Chapter 557: Almost There

Saul followed behind the group of blindfolded people, all the way into the depths of the forested mountains.

After several twists and turns, a wizard apprentice appeared ahead.

He stepped forward to inspect the state of the seven people, then led them into a mountain cave.

Inside the cave were two wizards, who, upon seeing them, ordered the group to step into small earthen pits, each about half a meter deep.

Saul remained just outside the cave, his figure hidden behind a rock.

His mental power far exceeded that of anyone inside. They couldn’t detect his presence at all.

However, the warding formation at the cave entrance prevented Saul from entering directly.

Peering in, he saw that the legs of the seven blindfolded people had already been buried in soil. The other wizards stood far away from them.

After a few minutes, one of the blindfolded individuals began showing signs of pain on his face. Gradually, the rest of them also started to contort in agony.

But it only lasted for a few dozen seconds before the pain disappeared from all their faces, replaced once again by numb expressions.

Saul’s gaze moved from their faces to their soil-covered legs.

“Ants in the soil… They want the ants to crawl into their bodies, bite from the inside, and leave behind formic acid. Then, from the bodies of these ordinary people, they extract the needed material to make Soul-Reading Candles.”

“They’re extracting the formic acid here without much concealment. Which means this extraction step isn’t the important one. What really matters is how they re-extract the non-toxic formic acid from the human body and refine it into candles that can activate the mental realm.”

That second extraction method surely belonged to the Grand Shaman.

Saul wasn’t planning to take the risk of stealing it.

He wasn’t yet at the point of needing drugs to activate his brain for studying.

The ones who truly needed Soul-Reading Candles were often wizards and apprentices stuck at a bottleneck, who had been unable to advance for a long time and were starting to suffer backlash from accumulated knowledge.

Most of the wizards at the Pandeting he visited earlier were probably in that very situation.

At this point, the wizards inside the cave began speaking softly.

“Why are there so few ants today?”

“Maybe they’re just not that hungry recently.”

“Oh, come on. The Grand Shaman only lets us build seven meat nests each time precisely to stop the ants from hauling away too much food at once.”

Their voices quickly fell quiet again.

Since Saul didn’t get any more information, he simply left.

“Could that Old Witch really have mistaken the hunchback termites for quicksand termites? Her brain may not work well, but her eyes should be fine…” Saul muttered with some frustration.

If there were no quicksand termites here, not only had he come for nothing, but he’d also lost track of any other leads on them.

If he really couldn’t find quicksand termites, he’d have to look for some alternatives.

But those alternatives were either dangerous or even rarer—none easy to obtain.

Saul wandered into the ancient woods, debating whether to continue searching nearby or head back.

Suddenly, his coat pocket vibrated.

Reaching inside, Saul’s brows furrowed deeply.

He felt the candle that Kismet had placed in his pocket.

But there was something else—a piece of paper!

Saul was sure he hadn’t put any paper in there.

He pulled his hand out, fingertips pinching a scrap of paper.

One sentence was written on it:

“The golden page is with me. Fourth row, house number four.”

“That bastard…” Saul took a deep breath. Kismet had definitely done this on purpose.

The importance of a golden page needed no explanation. Even if Kismet was playing games, Saul had no choice but to go and see.

He picked up his pace and quickly reached the forest’s edge.

And there, he ran into that boy again.

The boy was hiding behind a tree, hesitating as he looked toward the settlement.

“If you go back, both you and your father are as good as dead.”

The boy jumped in fright at Saul’s voice.

But seeing it was him, he let out a breath of relief.

“Sir, I wasn’t planning to go back. I just… can’t stop worrying about my father and younger brother. Leaving like this, I might never see them again. Besides, I’ve been in that settlement with my father since I was little. I’ve never left before. I don’t even know where to go.”

Saul raised a hand and pointed in a direction. “Go that way. Walk for two days and you’ll reach another settlement. Though, that might just be another cage.”

Saul didn’t know how these ordinary people ended up in the Borderland.

Maybe the wizards here just needed some humans to handle the most basic labor.

“Sir, could I know your name?” The boy’s eyes were full of gratitude.

But Saul ignored him.

He walked past the boy, out of the forest, and before nightfall, re-entered the settlement.

The pot-plant old man recognized Saul.

After all, there weren’t many wizards who could get Kismet to personally make introductions.

He let Saul through without question.

Saul didn’t ask the pot plant old man for directions. Instead, he casually stopped a regular resident in the settlement.

The moment these people saw Saul’s robes, they eagerly pointed the way for him—some even wanted to personally escort him there, though Saul declined.

Before long, he arrived at Room 4 of Row 4.

The door swung open with a light push, as if the absent-minded owner had just stepped out moments ago.

The room wasn’t large. Upon entering, Saul immediately saw a note pinned to the opposite wall.

Only four words were written on it:

Be right back.

Saul’s expression changed. He instantly turned to leave.

But the moment he stepped one foot outside the room, a scream tore through the street.

The dusky sky above changed color in an instant.

Saul walked onto the street and looked up—above the settlement’s walls, a massive green, arching barrier had appeared.

Some quick-reacting wizards immediately cast Flight and soared into the sky.

But before they could get close, a burst of green mist shot violently from the barrier—blasting one wizard square in the face.

The wizard shrieked and plummeted back to the ground.

Before anyone could make sense of what was happening, a deafening boom rang out.

The sound was so loud that it echoed even within the green barrier.

Saul flew to a rooftop. Only then did he see it—Pandeting, the place he had just visited, had completely collapsed!

“What happened at Pandeting?”

That was the question on everyone’s mind.

Several wizards immediately took to low-altitude flight, weaving beneath the looming green dome as they rushed toward the fallen building.

But Saul’s first reaction was to sprint toward the settlement gate.

Now he understood what “Be right back” really meant.

Kismet was trying to create a golden page right here!

But golden pages were incredibly complex in origin. Could a small settlement like this really birth one?

As he ran, Saul’s mind raced.

Though the enemy hadn’t yet shown themselves, Saul had full faith in Kismet’s knack for stirring up chaos.

Just then, a strange buzzing sound began behind him—

“Bzzzzzz…”

It wasn’t loud, but it echoed throughout the entire settlement.

Saul turned back, and to his astonishment, saw a giant white termite hovering in the air! Two pairs of wings flapped behind it, so fast they left only afterimages.

The termite was at least five meters long, its massive mandibles gleaming with a chilling light even from afar—looking sharp enough to sever a man in half at a glance.

Looking closer, Saul noticed that someone was riding the termite!

A dark-skinned man sat at the joint behind the ant’s head, cradling something in his arms.

Saul squinted, narrowing his eyes to make out the details in the distance.

And what the man held—

Was the severed head of that large-bellied woman Saul had met before: Dolly.

(End of Chapter)

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