In the northern part of the Whispering Forest, the trees were taller and denser than in the south. Sunlight could barely penetrate the overlapping canopy, and a damp, chilling air hung between the trees.
Garland walked at the very rear of the group, his gaze scanning their surroundings like a hawk.
The four practitioners ahead of him—the party leader Rayne (Fifth-Tier ranger), the warrior Toma (Fourth-Tier), the mage Ivy (Fourth-Tier), and the rogue Cohen (Fourth-Tier)—were all veterans who frequently operated in the Whispering Forest.
In a small border city like Emberfire City, being able to pull together a solid Mid-Tier team like this was already considered quite luxurious.
Their speed of travel was very fast. Examining everything closely along the way, they reached their destination on the second day.
"Master Garland, just ahead is the area where gnolls frequently operate."
Rayne lowered his voice as he spoke, his eyes constantly watching the tracks on the ground.
"The footprints are very dense, and... they're all fresh."
Garland did not speak; he merely nodded slightly, gesturing for everyone to quiet their steps.
The five-person team slowly advanced along the game trail, with Cohen walking at the very front, responsible for scouting and trail-finding.
His Concealment skill was used quite well, making almost no sound as he shuttled through the woods.
After walking for about half an hour, Cohen suddenly stopped in his tracks and made a gesture to the rear.
Everyone immediately held their breath and crouched behind the bushes.
About three hundred paces ahead lay a gnoll camp.
The camp was of considerable size. Its perimeter consisted of a crude palisade built from wooden stakes and animal bones, and within the wall stood dozens of tents constructed from hides and branches.
In the center of the camp stood the largest tent, topped with a black-and-red flag that bore a twisted symbol.
Inside the camp, gnolls came and went—some patrolling, some carrying supplies, and others gathered around campfires. There were at least two hundred of them.
On the open ground in front of the huge hide tent stood a bizarre altar.
The altar was built from rock-like black material of unknown origin, its surface carved full of twisted and hideous patterns.
Staring at it for too long caused a faint, alluring voice to echo in one's mind: Faith in me, serve me, and I will grant you endless power.
As for the rest of the area, it was mostly blocked by the walls and tents.
"The scale is even larger than expected," Cohen whispered.
"But where is the chieftain?"
"Inside that tent in the center."
Garland squeezed an orange gemstone in his hand, channeling battle aura into it. A faint glow emanated from the stone's surface as he spoke in a low, raspy voice.
"I can sense its aura."
His eyes narrowed slightly as he carefully observed the large tent at the center of the camp.
From the outside, it looked no different from the other tents, but he could vaguely feel that besides the gnoll chieftain, there was another uncomfortable and extremely subtle aura inside.
"We need to get closer and look," Garland made his decision.
He pulled a thumb-sized gemstone from the leather pouch at his waist and handed it to Cohen.
The stone was pitch-black, its surface engraved with fine runes. Without focusing one's attention, one might even overlook its existence.
The Lawrence Family was a renowned noble house in the Royal Capital.
Their path to fortune lay in processing magic gemstones into functional items of all kinds—from simple illumination crystals to complex protective amulets, they had everything. Crucially, these could be driven by either battle aura or magic, and some could even trigger automatically under certain conditions.
Members of the Lawrence Family were almost all mages as their primary class, while gifted clan members took "Magical Artisan" as their secondary class: a type of craftsman who researched and produced magic items.
When leaving the Royal Capital this time, Lord Lawrence had prepared enough items for both him and the young master to handle emergencies, though he only had the right to use them.
The orange gemstone he held in his hand earlier was a Perception Amplification Stone, a High-Tier magic item. Injecting a certain amount of battle aura or magic into it could boost the user's perception by about thirty percent.
If crushed directly, the boost to one's perception would double, though the duration was limited.
As for the one in his hand now...
"What is this?" Cohen accepted the gemstone, feeling the magic fluctuations contained within.
"A Concealment Amplification Stone," Garland said.
"It enhances Concealment-type spells or battle skills, directly raising their effectiveness by a full major tier."
"You are a Fourth-Tier rogue. With it, your Concealment ability can reach a High-Tier level."
"Both magic and battle aura can power it."
Cohen's eyes lit up.
"This thing... must be very precious?"
"Extremely precious." Garland's voice turned stern.
"So, you must ensure its safety."
"Also, do not approach that tent in the middle or the altar. You only need to scout the gnoll deployments around the camp. If anything seems wrong, fall back immediately."
When it came to scouting, his tone began to get wordy.
"Understood."
Cohen nodded and put the gemstone away.
"The adventurer party that went missing earlier might also be inside the camp. If you get the chance, look for where they're being held, or... their remains."
As he said this, Garland didn't actually hold out much hope in his heart.
"Understood."
Cohen took a deep breath, his body beginning to merge into the shadows.
