It was as if the conspiracy had succeeded.

"I know," Sophie replied, "but it's completely different now, isn't it? Since we need to purify the dark force underground, the more people go, the better, right?"

"But Milaila's divine artifact power is limited, you should know this," the Giant Dragon replied. "After all, I do not possess true divine strength, and I cannot accommodate everyone."

"Lord Meijeli," Sophie answered, "we, representing Silver Weslan, made this decision. We might not need the power of Milaila's divine artifact; we just need your permission."

Toragotos looked at her for a long time, then slowly nodded: "Go ahead, little girl."

Sophie bowed respectfully to it, then glancing at everyone, she nodded to each person and, taking Xi with her, turned and left the palace.

However, before leaving, she seemed to remember the matter about the Crown Mark, turning back to look at Fang Hong with a piercing gaze, as if trying to see through him.

Fang Hong watched her retreating figure disappear outside the palace, then turned and asked, "What exactly is going on, Lord Meijeli? Has something happened outside?"

He could tell that Silver Weslan clearly had not planned to participate in this trial earlier, but something must have changed in the Saint Peru Valley to make them decide otherwise.

Nevertheless, Silver Weslan, one of the top guilds in the country, was truly awe-inspiring in its decisiveness to forgo the favor of Milaila's divine artifact power, a misstep could mean a loss of one-sixth of their Starlight.

This was certainly not like those games above the virtual community; in Eteliria, each death meant you were further away from this world by a fraction.

Even Fang Hong, fearless as he was, dared not trivialize Starlight—of course, his own Starlight was less than others. But regarding his question, the old dragon did not answer, simply telling them:

"Guda Suoke has five ritual seals, blessings of Asuka, Ka Cuilan, and Ta Hess are all here, Night Lizard People and Shark Lizard People have decided to part ways with us, and the one from Andasok is in the hands of Prince Sokin; only when the five marks are gathered, is the real Guardians' Ritual achieved."

It paused, "But I am powerless as well; whether you can achieve that step is up to you now."

After saying this, the old dragon seemed somewhat weary, flapping its wings and slowly laying down; the divine light in its golden pupils also dimmed suddenly. Frightened, the Old Dwarf jumped up from below, exclaiming in panic: "Toragotos, old pal, you alright?"

"Kaot, you get off my treasure trove," the old dragon said irritably.

The Old Dwarf then reluctantly walked down from Gold Mountain, Fang Hong watched this bizarre spectacle with amusement, and it was at this moment that he heard Toragotos's voice in his mind:

"They are different from you. I am well aware of what that little girl from Silver Weslan and the people behind her want; these people are decent, but to gain something, you must first give— they understand this as well."

Fang Hong was confused and intended to ask further, but the old dragon had already closed its eyelids, seemingly asleep, and spoke no more.

Two Lizardman elders also glanced at them before leaving the hall on their own.

The Old Dwarf constantly complained about Toragotos's stinginess. His tribe was exceptionally warm to friends but exceedingly cold to strangers, holding grudges and being petty.

Fang Hong considered himself quite familiar with the Dwarf's nature; in Elpaxin, these annoying fellows had tricked him badly, so he didn't expect them to lead the way, which made him descend Gold Mountain with Tainaric.

As soon as they came down, Tianlan couldn't help but rush up to ask, "Brother Ade, I was so worried about you just now! But the Big Cat People wouldn't let me come up to help you. By the way, what did that old dragon say to you? It was all so secretive, we couldn't hear."

Fang Hong, well aware of this little girl's manner, flicked her forehead with his finger: "Don't just throw dirt on the Big Cat People."

"It wasn't the Big Cat People," Reed emphasized seriously.

But Fang Hong didn't mind, signaling to everyone with a look: "Let's talk outside."

Honestly, he had not expected this simple invitation to stir up so much trouble, but he had also gained quite a bit, at least those three blessings were tangible benefits. Rather than calling them three blessings, it's better to describe them as three free skills, the experience saved was immense.

However, Fang Hong felt it was even more significant that he had connected with the legendary Green Dragon Meijeli, the advantages in this were even greater; though they had only met briefly, it already seemed comparable to the efforts made by Silver Weslan over many years.

In Eteliria, connecting with legendary Natives was not a simple matter.

Moreover, the elder Tada Lizardman and the elder of the Blood Lizardmen seemed to be on their side—at least on the side of the odd mark in his hand; the former had even mentioned imparting Knowledge to him, which was even more incredible.

But there were also problems, at least now the trial could not be taken lightly anymore. He originally planned to quickly pass through the Underground World, collecting as many scores as possible to conveniently meet up with others at Cloud Harbor; if nothing went wrong, they were likely to arrive after Princess Briana.

But now, it seemed that plan needed to be adjusted.

As they left the hall, they found the valley outside was already in chaos. Fang Hong was a bit stunned, although he knew the trial had started, even for a trial, this seemed unnecessary?

In fact, he had learned earlier that not many people were actually participating in the trial; most people in the valley were either members escorting Trainees or Adventurers seeking opportunities to make money.

Added together, that made the place seem lively.

But the current scene didn't resemble a trial at all; it was more like a war?

Just thinking it over, a Feather Arrow came flying from a distance, making Fang Hong duck his head and allowing the Feather Arrow to fly over him. Reed then caught it steadily with his hand, and only then did the Lion People raise their heads, squinting at what lay ahead—

...

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