"The day has finally come...
Renien, Andov, are you still alive?
And that Legendary Treasure hasn't appeared yet. Could it be that Sophia has obtained it?"
On December 18th, Roy awoke from a shallow Meditation and stood up to look around.
Today was the seventh day.
The temporary camp was unusually quiet, likely because the day of return was approaching, and most teams were making the most of their time.
They saw it as the finale of a grand feast, striving to explore more to reap the benefits of the expedition.
Little did they know, Melina and her group were already closely monitoring the entrance, ready to strike at any moment.
"Around 9 PM, the Void Rift will definitely close completely.
This is the time calculated by the mysterious Astrology and Wizardry.
The next time it opens will be 23 years later, when the Dark Star once again dominates the sky."
Given the current situation in Chalkland, no apprentice could survive in the wilderness for 23 years, so they would surely come out.
And once they did, Melina and her group would ruthlessly slaughter those apprentices!
Roy pondered in his heart, considering his next move.
"I must not act too hastily; I need to wait for the right opportunity..."
He had no interest in seizing the treasure.
He had something far more important to do: clearing his name.
"It seems that such things are too coveted. Before I can fully utilize it, I must temporarily forget the fact that I possess a Humanoid Angel and not let any hint of it slip!"
Melina and her group were meticulous in their actions. After proposing that sinister plan, he no longer had the time or opportunity to act alone.
...
Time passed minute by minute.
Olen, Balu, and Melina no longer participated in the final exploration, seemingly satisfied and having given up on further treasure hunting.
They began to gather the advanced apprentices they knew.
There were still quite a few people in the Wizard Tower who knew them.
Gradually, a rumor began to spread among the crowd.
"Senior Olen has proposed holding a trading fair near the camp to exchange what we need on the spot!"
The reason for this was readily available.
On-site trading would leave no time to prepare various counterfeits, making it more credible.
Freshly unearthed treasures could also be compared, providing a basis for evaluation.
And if there were any opportunities to snag a bargain, it would be a welcome delight.
Some people vaguely guessed that the purpose of this was to find that Legendary Treasure that had yet to appear.
They actually had similar thoughts themselves, so they tacitly agreed.
Worried that some unforeseen event might delay their journey at the last moment, most teams chose to leave early and return early.
Thus, by the afternoon, dozens of people had already gathered.
Roy watched as the number of people increased, frowning to himself.
"Why haven't Renien and Andov shown up yet?"
Just then, an unexpected figure caught his eye.
"Sophia?"
He was surprised to find that Sophia had returned.
"Wait, where's Celine?
Celine is gone!"
...
"Sophia has returned.
And she's alone!"
On the other side, Olen and Balu immediately received the news.
They emerged from their hiding spot and stood on a low hill, coldly watching Sophia, who had been missing for so long and had only now returned.
"Disappearing for so long without reason, even if you didn't hide that treasure, you must have kept some secret to yourself!"
Melina watched from afar, also giving a cold smile.
"Let's go, let's go and see."
Soon after, they each arrived beside Sophia.
Roy also appeared quietly, without drawing attention.
"Sophia, where did you run off to before?" Olen was the first to confront her.
"That's none of your business," Sophia replied.
The group exchanged knowing glances, sensing something was off.
Roy was also pondering to himself: "Her tone sounds a bit strange, could she be injured?"
With this suspicion, Roy quietly observed her, feeling more and more that it might be the case.
Sophia's aura was still strong, but it inexplicably gave off a sense of being tough on the outside but weak on the inside.
"What is she hiding?
Could it be that the treasure really fell into her hands?"
As Roy speculated, Melina and the others gradually revealed their true intentions: "How could this matter have nothing to do with us?
Don't forget, we have a pact!"
"That's right, from the moment you failed to fulfill your obligations, you already broke the pact!"
Sophia frowned and said, "So what?"
Her retort made the probing group slightly more serious.
"We suspect that the treasure has fallen into your hands!" Melina lowered her voice and quietly asked, "Tell us honestly, is that the case?"
"How could that be? I haven't seen any treasure, but I was chased by a powerful monster, and even Celine lost her life!"
Sophia recounted the events, which was the reason she had been absent for days and hadn't gathered with the group for transactions.
The group hesitated, unsure whether to accept her explanation.
Mainly because Sophia was no ordinary person.
Before the incident in Chalkland, her talent and strength had already placed her at the top among the apprentices in the tower.
After the incident in Chalkland, with the previous apprentices dead, she was even considered the chief apprentice.
Even if Olen and the others were proud, they wouldn't dare say they could easily deal with her.
Even disregarding the Legendary Treasure, in a real fight, it would be impossible to subdue her without losing one or two people and leaving the rest severely injured.
If dealing with her inevitably came at a cost, then who would bear that cost?
Olen glanced at Roy without showing any expression, feeling a hint of worry.
Roy had entered with Sophia, and if it came to that critical moment, it was uncertain whose side he would take!
Although Roy was just a newly promoted Elite Apprentice, he had stood out among many senior apprentices, so he must have his own strengths and should not be underestimated.
Roy didn't pay attention to Olen's observation because he was feeling a bit of regret over Celine's death.
"Senior, Celine is dead?"
"That's right," Sophia looked at him with a hint of surprise, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Roy sighed softly and shook his head, "It's just a pity for her.
She walked a tightrope all the way, but in the end, she still didn't make it to the other side."
"Roy, don't interrupt!" Melina said irritably, "Sophia, you can't fool me, my dog caught your scent, you were there before!"
Hearing this, Roy looked at her in surprise.
Balu's expression instantly became playful.
Olen's expression also darkened. "Why didn't you mention it at the time?"
"Hmph!" Melina knew she had misspoken, but at this critical moment of confrontation, she couldn't be bothered to explain further.
Sophia's expres
sion shifted, and she seemed about to say something.
But just then, the crowd began to stir.
Someone exclaimed, "A legendary item! Another legendary item!"
(End of chapter)