Chapter 2170 - 60: The Final Expedition (Part 2)

When the crystal's henchmen appeared, he became increasingly hesitant. There might not be traces of those people left ahead, but there's a significant chance of stumbling straight into the crystal's lair. He even had a suspicion—was their purpose actually the crystal's lair?

Were they going to that place, and would it be worth the cost?

But just at that moment, Nini suddenly popped up.

Fang Hong was startled and couldn't help but look at his 'little daughter.' The little girl lay motionless on his shoulder, staring into the depths of the darkness.

Fang Hong knew she must have discovered something. He followed the little girl's gaze and looked in that direction; there truly seemed to be something glimmering in the darkness.

At this moment, Parker had already left the side of the Beast of Burden, running over to pick up that thing that gleamed within the darkness—it wasn't even long enough for others to stop him. But the Papalarian was fortunate; it wasn't a trap. He only let out a slightly disappointed sound, this sigh letting others realize it wasn't a gemstone or gold coin, otherwise, the Papalarian wouldn't be like this.

Only then did Parker walk back with the item, and Fang Hong was slightly taken aback when he saw it in his hand. It was a metal rod about a palm's length and thumb-thick, engraved with runes. An unknowing person might think it was some sort of artwork. However, for an Invoker, especially an Alchemist, this thing was all too familiar—this was a Mana Storage item, specifically, a magic wand.

Of course, the magic wand itself was still quite valuable. Even an I-level spell wand, as long as it's brand new, would be worth several thousand Lycel. But being discarded so casually in this place could only mean one thing: it was an empty wand.

Fang Hong used his Magic Guided Reactor to connect with the wand to check, and sure enough, it was a low-level wand. Such wands are typically used in adventures to store minor spells that are frequently used, such as the Water Creation Spell, Illumination Spell, Bright Flame Spell, and Camping Spell, etc. They're low-cost, convenient, and easy to carry.

However, miners wouldn't carry these items. They don't even have a Magic Guided Reactor, and the patrol teams belonging to the South Noggnis Guild wouldn't carry them either because they return to the controlled area every day and wouldn't need to camp in the wild. Therefore, the owner of these items was most likely the people those miners had seen before.

That was their target.

Fang Hong was somewhat intrigued; it seemed that the goddess of fortune favored them this time, allowing them to find the right place in one try. He instructed Parker and the Big Catfolk to continue searching in that direction, while he released the Clockwork Fairy to search in all directions—indeed, it wasn't long before they had more findings.

Soon, they discovered an abandoned camp. In the center of the camp was a long-cold bonfire, around which were traces of tent pitches, along with scattered life garbage. There were no personal items left in the camp, nor were there any signs of combat, suggesting that the camp's owners might have left voluntarily.

They might have left several months ago; only the unchanging underground environment preserved the campsite's traces until today, which was undoubtedly advantageous information for them. In fact, after discovering this campsite, Fang Hong could almost confirm that they had found the people they were looking for.

Most importantly, the Big Catfolk uncovered a crucial clue within the camp.

The Lion Paladin discovered this small item amidst a pile of garbage. He bent down to sweep other objects aside and picked it up, glancing at it. A hint of surprise flickered in his silver-gray eyes. He then handed the item to Fang Hong, who immediately recognized its origin.

On that tattered cloth was a dragon emblem missing a corner and an eye, and the crest was all too familiar to them—so much so that even Tianlan couldn't help but exclaim upon seeing it:

"Dragon Worshipper!"

"It seems it's really them." Fang Hong had already had suspicions upon hearing the miners' descriptions, and this only confirmed them. He looked at the Big Cat holding the tattered cloth and said, "Now the question remains, what were they doing here?"

"You might have to ask them in person to know," the Big Cat threw the tattered cloth on the ground, dusted his hands, and replied, "In any case, the Dragon Worshippers have left this place for several months. We only know they might have used the Heart of Chongshan to alter the Ether River's course in Nogness and driven a Guardian mad here."

"Think about it, around the time we were in Idus, not only were the Dragon Worshippers causing trouble in the north, but they also had arrangements in Nogness. It seems that a hundred years after the Dragon Witch incident, they are trying to use the Colin Ishurian turmoil to welcome their Dark Saints back to the world."

Reed spoke with a relaxed tone, but his brow was furrowed while saying it. Regardless of whether he was Colin People or not, he was ultimately a Marlan Paladin, and these dark forces were naturally his and his Goddess' enemies.

Fang Hong pressed his lips and remained silent for a while; he thought their efforts in Idus had severely thwarted the Dragon Worshippers' plot. Even if not causing them to completely fail, it should have made them scramble for a while.