"What exactly happened?"
Roy shook his head. His head was still spinning a little.
"Demon Hunter Ganlier tried to intercept us, and our teacher showed up just in time to save us — that's all there is to it!" Kasha said with a bitter smile.
She had heard the name Demon Hunter Ganlier many times before. In the rumors, he was a terrifying figure who could make even the cunningest devils weep bitterly and regret ever being born, a man of fearsome renown.
If she had fallen into his hands, just the thought of it made Kasha break into a cold sweat.
"I should have realized it sooner. Sin City and the Forgotten Land are so close, with such frequent exchanges between their people. How could the powers inside the Forgotten Land possibly have no connection to the Demon Hunters?"
Robin's face was full of regret.
In truth, what he wanted to say was that those forces were nothing more than the Demon Hunter's lackeys. The moment they realized they couldn't handle the group, they had immediately notified their master.
But without hard evidence, and with a Demon Hunter being a Morning Star Wizard, Robin had been very cryptic.
"If Teacher Gilbert hadn't arrived this time, we would have been in real danger. By the way, why did Teacher come here?" A flicker of confusion crossed Robin's face.
"That was me!" Leilin said with a wry smile, stepping forward.
"Before we set out, I had a premonition of sorts, so I left a letter with Pike and told him that if I didn't return within a certain time frame, he should deliver the letter to Lucy immediately and ask him to pass it along to our teacher… Thank goodness! Senior Lucy really is trustworthy, and Teacher just happened not to be caught up in any deep-level experiments…"
The words were half true, half false. Leilin had actually foreseen through the Destiny Coin that a Morning Star-level force would intervene in this expedition, but he couldn't bring himself to give up the snake-woman's hair, so he had resorted to this compromise.
Now it seemed the result was quite good.
"Sorry! I took it upon myself without consulting anyone!" After admitting it, Leilin immediately apologized.
"No! It's nothing! We should be thanking you for your caution!" Robin waved his hand dismissively.
"Exactly! Who could have guessed the Demon Hunter would be so treacherous, trying to steal even from a few junior apprentices like us!" Kasha looked indignant.
"Quiet!" Leilin and Robin both stopped her at the same time.
"When dealing with a Morning Star Wizard, even one who is hostile, basic respect is the bare minimum! It is respect for the truth!"
Kasha's face flushed red, and she lowered her head again.
Rumble!
At that moment, a massive wave of fluctuations rippled from the distance. Leilin gazed in that direction, worry flickering in his eyes.
"Don't worry! The Demon Hunter may have a fearsome reputation, but you have to trust our teacher — he's incredibly powerful!"
Robin noticed the worry in Leilin's heart and smiled reassuringly.
"I hope so!" Leilin replied, his tone somewhat strained.
Calling upon Duke Gilbert had already been his last card. Apart from this teacher, he truly couldn't think of any other way to make the Demon Hunter hesitate.
If his teacher were to lose, the rest of them as students would almost certainly not get away unscathed.
"Strength! It all comes down to strength!"
Leilin clenched his fists involuntarily, his longing for the Morning Star Wizard realm growing even stronger.
Whoosh!
A blood-red streak of light split the sky, and Gilbert's figure materialized before Leilin and the others.
"Teacher!" Robin and Leilin hurried forward to bow.
"You little troublemakers, you really stirred things up this time! You actually managed to provoke Ganlier!" Gilbert swept his gaze over them first, and then a smile spread across his bare face.
It seemed he had not been at a disadvantage in his fight against the Demon Hunter.
Realizing this, Leilin immediately felt a wave of relief wash through him. At the very least, the worst possible outcome would not come to pass.
"Alright! You must all be exhausted after your expedition. Take my airship back!"
Gilbert waved his hand with a smile, and a small airship immediately appeared on the spot.
Though it was smaller than the public airships, the interior was clearly far more lavish. The magical arrays inscribed on it were far more refined and brimming with powerful energy.
"This is…" Leilin's jaw dropped.
Though this airship was small, it was still an airship! The kind of spatial artifact that could house something this large — Gilbert Duke's storage item had to be at least a magic-grade artifact!
Robin, on the other hand, assumed Leilin was simply stunned by the airship itself and explained with a smile: "This is the Black Scale, Teacher's personal vessel. When Teacher advanced to Morning Star Wizard, the Feile Family gifted it to him. It has access to every airship network route and automatically receives VIP treatment at any maintenance dock or port of call!"
"What a wealthy family!" Leilin sighed. A family that controlled the entire airship network across the Central Continent — their foundations were truly deep beyond measure.