For the rest of the journey, Saul kept staring at the lantern.
The lantern performed even more stably than Saul during teleportation. With Saulâs mental strength, those who could currently surpass him in mental power were most likely only fourth-rank wizards.
And among fourth-rank wizards related to light who were also from the Tribunal, aside from Tribunal Chief Frim, Saul couldnât think of anyone else.
The spatial shifting finally stabilized, and the carriage stopped in place. The coachman outside was probably adjusting to his physical discomfort.
Ultra-long-distance teleportation arrays had significant effects on the body and spirit. Even though the teleportation array had protective facilities, Saul still felt his spiritual body shake somewhat during the extended transmission.
Yet the lantern across from him remained stable as ever. If Saul hadnât vaguely sensed slight mental fluctuations from the lantern when the array activated, he might have taken it for an ordinary object like the carriage.
âThe Chief came personally to pick me up?â Saul probed.
Despite being recognized by Saul, the lanternâs glow remained warm and stable.
Frim didnât pretend not to be there. A mental force entered Saulâs mind, automatically producing a majestic yet somewhat ethereal voice.
âMermaids of Nephret cannot be privately sold. Violations will be punished.â
Saul immediately replied, âI took this from someone else. Going to Nephret now counts as returning it to its rightful place.â
Seeing the lantern remain silent, Saul treated this matter as vaguely settled.
The Chief didnât come just to fine me, did he?
Saul continued probing the other partyâs attitude.
Mental intent transmitted from within the lantern again.
âYou relied on yourself alone to suppress and seal a Strom Eye that was about to eruptâŠâ
Hearing this, Saul raised his eyebrows mentally.
This incident happened over a year ago. Why bring it up now? Could it be an excuse?
If the other party brought their purpose into the open, Saul could better think of targeted solutions, like how he had schemed against Ophelia.
ââŠI need to confirm whether you have potential pollution.â
Saul immediately thought of the white bone fragment at his right fingertip.
The pollution on that had directly âdetonatedâ a third-rank wizard.
Saul didnât move rashly. Thinking that he had already been with this lantern for nearly a day, he slowly pretended to understand and asked, âSo do you see any hidden pollution on me?â
âYou have almost no pollution characteristic of the black tide, which makes you more suspicious. However, the specific examinationâIâll personally check after we reach Evernight.â
Personally?
What was before him wasnât actually the person himself, but more like intent attached to the object.
Regardless, whether he would visit the Tribunal again in the future, the fact that this wasnât a real fourth-rank big shot still made Saul breathe easier.
Having just escaped from Ophelia, he didnât want to immediately face another fourth-rank opponent.
Moreover, the Tribunal was different from Sky City.
Because of the dominance of the Tribunal and Stargate Council, Opheliaâs influence was mostly confined to Sky City, so she couldnât possibly hunt Saul across the world.
But if he truly angered the Tribunal without another fourth-rank coming out to protect Saul, he would have to accept worldwide wanted orders or even purge orders.
Thinking of purge orders, Saul was actually quite curious.
Tribunal wizards had once carried purge orders to kill people, and those killed often had no clear reasons, so what exactly were these purge orders based on?
It couldnât simply be eliminating dissidents.
But Saul couldnât ask directly.
He instead brought up, âThe coachman outside said this timeâs destination isnât the Tribunal, but the Evernight Royal Palace.â
Saul suddenly thought, could it be that going to the Tribunal required passing through the Evernight Royal Palace? Just like how he was now returning to Stat to go to Nephret Continent.
However, Frimâs answer was completely different from what Saul had imagined.
âGoing to the Evernight Royal Palace is because thereâs something I need your help with.â
The Tribunal actually has something they need my help with?
Saul showed surprise but still calmly asked, âWhat do you need me to do?â
âI request Doctor Saul to treat the mermaid clan polluted by the black tide.â
Frim especially emphasized the word âDoctor.â
Saul smiled. âSo my reputation as a doctor has already spread to Nephret? Then I wonât be modestâI do indeed have some insights into pollution caused by the black tide.â
âIf you can solve the mermaid problem, the Tribunal wonât let your efforts go unrewarded.â
After conveying this message, the warm yellow light in the lantern suddenly disappeared, plunging the entire carriage interior into darkness. Saul could no longer sense Frimâs presence.
He pushed the carriage door open a crack, looking at the coachmanâs back.
âHowâs your recovery?â
âReady to depart at any time, Lord Saul.â The coachman immediately turned halfway to respond.
Neither mentioned Frim who had just left.
âThen letâs go.â Saul snapped his fingers, using an illumination spell to brighten the carriage again.
After all, before entering the next ultra-long-distance teleportation array, he didnât want to stay in a dark carriage the whole time.
The flying horse carriage didnât take off but traveled smoothly on land, clearly indicating that the teleportation array to Nephret Continent wasnât close.
Saul looked outside through the partially closed door and suddenly felt the distant scenery looked somewhat familiar.
âWhich area of Stat Continent is this?â
âYou should be very familiar with this place,â the coachman said quietly. âThis is one of the entrances to the BorderlandâDwarf Valley.â
Saul wasnât actually very familiar with Dwarf Valley.
However, he knew that unlike the Elven Four Seasons Forest located on a World Side, Dwarf Valley was located in the main world.
The valley had been deliberately modified by dwarves, turning it into a nearly magic-free environment. Later, for unknown reasons, the number of dwarves decreased, and the surviving dwarves all left Dwarf Valley, turning it into a dead land.
However, people reportedly saw dwarves there, but their condition was abnormal, like walking corpses.
The witness at the time lacked sufficient strength and preparation, ultimately not daring to pursue, fearing some strange occurrence and encountering disaster due to inability to use magic.
Saul was quite curious but had never had time to explore Dwarf Valley.
Just then, the mermaid Kate, who had been lying quietly opposite, suddenly turned her face toward him. Her expression was extremely complexâsometimes troubled, sometimes serene, as if she had suddenly developed multiple personalities.
Watching Kateâs changing expressions, Saul silently closed the half-open door and applied a soundproof barrier.
âKate, whatâs wrong?â One of Saulâs hands had already become a semi-transparent gray tentacle, ready to subdue Kate who seemed to be having problems.
Before Saul could act, Kateâs expression suddenly became completely serene, and she silently glanced at Saulâs arm.
Saul changed his hand back to normal, feeling that the otherâs gaze was inexplicably familiar.
At this moment, a voice that didnât belong to Kate spoke, âWhen the dwarf clan was at its most glorious, they nearly turned the human race of this world into their slaves and workers. Who could have imagined their current fate would be near extinction?â
Saul exclaimed in amazement, leaning forward toward the mermaid.
âYou are⊠Floco?â
The mermaid calmly nodded, saying, âAlthough my strength hasnât fully recovered, I was once fifth-rank after all. Separating a strand of consciousness externally is still possible.â
The soul bodies Saul separated could only serve as experimental materials. He had long been interested in Opheliaâs method of creating consciousness splits and Peiâerâs ability to leave soul fragments with her own consciousness.
He asked curiously, âHow do you manage to separate consciousness entities? Is it the same as Opheliaâs method of creating splits?â
Floco gently shook his head, clearly much more skilled at controlling this body than Kate.
âItâs different. I can split my consciousness into this body because inside this monster-like mermaid⊠thereâs actually a trace of my bloodline.â
(End of Chapter)
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