This Stone Giant raised its head, looking towards the flying boat in the higher sky.
"I can feel the Earth Mark." A slow and deep roar emanated from the dark, wind cave-like mouth of the Stone Giant.
Angel hovered high above and did not descend immediately. He vaguely sensed that the power of this Stone Giant was very strong, and just the threat alone was enough to make Earl Mi reveal its form.
"Do you know who it is?" Angel asked Dangross.
Dangross lay on the ship’s side, carefully observing for a moment, muttering: "It looks just like the Imba brothers. I can’t quite tell them apart, could it be Big Big Imba?"
Angel: "???" What on earth is Big Big Imba?
Although Dangross didn’t provide a useful answer, when it appeared on the ship’s side, a light flashed in the hollow eyes of the Stone Giant below.
"The severed hand of fire, is that you, Dangross?" the Stone Giant spoke.
Angel glanced at Dangross, whose eyes flashed with confusion: "How does it know me?"
Angel: "Shouldn’t I be the one asking that?"
"That’s not important." Dangross flipped over, sitting on the ship’s side and looking down: "How do you know I’m Dangross? Do you know me?"
The air suddenly became silent.
A cold wind blew by before the Stone Giant spoke: "Three hundred sunsets ago, you visited the Rocky Wasteland with the Imba brothers. We met then... and it was here that we met."
Question marks appeared all over Dangross’s forehead, and the voice floated higher: "Really?"
"...Really."
"Why don’t I remember?" Dangross contemplated while hugging its thumb for a moment: "Thinking about it, I do recall that I was invited by the Imba brothers to visit here. When passing by, I encountered a big fellow."
Stone Giant: "I’m not a big fellow, I’m The Keeper."
"Oh, right! The Keeper, Big Imba said that there are Keepers scattered along the boundary of the Rocky Wasteland as the first line of defense."
Dangross showed a sudden expression of enlightenment, simultaneously nodding at Angel with a look suggesting there’s no need to worry with it around.
Angel: "..." He suddenly felt concerned about the road ahead; this fellow seemed a bit unreliable.
Because Dangross had previously met this Keeper and the Keeper showed friendliness toward Dangross, Angel slowly lowered the Gondola, positioning it parallel with the massive stone head of the Keeper.
Perhaps because Angel previously showed mistrust toward Dangross, Dangross, trying to regain its dignity, eagerly took on the role of conversation and explanation, engaging in chatter with the Keeper.
The Keeper was a Stone Giant that had protected the frontier for countless years. Their curiosity wasn’t strong, and upon learning that the Earth Mark on Angel originated from Little Imba, the Keeper immediately dropped its guard toward Angel, this "human."
"Are you here to see His Highness Duotu? It’s been a long time since I returned to the core, so I’m not sure about the situation there," said the Keeper. "However, the Patroller is nearby and should know. I can call the Patroller over to assist."
Like the Keeper, the so-called Patroller is also a guard protecting the Rocky Wasteland; however, while the Keeper is stationed in one place as the first line of defense, the Patroller roams around as the second line.
Dangross smiled and said, "Thank you then."
The Keeper gently bowed its head: "The Rocky Wasteland and the Region of Fire share the closest relationship. It is my honor to be of service to the two guests from the Region of Fire."
The words of the Keeper were rather cloying, but listeners could feel its sincerity. It genuinely believed this and fully implemented this mindset.
At this moment, Angel also finally felt the power of "diplomatic interaction."
The Keeper, standing on the earth, could use the Power of Earth to convey information to all nearby earth-type creatures.
This method of conveying information is more secure and concealed than the fire sparks of fire creatures, and the speed is quite fast.
Soon, a small stone creature covered in moss glided from the distant wasteland.
Yes, it didn’t walk but "glided."
The moss-covered stone creature seemed like it was on a skateboard, treating the wasteland as a snowy slope, gliding towards them at unimaginable speed.
Angel wasn’t too surprised by this scene because, during his time at the Research and Development Institute, he had heard about some Wizards with earth-type creatures that had even more exaggerated ways of moving.
All earth-type creatures, as long as they’re on the ground, possess extremely potent movement rights granted by the Earth Mother.
Gliding was already considered slow; some earth-type creatures could travel underground, moving even faster than gliding.
Before long, the moss-covered stone creature slid to the Keeper’s feet.
The Keeper opened its hand, holding the moss-covered stone creature in its palm and slowly lifting it to eye level with the Gondola.
"Mr. Pat, and Dangross, welcome. I am the Patroller of this region." The moss-covered giant paused, continuing: "The Keeper has already informed me of your situation. Upon receiving this news, I immediately relayed your intent to The Sage. I believe soon, The Sage will respond to me."
Like the Keeper, the Patroller did not mention its name but was very friendly towards the guests from the Region of Fire. This friendly attitude was evident in many ways, such as when Angel inquired about various information regarding the Rocky Wasteland, the Patroller did not attempt to conceal anything, answering every question.
Half an hour later, the Patroller extended its hand, and an orange-yellow stone flew from the ground, landing in its palm.
The Patroller, holding the stone, sensed it briefly and told Angel: "The Sage has agreed; it will help contact His Highness and invite you both to meet in the stone cave."
The stone cave refers to the Ruby Caves, where The Sage resides. Before arriving at the Rocky Wasteland, Angel had already learned this information from Big Imba, though knowing was one thing; Angel hadn’t actually figured out its exact location.
The Patroller seemed to notice Angel’s difficulty, handing over the orange-yellow stone: "This stone will lead you to the right direction."