After hearing the staff's explanation, Ed understood that he met the necessary conditions. The only thing left to wonder was how much contribution and how many gold coins the association would reward him with.

However, even if the contribution points and gold coins weren't enough, Ed still didn't plan on exchanging for the Spirit Thunder Seal. He absolutely needed a Seal that could burn his enemies!

Curious about the Purple Fire Seal, Ed asked the front desk staff for more information.

It was a Seal with exceptionally powerful offensive capabilities, capable of releasing purple flames hot enough to melt steel. The only drawback was its short duration and high consumption with each use.

Based on Ed's previous gaming experience, he saw the Purple Fire Seal as a high-damage, explosive skill typically used as a deciding factor in battle.

At that moment, the front desk staff noticed that Ed seemed especially interested in the Purple Fire Seal.

So, the staff member spoke up, "Sir, are you planning on exchanging for the Purple Fire Seal later? If so, I must warn you, learning to use the Purple Fire Seal is much more difficult than learning the Spirit Thunder Seal."

"Even Karot, President Arya's apprentice, tried learning the Purple Fire Seal, but he couldn't master it. That's why he chose the Spirit Thunder Seal instead."

Ed froze for a moment, surprised by the high difficulty of learning the Purple Fire Seal, especially since Karot had the best aptitude.

At the same time, Ed had another question in his mind: What had Karot done to earn so many contribution points and meet the requirement for making a special contribution to the association?

He curiously asked the staff, but to his surprise, the reply was only a cryptic one:

"Karot is President Arya's apprentice."

What did that mean?

Did Karot not need to complete any tasks or make any special contributions to the association, simply choosing whichever Seals he wanted?

Perhaps even more than just Seals.

Ed couldn't help but frown, feeling both puzzled and curious. How powerful must the Seal be that Karot couldn't even learn?

And with his need for a Seal capable of burning the Parasitic Serpent Monster Vil to ashes, he couldn't afford to let go of the Purple Fire Seal.

Seeing that persuasion had no effect, the staff member sighed and said, "Captain Jade can barely use the Purple Fire Seal. If you run into any problems, you could ask him for guidance."

Ed nodded, then asked with curiosity, "Who else in the association has learned the Purple Fire Seal?"

The staff shook their head and replied, "No one else. Even President Arya hasn't mastered the Purple Fire Seal. She once said that the time and difficulty required to learn the Purple Fire Seal were just too great."

"Captain Jade ranks third in the association in terms of strength, largely because of the power of the Purple Fire Seal."

Ed was a bit surprised. He hadn't realized just how much the Purple Fire Seal could boost one's strength.

If he learned it, he would definitely become much stronger.

With the Moonstone Mark, his mastery of swordsmanship, and the Purple Fire Seal, any Hunter at his level would have a hard time matching him.

As for Vice Captain Reve, his strength was second only to President Arya's in the association.

If Jade, who possessed the Purple Fire Seal, wasn't even a match for Reve, how strong must Reve be?

Ed shook his head at the thought. He probably didn't need to worry about how to defeat Reve—at least, not for now.

Just then, Anthony's annoying voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Captain Ed, I've already spoken with Vice Captain Reve. He thinks it's best if I return to the team and make up for my mistakes. That way, things will be better."

Ed turned abruptly to look at Anthony's smug face, his pupils slightly widening.

This was a natural human response when facing danger—a way to widen the field of vision and quickly assess the surrounding threats.

And what made Ed feel this sense of danger was the fact that Reve had insisted on keeping Anthony, the watcher, by his side.

What did that mean?

It meant that Reve still had doubts about him!

As Ed was thinking, Anthony continued, "Vice Captain Reve also said that he'd buy you a drink sometime, to thank you for the contributions you've made to the association. He considers you a trustworthy partner!"

After finishing, Anthony raised his chin slightly, watching Ed's reaction.

After all, this was Vice Captain Reve's invitation. Any ordinary member would feel honored by it!

Because behind such an action was a clear show of trust and a friendly gesture.

Now, no one would be able to suggest that the one-eyed man's death might be related to Ed.

Ed, of course, had thought of this, but he still didn't understand why Reve wanted Anthony, the watcher, to stay by his side.

Wasn't that inconsistent with what Reve had asked Anthony to say?

Could it be...?

