In the underground treasure palace.
Richard knew nothing of the affairs on the surface and had no interest in them either, for he was at this moment perusing the content of numerous scrolls, absorbing the knowledge therein with a thirst akin to a starving man who had stumbled into a storeroom filled with food, never feeling satisfied and relentlessly drawing in the knowledge from the scrolls.
Absorb, absorb, absorb...
This process continued for an indeterminate amount of time until suddenly the entire hall began to shake, pulling Richard back from the ocean of knowledge to reality.
Richard’s gaze shifted from the scrolls as he looked around, still confused, when another mild tremor occurred, this time lasting quite a while before subsiding.
Is this... has the battle already begun?
Richard quickly conjectured this possibility. In his view, aside from the extremely unlikely event of an earthquake, only the residual effects of a mighty wizard’s battle could account for such a disturbance.
If that’s the case...
Lips pressed together, he glanced at the many scrolls filled with knowledge in the hall, and with a decisive look in his eyes, without much hesitation, he turned and walked toward the outside.
As Richard emerged through the passageway’s entrance, he saw Teddy and a few others waiting anxiously, their attention focused toward the north.
In the north, bright flashes of light appeared frequently, followed by roaring sounds and fluctuations of mana, clearly indicating a fierce wizard battle was underway.
"What’s happening?" Richard asked.
Teddy, Noel, and Jenny immediately turned to look at him. Teddy, with his neck shrunk, said, "It seems... the fight has started. We’re not sure if Master Eva advanced their attack or if Deep Blue Castle launched a surprise assault, but they’re definitely fighting."
"So it is," Richard nodded.
Teddy, filled with apprehension, asked, "Richard, what do you think we should do now?"
"Here’s what we’ll do," Richard said, "You, Wizard Noel, and Wizard Jenny, along with Commander Wu Long and the army, hurry over to provide support. After all, the more forces in a decisive battle, the better the odds of victory. Of course, be careful. Initially, look for opportunities to strike from the outskirts to avoid attracting the attention of powerful enemy figures. If things go well, you can push deeper into the Core Area, but if the situation becomes dangerous, keep a safe distance from the battlefield.
Oh, and Teddy, if you run into any of my friends—those who helped me excavate before the Deep Blue Castle summit—bring them along if you can. Although they are all Wizard Apprentices, their strength is not weak; when grouped together, they can support each other."
"Got it, I’ll remember that," Teddy nodded, then asked, "What about you? Aren’t you coming with us?"
"As for me," Richard said, "the situation downstairs is a bit complicated, and it will take me some more time to deal with it. I want you to go ahead, and once I’ve dealt with the situation below, I’ll catch up with you."
"Alright then," Teddy nodded, not dwelling on the matter too much, and turned to inform Wu Long to gather the troops. Richard also turned, preparing to re-enter the underground.
At that moment, Wizard Noel, who had been standing by the side, suddenly spoke up, stopping Richard.
"Wizard Richard," Noel said, with earnestness in his inquiry, "What about Wizard Bata? Didn’t he go with you to explore the underground? How come... you have come up, and he hasn’t?"
Richard halted, turned, and gave Noel a meaningful look.
Noel met his gaze without fear and pressed again, "Wizard Richard, what happened to Bata?"
With those words, Richard suddenly smiled.
He knew Eva had planted people by his side, and Bata was obviously one of them. He had thought it would be enough to dispose of Bata. Yet, it turned out there was a second spy, one who was far better at hiding. Had Bata not suffered an accident, the other would likely have remained hidden instead of confronting him now.
Richard spoke directly to Noel, "As for Wizard Bata, unfortunately, he encountered a dangerous trap while exploring underground and died."
"Dead?" Teddy, who was about to call Wu Long, paused, slightly taken aback and evidently surprised.
Witch Jenny was also taken aback upon hearing this, her eyebrows knitting together in a complex expression.
Wizard Noel, however, did not hide his skeptical attitude. He challenged Richard, "Really?"
"Really," Richard answered calmly.
"But why do I feel that’s unlikely?" Noel said, standing his ground intently focused on Richard, "With Bata’s strength, he wouldn’t die so easily, would he? I suspect it’s more likely he found some important secret underground that you don’t want to be revealed, so you silenced him."
"Is that your speculation?"
"Yes, that’s my speculation, but I think it might very well be the truth," Noel stated firmly.
Richard fell silent for a moment, then turned to look at Witch Jenny and asked, "Witch Jenny, what do you think? Whose words do you believe are true, mine or Noel’s? Or, to be more precise, which side are you on?"
"I..." Witch Jenny blinked, hesitated for a moment, then said, "I... I choose to remain neutral. I neither believe nor doubt either of you; I only believe in the facts. As soon as one of you can produce evidence to support your claim, I will side with them."
"That’s easy," Noel quickly responded, "If we all go underground and see what’s there, won’t everything become clear? I don’t think it will take much time; we can clear things up and still rush over to support Master Eva in time."
Richard’s eyes narrowed, peering at Noel and speaking out, "Wizard Noel, if I’m not mistaken, you’ve taken a total of five Magic Tools from me, each one quite potent, haven’t you?"
"What are you getting at? Are you trying to bribe me?" Noel asked.
"No." Richard shook his head, "I’m just curious, aren’t you wondering how I came by these Magic Tools? Don’t you want to know how I could possibly possess so many?"
"What exactly do you mean?" Noel became somewhat wary.
"It means nothing," Richard continued, "I just want to tell you, proving the truth about Wizard Bata’s death doesn’t require a trip to the underground. I have a much simpler method."
Richard stepped toward Noel.
Noel, on high alert, watched as Richard came closer, his eyes wide with alarm, "What are you doing? You’re threatening me, but remember, other people are watching!"
"No, no." Richard shook his head, "Why would I threaten you? I am merely..."
Mid-sentence, Richard’s hand flipped, and suddenly in the palm of his hand appeared a Metal Needle, which he thrust lightning-fast toward Noel’s eyes.