146: Chapter 0146 Fei Tingxian

Li Size quickly compared the information with the Magic Monster Illustrated Guide, his fingertips trembling as he recorded:

"Shadow Phantom Python, First Ring Formal-grade Magic Monster.

Talents:

【Shadow Devour】— Can devour light within five meters, creating an area of absolute darkness.

【Phantom Entanglement】— Releases shadow poison upon coiling, reducing the target's Magic Resistance by 50%.

【Mental Erosion】— Can erode the target's Mental Energy upon eye contact, causing hallucinations.

Passive 【Undying Phantom】— Recovery speed is increased by 100% in shadow environments, but the Rune Array suppresses this talent."

Gelia's crimson police uniform was dampened by the morning mist, the silver stars on her epaulets dotted with water droplets.

She gripped Li Size's hand tightly, her fingertip brushing against the scorch marks on his work pants, her tone grave:

"Husband, do you know about the 'Black Tide Incident' a hundred years ago?

The Feiting Federation drove the Magic Monsters from the Monte Mountain Range, forming a Magic Monster Tide that broke through our border defenses, causing the Wokin Province to fall for three months.

Now, these Magic Monsters are fleeing towards the border from different regions; they are clearly being driven. They want to replicate history and weaken our strength!"

Her pupils constricted as she recalled the bloody photographs in the police files.

Her fingertips unconsciously tightened around the sidearm at her waist, the Rune Array engraved on the gun body emitting a faint blue glow.

Li Size shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the Magic Monster distribution points on the drone screen, his expression calm:

"dear, look...

The Shadow Claw Wolf packs only have a few stragglers. The she-wolves have knife wounds on their abdomens; they clearly escaped after being hunted.

The poison vine snake nests were burned, with scorch marks from flames on their scales; the Flame-tailed Bears have puncture wounds on their backs, not the whip marks from being driven.

These Magic Monsters are not even in groups, and their numbers are insufficient to form a Magic Monster Tide. Feiting's goal isn't to drive them, but to eliminate them... They are systematically wiping out the Magic Monsters in the forest."

His fingertip brushed over the photo of the Flame-tailed Bear's wound on the screen, thinking to himself:

Feiting wouldn't do useless work. Clearing the Magic Monsters must have a deeper purpose. Could it be to open a secret passage?

Gelia froze, leaning closer to the screen to observe carefully. She indeed saw that the wounds on the Magic Monsters were attack wounds, not driving marks.

Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she playfully punched Li Size's chest with some embarrassment: "You are still more observant... Then why are they clearing the Magic Monsters? Is there some secret in the forest?"

Her long eyelashes fluttered slightly, the gold thread embroidery on her police uniform shimmering faintly in the morning mist. She mused to herself:

If Feiting is clearing the Magic Monsters, then their target might be ruins hidden deep in the forest, or perhaps they intend to establish a secret base.

Li Size manipulated the drone's control stick, slowly raising the altitude to three kilometers. The image on the screen shifted from the treetops to a high-altitudeLooking down view.

The morning mist covered the forest like a thin veil. The canopies of ancient trees formed a continuous green ocean, with scattered Magic Monsters resembling black ants scattered across the ocean.

He adjusted the drone's flight path, avoiding the Magic Monster groups below, and slowly advanced. About two hundred kilometers later, several moving red dots appeared on the screen.

Groups of three to five sorcerers, wearing Feiting Federation's white and blue striped military uniforms, with witchcraft satchels hanging at their waists, were using Firebolt Spell and Ice Spike Spell to clear the Magic Monsters in the forest.

One sorcerer raised his staff and unleashed a golden rune net, trapping a pack of Shadow Claw Wolves inside.

Another sorcerer used Wind Blade Spell to sever the body of a poison vine snake, causing the shadow energy to dissipate instantly.

Gelia's breathing quickened. Her crimson police uniform flapped loudly in the high-altitude wind, the silver stars on her epaulets flashing with a cold light:

"They actually sent so many sorcerers... Clearing the Magic Monsters must be to investigate the ruins! I heard there is a lost Wizard Tower deep in the forest, hiding the secrets of ancient witchcraft!"

Her fingertip traced the collar of her police uniform, thinking:

If Feiting finds the ruins and obtains ancient witchcraft, it will be a huge threat to the Crimson Soul Duchy.

Li Size's eyes became serious as he manipulated the drone to zoom in the lens...

He saw that the sorcerers' arms were all engraved with the Feiting national emblem rune. Their movements were uniform, clearly an elite squad that had undergone training.

His fingertip tapped the control stick, thinking secretly:

Feiting went to such great lengths to clear the Magic Monsters; it surely isn't just for the ruins. Are they trying to establish a passage through the forest to directly attack the border?

