However, after several days passed…
"Heh heh… I'm back again…"
That familiar figure appeared in a part of the valley again, it was the Mysterious Person in armor who had secretly observed Aiersi with a telescope a few days prior.
"Oh…?"
When he looked up, everything before him greatly surprised him. This time, he was in another part of the valley, a basin several miles in circumference. However, this basin was surprisingly filled with various spiritual herbs, including many rare species.
"Gulp…" The man swallowed, clearly he had never seen such a sight before. Soon, he shook his head to keep himself clear-headed.
"I'm here for serious business, no need to panic. It's a pity I couldn't even take one back myself."
There was a hint of disappointment in his eyes. When he saw the group of people sleeping not far from the basin, with the Stone Giant leaning against a mountain with few trees, Aiersi was among them. Although they weren't on guard, there were many magical beasts around the basin, clearly indicating this was an important area.
"Hehehe… Let me add some excitement for you all, don't blame me."
With that, the man looked back into the distance, a plan forming in his mind, and his figure instantly vanished from the spot…
Meanwhile, on the other side, which was the direction the man had looked towards, about several dozen miles away, there were four individuals. Judging by their attire, they seemed like nobles.
"Dean, are you sure it's this direction?"
A blue-haired man wearing a white Jazz Clothes and a monocle asked a middle-aged man in a black suit. From his demeanor and tone, it was clear he was an extraordinary person.
"My sense of direction is never wrong. But Videl, is the intelligence you received accurate?"
"I got the intelligence from the auction house. No one would spread false information, right? Besides, many people have come here recently and brought back some news."
"What you say is true, but hasn't this journey been too quiet? We're almost at the core, and we haven't seen a single magical beast."
The man in black sighed helplessly. He was the Dean of the academy. Upon hearing the intelligence Videl received, he immediately set off for this place. For safety, he also brought Rosen and Degeli. They came here to find the Tian Ling Grass.
"Dean, how about Degeli and I scout ahead?" Rosen, the burly bald man among the four, suggested.
"No, that's too dangerous. And it's too quiet here right now; splitting up would be even worse."
"I'm a bit anxious. How about we try our luck? Just charge straight ahead…"
Videl was about to rush out, but the Dean pulled him back.
"I know you're anxious, but don't rush yet. Let's observe the situation first. According to the intelligence, many hunting parties have fallen here."
"How much intelligence do magical beasts have? It's one thing if they can transform, but generally, there are always ways to deal with them."
Saying that, he was about to rush out again, but the Dean pulled him back once more.
"Are you foolish? To save your daughter, you must first stay alive. Don't worry, I'll help you even if it costs my life. We've been brothers for over ten years."
"Alright, I'll try to calm down."
Videl suppressed his impatience, his expression gradually calming.
"How about I send Little Gold out to scout first?"
Degeli, with short brown hair and wearing a suit, suggested from the side. A golden magic flash in his hand, and a several-meter-tall golden eagle appeared beside him. With his command, it soared into the sky, only a golden streak visible across the horizon.
Not long after, the golden eagle flew back, but it looked somewhat disheveled and severely injured. It had been gravely wounded by a stone axe embedded deep in its body, bleeding profusely, its golden feathers already stained red with blood.
"What happened? Where did this axe come from? With Little Gold's strength, magical beasts without an A-rank couldn't even detect it."
"It seems a bit tricky; the enemy is quite powerful."
The Dean looked troubled. Videl, on the surface, appeared calm, but in reality, he was extremely flustered.
"Little Gold, project what you saw," Degeli instructed.
The golden eagle let out a long cry, and a segment was projected from its golden eyes, like a screen, before it fainted.
"You worked hard, you worked hard." Degeli looked at the golden screen, pulled the axe out of its body with his hand, and with a wave of his hand, cast a healing spell on the golden eagle. After its wounds completely healed, he used magic to retract it.
"Let's see what it saw…"
"Let's see… Let's see…" The others all crowded over, but the result shocked them.
The screen showed Little Gold flying continuously. When it reached about ten miles from their location, it saw a person moving through the forest below, followed by a large group of magical beasts. However, as those magical beasts chased the person, some stronger ones looked up and saw it. It was a burly Goblin King. It wielded a giant axe and swung it violently, which Little Gold dodged with a sidestep.
Missing once, the Goblin King grew angry. It snatched a small stone axe from a nearby small goblin and threw it fiercely at Little Gold. This time, the axe was somewhat strange, with a built-in tracking ability, extremely fast, and its lethality was not low. In just one hit, it nearly killed Little Gold.
"I'm a bit curious… The Goblin King only has B-rank strength, how did it discover Little Gold? And how could this small axe be so lethal, and with tracking?"
Degeli asked several questions at once, and the other three were also full of questions, but the Dean thought of something else…
"Uh… The direction that person on the screen was running, wasn't it towards us?"
At these words, everyone fell silent for a few seconds. After realizing, they ran off.
Sure enough, no sooner had they left than the person escaped, it was the armored Mysterious Person. But when he saw Videl and the others, he smiled.
