Tyrion shook his head and said, "Impossible! Mr. Cole is a Middle-tier Caster, he wouldn’t fall so easily. I reckon he’s trapped inside."
"Then... should we send someone in to take a look?" The Order Officer asked.
"Take a look? Even Mr. Cole is trapped in there, who else could go in and look?" Tyrion was somewhat annoyed.
The Order Officer, frightened, did not dare to speak, and shrank back with his head lowered.
Tyrion exhaled and sighed, "We can’t do nothing either. Keep people watching over there, and notify me immediately if there is any change. Also, write a letter explaining the situation here to Magic Master Sifler."
Tyrion didn’t expect Cole would also disappear without a trace; a whole half month had passed with no word.
This made him a bit anxious. If something happened to Cole, how could he explain it to Sifler?
Tyrion had no intention of sending people in to find Cole.
If even a Middle-tier Caster like Cole couldn’t get out, sending more people would be of no use.
Tyrion had already realized the seriousness of the problem.
The situation inside the Lime Mountain Range might be more severe than he imagined.
It was one thing for so many adventurers to have disappeared; even a Middle-tier Caster like Cole had vanished inside.
This represents an unusual problem.
As a high-ranking official of the kingdom, Tyrion knew that some events involving Extraordinary Power were terribly frightening.
They are matters completely beyond the involvement of ordinary people, with many inexplicable and eerie occurrences.
Now, he could only hope that Cole would come out sooner or that once Sifler received the letter, he would have a way to resolve the issue here.
Tyrion was under enormous pressure as he looked at the distant Lime Mountain Range, which seemed to have become a quagmire, trapping everyone who went there.
"If even Magic Master Sifler is unable to..."
Considering this possibility, Tyrion quickly shook his head.
If even Magic Master Sifler couldn’t solve the problems there, no one in the entire Noen Kingdom could.
Another half month passed.
Sifler looked at the letter in his hand, his expression turning serious immediately.
"Half a month without coming out..."
Sifler knew what this meant.
Many ruins indeed trap people inside, but it’s impossible to trap someone for so long.
Moreover, Cole is a Middle-tier Caster; there are very few ruins that can keep him confined for such an extended period.
Sifler had experienced quite a few ruins in his life, and he was very familiar with them.
From Sifler’s experience, Cole was likely not trapped by a ruin, but encountering some trouble, possibly life-threatening.
Sifler had a sudden urge to rush to Oberstein.
But soon, he calmed himself down.
Sifler began to doubt his earlier speculation; there might not be ruins present there after all.
From the series of events in the Lime Mountain Range, it no longer matched the signs of existing ruins.
Sifler had a bad premonition, sensing that this matter seemed beyond his control or influence.
He thought for a moment, then took out a Wooden Flute.
This Wooden Flute was given to him by someone from the Elf Race, who said to use this flute to contact them if anything unusual was discovered.
At that time, Sifler had been a bit puzzled, as the Elf Race was usually very aloof and arrogant, disdaining to interact with humans.
The Elf Race generally only communicated with the royal families of each kingdom and had little contact with human casters.
Sifler, due to being a Magic Master, was acquainted with some members of the Elf Race.
When he received the Wooden Flute, he wondered to himself, "What kind of situation could be called unusual?"
After being involved with the Lime Mountain Range affairs, Sifler suddenly recalled the Wooden Flute.
He thought perhaps the Elf Race had already known something, which was why they had given him the Wooden Flute.
When he received this Wooden Flute, Sifler thought he had established a connection with the Elf Race.
He believed that his capability as a Magic Master had earned him some degree of value to the Elf Race.
But now, it seemed like that was not the case.
It was rather the Elf Race had anticipated some unusual situations might occur, and since Sifler was the strongest caster in the Noen Kingdom, these unusual situations would most likely affect him.
So the Elf Race left behind this Wooden Flute.
Sifler, realizing this, felt his mind become blank.
Because if things were this way, it meant Cole was likely not coming back.
This was the thing he found hardest to accept.
What was supposed to be a straightforward exploration of a ruin unexpectedly concealed so many secrets.
Sifler’s aged eyes gazed at the distant horizon, as if hoping to see Cole’s returning smile.
With a heavy heart, he picked up the Wooden Flute and blew on it gently.
A pleasant flute melody automatically rose, followed by a man’s voice from the other end of the Wooden Flute.
"Sifler? What’s the matter?" The Elf man from the Wooden Flute said.
"Mr. Lu Qiao, I have some situations here..."
Sifler recounted the series of events in the Lime Mountain Range in detail.
The Elf Lu Qiao remained silent, quietly listening until Sifler finished.
When Sifler finished, Lu Qiao was silent for a while before asking, "Your student, is he a Middle-tier Caster?"
"Yes." Sifler’s voice was a bit aged.
"He’s been in there for half a month and hasn’t come out?" Lu Qiao continued to ask.
"Yes, sir." Sifler replied.
Lu Qiao continued in silence for a moment without speaking.
After a long silence,
Lu Qiao spoke, "I will bring someone to meet with you in detail. During this time, don’t let anyone get close to the Lime Mountain Range, and don’t take any specific actions, just carry on as before."
"Alright, I’ll wait for you in Sea Stone City." Sifler, knowing Lu Qiao was coming, felt a glimmer of hope inside.
The Elf Race is the strongest existence in this world; there is no problem they cannot solve.
But at the same time, Sifler also realized that the matter had already exceeded his wildest imaginings.
There surely lay huge secrets within the Lime Mountain Range, with a greater chance of Cole not returning.
After severing the contact with Lu Qiao, Sifler promptly wrote a letter, sending it to Tyrion.
Judging from Lu Qiao’s tone, even he seemed somewhat serious.
What situation could make even the Elf Race treat it so seriously?
Sifler didn’t know, and he could only pray for Cole in his heart, hoping nothing bad would happen to him.
This is a place where the Elf Race congregates.
In Miracle Valley grows a giant tree, towering thousands of meters high, with its crown covering the sky, looking utterly breathtaking.
This is a branch of the World Tree. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novel·fire·net
Every branch of the World Tree houses congregations of the Elf Race.
The members of the Elf Race live, multiply, and flourish around the World Tree, growing stronger.