The Maze Mountains.

The roasted mountain rat meat was tender and deliciously flavored. With just a touch of salt, it tasted sweet and delicious. Normally, Xiabolei would have wolfed it down eagerly.

But his mind was preoccupied, so the food tasted bland to him.

"I can't believe such a big secret was hidden in Moon Glow Town!"

"Even Baron Phyllin is involved in this!"

"Rosen, this is a huge deal. We need to hurry back to Silvermoon Fortress and inform Auntie about this!"

Rosen just kept happily eating his mountain rat. Hearing this, he didn't even lift his head to reply, "What evidence do we have? The word of one miner isn't very credible."

Xiabolei paused in surprise, numbly taking another bite of rat. He chewed a few times before responding, "You're right. We must find that witch doctor! Best if we can capture him and bring him to Silvermoon Fortress."

"If Baron Phyllin is really involved, he won't just stand by idly and let us do this."

Xiabolei slapped his thigh and let out a cold laugh.

"Hmph! He dares to stop me?! Does he think my demon-slaying sword is just for show? Does he think my Silvermoon Legion is a joke?"

Rosen smiled mildly. "Uncle, you heard it too. Almost the entire town has drank the elixir from the outsiders."

Xiabolei paused in shock. "So what?"

"There is a fine line between a muddled mind and a controlled mind. Do you really think these outsider magicians would be so kind as to only confuse people and not control them?"

"......"

Xiabolei's mind reeled in shock, sweat beading on his forehead in visible droplets.

If that was the case, then things were truly troubling.

As a baron, Phyllin himself was a mid-tier paragon warrior. He commanded over 300 baron guards, plus that mysterious magician.

If today's events came to light, their fates would likely mirror that of the previous envoy.

"Rosen, what should we do then?"

Rosen had already finished his rat and took a swig of water. After a satisfying belch, he got up, dusted off his butt, and kicked dirt over the campfire.

"Let's go. Time's up. First we'll quietly find that magician."

Xiabolei stared in confusion. "In the deep mountains and old forests? How will we search? Also, didn't you say there were traces around the camp? Shouldn't we follow those first?"

Rosen smiled. "The camp was cleaned up well, no traces left. I only said that earlier to get Holm to reveal more."

Xiabolei was even more confused. "Huh?"

As Rosen walked off in the direction Holm had left, he explained, "Holm is just a poor miner. With a fortune like that, what do you think he would do?"

Xiabolei hurried to catch up with Rosen. "If it was me, I'd hide the money first, then sneak to a big city and slowly exchange it for smaller coins to use."

"A sane person would naturally do so. But what if it was someone who had experienced Auntie Gin's bliss tenfold?"

"Tenfold?!"

Xiabolei couldn't imagine what kind of ecstasy that was. But he himself couldn't resist even onefold bliss from Auntie Gin. He didn't believe anyone could resist the temptation of tenfold bliss.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"He must be desperate to find that magician and buy more elixir!"

Rosen's lips quirked up slightly. "Then if we follow him, won't we find the magician?"

Even better, most of the forest floor was covered in a layer of fallen leaves that would easily reveal a trail to follow.

Xiabolei was overjoyed, but then realized something didn't make sense. "But Holm said he didn't know where the magician lives, right?"

"Uncle, do you really believe everything people say?"

"Uh... So you're saying he lied?"

Rosen smiled back. "If he didn't know, how did he specify it was a wooden lodge that was built there?"

Xiabolei gaped dumbly before bursting into loud laughter. He heartily slapped Rosen's shoulder. "Rosen, you really are so clever! No wonder Auntie took to you right away!"

"The Countess is quite fond of me?"

"Of course! From young till now, I've never heard her praise someone so much. Anyway, if you pass this test, she'll definitely reward you greatly."

Rosen just gave a faint smile. "I'm honored."

Seeing his nonchalant reaction, Xiabolei found it odd. "You don't seem very excited. Don't believe what I said?"

Rosen replied as he followed Holm's tracks. "Uncle, the task at hand is most important now. If we don't handle what's in front of us, the future is but fantasy.

"So there's no need to waste time and energy on uncertain things, lest we neglect the present."

