… Camber Ridge.

  A long caravan rolled forward, its wagons laden to the brim.

  Glenn steered the stag-drawn cart at the front, leading the procession.

  The locals had lived here for who knew how many years, accumulating considerable resources. Ever prepared to flee at a moment’s notice, they had long since kept carts and beasts of burden ready. Coupled with their own household stores, the result was a convoy visibly overflowing with cargo.

  Glenn intended to return first to Daov’s magic workshop. Once Daov came back, he would say his farewells, then continue leading the caravan toward Bayek.

  The two little girls were reluctant to part from the workshop, but this journey had been fulfilling enough—they had gained experience, broadened their horizons, and would surely face future travels with far less fear.

  After an entire day on the road, the caravan reached the Demonfall Gorge around eight or nine that evening.

  When Glenn told the people from Camber Ridge that this place belonged to his teacher—a fifth-rank mage—they were seized with visible panic.

  “You needn’t be so tense,” Glenn said. “Just wait outside for a few days. We’ll be on our way again soon.”

  His words left them looking conflicted, unsure how to respond.

  Leafy and Mushroom, however, reacted very differently.

  “What?! You’re leaving? Don’t go! Please don’t go!” Leafy burst instantly into tears, clutching Glenn’s sleeve with no intention of letting go.

  “Don’t go! Don’t go!” Mushroom threw herself into Glenn’s arms, her large eyes shimmering with tears.

  Glenn felt a headache coming on. He could only pat their heads gently and soothe them in a soft voice:

  “I still have many things to take care of elsewhere—and people waiting for me. I must go back. But I will return… or you can even have Teacher bring you to visit me.”

  After much comforting, the two girls reluctantly accepted his departure.

  Back in the workshop, Meiko took one look at the girls’ tearstained faces and assumed the journey had gone terribly.

  Only after Glenn explained did she laugh and comfort them—while also scolding him a little.

  Later, Glenn recounted the events of the journey to her in private.

  Meiko first had him retrieve the cylindrical object given by the white wolf. One glance was enough for her to understand its nature.

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  “This is a knowledge vessel used by mages in the previous century. It usually contains a mage’s research notes on a specific field. From what I’ve seen, this one records studies on magic array conduction—and some ingeniously designed central node structures. Whoever created it was likely no weaker than I.”

  Glenn listened and asked only, “Can I use it?”

  That was his true concern.

  “Of course you can’t,” Meiko said mildly. “But don’t worry. That’s easily solved for me.”

  With a gesture toward the upper floor, she summoned an exquisitely crafted quill that drifted down into her hand.

  “This is a magical lifeform created by Daov. It possesses the strength of a second-rank mage and is fluent in ancient scripts. It can transcribe everything inside the vessel into common tongue for you. You may use it for now.”

  As soon as she finished speaking, the quill circled Glenn a few times before settling on his right shoulder.

  “Thank you, Teacher Meiko!” Glenn said sincerely.

  Meiko only smiled, then continued, “As for that giant you mentioned—I could not find any corresponding entity in my memory. But to be safe, I must examine your body to ensure it left no hidden tampering. When Daov returns, he will check you again. And the items you brought back—I must inspect them all.”

  Glenn readily agreed.

  Meiko led him into her private laboratory and had him lie on a special small bed. After some adjustments, she brought out several strange devices and began a thorough examination.

  She even detected the wolf-poison hidden deep within his cells—a testament to how meticulous the process was.

  Apart from that, no abnormalities were found, allowing Meiko to finally relax.

  After leaving the workshop, she moved on to inspect the goods Glenn had brought.

  The people from Camber Ridge stood stiffly, bowing repeatedly the moment they saw her.

  Meiko ignored them entirely, focusing only on the cargo.

  For each item she examined, she explained its name, purpose, and taboos—saving Glenn a great deal of time in understanding them.

  But when she reached the crimson greatsword, her steady stream of commentary finally stopped.

  “Teacher Meiko… you can’t identify this either?” Glenn asked quietly.

  Her brows furrowed.

  “Based on what you and the giant discussed, it is highly likely this object is related to the gods. But… I can’t sense even the faintest trace of high-tier divinity on it—not even mana or elemental flow.”

  Glenn lowered his head, lost in thought. With his limited knowledge, he couldn’t hope to understand the matter. He was merely thinking about how to make the best use of the weapon’s value.

  Silence settled around them.

  From afar, the onlookers—including the apprentices of the workshop—watched curiously, wondering why the two had fallen quiet.

  “Enough. I cannot make sense of it. Let’s wait for Daov—perhaps he will see something I cannot,” Meiko finally said.

  “Alright. We’ll wait for Teacher Daov,” Glenn replied.

  The following day, Daov returned.

  He said all necessary arrangements had been made. Unless someone launched a deliberate investigation into Morogen’s death, the matter would likely remain concealed for a long time.

  After hearing about Glenn’s travels with Leafy and Mushroom, Daov immediately gave Glenn another full examination.

  Unlike Meiko, Daov not only detected the wolf-poison but also noticed that Glenn’s soul seemed… different.

  He could not articulate the exact nature of the difference—only that it might explain Glenn’s peculiarities.

  Glenn couldn’t help admiring him. A fifth-rank mage truly was extraordinary. He too suspected that his transmigrated soul had changed his body, and that this difference—combined with the wolf-poison—was what made him so unusual.

  After personally reexamining the cargo, Daov refused to rely on Meiko’s earlier inspection and checked every piece anew.

  At last, he stopped once more before the crimson greatsword.

  To Glenn’s disappointment, Daov also failed to discern its secrets.

  But he did say this:

  “Though I do not know what material this greatsword is made of… I am certain of one thing—it is the hardest substance I have ever encountered.”