"But I've already verified it — the maps and markers he gave are real, exactly matching what's in his memories..."
"Good!" Leilin nodded, then glanced at Dormor, who lay unconscious on the ground, his sea of consciousness still sealed.
"What about him?"
"Just dump him. We already promised not to kill him, and that's the only reason he cooperated!" Robin said flatly, as though he were throwing away a piece of trash.
Every word and action of a Third-grade Wizard carried terrifying power. Even a simple verbal agreement between them carried a degree of binding force — and it was precisely because of this that Dormor had been so cooperative.
Of course, to Robin and Leilin, this Dormor wasn't exactly a formidable figure. Whether they killed him or let him go, they hardly cared.
"Fine!" Kasha summoned a yellow sand puppet, which snatched Dormor off the ground and ran off into the distance.
"Hmm! Now, let's take a look at the layout of the Quicksand Ancient Fortress!"
Leilin and the others had seized the original camp. They casually found a room to gather in and spread a map across a round table.
It was the map the cowardly Dormor had surrendered, verified through lie detection and memory extraction — highly trustworthy.
On the pale yellow parchment, the structure of an enormous fortress emerged, though large portions were blank, with only a few markers along the outermost edges appearing with any clarity.
Moreover, even along the outermost perimeter, there were numerous "Danger Level Three" indicators.
This meant that only Third-grade Wizards had the strength to explore those areas. Ordinary First-rank and Second-rank Wizards would simply be walking to their deaths.
Leilin and the other Wizards studied the map with solemn expressions, committing it carefully to memory.
"Based on the preliminary data they've accumulated, the Quicksand Ancient Fortress not only contains numerous mechanisms and traps, but its passages and routes automatically shift at regular intervals, nullifying all their previous efforts. As of now, three relatively safe routes have been mapped out!"
Robin pointed at the map. "They are: the front gate, Window Platform One, and the gap in the defensive formation at the top. Which one will you take?"
Once they reached this point, the combined team would effectively split up.
Leilin and the others each had their own objectives and didn't want anyone else accompanying them, lest their secrets be observed.
"I'll take the gap at the top!" Kasha made her decision first. "And the three Warlocks from my family will go with me!"
"Then I'll take the front gate!" Robin said with a smile. "The gap might have better resources, but the front gate is safer."
Luo Ya and the remaining three Warlocks said nothing — it seemed they intended to accompany Robin.
"Then I..." Leilin opened his lips, about to speak.
"Leilin, why not join me?" Kasha extended the invitation. "I know you're looking for the Serpent Woman's Hair. If our team finds it, we'll give you first priority!"
The value of the Serpent Woman's Hair went without saying. Kasha's offer was clearly a gesture of great goodwill.
"Travel together?" Leilin lowered his head in contemplation. There were certainly benefits — at least facing the mechanisms, traps, and pursuers within the fortress would be much easier. But there would also be considerable trouble.
Some of his methods weren't suitable for exposure.
"Sorry!" An apologetic smile crossed his face.
"No matter!" Kasha smiled, apparently unconcerned.
"Alright! Once you've chosen your route, set out immediately. I don't intend to be chased away again!" Robin led Luo Ya and the remaining three Wizards out of the room as soon as he finished speaking.
This expedition had cost neither Leilin nor Kasha much, though Robin's clan had lost two Third-grade Warlocks in succession — a painful blow that made him all the more eager to find something to make up for the losses.
Kasha and Leilin nodded at each other and quickly departed as well.
The entire camp fell into a deathly silence. Only the bloodstained ground and scattered remains spoke of the violence that had just occurred.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Only after Leilin and his group had fully entered the fortress, several hours later, did streaks of brilliant light shoot across the horizon.
The light faded, revealing several non-human beings and Wizards among them.
In the hands of one female human Wizard dangled the unconscious Dormor.
"This camp has been completely destroyed. Kullen and Aguomu are most likely dead as well..."
The numerous high-level Wizards gazed at the camp that had become ruins, their faces barely containing their fury.
"Kullen should be fine — it prepared a clone long ago and can be reborn in our clan's Life Source Pool!" an aged green-skinned barbarian said. "If not for the fact that creating such a clone consumed a vast amount of its Spiritual Power, it probably wouldn't have been so easily killed here!"
"Maybe not!" Another Wizard — a bear barbarian — wore a distinctly sour expression.
Among the three Liquefied Wizards in the camp, one had merely been knocked unconscious, another still had a clone — only their tribe's Liquefied bear shaman had truly perished.
The bear barbarians excelled at physical strength but could only channel their magic through totemic powers, which meant they lacked the abundance of life-preserving spells that others possessed. Their thinking was also rather rigid, unlike humans who would bend their knees and surrender.