Among the five members of Leilin's group, excluding Leilin himself, Posayin was unquestionably the strongest when it came to raw stats.
According to the data detected by the Chip, Posayin's Spiritual Power had reached a staggering 15 — already at the threshold for promotion to a formal Wizard.
But for reasons unknown, perhaps much like Leilin, he had deliberately concealed himself. Posayin had used a secret technique to suppress the massive Spiritual Power fluctuations emanating from his body and the abnormalities in his eyes, preventing anyone from noticing.
Furthermore, as a Third-rank Apprentice from one of the great families, the energy fluctuations of the Magical Items carried by Posayin were the strongest among all the apprentices — second only to the Pendant of the Fallen Star around Leilin's neck.
On top of that, the Lilisite Family was one of the three great families of the Academy. If anyone believed that a junior member like Posayin would venture out on a journey without carrying secret family techniques or some other trump cards, Leilin would be the first to call that nonsense.
As for the remaining three — Jiamen, Shaya, and Ross — they had all only recently advanced to Third-rank Apprentice. Jiamen and Shaya both carried Magical Items, putting them a notch above Ross. Yet Ross had maintained a steady, composed demeanor throughout the journey, clearly possessing his own hidden strengths.
"If none of us use our trump cards, my odds against Posayin are roughly fifty-fifty. Shaya and Jiamen are slightly below us, and Ross brings up the rear — but he's not to be underestimated!"
Leilin's eyes flickered as he rapidly calculated how he would respond in case a rift opened within the group, and what consequences each scenario would bring.
There was no help for it. Whether in the novels of his past life or in the adventuring stories of this one, every time a group of explorers stumbled upon treasure, internal conflict was inevitable. It was practically a law of nature.
And Leilin knew full well: if what Jiamen had found really was the ruins of a Crimson Archwizard, he absolutely refused to share whatever was inside with the other four.
When the time came, he might very well be the first to strike.
…
Moon Lute Town was a small settlement nestled at the foot of the Moon Lute Mountains.
On this day, five dust-covered Knights appeared on the main road, where yellow sand whipped through the air.
"All right. We'll enter the mountains through an entrance near Moon Lute Town. Before that, we can rest up at an inn in the town!"
Jiamen reined in his mount, dismounted, and pulled out a map with tattered edges to study.
He looked entirely different now — he was using a mundane disguise technique, which had genuinely surprised Leilin.
"We're already in the border zone. Running into people from the Gothic Sage's Cottage here wouldn't be strange at all. We need to be careful…"
"I know!" Posayin tugged at his collar, his face showing a trace of impatience.
The five of them led their horses to an inn called "Where the Wronged Dead Don't Weep."
They pushed open the door, and it was as though they had stepped into another world. Shouting, raucous noise, and the smell of sweat and alcohol all rushed at them at once.
Jiamen furrowed his brow but walked up to the counter and tossed down a gold coin.
"Give us five quiet rooms—"
"Sorry, we only have three private rooms left!" The lazy-looking innkeeper, who reeked of rum, cut him off before Jiamen could finish.
"Fine! We'll take all three rooms, and serve us your best food!"
Having an inn at all in a backwater town like this was a stroke of luck, so Jiamen didn't press the matter.
He did grumble when paying: "I thought this godforsaken place barely saw a handful of visitors a year? How are there only three rooms left?"
"Hic!" The innkeeper let out a burp. "Who knows? The Moon Lute Mountains are full of poisonous gas and swamps. Half the able-bodied lads in this town who go in never come back. The most I get around here is the occasional drinker. But by gold, today I've already served two groups of big spenders!"
"Two groups?" Leilin stepped forward. "You mean someone else got here before us?"
"That's right. And they even hired a guide from me! By gold, who in their right mind wants to go deep into the Moon Lute Mountains to die?"
Hearing this news, Leilin exchanged a glance with Jiamen and the others. A bad feeling settled over them all.
"Fine! I'll have Little Fingers show you to your rooms!" The innkeeper yanked three oil-stained keys from his belt and bellowed, "Little Fingers! Little Fingers! Don't make me wait another second, or I'll skin you alive…"
Bang!! A moment later, a tiny dwarf wearing a gray pointed hat scurried up to the innkeeper.
"At your service, honored master. Little Fingers awaits your command…"
The dwarf called Little Fingers was only half Leilin's height, dressed in garishly colorful clothes that made him look rather ridiculous.
"Take our guests upstairs to their rooms. You know which ones!"
The innkeeper casually cuffed the dwarf and tossed him the keys.
"Gentlemen, please follow Little Fingers! Watch your step on the stairs!"
Little Fingers touched the brim of his hat and took the lead.
Leilin and the others followed behind.
Shaya removed his cloak, revealing a strikingly handsome face and an elegant figure. A group of drunken men in the common room immediately let out a chorus of wolf whistles.
Rather than being bothered by this, Shaya actually blew them a flirtatious wink, which set off a minor commotion.