58: Chapter 58: The Guardian of the Crystal Marrow

On the other side, the members of the Fallen Sun Council who were on the road did not know what had happened at the base, and they were in no mood to find out.

At this moment, they were all looking around vigilantly, constantly using their Mental Energy to guard their surroundings.

Even though they knew this path was relatively safe, Dylan and the others remained cautious and dared not be the least bit careless.

After all, so much time had passed; who knew if any new changes might have occurred on this road.

Even though they had made so many preparations, if they were to accidentally step right on top of a member of the Worm Race, with the Worm Race's keen senses, they would still be able to detect the anomaly and launch a surprise attack.

Furthermore, this was an entire group, and they even had supplies with them, which meant they needed to be even more cautious.

Because they already had data on this route, this time Byron did not need to walk a section and then scout a section as he had before, so their speed increased significantly.

Along the way, apart from a few sporadic attacks by the Worm Race, no accidents occurred, and the journey went very smoothly.

This situation left everyone feeling extremely satisfied.

After all, they were all people who had ventured through the Ghost Marrow Crystal Nest Plane, so they naturally knew what kind of dangers were hidden beneath this land.

Not to mention traveling across the wasteland with so many people and several carts of supplies; even when traveling alone, one would encounter attacks from the Worm Race from time to time.

If one were unlucky, they might even step onto a brood nest and be besieged by countless members of the Worm Race.

To have walked such a long way and only encountered a few attacks from the Worm Race was truly unbelievable!

By noon the next day, Byron and his group arrived at the edge of the Desert Forbidden Zone.

Looking at the Desert that appeared before them, reflected by the light blue crystal sand in the air as if it were a blue ocean, no one present felt excited; instead, their expressions became extremely grave.

Because they all understood in their hearts that the real test was only just beginning, and everything before this had been merely an appetizer.

Byron looked at Dylan and spoke calmly: "Chairman, the Desert Forbidden Zone is ahead. What are the arrangements for what comes next?"

"Should I continue to lead the way into the Desert Forbidden Zone to search for the hidden brood nest inside, or should we set up camp outside the Forbidden Zone first and leave a path for retreat?"

Upon hearing Byron's words, everyone focused their gazes on Dylan, waiting for his decision.

Dylan looked at the vast, boundless Desert before him, was silent for a moment, and then spoke.

"The main force will not enter for now. Let's set up the camp first to ensure there are no problems with our rear path, and then I will select a few more people to continue with Byron to search for traces of the brood nest."

Hearing Dylan's arrangement, no one present had any objections.

Given the current situation, this was the most appropriate arrangement.

After all, without knowing where the brood nest was, letting the main force rashly enter the Desert would be fine if nothing went wrong.

But if an unexpected situation were to occur, the best-case scenario would be to return the way they came.

Because the alchemy dust they had purchased to reduce vibration, the potions to resist crystallization erosion... all these things were stored on those supply carts.

After giving the order, everyone began to get busy; those responsible for unloading supplies did so, and those responsible for setting up the Magic Array did that.

As for Dylan, he selected a few members on the spot, all of whom were at the Third-Rank Wizard Apprentice level, including Byron's senior, Elena.

Loris had originally wanted to enter the Desert with Dylan to search for the brood nest, but after Dylan's persuasion, she remained at the camp.

In such a large camp, if an accident were to occur, it would be difficult for Ivan alone, as a single Limit Wizard Apprentice, to handle it.

Therefore, for the safety of their retreat route, there had to be two Limit Wizard Apprentices stationed at the camp.

Seeing that everything was proceeding in an orderly manner, Dylan felt reassured and led Byron and the other three toward the Desert.

Of course, before entering the Desert, the five of them once again took out the alchemy dust that reduced vibrations and swept it over their entire bodies, doing everything possible to ensure nothing went wrong.

After entering the Desert, Dylan looked at Byron and asked: "Byron, you are familiar with this Desert Forbidden Zone. Where do you think it is most likely that the brood nest exists?"

Upon hearing Dylan's question, Byron pondered for a moment and then spoke.

"Although I walked out of the Desert Forbidden Zone, I was only focused on fleeing for my life at that time; how could I have paid attention to any brood nest?"

"Furthermore, I didn't even know about the existence of the brood nest at that time, so it was even less likely that I would have known anything."

Hearing this, Elena asked doubtfully: "Byron, do you really not have a single clue? Are we really going to have to search the entire Desert?"

Dylan felt somewhat grave at this moment; he hadn't expected the worst-case scenario to happen.

If there really were no clues, they would have to search the Desert bit by bit to find the brood nest.

In that case, the time required would be immense, and there were also the potions and alchemy products that the members would need to consume... all of these were huge cost expenditures.

But just at this moment, Byron's voice sounded again, causing Dylan's spirits to lift.

"However, having said that, I did encounter a mutated member of the Worm Race while I was leaving the Desert, which was very different from the ones I usually encountered."

As he spoke, Byron recounted the information about the mutated member of the Worm Race he had encountered earlier.

"I just don't know if this counts as a clue."

Although Byron's words carried uncertainty, by observing Dylan's reaction, he was already certain in his heart that the mutated member of the Worm Race had a significant connection to the brood nest.

At the same time, another of Byron's conjectures was confirmed.

It seemed that Dylan and the others had more information about the Ghost Marrow Crystal Nest Plane than he had imagined.

And this was the reason why Byron had spoken that way before, not revealing the information about the mutated member of the Worm Race right from the start.

He just wanted to see what kind of reaction Dylan would have.

Although his conjecture had been confirmed, more doubts arose as a result.

Where did all this information come from? Could it be that the academy provided it?

If it was provided by the academy, why would the academy give them this information?

Just as Byron was pondering, Dylan's excited voice rang out.

"Hahaha, Byron, you don't know that the mutated member of the Worm Race you mentioned is called a Crystal Core Guardian, an existence that is even more formidable than a Soldier Worm."

"Just in terms of life level, it is not much different from us, the three Limit Wizard Apprentices. The fact that you were able to return to the base safely after encountering it is truly a stroke of luck."

Hearing this, Byron's pupils constricted, and a look of lingering fear welled up in his heart.

He hadn't expected that thing to be on par with a Limit Wizard Apprentice. No wonder he had almost been detected just by glancing at it.

However, this made the value of the breastplate he had obtained even greater.

It seemed that after returning, he would have to spend some time studying it properly.

"And the reason it is called a Crystal Core Guardian is that it is a guard that protects the nest and the brood mother. Unless an unexpected situation occurs, it generally will not be far from the brood nest."

"Moreover, even if it is some distance away from the brood nest, by tracking the traces it leaves behind, we will be able to find the brood nest sooner or later."

"In this way, it is better than searching aimlessly in this Desert."

Once these words were spoken, the others were also invigorated and became excited.

Hearing this, a flash of light crossed Byron's eyes; he was no longer silent and spoke with a smile.

"Alright, since that's the case, let's go directly to that place."

Dylan nodded: "Alright, then let's set off now."

Afterwards, Byron did not say anything more. After identifying the direction, he led Dylan and the other four toward the place where he had seen the Crystal Core Guardian.