The Ranger Force Outpost

Under Xia Duo’s lead, they soon arrived at an elven settlement.

The settlement before them was very close to the trunk of the World Tree. It was roughly the size of a typical human town and served as one of the operational hubs for the Ranger Force.

Not long after emerging from the forest, the atmosphere around them grew lively. Elves could be seen coming and going everywhere along both sides of the path.

The appearance of Starlight and Po Kong, two humans, naturally drew the attention of the elves, who cast curious glances their way. After all, it was rare for outsiders to come so close to the World Tree.

“Oh? Isn't this Xia Duo? Isn't the Fourth Squad’s vacation still going? What brings you here today?”

The Ranger Force office was located within a sub-tree shaped like a thick vase, making it quite prominent compared to its surroundings. As the four of them approached, someone finally recognized Xia Duo.

The voice belonged to a short-haired girl in a dark green uniform, accompanied by a male elf dressed in the same attire.

“Oh? Ni Wei and Ka Luo? Is it your turn to be on duty today?”

Meeting acquaintances, Xia Duo greeted them briskly and began chatting with Ni Wei.

“Tell me about it! Because we’re short-staffed, our squad has been on patrol for seven days straight! Still, I guess it’s better than the colleagues out on field assignments. What about you? Don't tell me the Fourth Squad is coming to relieve us! That would be amazing!”

Ni Wei was clearly dissatisfied with the recent work schedule and began complaining to Xia Duo immediately.

“Probably not. I haven't received any reassignment notices.”

Ka Luo appeared much calmer. He gave Xia Duo a slight bow and then quietly reminded Ni Wei of her duties.

“True, I’m just here to handle some business today.” Xia Duo pointed calmly at Starlight and Po Kong behind her. “See these two humans? I’m bringing them in for registration. Things aren't exactly peaceful right now, after all.”

“Huh???” Starlight clearly hadn't expected this and looked on with a blank expression.

“What? Little Shad—” Po Kong was about to speak when Moen gave him a subtle nudge from behind, signaling him to keep quiet.

At this point, Ni Wei also noticed the two humans looking around. She nodded in deep agreement.

“Honestly, though, don't you think the higher-ups are being a bit dramatic this time? These two humans couldn't possibly be suspects in the disappearance case, could they? Hmm... they don't look ugly, so they probably aren't those kinds of heinous criminals, right?”

She stole a cautious glance at the two of them before lowering her voice to ask Xia Duo.

However, at such a close distance, her words were heard loud and clear by Starlight and Po Kong, leaving both of them speechless.

Hearing Ni Wei’s words, Ka Luo frowned and promptly cut her off.

“That’s enough, Ni Wei. Watch your words; we’re still on patrol!” He turned to Xia Duo and asked in a level tone, “Officer Xia Duo, do you need our assistance with the processing?”

“No need~ It’s not a complicated matter. I can handle it myself.” Xia Duo waved them off, then looked back to gesture for Starlight and Po Kong to follow. “You two~ keep up!”

And just like that, she led them into the Ranger Force office with total confidence.

Unlike other sub-trees, this vase-shaped giant was completely hollowed out and converted into a multi-layered space, with each floor serving a different purpose.

Upon entering the office, Xia Duo immediately fished out a silver arrow-shaped badge signifying her Captain-level status from her small pouch and casually pinned it to her chest.

Sure enough, with this badge, the four of them encountered no obstacles. Even those who didn't recognize Xia Duo simply nodded respectfully upon seeing her badge, showing no signs of suspicion.

“Let’s see... the records room... records room... it should be on the fifth floor... there it is!” Finally, Xia Duo found their target for the day on the floor directory—the Ranger Force archives.

Xia Duo’s plan was simple: tell the archives’ doorkeeper that she needed to check if these two “outsiders” had any criminal records and register them if they didn't. This way, they could successfully get close to the data storage area.

As expected, the staff at the entrance didn't suspect Xia Duo since she wore the captain’s badge. They smoothly allowed the group into the records room, which required special clearance.

“So, Little Shadow, you went to all this trouble just to get us into the archives legitimately?” After entering the records room, Po Kong let out a long sigh of relief and asked in a hushed voice.

“Shh!! Keep it down!” Xia Duo blinked and made a silencing gesture toward him. “Even though there shouldn't be anyone monitoring us here, everyone has very keen hearing. We still have to play the part!”

With that, she walked quickly to the wall, pulled a dictionary-like object from a shelf, and began flipping through its pages as if searching for something.

It was then that Starlight began to carefully observe the room they were in.

In his imagination, a so-called records room should have been like the library at the Spiritual Arts Academy—filled with tall, massive bookshelves and countless files arranged in an orderly fashion, thick with the scent of paper and ink.

However, the room before him was vastly different from his expectations.

In terms of area, while the room was about one or two hundred square meters, it was almost empty, save for a few sets of tables and chairs and a single row of shelves against the wall.

The only thing that stood out was that the entire room felt like a living creature. The pale green walls radiated the vitality of a tree, as if one could feel the very pulse of life within them.

“This place doesn't look like it stores records at all. Moen, are you sure we’re in the right place?” Starlight lowered his head slightly and whispered into Moen’s ear.

“Don't worry~ we’re in the right place.” Moen replied softly, a hint of a smile in her eyes. “Our way of storing records is completely different from humans. With the help of the Mother Tree, we usually use a much more efficient method.”

After saying that, she pointed to the nearby wall, signaling Starlight to look closer.

Using his mana perception, Starlight immediately discovered that there were streams of energy flowing continuously through the pathways within the walls, seemingly transmitting information.

“I see! This room is a specialized part of the tree. You’ve converted information into those flowing energy signals and use them to record and transmit data quickly!”

Starlight understood the principle after only a moment’s thought, though he hadn't yet figured out where that massive amount of data was actually flowing to.

While he was thinking, Xia Duo had already taken a seat. She spread the dictionary-like object on the table and signaled for Starlight and Po Kong to come over.

“Come~ both of you, place your hands on this. This sub-link will automatically record your current information,” Xia Duo said.

“A sub-link? You mean this book?” Po Kong asked, somewhat confused.

“Exactly. Hurry up~” Xia Duo urged.

Starlight and Po Kong glanced at each other. Without hesitation, they followed Xia Duo’s instructions and pressed their palms onto the open book.