Chapter 374 Secrecy
It was safe to assume that all the Agents present admired him.
"Brother Adam, welcome to the Brotherhood!" Hudson walked forward and gave Adam a warm hug.
"Is this how the members address one another?" Adam hugged him back.
The pair started making their way out of the glade and toward the wooden dock. Now that the ceremony was over, it was time to return to Acryon.
"Yes, members of the same rank address each other as Brothers." Hudson nodded.
He paused for a moment before continuing, "However, proper etiquette must be shown to those in higher positions. You can\'t refer to an esteemed Warden as your Brother. That\'s just disrespectful."
"I understand," replied Adam. "What about the Acolytes beneath us? Just call them by their names?"
"Yes, you can call them whatever you like."
Adam found the intricacies of this secret society very interesting. He couldn\'t help but wonder what other things he would be exposed to in the future as an Agent of this organization.
The pair finally arrived at the small dock, ready to return to Acryon. As Adam was about to embark on the boat, he couldn\'t help but ask excitedly, "So what do I have to do now? I mean, do I have a mission or something?"
Hudson was about to reply, but suddenly a gust of wind blew and a black hooded figure appeared behind them.
Adam\'s pupils constricted and he hurriedly retreated, instinctively getting into a fighting stance. Even with his Sphere of Resonance activated, he couldn\'t sense this person\'s sudden appearance at all.
Hudson, on the other hand, was not as flustered as the youth. When he saw who the newcomer was, he placed his hand on his chest and respectfully bowed, "Greetings, Lord Warden."
It was none other than the tall hooded figure who had resided over Adam\'s initiation ritual.
Realizing who it was, Adam too hurriedly bowed. "Good evening, Lord Warden." He couldn\'t help but feel secretly embarrassed by his earlier actions just now.
He was in the Twilight Brotherhood\'s territory. Yet, he panicked when someone suddenly appeared behind him.
Well, he couldn\'t be blamed. The youth was a very cautious individual, after all.
"Hudson, was it?" The hooded figure glanced at the tanned middle-aged man.
"Yes, my lord," replied Hudson respectfully.
"I will take it from here on. You may return to the city."
"As you wish, my lord." Hudson bowed once again before hopping on the boat and departing for the city.
The man then glanced at Adam and stated, "Follow me."
Without waiting for the youth\'s reply, the hooded man turned around and started walking. Adam had no other option but to follow.
Is that cloak a magical artifact? The youth thought to himself. Even with my Sphere of Resonance, I can\'t sense the man\'s appearance under the hood. How strange!
Even his voice sounds somewhat familiar, but I can\'t exactly recognize it. Is the cloak perhaps altering this person\'s voice as well?
The pair made their way back into the depths of the island, none of them speaking a word. Then, they climbed a nearby cliff that overlooked the sea.
Adam stood slightly behind the hooded figure, finding him more and more familiar with each passing second.
Could it be? The youth thought to himself, his eyes flashing with slight anticipation.
The next moment, the figure removed his hood. His long silver hair cascaded down his back, shining under the light of the twin moons.
He turned around and glanced at the youth with his ocean- blue eyes. His lips curled up into a warm smile as he said, "It\'s been a while, Adam."
Adam\'s eyes lit up in excitement and his body involuntarily moved forward, giving the man a hug. "Lord Elrod, it really is you!"
Elrod laughed heartily as he hugged the youth, patting his back.
It had been so long since he had last visited Moon City and met Adam. More than five years had already passed.
Adam was but a mischievous child when he met him last time, but since then he had grown a lot.Elrod clasped the youth\'s shoulder and looked at him with gentle eyes. "You have grown up to be a splendid man, Adam. Berger has told me what you had to go through back in the Federation. I\'m glad that you\'ve recovered."
Listening to the elf\'s sincere praise, Adam couldn\'t help but chuckle, "Hehe, thank you, my lord." He paused for a moment before curiously asking, "By the way, what brings you here?"
"Well, Berger did tell me that you\'d be arriving in Acryon around this time," said Elrod, "so I thought I\'d come visit you."
Suddenly, he recalled something and asked, "Do you still have that wine? I believe it was called Adam\'s Tears."
"Haha, of course, I do," Adam beamed. He then sat down at the edge of the cliff and took out a large wine gourd and two ceramic cups from his earring.
Elrod sat down beside him, expectantly gazing at the wine.
"I must say, Adam, ever since I tasted the wine you made, I don\'t feel like drinking any other wine. Even the best wines produced by Baja pales in comparison."
"Hehe, thank you, thank you," Adam chuckled. He then respectfully gave a cup to the elf.
Elrod received the cup and chugged its contents in one go. "Truly the best wine I\'ve tasted in all my travels!"
"Hehe, please have some more." Adam poured some more wine into the man\'s cup.
The pair chatted with each other over wine, while the waves below crashed against the rocky shore.
Gradually, the twin moons dipped below the horizon and the number of empty wine bottles increased in number.
Elrod\'s face was slightly flushed as he gazed at Adam with impressed eyes. "Not bad, kid. Your tolerance level is quite decent."
"Huhu, what can I say?" Adam replied smugly. "I guess I\'m a natural."
The elven man couldn\'t help but laugh at the youth\'s silly response. A moment later, he conjured a small object from his storage artifact and handed it to Adam.
"What\'s this?" Adam asked curiously as he took the item from the elf\'s hand.
Elrod replied with a smile, "That\'s the Twilight Medallion. Every member of the Brotherhood has one."
"Whoa!" Adam\'s eyes seemed to be lit up by countless stars.
The medallion was made of a strange type of ore and was circular in shape. One side of the medallion\'s surface was carved into the shape of a crescent moon.
Moreover, three five-pointed stars nestled within its curve.
"The crescent represents twilight, a time of secrecy," explained Elrod.
"And the stars, they symbolize our pursuit of truth and knowledge."
Adam was very fascinated by the deep lore of this secret organization that he just joined. he glanced at Elrod and asked excitedly, "What does this medallion do?"
Elrod\'s lips curled up into a mysterious smile.
"A lot."