This is the camp of the Blazing Flame Adventure Group, or to be precise, the square outside the camp.
The actual camp is located inside a sunken tunnel.
On the square, the people of the Blazing Flame Adventure Group are transporting supplies, and these living supplies are placed in several large boxes chained together. Next to the boxes stand six strangely dressed masked individuals.
These six masked individuals are dressed in uniform red robes, with masks covering their faces, only with openings for the eyes, and fully sealed otherwise. The expressions on the masks are all different, but they are exaggerated, absurd, and somewhat twisted in a painting style. At the top of all the masks, the word representing "Traveling Merchant" is written in the common continental script.
"Six traveling merchants?" Dox stood atop a tree, looking at the square ahead with curiosity.
Mathusa shook her head: "The masked ones are all low-level members of the Traveling Merchants, mainly responsible for handling supplies, they don’t have much authority. Only the members without masks are the backbone of the Merchant Organization."
"Then among those without masks here, are there any traveling merchants?"
Mathusa was silent for two seconds: "No. The clothes of the Merchant Organization are very uniform, the embroidery pattern is the only difference."
"I see." Dox squinted his eyes towards the distance, and after a moment, his eyebrows raised, revealing a standard watching-the-show look: "I found the clothes you mentioned, but at this moment it was already taken off, mixed with a red dress."
Dox turned to Mathusa: "Guess what I saw?"
Mathusa sighed: "I know. I once infiltrated the Blazing Flame Adventure Group as a lost hunter, and Miss Red indeed has... intimate relations with some male traveling merchants. But this is not her will, just for better protection of the members. Believe me, she..."
"She’s a good person? Alright, I know what you’re going to say." Dox: "Every time you infiltrate an adventure group, you say their leader is a good person, the Dawnlight is too, and so is Miss Red. Since you are so empathetic, your husband still dares to let you infiltrate various adventure groups, he is quite big-hearted."
On the other side, Angel and the Black Earl did not speak; actually, they had already used their spiritual power to explore the indescribable affair happening in the camp before Dox.
But one was young and reserved, the other considered himself mature and steady, so they didn’t speak, letting Dox speak first.
This conversation between Dox and Mathusa was overheard by the two apprentices.
Although they are not inexperienced, upon hearing such a scene presented before them, they couldn’t help but feel intrigued.
Following Angel, the Black Earl, and Dox, both Vay and Kaier also used their spiritual power to probe ahead.
This probing, however, startled the man inside who was indulging in intimacy.
Vay’s spiritual power was okay, with decades of practice and the protection of the Black Earl, as long as he didn’t act rashly, he wouldn’t be discovered. But Kaier was different; he looked directly at the bed with reckless enthusiasm.
Though the spiritual power hadn’t penetrated the bed curtain, the man inside suddenly moved, pushing away the flushing Miss Red and wrapped in a quilt, stood out: "Who? Who’s peeking?"
As he spoke, a blood-red aura emanated from him, instantly revealing the concealed spirit tentacles of Vay and Kaier in the room.
"Two people, how bold!" After saying, the man prepared to manipulate the blood aura to attack the spirit tentacles.
But Vay and Kaier acted faster than him, upon realizing the man was a transcendent, they began withdrawing their spiritual power.
If they really fought this man, they might not necessarily lose, but spiritual power is generally delicate, without protective techniques, even someone a level lower could break it.
Thus, they retracted quickly, aside from Kaier being slightly affected by the blood aura, turning a bit pale, the others were mostly fine. They retreated intact.
After their spiritual power returned, Kaier and Vay simultaneously glanced resentfully at Dox.
The intense blood aura from the man inside was undoubtedly from a bloodline apprentice. Dox, being from the bloodline side too, how could he not notice? When they went to explore, he didn’t warn them at all!
Dox naturally knew what happened; he was watching the show the whole time. Seeing the two look at him, he hurriedly waved his hand: "I didn’t know you were so curious, it’s just some exercise, what’s there to see? Besides, don’t blame me for not saying anything, Angel and Vay’s tenured one didn’t say anything either?"
The Black Earl snorted coldly.
Angel calmly said: "Since you already spoke, why should I bother?"
Dox turned to Kaier and Vay, shrugged and spread his hands: "See, I wasn’t wrong, they knew too."
Kaier and Vay, at this point, didn’t know what to say, having mingled in the wizarding circles for so long, how could they not understand the underlying meaning?
Dox, Angel, and the Black Earl, actually all knew they’d be discovered upon investigation, but they allowed this behavior, for a simple reason, wasn’t it to startle the merchant and draw him out?
Indeed, the merchant did not disappoint; startled by Kaier and Vay, he quickly dressed and, ignoring Miss Red, rushed out swiftly.
Still shouting angrily, acting as though he wouldn’t rest until he found them.
"Not bad acting." Angel commented, although the merchant seemed furious, as a master of emotions, he sensed no signs of anger in him, rather a hint of apprehension.
After all, he was just an apprentice who had barely broken through to the third level. Both streams of external spiritual power just now were apprentices, but with relatively solid spirit tentacles, meaning individuals of at least second-level top-tier apprentices. If facing spiritual power, he had no problem, but confronting them directly was daunting.
So, he shouted fiercely but only postured, if they didn’t reveal themselves, this merchant would definitely not seek them out.
Sure enough, Angel’s prediction was entirely accurate.
The merchant cursed for a while, walking towards the masked individuals: "What bad luck, encountering two peeping thieves today, not sure where these unruly people came from. Though they ran, they definitely came from Bilun Tree Court, when I return, I must find them!"
After speaking, the merchant began urging: "Is the transaction done? Hurry up. It’s just some living supplies, dragging on and on."
Clearly, the merchant was losing confidence and was ready to leave.
However, there was no way Angel would let him leave so easily.
As the merchant urged, they flew down from the distant treetop.
Accompanied by the whistling winds of the Speedy Spirit, the merchant heard the rushing sound behind him, quickly turning his head.
Upon seeing the visitors, his pupils shrank instantly.
He didn’t recognize the others, but how could he not recognize "Red Sword" Dox? Though this man was a wandering wizard, as an official bloodline wizard, his strength was formidable, even official wizards within the Witcher Organization might not match him as peers.
"Red, Red Red... Red Sword, sir." The merchant’s throat moved, speaking with difficulty.
"You were shouting so loudly earlier; now that we’re here, weren’t you intending to settle this? Come on, come on." Dox, with a face full of mockery, provocatively beckoned the merchant.
By now, the merchant was trembling and speaking with a stutter: "I, I was just joking earlier. If sir and your companions want to see, I will personally take you to the Elysium Pavilion of Bilun Tree Court, all expenses on me."