"Is our expedition related to the Noah Clan? Do you mean that the Black Earl already knew about this, which is why he let Vay join us... but that’s not right, I invited Vay. Could it be that the Black Earl sensed something temporarily?"
Dox mumbled to himself for a while, only to end up confused.
"Whether the Black Earl knows about the connection with the Noah Clan behind the door, or if it’s a spur-of-the-moment decision, I don’t speculate. I’m just reminding you of this; even though Vay is your friend, don’t trust him too much in this expedition."
Dox nodded solemnly: "I understand."
After all, Vay is still a member of the Noah Clan, and he carries the nose of the Black Earl, his actions will inevitably be influenced by the Black Earl. Therefore, Angel’s warning is very necessary.
"Since you know it might be related to the Noah Clan, you still decided to let Vay come along?" Dox was somewhat puzzled. If it were him, he would cancel this operation directly.
Angel: "Why not? After all, there might be a need for Vay at what could potentially be Noah Clan territory."
Angel provided a reason, but Dox still felt the risk was a bit high.
It’s not without cause for Dox to worry, but what he doesn’t know is that Angel has his own trump card. Just Earl Mi alone can suppress the Black Earl’s nose. As long as the Black Earl doesn’t come personally, there won’t be any major issues.
Even if the Black Earl comes personally, Angel still has the Wilderness of Dreams as a backup support, so he doesn’t care about this risk.
Besides, Angel is genuinely more interested in the wall in Nightmare Abyss City than in the ’treasure’ or ’interest’ behind the wall in reality.
Although reality may hold some nice items, Angel believes that the most precious treasure is certainly in the Nightmare Realm.
It’s precisely because of his restraint against desires, only treating research as the theme of this exploration, he won’t care about other things.
"Then... I’ll go back and tell Vay the news, bring him over to meet you." Dox contemplated for a moment and chose to trust Angel.
Angel replied nonchalantly: "We can meet upon departure; or are you ready to leave now?"
Dox: "I’ve done the necessary preparations, and Kaier is almost ready too."
Angel glanced at the clock on the table and calculated his meditation time: "Then let’s set out in three hours."
Dox nodded, turned, and walked towards the door.
As he was about to leave, Dox spoke in a low voice: "I’ll find a chance to test if Vay knows the destination is related to the Noah Clan."
Angel: "Do as you wish, but the Black Earl’s nose is more sensitive than you think, he might scent your intentions."
Dox chuckled lightly: "Don’t underestimate me. While my macro plans may be a step behind you wizards, I handle these little things better, ensuring no traces."
Angel smiled without speaking, watching Dox’s figure slowly disappear in the distance.
After Dox left, Kaier came in slowly, looking tentative.
"We’re departing in three hours. If you’re not ready, it’s best to prepare now," Angel’s voice reached Kaier’s ears.
Kaier quickly answered: "Lord Dox has already informed me, I’m ready."
"Then you came in, is there something you need?" Angel finally raised his head, looking at Kaier.
Kaier hesitated for a moment before saying: "Sir, this ruins exploration came abruptly. I wonder if you can give me... some advice."
Angel looked deeply at Kaier. Kaier has far more experience exploring ruins than he does, yet he’s seeking advice from him, obviously looking for guidance on how to position himself in this process.
After all, in the entire team besides Kaier, everyone is either an Official Wizard, or an apprentice with Wizard-level abilities.
Looking at the anticipation in Kaier’s eyes, Angel paused for a moment and said: "You only need to do one thing: restraint."
"Restr...aint?" Kaier pondered the word.
"Both in physical actions and psychological impulses, restrain."
"And, if you want to gain benefits, it’s best not to touch other stakeholders. Especially Vay, his backing is unusual, and his motive might not be simple."
After all, both the diagrams and refining materials were provided by Kaier, Angel thought for a moment and slightly revealed some information to him.
Kaier thoughtfully nodded: "I understand, my greatest interest in exploring ruins is research. It’s good if I gain something; if not, I won’t force it."
"It’s best if you think that way," Angel affirmed.
Kaier roughly understood what he should do. He bowed to Angel: "Then I’ll take my leave."
Just then, Angel coughed, and Kaier looked over in confusion.
Angel pointed to the short sword on the table.
Kaier suddenly understood: "It’s better in your hands, Sir. If I take it, I’m afraid I’ll lose it."
Having said that, Kaier jokingly winked, showing he understood Angel’s implication, that he would be careful of Vay.
Angel retorted: "Who told you that? I’m saying the refining task is over, shouldn’t you express something? Didn’t your mentor mention the protocol in the letter?"
Kaier was taken aback, remembered his mentor’s instructions in the letter, and nodded quickly: "I understand, I’ll go find the mentor’s handbook now."
Angel initially didn’t understand why Kaier would use ’find’ until he saw Kaier walking to a corner of the Earth Cavern, a pile he thought was trash. He finally understood.
Kaier began rummaging through the clutter as if he were searching for the Skinner box.
Various items were tossed flying everywhere.
Angel quietly watched this scene, adding another label to Kaier: messy.
Meanwhile, Dangross excitedly observed the flying tools, wishing to find a bottle of quenching liquid, which would be fantastic.
Unfortunately, there was no quenching liquid, but Dangross grabbed a fiery red gem.
Angel glanced at it, initially thinking it was a flame gem, a common item in the Region of Fire in the Tidal World, likely held by Dangross for nostalgia.