He channeled the battle aura in his body and injected it into the dark black gemstone.
The gemstone lit up with a faint glow, and a strange power enveloped his entire body.
Cohen felt his Concealment battle skill receive an immense boost in that instant.
The surrounding sounds and sight became sharper, his aura in the air was almost completely masked, and even light seemed willing to bend around his body.
"So this is High-Tier Concealment..." he marveled silently.
After the rogue left, Garland pulled a purple crystal from his leather bag and pointed it toward the gnoll camp.
This was another magic item produced by the Lawrence Family. Once activated, it could automatically record the scenes before it and store them within the crystal for others to view later.
However, when activated, it gave off faint magic fluctuations, so close-range use was best avoided.
Cohen quietly slipped past the outer wall and entered the camp.
A considerable number of gnolls were transporting items toward the center of the camp, seemingly preparing for something, and none noticed Cohen's presence.
He moved like a ghost, weaving through the shadows of tents and fences.
Soon, he found the adventurer party that had gone missing days ago.
Unexpectedly, they were all still alive.
In a corner on the east side of the camp stood a cage built from thick logs.
Three humans were locked inside the cage. Fetters bound their hands and feet, their clothes were in rags, wounds marked their bodies, and their expressions were listless.
"It's the Silver Vine party..."
Cohen recognized their attire.
Keeping Master Garland's warning firmly in mind, he did not attempt a rescue, nor did he move closer to the camp's center, but instead continued scouting the surroundings.
Yet that huge hide tent in the center kept exuding an uncomfortable aura.
It was an aura that felt... cold, twisted, and as if it came from another world.
Cohen's instinct was also screaming at him: Get farther away! Farther away!
Even after backing away to the wall, the bizarre flag atop the tent, the chilling aura of the altar, and the madness in the eyes of the passing gnolls still seemed to linger before his eyes.
"Evil god..." The term flashed through Cohen's mind.
During his training at the Rogue Guild, he had heard veterans talk about evil gods.
Those entities were among the most dangerous existences in this world.
That aura filled him with dread right down to his bones.
"Damn it, could they be trying to... I must get this intelligence back!"
He quietly retreated and left the camp.
...
A quarter-hour later, Cohen returned to where the group was hiding.
"How is it?" Garland asked.
"The situation is very bad." Cohen's face was somewhat pale.
"The camp has at least two hundred gnolls. Their state is extremely strange—almost all of their wolfish eyes reveal a morbid madness. Furthermore... they seem to be preparing to hold some kind of ritual."
"A ritual?"
"Yes." Cohen took a deep breath.
"Also, the Silver Vine party that vanished earlier is locked in a cage on the east side of the camp. They're still alive, but in bad shape."
Garland remained silent for a moment.
"I didn't go into the center of the camp, but there is definitely something wrong with that tent and altar."
"They both radiate a... cold, twisted aura."
"The veterans at the Rogue Guild once told me that is..."
"An evil god!"
Upon seeing that flag and the bizarre altar, Garland had already harbored a suspicion in his heart, though he had refrained from alerting the enemy.
Now, hearing the rogue say this, he was largely able to confirm it.
He said in a low voice:
"If these gnolls are connected to an evil god, then this matter exceeds our capabilities."
Having said that, he stood up, his gaze turning grim as he spoke to the group:
"We'll return first, report the situation here to the young master, and notify the guild."
"This matter requires more power to resolve."
Realizing the gravity of the situation, the others nodded in agreement.
"Also, the Concealment Stone."
"Oh... oh."
Cohen hastily handed the blue gemstone back to Garland.
...
That evening, the scouting party returned to Emberfire City.
In the rear hall of the hostel, Sevein listened to the report and finished reviewing the crystal's images, his face growing increasingly grim.
"An Evil God Descent ritual..." he muttered under his breath.
"This has already gone beyond the scope of ordinary monster suppression."
When studying at the academy, his mentor had explained knowledge regarding evil gods in detail.
Those entities were synonymous with calamity and destruction.
Once an evil god descended, the entire land would be corrupted, and countless living creatures would be affected—including them right here.
"Young master," Morris asked from the side.
"Should we report to the Royal Capital?"
"It's likely too late," Sevein shook his head.
Even if he contacted his family right now to inform them of the truth, and even if his family reported directly to the royal family without verifying it first, skipped the bickering among the major noble houses, and the kingdom immediately dispatched powerhouses over, it would still take at least half a month. This place is far too remote.
"If those gnolls really are preparing an Evil God Descent ritual, we don't have much time left."
He stood up, his gaze turning firm.
"Tomorrow, convene a meeting with the capable figures in the city."
"We need to assemble a subjugation force."
"Before the situation develops beyond our ability to handle, we must resolve it immediately."
Having spoken, a magic message was sent out from Sevein's sapphire ring as well.
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