Fang Hong pondered the potential dangers, yet more than that, he felt a great sense of relief in his heart.

A blue light flashed and vanished from his vision like a receding tide, leaving behind a completely barren land where Tainaric and Xiangzi were standing nearby.

The former was unloading a ceaselessly chattering Papalarian crossbowman from his shoulder and then, completely ignoring the latter's complaints, flicked his long tail and tossed back the heavy crossbow to its owner.

Then it was the turn of the Rain Listeners.

Elisa quickly ran over, looking at him with a mixture of joy and worry, and bowed with some gratitude, "Mr. Ade, thank you, you've helped us once again."

"It's not really a help," Fang Hong replied, "even if you weren't there, we would have had to act against the Blood Oath Alliance. Besides, your presence there gave us a bit more assurance in our actions."

This realistic attitude immediately earned the favorable impression of the other Rain Listeners, coupled with the fact that Fang Hong had indeed covered their retreat earlier. On the battlefield, this was the camaraderie that came with fighting side by side.

So, the relationship between the two parties suddenly became much closer.

Although the others did not speak, their looks no longer carried a sense of strangeness.

However, Fang Hong glanced at the Light Gate; he knew this Teleportation Gate would stay active until the end of the trial, and members of the Blood Oath Alliance could at any time defeat the two Guardian Colossi and catch up, so he spoke up, "In any case, let's leave this place first. It's our first time ahead of the Blood Oath Alliance, and we have to increase the distance immediately."

What he was actually worried about were the other advantages held by the Blood Oath Alliance. Their current lead was somewhat accidental, while the latter had obviously come prepared—much more thoroughly than them.

At least the fact that they unabashedly used Dark Force here without fear of Toragotos' retribution with Dragon's Wrath, should he become aware afterward, clearly suggested they had something to rely on. Whether that reliance was their firm belief in the falseness of their methods leading to the correct result eventually, or they had planned to flip the table from the start, was hard to say.

But either way, it carried an implicit confidence.

Fang Hong believed that this confidence was not mere hubris.

Upon seeing his glance, Elisa nodded, but in private, with a voice so low that no one could hear, she asked, "Did Mr. Ade call out my sister's name first just now?"

Fang Hong's face turned red, as calling someone by the wrong name was indeed quite embarrassing: "That was just—"

"I know, Elisa is, after all, not as cute as her sister."

"Wait, that's not what I meant..."

Elisa looked at him, her eyes curving slightly as she covered her mouth lightly with her hand, "Oh?"

Naturally, Fang Hong found himself speechless; if that wasn't what he meant, then what was? This was clearly a situation that left him without a justification, forcing him to accept the awkwardness in silence. Fortunately, the embarrassment didn't last too long, as after the two groups merged and left the teleportation point, the moment of separation eventually arrived.

The seventh floor was the final level of Dragon's Nest.

Below that, one would exit the scope of the trial. Although Milaila's Semi-Divine Artifact reached deep underground, the creatures lurking in the dark were no longer phantoms created by the Giant Dragon Toragotos.

And the sixth floor, the second half of this competition, had no fixed exit. There was no basis for cooperation between the two sides, and Fang Hong had no intention of mixing with the people of Rain Listening.

Before departing, Elisa explained the rules of this level to Fang Hong, "The sixth floor is a wilderness, Mr. Ade. There's no fixed exit here, and monsters thrive in the shadows. To reach the next level from here requires both strength and a certain amount of luck."

"It's more efficient for us to search for the Lord separately than together. However, please rest assured, Mr. Ade, we have come here only pursuing a chance for the Rain Listeners' survival. So even if we reach the end first, we will leave the treasures left behind by Lord Toragotos for you."

Seeing him about to speak, Elisa shook her head, "Please don't refuse; we want to use this as a condition for forming an alliance because the Rain Listeners have nothing more to offer. We can only promise you those things that don't yet belong to us."

"Non-aggression pact?" Fang Hong asked.

Elisa gave a gentle nod.

Fang Hong understood that a non-aggression pact was in effect forming an alliance—since both had a common enemy, and the Blood Oath Alliance was strong enough that neither side would allow the other to be eliminated if there was a chance to intervene.

After thinking it over, he felt that this condition was acceptable. After all, his purpose was to do his best to fulfill Toragotos' commission and visit the Spire, which would be a return favor for three rituals.

On the other hand, it was about the underground riches.

From this point of view, there was indeed no conflict between them, provided that the Rain Listeners did not renege on their word. After all, wealth can seduce hearts, and no one can assure that they will not change their initial intentions.

When Elisa saw him nod in agreement, she let out a sigh of relief. She took out something and gently placed it in Fang Hong's hand. Whether it was an illusion or not, Fang Hong felt as if her hand lingered on his a bit longer than necessary.

Then the elder of the twins withdrew her hand with slightly flushed cheeks, saying, "Mr. Ade, this is Equipment that fell from Kukulkan's Holy Relics. I am now returning it to its rightful owner."

Only then did Fang Hong see what that item was.

He found it was a Space Storage Crystal—specifically the kind used for digitizing Flexible Constructs, a specialized Magic Guided Conductor. Of course, it looked quite simple on the outside, just a dark, heavy crystal.

He instinctively opened the object and took a sharp breath; he had never seen this type of space storage device before, but it must be the work of the Giant Dragon Toragotos, who was a master of Alchemy himself.

It was only after opening it that he was truly certain of this, for the internal space was somewhat beyond his imagination. He raised his eyebrows and looked up at Elisa.

"Thank you, Miss Elisa."

"It was already yours, why thank me?" Elisa said with a contained smile, "You're too polite, Mr. Ade."

Yet as Fang Hong held the device, he was overcome with a surge of emotion, feeling for the first time that he had truly made a correct decision. His visit here was justified; this equipment was exactly what he needed at the moment.

...

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