Chapter 561: Starting from the High-Risk Zone

Chapter 561: Starting from the High-Risk Zone

After learning Oro had something good, Moser stopped talking about finding more people. With something like the Embrace of Extreme Cold, just the three of them could proceed with the exploration. Half of the Stone Forest had already been surveyed, yet this exploration still yielded very little for them to find.

Apart from Human Forms, there were just Human Forms. However, a new discovery was made regarding the state of the Stone Forest itself. The stone pillars were starting to show signs of melting. Of course, these signs only made the Stone Forest appear more terrifying. Because of the melting, objects atop the pillars began to resemble human faces. When moving through the Stone Forest, one might suddenly find countless inexplicable human faces staring right at them.

Even scarier was that these faces could make expressions—either eerie smiles or other rich, complex looks. In short, they displayed human expressions perfectly. But no matter which expression it was, they all radiated an evil feeling.

Entering the Stone Forest, Oro looked at the Beacons within. They had become extremely numerous and complex. Also present were some members of The Church manipulating strange little devices at work… These were called Satellites. Upon taking flight, they could hover fixed at a point, scanning the environment below. The scanned data could be transmitted back to the person using a controller.

This controller resembled a headband. Once worn, it was operated using Mental Energy. Images were also transmitted back through it. It was a very useful tool. A Spellcaster user could later project the returned images using Illusion Magic, showing what was seen via Illusion.

This device provided massive help for exploring the Stone Forest, greatly reducing casualties. After all, investigating some High-Risk Zones always demanded lives. Relying on these Satellites for scouting did carry the risk of them being destroyed in such areas, but it still offered a much safer approach.

A broken device could be replaced. A broken person couldn’t be fished back out of the River Styx, could it?

So as the exploration progressed, Satellites became increasingly popular. To the point that countless Mercenaries now wanted to get their hands on them. Some even eyed them greedily, wondering if they could swipe a few. However, The Church wasn’t naively lax. They stated clearly: these were unique items; The Church would not lend them out. Those with extra ideas should give up that notion. This was best for everyone…

No explicit threats were uttered by The Church, but the message was unmistakably clear: forget about ever getting them. They were also constrained by their situation. Should anyone carry out improper actions… The Church held no responsibility for what might happen next!

The Church, as direct users, knew the value of these Satellites very well. However, when purchasing them from Zheng Yichen, they had signed a Contract binding the entire Sanctuary Church. Previously, most items he provided were restricted to use solely within the Containment Zone.

After the events within the Containment Zone were resolved, whether these items would be released commercially depended entirely on his whim. If he felt like it, they might appear in his Online Store, perhaps with some advertising first. If not… tough luck.

The Church had consistently tried to persuade Zheng Yichen, but he kept pushing responsibility onto Dan Marina, offering the Church no real chance.

Over time, the Church temporarily gave up on the matter. All things considered, even if they could only be used inside the Containment Zone, it wasn’t a loss for the Church. After all, they’d already used them. Even if unwilling to truly trade them publicly, gaining sufficient understanding of the devices made future precautions… somewhat easier.

Regardless, the things Zheng Yichen provided had certainly made a significant contribution within the Containment Zone.

Oro watched a Satellite fly overhead. He’d read the reports on them. Currently, The Church could deploy eighty Satellite units here. Since many tasks remained inside the Containment Zone and support couldn’t readily be shipped in massive amounts, they hadn’t purchased more.

Even so, these eighty Satellites attracted many covetous eyes. There were always people trying stealthily to snatch one or two. The Church’s open warnings had little effect. Yet, in Oro’s view, the Chief Supervisor Ti Xiya’s delay in taking decisive action suggested… some unspoken design? Or perhaps that Dragon’s “generosity”? Just the mere existence of these things attracted numerous outside Mercenaries to the Containment Zone. Regardless of whether they came to help or had ulterior motives, one thing was undeniable: besides members of the Sanctuary Church, fresh combatants were flowing back into the Containment Zone.

Even if those individuals were commissioned by external factions aiming to gather intel on the special equipment within the Containment Zone… well, that was no problem. Once in, they couldn’t get out anyway. Whatever they obtained could only be stored in an Expansion Pouch; it was impossible to send anything out via the Magic Weapon Summoning Book – after all, that was Zheng Yichen’s creation. He had a Contract with the Church; would he just watch his own work get stolen?

These devices had become bait.

The morality of this approach? Well, those who came chasing profits should have been mentally prepared. Not wanting to be tricked was simple: just don’t accept such commissions. Accepting one meant weathering the consequences if ensnared.

Besides, effectively resolving the situation within the Containment Zone was good for everyone. Methods like this? Acceptable. Oro certainly wouldn’t condemn Ti Xiya or Zheng Yichen over it. Overall, based on clues Oro had picked up since arriving, Zheng Yichen and Ti Xiya both seemed involved. At the very least, both had deliberately leaked info about the Containment Zone’s equipment.

Combined with Mercenaries posting plenty about it on the Forum… attracting attention was inevitable! Some might see the ploy, but one pertinent question applied: Did it matter?

Not really. With significant gains involved and a chance to get something, many would inevitably take the risk. Of course, deeper players preferred observing, hoping others would jump in first. If those early birds showed success, the observers would dive in with even greater force!

“Pfft! You… How did you get this?!” Seeing Oro pull out an Expansion Pouch and retrieve a Satellite, Moser nearly choked. This thing was seriously cool; he’d wanted one himself. It could replace a Mage’s Eye, and was vastly more convenient than such scouting spells.

It required no extra Mental Energy. Once linked, it was easy to use. Frankly, even ordinary people could operate a Satellite freely after proper training… Crucially, its Magic emissions were minimal, making it incredibly hard to detect with typical scouting methods.

“A reasonable application, of course,” Oro said, tossing the Satellite skyward. He put on a pair of glasses, causing Moser’s lip to twitch again. Damn it! Not only did he get what Moser couldn’t apply for, he even acquired a special edition! These glasses represented another Satellite connection model. The headband was an immobile version – receiving images interfered somewhat with the user, hindering movement.

In combat, that was a disadvantage. Hence, headband users typically operated from the rear. The glasses worked differently. The images projected onto the lenses as Illusions, semi-transparent. After getting used to it, they didn’t obstruct vision or combat.

“Besides, everywhere we’re going is a High-Risk Zone.”

“Hey, hey, hey! You didn’t tell me that when you invited me here!”

“Telling you then would just make you overthink,” Oro shot back. “Better to reveal it now, where you likely won’t bolt. Investigating means starting where we know there’s something to find. The Stone Forest? Well, I surveyed this distribution pattern before: mostly uniform, yet varying levels of danger emerge solely based on Human Form density. Some places are safe; others are lethally risky.

Even Church knights entering face mortal danger. Why is that?”

His words made Moser and the bodyguard pause thoughtfully. They genuinely hadn’t considered this detail deeply before.

“Details! Never forget the details. Anyway, we start our investigation with the nearest High-Risk Zone. Starting there is definitely the right call.”

Moser nodded, deciding not to argue further. Investigating High-Risk Zones wouldn’t necessarily be safer with more people; it could provoke greater danger. Sudden combat encounters were common. Once fighting broke out, more people meant greater destruction. These stone pillars, already softening, weren’t like before. Touching them used to make them “bite”; now, melting meant they might literally… eat people!

Literally. Pillars with higher degrees of melting were far more dangerous. This phenomenon had emerged just recently. In High-Risk Zones, the melting signs were particularly severe.