The night deepened in the core area of the Shadow Moon Tower.

All was quiet. Most of the lights in the residential district and the Wizard dormitories were out, with only a few magic-illuminating Runes emitting a faint glow.

Beneath the seemingly peaceful night sky, a deep gray shadow was silently darting through.

Gaga had shrunk to the size of a palm, the color of his feathers adjusted by his innate ability to blend almost perfectly with the surrounding shadows.

Only his mismatched eyes remained, glinting mischievously in the darkness.

’The shadow under the statue on the left is the thickest, and the moonlight doesn’t quite reach the crack in the window on the right. Gaga! Perfect!’

He muttered to himself silently, his claws tightly gripping a small leather pouch.

This was a small pouch specially made by Ian, sealed with Shadow Energy.

Inside the pouch was his "mission" for the night.

It contained dozens of tiny strips of paper made from a special material that would quickly self-immolate into ash if exposed to strong light or active detection.

The content on the strips had been dictated by Ian and "written" by Gaga using his claws and Shadow Energy.

In truth, it looked more like scribbles, but the key information was clear.

The content had been carefully crafted—greatly exaggerated, yet mixed with some genuine clues.

The goal was to be sensational and raise alarm among the higher-ups.

[WARNING! Lurkers in the Shadow: Signs of ’Eye of Dusk’ Infiltration!

These worms in the shadows worship distortion and depravity. Their members have already silently infiltrated the shadows of our High Tower!

They pry into secrets and spread whispers, intending to corrupt the pure hearts of Wizards!

Beware of Shadow System Wizards around you who are acting strangely!

Beware of abnormal shadow fluctuations in certain darker areas, such as near the abandoned Meditation Tower in the East District, the underground drainage pipes... etc!

For the purity and peace of the High Tower, please pass this information to a trustworthy mentor or Steward...

A well-wisher who prefers to remain anonymous.]

’Hehe, "worms in the shadows"... Ian’s choice of words is brilliant. It sounds so disgusting and scary!’

Gaga flapped his wings proudly, nearly falling out of his hiding spot in the shadow of the eaves. He quickly steadied himself.

First stop: the bulletin board area outside the Apprentice Wizards’ common room.

The place was bustling with people during the day but deserted at night, with only a few Magic Cleaning Puppets gliding about silently.

Gaga waited for the moment a puppet turned a corner, then shot like a bolt of shadow lightning to the back of the bulletin board.

He deftly pulled out two strips of paper with his claws and carefully tucked them into a crack in the wooden board, leaving only a tiny corner exposed.

’This way, the first little Wizard to come by tomorrow will definitely see it. Ga!’

Second stop: the corridor intersection leading to the laboratories of several senior Wizards.

The floor here was inlaid with glowing Guiding Runes, but the relief carvings high on the walls cast deep shadows.

Like a real fallen leaf, Gaga drifted along with the faint shifts in the air currents, landing in the shadow beneath the wing of a hawk-falcon stone carving.

He folded a strip of paper into a small triangle and cleverly wedged it into a groove beneath the carving’s beak.

’A lot of Official Wizards pass through here. Maybe one with a sharp eye will spot it. Ga!’

The third location... the fourth...

He continued his work in this furtive, high-spirited manner.

The top of a secluded bookshelf in the library, the crevice of a food delivery window in the high-class restaurant, and even the path of a Wizard fond of night patrols...

...all became drop-off points for his "well-wisher flyers."

With each successful drop, he mentally credited himself with another achievement.

’Another one, ga! Perfect infiltration, completely undetected! When Lord Gaga, the Shadow Messenger, is on the job, he’s worth two of anyone else!’

Throughout the entire process, he relied solely on his Talent to move and hide within the shadow plane, without using any traceable Witchcraft energy.

His movements were agile, tinged with a cautious excitement.

Occasionally, a night patrol would pass by, or he would sense a scan of Spiritual Power from a distance.

He would immediately curl into a ball, achieving complete Assimilation with the shadows on the wall or ground, even holding his breath.

Only his tense yet excited eyes would dart around, and he would only dash to the next target after the danger had passed.

When the last strip of paper was placed inside a ventilation shaft connecting the areas of several factions...

Gaga swiftly retreated from the core area, silently slipping back to Ian’s residence along a pre-planned route.

