Chapter 136: Leaving the Northern Region [2]

Cecilia stopped teasing him, her gaze settling on the travel gear being loaded into the carriage, and then said:

"You’ve already reviewed the information about the Inferno Prison Secret Realm, haven’t you?"

"Evelyn compiled quite a lot."

"Then you should know that the most dangerous things inside aren’t necessarily the magical beasts."

"The fire-element ley lines?"

"And the lava regions that can change at any moment."

Cecilia nodded.

"Some of the records preserved by the imperial family mention that the terrain inside the secret realm isn’t completely fixed. Certain routes that were perfectly passable last year might already be covered by new lava flows this year."

Victor nodded. This was certainly a warning worth remembering.

A map could provide directions, but it could not guarantee that every route remained safe.

"It seems I should thank Your Highness for personally providing such valuable intelligence."

"Oh, stop it."

Cecilia looked at him.

"If you really want to thank me, then don’t go inside and get yourself half-killed again after only two days."

Victor couldn’t help laughing.

"Why does it sound like you’re even more worried about me getting injured than Evelyn is?"

"I just think that since you’ve finally managed to leave the medical center, you should cherish the days when you don’t have to lie in a hospital bed."

"Don’t worry."

Victor tapped the storage ring on his finger.

"I’ve brought plenty of potions this time."

Seeing how naturally he said this, Cecilia immediately looked somewhat helpless.

"I’m telling you not to get injured, not to bring more potions!"

"Those two things aren’t mutually exclusive."

"Victor!"

Seeing that she was about to start lecturing him again, Victor finally raised both hands with a smile.

"All right, I promise I’ll do my best not to send myself back to the medical center."

Only then did Cecilia let the matter drop.

A moment later, she suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, when you return from the secret realm, let’s find some time to have a sparring match."

"Of course." Victor glanced at her. "But when the time comes, don’t use your level advantage to bully me."

Cecilia smiled. "Didn’t you even manage to defeat Edmund, who was Level 29?"

"Edmund is Edmund. You’re you."

"It’s rare to hear you acknowledge something like that."

She raised her chin slightly, clearly quite satisfied with his answer.

Victor did not expose her little thoughts and simply turned around to board the carriage.

"All right, go back and rest. If Morris finds out you came out so early just to see someone off, he’ll probably lecture you for ages."

"You should worry about yourself first." Cecilia waved at him. "Be careful on the road."

"Got it."

As the coachmen raised their reins, the three carriages slowly departed from the manor.

Cecilia remained standing where she was until the convoy gradually disappeared along the mountain road, only then turning around and returning to the manor.

And with that, Victor had officially begun his journey toward the Inferno Prison Secret Realm.

...

"Evelyn, has there been any news from the Academy?" Victor suddenly asked as they slowly left the estate.

Evelyn knew what he was referring to and shook her head.

"I’ve checked again as you instructed, but the additional accompanying slots still couldn’t be approved."

Hearing this answer, Victor felt somewhat disappointed, but he was not surprised.

Originally, he had not intended to explore the Inferno Prison Secret Realm alone.

Back when Leah’s profession had just awakened, before the Academy screening, he had mentioned to Vice Dean Albert that he intended to bring several people into the secret realm with him. Later, when he spoke to Karl and the others, ordering them to gather at the Third Training Ground every morning, he had also clearly told them that he would attempt to secure additional accompanying slots.

As for who would ultimately be allowed to accompany him, that would depend on their respective strengths.

It was precisely because of this opportunity that the group had been arriving at the Third Training Ground at seven every morning for training, hoping to earn a place before the secret realm opened.

Even Leah had been among those he was considering.

Although the Inferno Prison Secret Realm was dominated by the fire element and contained almost no known resources suitable for the growth of an Astral Spirit Envoy, Victor had always wanted to verify whether Leah’s special profession could make use of materials belonging to other elemental attributes.

Albert had not agreed with this idea at the time, believing a pure fire-element secret realm held no known growth value for an Astral Spirit Envoy. However, Victor believed precisely the opposite.

It was because nobody had attempted such a thing before that he felt it was worth investigating.

Unfortunately, time was simply too tight this time.

The imperial family maintained extremely strict control over entry qualifications, and Victor had previously been occupied with Cecilia’s curse. By the time his departure arrangements were finally confirmed, it was already too late to obtain several additional accompanying slots.

"Then inform them that there’s no need to keep waiting for slots this time," Victor stated. "Tell Bruno and the others to continue training according to the original plan. As for Leah, have her focus on stabilizing her Astral Core first. We can discuss everything else after I return from the secret realm."

Evelyn nodded. "I’ll contact them once we arrive at the camp."

Victor thought for a moment before adding another sentence.

"Tell them that missing this opportunity doesn’t mean there won’t be another one in the future. If they really want to accompany me into even more dangerous places, simply getting up early to train every day won’t be enough."

"Understood."

...

Two days later.

Western Northern Territory, Outskirts of the Crimson Rock Mountain Range.

The evening sunlight fell across vast stretches of exposed crimson rock, while the distant mountain peaks were shrouded in a faint layer of gray mist. As the convoy continued deeper into the mountains, the surrounding temperature noticeably increased, and even the mountain breeze blowing toward them carried a faint scent of sulfur.

Victor lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the increasingly sparse vegetation on both sides of the road.

The shrubs and towering trees that had previously been common were now difficult to find. In their place grew heat-resistant plants with tough leaves and roots that extended deep into cracks in the rocks. Occasionally, they could even see fissures in the ground releasing wisps of hot steam.

Even without anyone telling him, he knew that they were close to the Inferno Prison Secret Realm.

...

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