But now is not the time to investigate deeply. Their current strength is insufficient to confront these elite sorcerers, and organizing a large number of sorcerers to enter the forest is also unrealistic.

Gelia leaned against Li Size's shoulder. The scent of cedar from her police uniform mixed with the smell of humus from the forest. Her voice sounded weary:

"Husband, what should we do? Time waits for no one, but we are no match for them..."

Her fingertip gently stroked the scorch marks on Li Size's work pants, feeling that if they couldn't stop Feiting, the brothers on the border would have to sacrifice themselves again.

Li Size turned around, his fingertip gently lifting Gelia's chin. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and her long eyelashes were adorned with beads of morning mist, like butterfly wings touched by dew.

His fingertip brushed against her earlobe, his tone firm: "Lia, let's return to Gray Mist Mountain first.

I am currently developing a witchcraft sniper rifle. If successful, it can pierce a sorcerer's shield from kilometers away.

Once I finish building it, we will come back to assassinate any lone squads and bring back evidence so the Crimson Soul can use Corpse Questioning Art to find out their objective."

A confident light flickered in his eyes as he told himself:

I must uncover Feiting's secret.

A slight smile appeared on Gelia's face. Her crimson police uniform looked like a ball of flame in the morning mist, the silver stars on her epaulets shining with a warm light:

"Okay, I believe you."

Her fingertip tightly grasped Li Size's hand. Their hands were clasped together, as if isolating this moment of resolve from the external threat amidst the high-altitude morning mist.

The drone's propellers continued to hum. The sorcerers on the screen were still clearing Magic Monsters, but the two of them already had a clear goal—return to Gray Mist Mountain, build the witchcraft sniper rifle, and uncover Feiting's secret.

The two rode their witchcraft motorcycle through Gray Mist Mountain Town, shrouded in morning mist. The hem of Gelia's crimson police uniform was speckled with forest debris, and half a withered fern was embedded in the sole of her boot.

The scorch marks on the knees of Li Size's jeans were soaked by the morning dew, showing deep brown stains.

When they pushed open the wooden door of the Laboratory, the collision startled a few sparrows nesting under the eaves.

The faint scent of mint from refining the Mental Energy potion the night before still lingered in the Laboratory. The cold light of the rune lamp reflected off the stacked black demonic iron components on the workbench.

The next morning, Flora pushed a handcart into the Laboratory.

The explosive sulfur in the cart glowed an orange-red, and the crystal bottle containing shadow spider silk refracted purplish patterns in the sunlight.

"Master, this is shadow spider silk. The seller said it was extracted from the silk sac of a Shadow Spider, a Zero Ring Magic Monster from the Feiting border's Shadow Forest."

Flora rested her elbow on the witchwood desk in the Laboratory, her palm stroking the edge of a wooden box engraved with fine protective runes. Her fingertip could feel the raised texture of the runes.

She took a deep breath, hooked her finger into the hidden clasp on the side of the wooden box, and with a 'click,' lifted the lid—

Inside lay a scroll wrapped in dark gray witch-patterned cloth. The cloth was embroidered with a simplified pattern of the Zero Ring Silencing Rune.

She unwrapped the cloth, and the scroll unfurled halfway. Faint blue rune patterns crawled across the paper like living insects, emitting a soft glow.

The witchcraft lamp in the Laboratory cast a dim yellow light onto the scroll. The chime of a distant Wizard Tower rang from outside the window, and a faint smell of medicinal herbs floated in the air.

"I got it from the Shadow Market. The anonymous seller said in the accompanying rune letter that this Zero Ring Silencing Rune can suppress the sound within its range to one-tenth of the original."

Flora looked up at Li Size, her voice lowered, afraid of disturbing Violet outside.

Li Size reached out and took the scroll. When his fingertip touched the paper, he could feel a faint flow of Demonic Energy.

With a thought, he activated Pay-to-Win Analysis—

The golden number representing energy points in his mind jumped. 320 energy points instantly cleared to zero, and a System prompt popped up:

【Rune Analysis: Zero Ring Silencing Rune (Entry-Level 0 / 100)】

The skill notes automatically appeared in his consciousness:

Silencing Rune, a type of Alchemy Rune, belonging to Zero-Ring Sorcery application. It activates by absorbing surrounding Demonic Energy, forming a three-meter radius silent field that lasts for ten minutes.

It can reduce sound decibels by 90%, with a slightly weaker effect on the explosive sound produced by witchcraft attacks (about 70%).

Flora watched his movements, her eyes filled with anticipation and a little nervousness. She asked softly, "Master, is this rune useful?"