He slipped through a crack in the window, released his shadow Assimilation, and returned to the size of an ordinary crow.

Gaga landed smugly on the Alchemy Platform and, seeing Ian open his eyes from Meditation, spoke in a low voice that couldn’t hide his glee.

"Mission complete, Ian! All the notes have been planted. The locations are scattered and well-hidden, they’ll definitely be discovered by accident!

In a few days, the looks on those ’Insects’ faces will be priceless! Gagaga!"

He mimicked the exasperated expressions he imagined the members of the Eye of Dusk would have.

He hopped a few times on the platform, full of excitement and mischievous joy.

...

「Early the next morning, by the bulletin board.」

A young female Apprentice happened to glance at a corner and spotted the exposed edge of the paper.

Driven by curiosity, she struggled to pull it out and unfold it, initially giving it just a casual scan.

Then, her eyes, slightly drowsy from staying up late, instantly widened.

Shadow worms, worship of distortion, corruption of the mind...

These horrifying words made her heart skip a beat.

She subconsciously looked around, and seeing no one paying attention, she quickly crumpled the note into a ball and stuffed it into the pocket of her Long Robe.

However, for the rest of the day, she couldn’t focus on her studies.

The words kept swirling in her mind, making her see everyone as if they were hiding a secret.

Finally, after a Magic Potion class, she pulled aside her closest friend.

She whispered the contents of the note in a corner, her voice trembling at the end.

"...Do you think it could be true? That... those kinds of things have really infiltrated the High Tower?"

「A day later, at the hawk-falcon stone carving.」

A middle-aged Magic Potion Alchemist, who had a habit of pacing while he thought, subconsciously rested his hand on the familiar hawk-falcon statue, when his fingertips suddenly felt something unusual.

He took out the triangular piece of paper and unfolded it, his eyes quickly scanning the sensational warnings.

"Worms in the Shadow... certain darker areas..."

He snorted, a dismissive smile playing on his lips. "A nonsensical little trick."

He casually burned the note into a wisp of blue smoke and resumed his pacing as if nothing had happened.

But after returning to his Laboratory, he couldn’t help but glance out the window a few more times in the direction of the abandoned Meditation Tower.

Even though he told himself it was just a silly prank.

「On the back of a potted plant’s leaf.」

A Level One Wizard from the Deacon Council, feeling tired after processing a batch of violation reports, stood up and went to the doorway for some fresh air.

He habitually fiddled with the leaves of the potted plant by the door, but his fingertips unexpectedly brushed against a rough, foreign object.

He pulled off the note stuck to the back of a leaf and quickly read it by the faint light coming from inside.

Shadow Worshipers, infiltration, corruption of Wizards’ hearts...

These words made his already tense nerves jump.

He immediately scanned the surrounding corridors, then carefully smoothed out the note, folded it, and cautiously tucked it into an inner pocket of his Long Robe.

Early the next morning, that note was lying quietly on his immediate superior’s desk.

...

The rumors began to spread like a trickle in a dark gutter—slowly, but inevitably.

At first, they were cautious whispers in the corners of common rooms where Apprentices gathered, or during the short tea breaks of Low Tier Wizards.

"Have you heard? Members of that... organization that hides in the shadows are right here in the High Tower."

"My brother’s friend is in the Shadow Faction, and he said they’ve heard whispers too..."

"An Apprentice went missing not long ago. It must have been them, those damned worms!"

"I heard the Deacon Council has already started a secret investigation."

"Don’t spread nonsense. It’s probably just some guy’s prank."

However, as more and more people found the notes...

...from anxious Apprentices to half-doubting Low Tier Wizards, and even to the official guards on patrol duty.

The rumors gradually gained corroborating details like "the source is reliable" and "someone inside the Deacon Council has confirmed it."

The atmosphere throughout the High Tower began to grow tense.

Some people became more vigilant, unable to stop themselves from quickening their pace when passing through certain areas.

Others scoffed, believing it to be a pointless threat or a tactic of inter-factional strife.

And still others began to eye their colleagues—especially those who acted somewhat secretively or dealt frequently with Shadow Energy—with caution, and even suspicion.

High above the spire of the tower, clouds churned silently.

In a room at the very top, a freshly submitted note was crushed in a fit of rage.

"Damn it, who the hell is behind this..."