Ed took a deep breath, then slowly spoke to Anthony, "I'll certainly consider Vice Captain Reve's suggestion, but if I let you join the team now, both Toronto and Ford will have objections."

Toronto and Ford immediately nodded, their eyes filled with disdain and indifference as they looked at Anthony.

No one wanted someone like Anthony in their team.

Anthony's breath quickened as he was about to explode in anger, but then he heard Ed's voice:

"How about this? Why don't you go back and tell Vice Captain Reve that the team has just been formed and needs some time to prepare? You can join later when we're ready."

Ed's words weren't just a simple refusal; they were a way to test Reve's reaction.

If Reve's intention was to have Anthony take a share of Ed's achievements and rewards, he would definitely take further action.

Because if they waited a little longer, the contribution points and gold rewards would all be distributed, and Anthony would get nothing.

On the other hand, if Reve's goal was to have Anthony stay close to Ed and monitor him, he would not push the issue any further.

In that case, the result would likely be Ed's outright rejection, and no matter what, Anthony would not be allowed to join the team.

At that point, all Ed would need to do was observe Reve's next move to understand what his true intentions were.

Looking back, Ed realized that the plan to kill the one-eyed man had been far from perfect.

If it were the current Ed, he would have chosen a plan with fewer flaws.

But in this world of Hunters, only when one's strength reached a certain level could they completely disregard any vulnerabilities.

So-called strategies and plans were merely methods used when one's strength was insufficient.

Ed took a deep breath. No matter what Anthony's reaction would be, he would stand by his decision.

Fuming, Anthony spun around and left, likely on his way to find Vice Captain Reve.

Ed watched Anthony's retreating figure, constantly considering all possible scenarios. Now, Reve had to be added to his short-term list of targets.

In that case, he absolutely needed to obtain and master the Purple Fire Seal, which would be a huge boost to his strength.

He also had to find a way to accelerate his progress in practicing the Moonlight Meditation Technique.

As for Melissa, he would need to try again to see if he could repeat the wonderful events of that night.

If Reve still had doubts about him, thinking that the one-eyed man's death and the high-level spiritual treasure were connected to him, then the message that Anthony had passed along earlier definitely needed further analysis.

It was very likely that Reve wanted others to believe that Ed was trustworthy, perhaps in an attempt to hide the high-level spiritual treasure?

Did Reve want to secretly claim the high-level spiritual treasure for himself?

A slight smile curled at the corners of Ed's lips. There were both advantages and disadvantages to this situation for him.

The downside was that he might have already attracted Reve's attention. The upside, however, was that the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association wasn't as united as it seemed.

At the very least, Vice Captain Reve had his own ideas; he wasn't loyal to Arya.

A united Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association, and a disjointed one—Ed naturally hoped for the latter.

Thinking about this, the weight in Ed's heart lightened considerably.

He turned his attention to Ford and Toronto.

Ford was spitting in the direction of Anthony's retreating figure. He turned back to Ed and said, "Captain, there's no need to be upset over someone like Anthony. Why not focus on what our first mission will be after the Moonlight Team is officially formed?"

After hearing his words, Ed began scanning the available missions, and one caught his eye.

The task required three teams to patrol the roads outside Dorey City, clearing any monsters that were obstructing the way.

That was odd. It seemed like Dorey City was preparing for something.

Toronto noticed Ed's gaze and, knowing a bit more, spoke up.

It turned out that a month later, President Arya and Karot would return from the Holy City, and another important figure would also be coming.

To make the security in Dorey City appear better, the City Lord had issued the task of clearing monsters along the roads in advance.

One offhand comment from Toronto left Ed standing frozen in place.

Toronto sighed, "Ugh, the City Lord just loves making everything look good on the surface. The bodyguards of that important figure are all Gold level Hunters, four of them in total!"

"What monsters could possibly threaten them?"

Four Gold level Hunters?

President Arya was also a Gold level Hunter!

Together, five Gold level Hunters—this was starting to sound like Sloka City.

Ed clearly remembered the incident in Sloka City, where a city with five Gold level Hunters and a hundred thousand citizens had been wiped out overnight.

Thinking about the translated words from the Ruins Stele, a horrifying thought began to take shape in Ed's mind: Could it be that Dorey City was going to experience something similar to what happened in Sloka City?

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