Xiabolei paused, pondering those words. He felt he understood, yet also didn't, but his mood calmed nonetheless.

"Oh well, you mages are all the same, stone-faced all day as if you have no feelings."

Holm's tracks led deeper into the dense forest. This verified Rosen's deduction.

He was delighted, a smile dawning on his face. "Who said I'm always stone-faced? Am I not smiling now?"

"Uh...yeah, my bad. You found a lead, right?"

"Yes, follow me."

The two followed the trail, at times clearly visible, other times obscured by the fallen leaves.

After a bit, Xiabolei cocked his ear to listen.

Moments later, he muttered, "Holm is just up ahead, not far."

Sure enough, after some more tracking, they spotted Holm's figure. He walked while humming a mountain song, seeming to be in good spirits.

Xiabolei looked on strangely. "His three sons died, wife went insane, yet he can still be so cheerful?"

Rosen just gave a faint smile. "Because his soul is already under the control of extreme pleasure."

"On the surface there is no change, but his soul has already fallen to become a puppet of desire."

"Rosen, it sounds like you're describing me."

"Uncle will also slowly slip into the abyss of desire if you don't restrain yourself."

Xiabolei's heart shuddered and he fell silent.

After that, the two focused on stealthily following Holm. About half an hour later, they noticed an inconspicuous U-shaped valley up ahead, no more than a hundred meters away.

The valley wasn't large, but the walls were high and difficult to climb. The entrance was blocked by freshly collapsed boulders, sealed up tight.

But upon close inspection, a small hole could be spotted underneath the boulders, about 2 meters wide and over 2 meters tall.

Standing at the valley mouth, Holm looked around before squeezing through the hole.

Rosen and Xiabolei hid behind a large tree, closely observing.

Numerous footprints could be seen at the valley entrance, some faded, some clear, varying in size and shape.

Rosen examined them closely while explaining the next steps to Xiabolei.

"Uncle, Holm will soon be captured. The magician will also become more vigilant. We must act quickly."

"Why capture Holm?"

"A miner, yet spending gold kronor on elixir, is that normal behavior?"

"Not normal."

"The magician's mind is surely sharper than average. Hiding out here, he must know he can't risk exposure. He'll be extra cautious."

"I bet he'll soon interrogate Holm about the gold kronor, then boost security. Sneak attacks will be hard then."

"So we strike now?"

Xiabolei tightened his grip on his sword, face flushed with pre-battle excitement.

"Wait a moment."

Rosen was deducing the valley layout based on the traces at the entrance.

Not just visually, he also opened his adventure log to get the closest view, scrutinizing the surroundings.

Soon, he noticed many details - footprints, feces, discarded bones, claw marks on trees, strange symbols, totem-like hangings, and more. These gradually revealed clues about the mysterious magician.

"Uncle, this magician is very short, not even as tall as me. He's not alone either. A very powerful bear accompanies him."

"This bear is different from the moon bears commonly seen in Yellow Spring Heights. Judging by the size and depth of the prints, it's much larger, likely over 1,500 mobi in weight."

Mobi was the weight unit used in the Silvermoon region. 1,500 mobi was about 3,000 pounds on Earth.

"Ah, so heavy?!"

Xiabolei instinctively shrank his head back, cold sweat beading on his sword-gripping hand.

A giant bear of such size was surely a variant with thick skin and immense strength. It likely had innate magics too - a terrifying killing machine.

Seeming to respond to Rosen's words, a deep roar sounded from the valley, along with shrieks of pain.

Xiabolei's eyebrows quivered at the sound. "Never heard such a powerful bear roar!"

But Rosen was delighted. "That's Holm screaming. Sounds like he got a big scare. The magician is likely interrogating him about the gold kronor."

Since it was still interrogation, the magician didn't know they were here yet.

Realizing this, Rosen muttered, "Uncle, just the magician and one bear in there. This means the magician is strong and confident. But two against one, plus an ambush, we can definitely capture him."

Xiabolei's mind was filled with the terrifying giant bear. Hearing Rosen, he reflexively asked, "How do we ambush?"

Rosen already had a plan. He moved next to Xiabolei's ear and whispered, "Uncle, here's what we'll do."