Saul poked at Arthur, drawing his attention.
"What?" Arthur asked while carrying a pile of leaves.
"Uh, sir. I think I can make this go a bit faster." Saul replied.
"Oh? And how can you do that?"
"…With my Attribute."
Arthur paused for a moment, before it clicked in his head.
"Right…you can control anything within a certain radius. How big is your range?"
"Around 9 meters."
"Nice! Alright, let me go and talk with the supreme commander."
Arthur threw his pile of leaves away and dusted off his hands. He strolled towards Nyx.
"Supreme commander, May I have a word?"
Nyx glanced at Arthur. "Oh, Arthur. What do you need to talk about?"
"Please, don't refer to me as Arthur, Ma'am." Arthur replied. "Anyways, one of my new recruits has the ability to control anything within 9 meters. We could use it to clear out the dirt faster."
Nyx rubbed her chin. "Is that right~ That would make this go faster. Bring him over.."
Arthur saluted her and went to bring back Saul. After a few seconds, he returned with the newbie enforcer. Saul's legs were shaking, almost giving out in front of the supreme commander.
"Here he is, Ms." Arthur proudly presented Saul.
Nyx leaned forward. "So…Is it true that you can control anything within a nine-meter radius?"
"Y-Yes, Ma'am!" Saul instinctively stood at attention.
"Lovely~" Nyx straightened her back. "Enforcers! Fall back! We have a more efficient idea."
The enforcers heard her command and fell back. They threw their leaves on the ground. The house had been slightly cleared and they could see the balcony clearly. Nyx pushed Saul forward.
"Come on, it's your time to shine."
Saul rapidly moved forward, adrenaline rushing through his veins. He halted near the house and stretched his hands. Taking a deep breath, he concentrated. An imaginary circle of nine meters appeared around him, glowing with blue particles. He selected his target – the moss and the leaves. In his mind, the moss and leaves began to glow like the particles. With a slight pull, he ripped them from the building.
In the perspective of the other enforcers, he had magically pulled the moss from the building. He revolved, pulling moss and dead leaves from each corner of the home. He left nothing behind, making sure it was clean and tidy. After a few revolutions around the home, he clumped the dirt into a pile and threw it. He gasped, turning off his attribute and holding himself on his knees. He drew sharp breaths before turning around.
All the enforcers – especially the researchers were in awe. The house was made of the same wood as of the trees that surrounded them. It was big enough to fit a single man. It had slanted roof and a chimney with a balcony on the side.
"What are we waiting for Charles?! Let's explore this house for God's sake." Sterling exclaimed.
"I'm just as excited as you, Sterling. Hey! Team. Let's get moving." Charles signaled to the other four researches as they approached the house.
The enforcers stayed outside in case of an emergency. The floor creaked as Charles stepped onto the balcony, seeing a chair and a table.
'It seems there was only one resident here…'
He looked no further. With his fellows, he unlocked the door and pushed it open. The interior was no different from the exterior – all made of wood. He and Sterling stepped inside, observing the place carefully. Sunlight seeped through the open windows as they entered.
"A bed, a toilet and a fireplace…all the necessities for surviving through the year…" Sterling muttered, adjusting his glasses.
"He probably cooked his food outside since cooking in here is definitely a hazard." Charles inspected the walls.
The other researches also began searching the home. The bed's mattress was filled with wool with a cover that seemed to be handmade. The fireplace, made of stone neither had ash nor wood in it. The kitchen was fairly simple which included a sink, a dish holder, a trash can, storage and cold storage.
"We need to document this." Sterling stated.
He peeked out the door and shouted.
"Arthur! Bring me a camera!"
Arthur flinched but obeyed, rushing towards one of the cars and opening the trunk. He grabbed a case and unzipped it, revealing the latest model camera. He rushed back and handed the camera to the professor. Sterling excitedly took it and began clicking photos of every nook and cranny of the home. After a while, he had all the photos he needed.
He met with Charles outside and began theorizing.
"This proves the hypothesis that huma life originated on this super continent, Charles!" Sterling exclaimed.
"This does prove half of the hypothesis but what about the other half?" Charles said. "Why did our ancestors migrate to the much smaller continent with less resources?"
Sterling rubbed his mustache. "Perhaps, it's a matter of natural selection?"
"Continue." Charles urged.
"Maybe they were driven out by a…much more powerful predator. Something that would be higher than humans on the food chain."
"But that would classify them as intelligent life…maybe as smart as humans or at least…orcas."
"We're swimming in dangerous waters."
"We need to careful moving forward. Otherwise…who knows what may happen." Charles puffed his cigar.
"Careful on the cigar. I might get a heart attack and die." Sterling blew away the smoke.
"My apologies, It's an addiction." Charles took the cigar out of his mouth.
Right then, Nyx appeared between them.
"So…Done with the investigation, Mr. Charles?"
"Yes…we're done. Now, let's get going before dusk arrives." Charles puffed his cigar once more.
Sterling held his breath as they went back to their cars. The enforcers loaded into the safari vehicles, made especially by fortress Bragg to help adventurers explore the forbidden continent. The drivers revved the engines and activated the GPS and SONAR systems. They passed the little house and headed to find a river bank. Major looked outside the window with a face of pure boredom.
'That house was interesting…I should've tried to get a peek inside…and what the hell is it with these ravens? I've only seen ravens since we entered this forest.'
Major thought as Night finally came. The crescent moon rose from other side, making the night seem darker. The drivers didn't stop for a while, trying to find an open meadow like before. After a few minutes, they finally found one and stopped their cars outside it. The enforcers got off and began setting their tents for another night. Harvey and Maple began training their officers before dinner was ready as the air was filled with curiosity of the house that they had found.