At that instant, Videl's pupils constricted sharply, as if he had discovered something astonishing.
"Haha… I'll leave these things for you to play with, I'm leaving first!"
With that, the man, without giving them a chance to react, used Teleportation magic. His body was directly enveloped in golden light, and in the next moment, he vanished from the spot.
The next second, dozens of B-rank magical beasts greeted them.
"Go, go, go, let's go first."
The Dean didn't hesitate. His magic power condensed in his hand, and he forcefully unleashed a gust of wind, repelling all the pouncing magical beasts, and conveniently pulled Rosen and Degeli along.
"Eh? Wait for me…"
Videl reacted and immediately followed them in their escape. It wasn't that they couldn't defeat them, but they were unclear about some things. If they truly fought, it might attract more magical beasts.
Their purpose for this trip was to be stealthy, to take what they needed and leave, not to prolong the fight.
After they had run for an unknown amount of time, with their magic power nearly depleted, they finally shook off those magical creatures.
Once safe, the Dean let out a long sigh of relief.
"This is difficult. Who was that person just now? His aura was no weaker than ours. He could have killed all the magical creatures, so why did he lead them to us?"
"I know that person. He seems to be the one who sold me the intelligence. At that time, he didn't accept anyone's money; he required items of equal value in exchange," Videl answered without hesitation.
"So… that's how he usually collects intelligence?"
"Probably…"
"I don't understand why he pulled such a stunt?"
"What about me?"
A voice suddenly sounded behind them, startling all four. It was the Mysterious Person.
"Wow, you almost scared us to death…"
Rosen couldn't help but curse.
The Mysterious Person chuckled lightly: "Since I received your benefits, I naturally created an opportunity for you. Follow me."
As he spoke, Teleportation magic condensed in his hand, and he instantly sent them back to the place where they had first started running, which left Videl and the others full of confusion.
"I know you're confused, but you just led them away, so this place is temporarily safe. So, hurry up."
"Why are you here again?"
Videl couldn't help but ask him.
"Where I go is none of your business. Go see for yourselves. Take this, and you won't be discovered, but once activated, it will deactivate if you try to touch something or use magic."
He said, handing four golden badges to them, and without waiting for them to say anything, he used Teleportation to leave.
"Strange fellow, but I'm curious, does his Teleportation magic not require chanting? And is it instant?" The Dean looked curiously at the place where the Mysterious Person had left.
"Perhaps that's why he can collect intelligence. I'm also curious about something else, Videl, what exactly did you exchange with him for the intelligence?"
Videl sighed deeply, looking at Degeli and saying, "You should know what's most important to me besides my daughter, right?"
All three were startled, asking tentatively, "It's not that book, is it?"
Indeed it was. After Videl nodded, the three felt helpless. Since the matter had already happened, all they could do now was get the item and return.
"How do you use this thing?"
After a moment of disappointment, they turned their attention to the badge the Mysterious Person had just given them.
After fiddling with it for a short while, there was no reaction. But when Degeli put it on, he directly vanished from the spot.
????
"Where are you?"
The three looked around confused, unable to even sense his aura. But in the next second, Degeli reappeared out of thin air, holding the badge in his hand.
"You all… couldn't see me just now?"
Seeing them nod, Degeli also sighed, "Good stuff. You become invisible when you wear it, and it seems to have many other uses."
"Oh?"
The Dean, Rosen, and Videl also put on the badges. This time, they too vanished from the spot, but the difference was that after Degeli put on the badge, they could actually see each other.
They also tested another function: when they were invisible, their voices couldn't be heard by anyone else.
After repeated confirmation, they also felt relieved and were increasingly satisfied with this item.
This time, even the Dean couldn't help but praise, "Good stuff, and it can be used repeatedly. Although others can't detect us, and we can't attack, it's really useful for these situations."
After understanding, the group continued to walk deeper into the valley…
But what they didn't know was that when they were only a few hundred meters from the basin, the Stone Giant's dark, hollow eyes suddenly flashed red.
"Some little bugs have come in. Let me deal with them."
He was about to get up when a waterfowl suddenly swooped down, landing on the Stone Giant's shoulder, chirping, seemingly warning him of something.
After listening, the Stone Giant suddenly smiled: "So sudden? Alright then, but are you sure those people are from here?"
Seeing the waterfowl nod, the Stone Giant's lips slowly curved into a smile. He looked at the sleeping Aiersi. Yin Lin was in the Communication Realm because Aiersi was afraid of waking up and running around while she slept. (Although Yin Lin was also sleeping)
"Then we need to be prepared. But given the situation, it seems I'll have to handle it. Remember, everyone else, cooperate with me first and don't expose the Master."
Listening to the Stone Giant's words, it seemed the waterfowl had seen everything. It had originally thought no one from the academy would come here. It knew these people; one of them was the Dean of the academy, so… at this moment, a plan was also forming in his mind…
But he had intended to wake Aiersi, yet no matter if he called loudly, or picked her up and shook her, or pinched her face, she just wouldn't wake up.
"Good heavens, she's sleeping like a log…"