After ending the communication, Roy summoned Celine to discuss the matter.
"To resist the rule of the Wizards and seek external power?"
Celine was indeed surprised upon learning about this.
"For the Netherlands, the world's ceiling is locked in place, with no chance of turning the tables.
It's possible that desperation could drive them to such a choice."
Roy nodded in agreement.
"This matter shouldn't be made public. Who do you plan to take with you?" Celine asked, regaining her composure.
"You, and Yanila."
Roy thought for a moment before replying.
Celine was someone he trusted, while Yanila was a native of the southern lands.
Such a team would suffice.
...
Not long after, Roy summoned Yanila, ready to set off.
Atedia didn't know what he was planning, but she couldn't help feeling a bit sad: "My lord, aren't you taking me with you?"
"No, Atedia. I need you to watch over this place. The quarry is of great importance, so guard it well, understand?"
Roy casually brushed her off.
Atedia's mood improved slightly.
But seeing Yanila there, making faces and looking smug, she couldn't help but feel annoyed.
"Alright, let's go!"
Roy and Celine mounted Yanila's back.
She was tall and strong, far more powerful than Atedia, so carrying two people was effortless for her.
At first, Yanila wasn't entirely comfortable, but as a magical creature with a horse's body, her racial instincts kicked in, and she quickly adapted to having riders on her back, galloping at full speed.
She was also familiar with the route back to the southern lands, and the scenery flew by as they raced along.
In just two days, they had left Scarto City far behind and entered the territory of the southern barbarians.
Along the way, Roy gathered information from his previous inquiries and by questioning Yanila, gaining a rough understanding of Chieftain Chiron of the Bloodhoof Tribe.
"This chieftain is indeed a remarkable warrior!"
Even the usually arrogant Yanila spoke of this centaur with respect.
"He comes from a noble lineage, with immense talent. He awakened his Bloodline power at the age of 10, reaching the stage of an advanced knight. Then, at 16, he passed the tribal trials to become a Grand Knight...
He has spent half his life in fierce battles, leading his tribe to conquer many surrounding tribes, transforming the once-declined and fragmented Bloodhoof Tribe into one of the most powerful in recent years.
There are even rumors that he harbors ambitions to unite the other tribes of Imperial Bloodline, including our Blood Mane Tribe.
During my father's time as chieftain, there were envoys exchanged between us.
But we've always been accustomed to our freedom, revering and worshipping our own ancestors. We didn't know much about the Bloodhoof King, so we never joined them."
"What about Emperor Ulun?" Roy asked.
"Not much is known about him either," Yanila replied.
"Even the written language of the Nether Kingdom is rudimentary, let alone these barbarian tribes. Their knowledge of their ancestors' deeds mostly comes from oral traditions," Celine whispered through a mental link.
Roy nodded subtly: "It seems the Bloodhoof Tribe's contact with the Uzhuk Tribe is likely similar."
According to the information Yanila provided, the chieftain's ambition to unify the southern lands had been brewing for a long time.
Roy and Yanila's father were of the same generation, and they might have even conspired together at some point, but their plans were interrupted when the Blood Mane Tribe weakened.
There might also have been the shadow of a Wizard's scheme and manipulation behind this.
Including the plot to capture Yanila and force Roy to submit, it was all part of disrupting Kairon's plans.
Thinking of this, Roy couldn't help but feel a sense of mourning for this native chieftain.
The power of this manipulator was so strong, and their strategy so far-reaching, like a deity ruling over all living beings, making resistance impossible.
Perhaps sensing something, Roy turned his gaze beyond this world.
He was trying to harness certain forces to fight against the invincible Wizards!
...
In late December, after several days of travel, Roy and his companions finally arrived at their destination.
Ahead lay a vast grassland, lush with water and fertile soil.
"We've reached the territory of the Uzhuk Tribe. I'm not very familiar with this place, but their leader is only an advanced knight-level warrior. I once saw him during a grand alliance meeting," Yanila said, her eyes scanning the surroundings with a hint of envy.
The grand alliance she mentioned was a festival similar to the gatherings of nomadic tribes, where they traded goods and strengthened bonds.
The grand alliance, however, was a celebration convened by influential figures like the great chieftain Kairon.
Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians would bring their own provisions and gather, each time resembling a cavalry army's drill.
"What should we do next?" Celine asked Roy.
"I'll contact the informant first," Roy replied.
He took out a Sorcerous Bone Whistle, refined his magical energy, and blew it.
This was a token used for communication.
The sound wave, inaudible to ordinary people, spread far across the open grassland.
He waited and blew the whistle again. By evening, a middle-aged centaur indeed arrived, sneaking around.
Seeing Roy and the others, he was greatly surprised.
Roy, dressed in strange attire, seemed to be clad in a form-fitting silver-white leather suit, wearing a cool, elongated helmet.
Yanila, on the other hand, was the famous prodigy of the Blood Mane Tribe.
The middle-aged centaur looked astonished, as if saying, "Have you also turned traitor?"
Only Celine looked the most like the expected image of a Warlock Apprentice.
"You reported that you had gathered intelligence about Kairon and the Uzhuk Tribe leader conspiring. What's going on?" Roy interrupted his thoughts and asked directly.
The middle-aged centaur snapped back to attention and cautiously inquired, "Sir, what I wanted..."
Roy took out a Healing potion prepared by his teacher from his Spatial Ring and tossed it to him.
The centaur hurriedly caught it, glanced at it through the bottle, and showed excitement.
For Wizards, such things were merely consumables they could casually create.
But for ordinary beings, they were nothing short of miraculous elixirs capable of reviving the dead.
He clearly had some request from the Wizards, and being caught in this weakness, he became an informant.
After putting away the Healing potion, the middle-aged centaur took out a piece of animal hide, carefully opened it, and revealed a piece of withered wood the size of a human palm.
Roy glanced at it.
The withered wood itself was nothing special.
Just an ordinary, broken-off branch from some tree.
But he sensed an aura similar to that left behind by Wizardry Energy Radiation, where ordinary objects had been contaminated and undergone demonic mutations due to the exposure.
"This chaotic and evil sensation...
It's not ordinary magical radiation!
These are traces left by abyssal demons!"
Suddenly, his expression beneath the face guard turned grave.
--Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LegendaryTL
Thanks!