When Rhode and Kana landed on their destination riding Beaked Birds, the names of Mest and Wang Qiangji were already written on the notice board at the foot of the mountain.
"Space Magic sure is convenient," Rhode said as he picked up a pen and wrote their names alongside Kana's.
For a moment, he considered whether to erase Mest's name.
But then, they were all from the same guild, and there was no need to be so sneaky.
"Alright, let's get started!" Kana took out a stack of cards and began divining on the spot.
Rhode summoned a pack of Shadow Wolves and sent them out to explore the path and search for keys, alongside the two Beaked Birds.
He also summoned two River Crabs and had them hide in inconspicuous spots near the starting point.
In the game, this is called placing wards, establishing vision.
The main force for finding things was the Shadow Wolves; Rhode had them track the scent of the president and Erza since they hid the keys.
Unfortunately, the scent trails for Laxus and Mystogan were hard to find, or else it would have been more foolproof.
Kana performed an elaborate card draw that Rhode couldn't understand and finally held up a card: "Heading northwest will bring us good luck."
Rhode nodded: "Alright, let's go."
The two of them identified the direction and chose a path heading northwest.
They didn't summon more creatures because they needed to manage their Magic Power consumption, to avoid being caught off guard in a fight.
This gorge had too many towering and unique stone pillars, leaving many places in perennial shadow.
Few plants could be seen around, but the mountain walls were covered in various ferns and moss, making them appear slippery.
Strolling here felt quite chilly and was definitely not a comfortable experience.
Rhode glanced at Kana, thinking that it might have been better if Mira were there instead.
Kana noticed his gaze: "Did you find something?"
Rhode shook his head: "Not yet, the area is so large, it will take some time."
The maze itself wasn't complicated; the real challenge was finding the keys. Searching for a few wooden plaques in such a vast gorge was indeed troublesome.
A fleeting figure passed overhead, and Kana looked up: "Was that Mest just now?"
"Yes, he's probably conducting aerial reconnaissance," Rhode surmised. "Can he maintain his Magic Power with all this teleporting?"
"If he can't, it's to our advantage," Kana noted. Basically, everyone's goal was to quickly find the keys.
Nobody else would be as meticulous as Rhode in using their Magic Power.
As they walked and searched carefully, they relied on Kana's divinations at intersections.
It wasn't about superstition; Kana's readings were often accurate.
"Mickey and Joy have also signed their names," reported one of the River Crabs stationed at the start.
One of the crabs discreetly followed them as they were about to leave its line of sight.
This was Rhode's plan: have the River Crabs track two teams just in case he and Kana couldn't find the keys, allowing them to intercept the other teams.
"Mickey, huh... I feel like your tracking won't go smoothly," Kana remarked. "She might just keep heading north and carve her own path."
Rhode paused a moment and said, "That's possible; she and Joy have started climbing."
"Hahaha!" Kana laughed, "That's so her!"
Rhode was fed up with the guild's reckless members. Regardless of gender, everyone was so headstrong.
Fortunately, Mickey wasn't planning to keep climbing but instead planned to scout from above and released Xiao Bi to help find the correct route.
Her plan was to find the exit first, hoping to encounter a key along the way; if not, she'd wait at the exit for a showdown.
Rhode and Kana discussed Mickey's likely plans and expressed disdain for her approach.
If she didn't earnestly search for the keys, who would they rob?
After a while, Wolian and Marcus finally reached the starting point, signed their names, and dashed into the maze.
The other River Crab followed them, as Rhode saw Wolian put his index and middle fingers together on his forehead, leading Marcus quickly onward.
"That direction... seems to be heading towards Mickey and her team," Rhode deduced from Wolian's trajectory, "Aren't they planning to find the keys themselves?"
Kana commented, "Wolian's magic can indeed locate everyone. It's possible we're also under his surveillance now."
Rhode felt a bit melancholy; the two groups he was monitoring both seemed inclined towards slacking.
With Mest teleporting around, tracking him was impossible; they had to rely on themselves.
As they continued searching, there was suddenly movement from Wolian's direction.
He suddenly veered aside with Marcus, entering a path.
The River Crab chased after them but lost sight at the intersection.
Just as it neared the doorway, a heap of sand suddenly erupted from the ground, whipping like a lash and capsizing the River Crab.
"The Sandy Terrain! Huh? Isn't that Rhode's Gorge Swift Crab?" Marcus identified the creature, "Did Rhode summon it from this gorge?"
Wolian replied, "No, I'm more inclined to believe Rhode had it follow us."
Attacked, the River Crab immediately returned to the Summoner's Rift; this was Rhode's preset command to preserve their living force.
"As expected, this guy thinks just like us," Marcus surmised, watching the River Crab vanish, "Hey, Wolian..."
...
"Hey, Rhode, my bad!"
A somewhat smug voice echoed in Rhode's mind; it sounded like Marcus.
"Marcus? Is Wolian using telepathy?"
Kana paused: "Is Wolian speaking with you?"
Rhode nodded to her and then heard Wolian's voice following up:
"Yes, it's me; if you speak like you did just now, I can hear it. How's your progress?"
Rhode said, "If I'd made progress, would I need to track you guys? I'd had it sneak around, amazing you could find it."
"Tracking doesn't work on me."
Wolian, after all, was a senior Mage of the same age as Laxus. With unique magic, no one could easily follow him unnoticed if he wanted to avoid it.
Rhode silently marveled at the guild's never-ending talents.
Kana was curious: "What's he saying to you?"
"He asked about our progress, hold up." Rhode said, "Would you mind pulling Kana into this conversation too? Passing messages is tiring."
"No problem, Kana, can you hear me?"
Kana chuckled dismissively: "Ha! I'm actually very curious how you came down from the cliff."
"Ha ha, I know that; Wolian he..."
Previously, on the train, they hadn't much to chat about, but now, not seeing each other, it felt increasingly lively.
Rhode nostalgically recalled the lively voice chats when gaming with his friends from different locations.
It was just a pity that at the critical point of Marcus's revelation, the communication was mercilessly cut off.
The power-broker did as they pleased.
However, this also indicated Wolian hadn't descended in a normal way, sparking some curiosity.