He accepted the pendant and immediately removed his old Water Blue Necklace, which only provided a faint boost to his Spiritual Power. He replaced it with the Peaceful Starlight, and instantly, a cool sensation spread from his chest to his mind like a trickling stream.

His spiritual senses felt as if they’d been washed clean, becoming far clearer, sharper, and significantly more powerful.

"How does it feel?" Officer Roy asked, beaming.

"Top Grade!" Lynch replied with just two words.

"Hahaha! As long as you’re satisfied, that’s all that matters!" Officer Roy boomed with laughter, moving on to the remaining items.

He took six pigeon-egg-sized Negative Energy Crystals from a sealed lead box. "Six mid-grade Negative Energy Crystals, all high-quality specimens. That’ll be 600 military merits."

Next, he brought out several more materials.

"Two jars of Quenching Yin Bone Powder, one large bottle of Mid-tier Preservative Corpse Oil, one large bottle of Shadow Earth Dragon Spinal Fluid, and Shadow Essence... These are all the Yin Attribute enhancement materials from your list. The total comes to 389 military merits."

"After deducting the cost of these items from your accumulated military merits, you have... hmm, a remainder of 21 points." Officer Roy pulled out a thick ledger, flipped through it quickly, and announced the final number.

Lynch nodded, but his heart was bleeding.

He’d nearly exhausted all his military merits for this major upgrade.

In the Empire’s military system, 1 point of military merit was theoretically equivalent to 10 imperial Gold Coins. However, its actual value was often much higher, as many rare resources and High-Tier items could only be acquired with merits, not money.

If converted to Gold Coins, the merits he’d just spent would amount to an absolutely jaw-dropping, astronomical sum.

But what could he say? It all came down to a single word—worth.

Such an expense.

Even Avril, who came from a wealthy and prominent family, couldn’t help but let her mouth fall slightly agape. Her clear eyes were filled with shock.

’Lynch... he’s really just incredible.’

The value of that equipment and those resources... Forget a mere battalion commander; even many veteran battle group commanders would struggle to afford such a collection.

After carefully inspecting every item and confirming they were all in order, Lynch said, "Everything looks good. Officer Roy, thank you for all your trouble."

He stored the Negative Energy Crystals and other materials in his Storage Ring, then casually signed his name on the receipt.

"No trouble at all! Battalion Commander Lynch, if you need anything in the future, just come find me, Old Luo." The portly officer patted his chest in assurance, taking the signed receipt with a broad smile.

Then, he suddenly leaned in closer and whispered, "Battalion Commander Lynch, you came to the quartermaster’s office today... Aside from acquiring these... official goods, is there anything else you might be looking for?"

Lynch’s interest was piqued, but he kept his expression neutral. "Oh? And what might that be, Officer Roy?"

Roy gave a sly chuckle. With a flick of his plump hand, he produced a black badge from his sleeve as if by magic. It was engraved with the image of a closed eye.

He pressed the badge into Lynch’s hand, his voice dropping to a near-whisper. "This is an entry token for an upcoming private auction held by the Dark Pupil Commerce Association. The location is... hmm, at the abandoned Black Stone Castle, about forty miles northwest of Orlando. It’s happening at midnight, three days from now."

"I heard through the grapevine that they’ll be auctioning off a Top-Grade Magic Staff, one that’s perfect for a Low-Tier Mage. But be prepared—these private auctions are full of treasures, but they’re also full of competition. The price won’t be cheap."

Seeing Lynch’s obvious interest, he added in a low, serious tone, "One more thing. The castle is located near the border of the territory controlled by the Blue Scarves... so you’ll find all sorts of people there. It wouldn’t be strange to see members of the opposing faction, or... other individuals from unsavory backgrounds."

"Take a bit of friendly advice from me: when you get there, keep your eyes peeled and your mouth shut. Bid on what you want and get out of there as fast as you can. As for the token... consider it a gift, for friendship’s sake. Good luck."

Clutching the black badge and feeling the faint magical fluctuations emanating from it, Lynch’s mind raced.

’A black market auction? A Top-Grade Magic Staff?’

’Although a so-called black market auction sounded risky, it was an excellent way to acquire rare resources.’

’He’d been worrying that his Bone Bracelet was running out of space; perhaps he could find a better piece of spatial equipment there.’

’Besides, he still needed a good Magic Staff. Since he was completely out of military merits, he had been planning to buy one on the open market. He hadn’t expected an opportunity like this to present itself so quickly.’

"Understood. Thank you for the tip, Officer Roy. I owe you one for this." Lynch shook Roy’s hand again, full of gratitude.

This time, a gold note with a denomination of five hundred was discreetly passed over.

The smile on Roy’s face bloomed. ’This guy is good people,’ he thought.

He personally escorted Lynch and Avril to the entrance of the quartermaster’s department, waving enthusiastically. "Take care, my friend Lynch! Safe travels! Come back soon!"

Stepping out of the quartermaster’s department, they were bathed in the afternoon sun.

Avril fell into step naturally beside Lynch, walking just half a pace behind him with a gentle demeanor.

Her silver hair shimmered softly in the sunlight. Combined with her exquisite Priest robes and pure aura, she looked for all the world like a serene and elegant "officer’s wife" accompanying her husband.

However, this harmonious "scene" was shattered just a few seconds later by a woman’s slightly languid voice.

"Well, well~ If it isn’t the man of the hour from our Undead System, junior Lynch. You certainly have a refined sense of leisure, junior. Coming to the military department for a bit of ’shopping,’ and with such a pretty little junior in tow, no less~"

Lynch stopped and turned toward the voice.

Not far away, a tall, graceful woman was striding toward them.

She had fair skin and a striking pair of purple eyes. Her matching long, purple hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall.

It was Amadis Hayes, his senior, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.

Before Lynch could even respond,

Amadis’s gaze flicked to Avril. The corner of her mouth curled into a smirk, and her purple eyes narrowed. "Oh, let me get a better look... Isn’t this the leading figure of the new generation of the Holy Light System? The ’Silver Radiance Angel’ herself, junior Avril Grant?"

"What’s this? Are you planning to betray the Holy Light System and join the ranks of us Undead?"

Avril’s expression faltered for a moment upon hearing the clearly mocking use of her "Silver Radiance Angel" nickname, but she quickly regained her composure.

She gently took Lynch’s arm, raised her clear blue eyes to meet Amadis’s gaze without flinching, and a soft, gentle smile bloomed on her lips.

"Hello, Amadis," she said, her voice growing even softer. "I’ve now officially joined the Ninth Battalion of the North Wind Legion’s Thirteenth Battle Group as a field Priest. I’m currently accompanying Lynch while he handles some official business. Are you here on business as well, Amadis?"

’Damn it!’

Amadis’s face darkened at the sight.

But she wasn’t one to back down. She strode right up, took Lynch’s other arm, and said with her powerful presence, "Junior Lynch, since you’re already here, why don’t you come help me with something?"

And then.

The two women—one with purple hair, purple eyes, and a commanding presence; the other with silver hair, blue eyes, and a pure, gentle aura—locked eyes across Lynch’s face. It was as if invisible sparks and currents of electricity were crackling in the air between them.

Lynch felt his scalp tingle with dread.

’How am I supposed to survive this!?’

...