the original leaders of the Assassin's Alliance.
According to our history, there should be manuals stored safely till date within the alliance headquarters that can reveal the true secrets of these techniques and hence we are here trying to look for them" Ben said, as he candidly admitted the real reason for their visit.
"My father always told me that if I master [Mirror World] to the next realm, I'll be able to summon multiple actual physical clones of myself.
But I am the first in over 300 years of Faulkner bloodline to be able to reach this stage.
It's ofcourse impressive, but I had only heard about this stage in lore's which I thought were never true.
According to the legend, the next evolution of the [Mirror World] skill is even stronger, and at a stage where if mastered, a single man can have the same strength as an army.
While the true potential of the [Kill Strike] is unknown.
At this age, I may be a washed old man, but my disciple is not.
There's not a drop of Faulkner blood in him but he's the greatest talent I've ever laid my eyes upon.
For him I must procure this technique and master it. Just so that I can continue teaching him for a little while longer…." Ben said, as somehow Lin Mu felt a tear come to her eye when she heard it.
The only reason Ben came on this expedition was so that he could continue being Leo's master and role model for just a while longer and this sweet gesture made Lin Mu's heart fill up with warmth.
"Jin is lucky to have a master like you…." Lin Mu said, as she wiped her small tears and smiled endearingly towards Ben.
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/// A/N- Chapter 600 LETS GO!!!!
Seems like only yesterday that we hit 500 and it's 600 already.
A lot more to come for sure. ///