Although the Stone Giant didn't know why Aiersi went to the academy, it knew she had her reasons, and since it couldn't wake Aiersi, it was helpless.
It glanced at the basin, which had completely transformed into a major herb cultivation area, but they hardly needed so many of these herbs; many had already been stored, and these could essentially be considered for them to take.
But to avoid attracting too many humans, the giant issued a very extravagant command...
On the other side, Videl and the others had already stepped into the basin, but their expressions were filled with immense desire.
"Slurp..."
Even the Dean couldn't help but click his tongue.
"The spirit herbs here seem to be much more abundant than in some areas of the royal palace. This intelligence isn't very accurate; in a place like this, it might be hard to leave once you're in."
"It's fine, it's fine, it's fine, let's find ours first."
"Found it, found it."
Degeli excitedly pointed to a patch of grass exuding vigorous life force; it was right in front of them, and not just one plant, but a whole patch.
"How lucky, this is great."
Videl was so excited he was about to drop his stealth, but just as he reached out to pluck it, a huge shadow passed overhead, and an old, frail dragon landed directly behind the group, its massive size making them all freeze, especially after thousands more landed; this number was beyond their ability to handle.
Because at this moment, the group was still in stealth, invisible and with their aura masked, and others couldn't touch them, but they didn't know about this function yet.
But the next second, what the old dragon did terrified them.
They watched as it bent down and swallowed the entire patch of grass in one gulp.
"Ah ah ah..."
Videl was frantic at this point, seeing the herbs right in front of him being eaten; no one could remain calm.
And this was the Stone Giant's command: "Eat as much as you want."
"Calm down, calm down, aren't there still more?"
Rosen and the others saw Videl about to draw his sword and tried to dissuade him, but the next second, what the dragon said made them all lose their composure, especially the Dean, who immediately started cursing.
"Eat as much as you want, eat as much as you want."
And after the old dragon's command, this patch of herbs was completely swept clean.
"I * * * * * *"
"What do we do? Are we going to return empty-handed? Are there any more?"
"No more. The intelligence said there was only one plant, and although there might be some deviation, this should be the only patch, right in this location..." Videl said dejectedly, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the old dragon. Everyone knew how he felt at that moment.
"No choice... let's go for now, at least get out of here..." He said, turning back. As for why they didn't continue to investigate, it was because they were unfamiliar with the terrain, and also because the medals on their bodies were slowly absorbing their magic power. Their already limited magic power, not proportional to their recovery, wouldn't last much longer.
As for the Stone Giant, it couldn't actually see them, but it could sense where they were, because it had a special ability 【Earth Sense】. No matter how well others hid, as long as a person walked through a place, they would leave a certain aura.
It had now brought the sleeping Aiersi to a clear path in the valley, which was the only way Videl and the others could return, and also the outer edge of the valley.
"Almost there..."
The Stone Giant sensed them. Although it couldn't see where the people were, it could feel the difference in the places they passed, and despite their stealth, they still couldn't escape, mainly because the giant's strength was at the Top Tier.
It was hesitating...
"Uh... with the Master's strength... could she really withstand one of my punches? Waking her... I'm afraid she'd get angry, and of course, I can't wake her."
The Stone Giant pondered, but it also felt the group getting closer. In its urgency, it didn't have time to think further, directly raising its huge fist and smashing it towards Aiersi, who was in the palm of its other hand.
"Boom! Bang!"
A loud noise erupted, and Videl and the others heard it, but with that power, they guessed they couldn't win.
"Why... why is there such a powerful creature here? This is almost the outer edge."
The Dean and the others exchanged glances, nodded, and then tacitly leaped together onto four tall trees.
From those trees, with a wide field of vision, they saw a giant several hundred meters tall a few miles ahead. It had its back to them and seemed to be holding something in its hands.
"Hiss~ How did such a powerful being appear here? Judging by the magic power it emits, it can rival those on the Top Tier list." The Dean's face showed difficulty; he was now worried that the other party had already discovered them.
"It seems to be holding something?" Degeli curiously wanted to see what was in its hand.
At this moment, the Stone Giant was filled with tension, afraid that its punch had directly killed her, but when it moved its fist away, it found Aiersi still sleeping soundly. Not only were her limbs broken, but there were also various other injuries, yet her entire body was enveloped in a golden light.
Seeing this, the Stone Giant also breathed a sigh of relief: "Goodness, she's tough. She can still sleep like this. It seems my worries were unnecessary, but Master, I'm sorry..."
But what the Stone Giant didn't know was that Xiao Huang had used its power to protect Aiersi and applied pain suppression so Aiersi wouldn't notice.
After doing all this, the Stone Giant curled into an extremely wicked smile and slowly turned around, staring at the tree where Videl and the others stood.
The Dean suddenly realized something was wrong and sharply warned: "Quick, let's go, this guy has found us."
"What?"
But the Stone Giant did not attack them; it merely replied indifferently: "I don't like sneaky enemies. You... are not even as good as a child. I'm not interested in you, because you are too cowardly, hahahaha..."
However, the Dean and the others dared not move, because they knew that in the face of absolute strength, fleeing was meaningless. The gap between A-rank and Top Tier was not small, but an unbridgeable chasm.
"Fine, you're lucky today. You should be grateful, I've had enough fun."
The Stone Giant said, and then tossed Aiersi over like trash. After hitting the ground, she rolled directly near the Dean and the others. The marks left on the ground indicated the force was not light.
"This..."
The group was puzzled, but seeing the Stone Giant had already turned and left, they also breathed a sigh of relief. After the tension eased, they looked at Aiersi, who had been thrown by the Stone Giant, and immediately removed their medals, jumped down from the tree, and ran to her side.
Degeli was the first to rush there, but seeing Aiersi's condition, he hesitated to approach and tentatively asked: "Is she still alive?"
"It's hard to say... It's a pity she's so young." The Dean also sighed, but still checked Aiersi's pulse, and was surprised to find a faint, extremely weak beat.
"She's alive! Quick, lend a hand, let's head back to the academy first."
The Dean didn't dare to hesitate for a moment and immediately called out. They hadn't gotten what they wanted this trip, but after all, they weren't people who would stand by and watch someone die.
Degeli said in surprise: "I have a question, we would have been severely injured if we took that blow just now. How can she still be alive?"
"Better alive than dead, right? But even if she's saved, she'll probably be a cripple."
"It's better this way. If it weren't for her, that Stone Giant would probably have dealt with us."
"So now..."
"Let's go back... Anyway, we didn't get what we came for. Let's just consider this a good deed, but for now, let's see if her parents are nearby."
The Dean carefully carried Aiersi on his back, vigilantly looking around. But when the group searched for a long time and found nothing, they could only helplessly take out a magic stone, crush it, and a magic circle enveloped them, Teleportation them away.