Successfully Obtaining Information

“Wait! Stop, Captain Ming Ye!”

Having finally reacted, Xia Duo immediately rushed between the two, shielding Po Kong behind her. Starlight, who had been about to help, felt Moen quietly pull him back from behind.

A slender vine had unknowingly wound itself around Po Kong’s body, pushing the blade away from his throat and entangling it.

“Lord Ming Ye, please stop joking around. If an accident were to happen here, it wouldn't be good for anyone.”

Moen held the other end of the vine, her voice soft yet firm.

“Well, well... I didn't realize there was a Priest here as well.” Ming Ye gave a light sneer, as if only just noticing Moen’s presence. “It seems these two humans do have something special about them.”

With that, he released the sharp blade and took a half-step back. His gaze drifted between Moen and Xia Duo, a meaningful smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

Once freed from Ming Ye’s grip, the spirit armament longsword instantly transformed into a streak of silver light and returned to Po Kong’s wrist. The vine Moen had been controlling also slowly retracted, merging back into the structure of the building.

“Since the Priest has intervened, it would be inappropriate for me to persist.”

After locking eyes with Moen for several seconds, Ming Ye silently turned aside and made a “please” gesture, coldly dismissing them. “The identity registration for these two humans should be finished by now, shouldn't it? You may leave.”

Seeing him relent, the four of them quickly stood up and hurried out of the archives, leaving Ming Ye standing there alone, staring thoughtfully at the sub-link in his hand.

“Hmph! Humans... I hope you aren't ungrateful... Go and see what those girls are really up to.”

“Yes, my lord!”

With a low murmur, Ming Ye placed the sub-link back in its original spot. Then, with a flicker of his silhouette, he vanished from the room.

On the other side, as soon as Starlight and the others left the Ranger Force office, they found a quiet corner to stop. Only after Xia Duo confirmed multiple times that no one was following them did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.

“Phew! That was a close one! I never expected Ming Ye to suddenly show up at the archives. Don't those big-shot Saint Rank experts usually stay out of sight?” Xia Duo let out a long breath and wiped non-existent sweat from her forehead, her tone actually carrying a hint of playfulness.

“Sister, your performance was a bit too dramatic. If Po Kong hadn't happened to jump in, we might have been caught.”

When Moen spoke these words in her usual calm tone, both Po Kong and Starlight looked at them with faces full of surprise and confusion.

“?? Little Shadow!?” Po Kong stared at Xia Duo in shock, clearly not having expected that everything just now had been an act.

“You were acting just now? Wait! Where’s Wuka?!”

As soon as Starlight finished speaking, Xia Duo reached into her long hair and pulled Wuka out.

It had to be said that her brown hair was almost exactly the same color as the Wood Spirit’s body. Tucked away in her locks, Wuka had been perfectly camouflaged.

Sensing their confusion, Xia Duo gave a sly smile and said breezily, “You didn't really think I’d fall just because Ming Ye gave a little tug, did you? I’m not that fragile. I just used my body to block his line of sight, giving Wuka a chance to hide in my hair from behind.”

“That was way too risky! What if he’d found out?!” Po Kong’s face darkened. He only now realized that every move Xia Duo had made was calculated.

“He wouldn't have~” Xia Duo winked, a hint of pride in her voice. “Didn't Moen step in too? Within the range of the World Tree, a Nature Priest’s abilities are greatly amplified. Her mana was more than enough to cover Wuka, letting it return completely unnoticed.”

“Correct,” Moen added. “Furthermore, Captain Ming Ye is not a magic-based Saint Rank expert. His mana perception isn't as sharp as a mage’s. There was almost no chance of us being discovered.”

“...But you could have at least given us a heads-up!” Po Kong scratched his head, sounding helpless. “I really thought a fight was about to break out! Right, Little Star?”

He looked at Starlight, seeking agreement.

Starlight rubbed his chin and continued his questioning. “I get the feeling... Xia Duo, this isn't the first time you've done something like this. By the way, what if... I mean, what would have happened if we really were caught?”

At that, Xia Duo narrowed her eyes and pretended to think seriously before answering with a straight face.

“Hmm... well~ Moen would probably be fine. Since she’s from the Tree King Palace, the Ranger Force has no jurisdiction over her. As for me, I definitely wouldn't escape solitary confinement; in the worst-case scenario, I might be dismissed? As for you two... you’d probably be thrown into prison for a century or so?”

Starlight: “!?? How... how long?? That’s a massive difference!”

Po Kong: “I’m telling you, Little Shadow, can you please not use such a casual tone to say such terrifying things? Next time something like this happens, how about we discuss it beforehand??”

“But for an elf, several decades isn't really that long~” Xia Duo shrugged, her tone teasing.

Just as she was about to explain further, Moen reached out and took Wuka from her. Starlight noticed that Wuka’s state was different from usual; it looked somewhat listless, like a normal person who had just finished a long-distance run.

“Good work, Wuka. Tell us what you saw,” Moen said softly. She gently brushed her palm over its body, transferring the purest Power of Nature to it.

With the support of Moen’s mana, Wuka’s brown body immediately underwent a visible change.

Its brown body gradually turned a vine-like green, and a tender green leaf unfurled from its arm, quickly growing to be nearly as large as its body.

Soon, the leaf detached from its arm and was caught steadily in Moen’s palm. After completing this action, Wuka fell into a deep sleep in her hand.

“This is a method of communication for Wood Spirits,” Moen explained softly. “The amount of information Wuka accessed is too large to explain quickly, but through this leaf, we can know exactly what it saw.”

“Come, everyone, reach out. You just need to touch this leaf.”

As Moen spoke, she held out the hand cradling the leaf, signaling for the three of them to move closer.

Seeing Moen’s gesture, Xia Duo was the first to step forward, placing her index finger on the leaf. Starlight and Po Kong exchanged a glance and followed suit, pressing their fingertips against the leaf.

“Alright, get ready~” Moen warned softly.

“Ready for wha—”

Before Po Kong could finish, a cool breath with a faint fragrance erupted from the leaf, rushing directly into the minds of the four.

In that instant, Starlight felt as if countless images were flashing before his eyes. A massive wave of information surged into his brain all at once.

Normally, such a huge influx of information would cause a splitting headache, but the fragrance from the leaf acted as a perfect buffer for the discomfort, allowing them to process the intelligence with clear heads.