Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

—

“So you are saying that the Black Vatican moved the Frenzy Poppies that had been harvested straight to the school and stored them casually in Security. They even let the school transport their stuff to the Ninth Mound?” Mo Fan repeated what Mu Bai had said.

Mu Bai nodded.

“Why do I feel like our minds are being rubbed on the floor again?” Zhao Manyan smiled wryly.

The people leading the Black Vatican had always been very smart. If only they used their intelligence to do proper business!

“What should we do now?” Mu Bai was struggling to make a decision.

They had been searching for the Frenzy Poppies for a long time, and it turned out they had been stored less than a kilometer away from their apartments. They were only sent to the Ninth Mound recently!

“What else can we do? We will tackle the root of the problem!” Mo Fan said.

They would only be played like a fiddle if they kept going in circles with the Black Vatican.

Mu Bai had already mentioned that the trickiest part was planting the Frenzy Poppies. If the Black Vatican had already mastered the skills needed to refine the Frenzy Liquid, it would not take long for them to produce the Frenzy Liquid once they had the raw material.

Salan would have access to a new batch of the Frenzy Liquid. It was up to her if she wanted to repeat the Calamity of the Ancient Capital. The problem was that Salan was an emotionally unstable woman. Perhaps she might think the sandy white beaches around the Andes Mountains were too sunny, so a rain was needed to dampen them down. The area would immediately turn into Hell, where blood was scattered across the place and demons roamed!

“I’ve asked around. The Frenzy Poppies weren’t transported to the Ninth Mound using manual labor. The Ninth Mound is over a hundred kilometers away from the school. It would be tricky to transport the goods safely, even with an elite troop,” Mu Bai said.

“How did they do it, then?” Zhao Manyan asked.

“With Teleportation Portals! The Eighth Mound and the Twelfth Mound each have a Teleportation Portal connected to the Aorus Sacred Institute. It can transport objects over a hundred kilometers away, but the Portals can only transport non-living things. Living things will die instantly if they step into the Portals,” Mu Bai informed him.

“Damn it, why does the school have to be so rich? Otherwise, we might have had a chance to catch up to them!” Mo Fan complained.

“That’s why we must set out as soon as possible. We must stop the Black Vatican before they produce the Frenzy Liquid and stop whatever they are up to. The only problem is… these thirteen mounds aren’t just fire beacon towers in the Andes Mountains. They are also important road signs in the mountains that are basically a maze, like white poplars in a desert. We can only find the way to the Second Mound from the First Mound, and the way to the Third Mound from the Second Mound…” Mu Bai went on.

“Are you serious? They are taking a plane straight to the Eighth Mound and the next mound will be their destination, while we have to go on foot?” Zhao Manyan exclaimed.

“To make matters even worse, the school has lost contact with the Sixth Mound for a few days, whether or not the Black Vatican was behind it. Something must have happened to it. The school is organizing a group to check it out, so even if we are going to the Ninth Mound, we have to resolve the problem that is occurring at the Sixth Mound first!” Mu Bai frowned.

“Holy crap, does that mean we will only retrieve the corpses of innocent people at this rate?” Zhao Manyan wondered.

“Where are the Portals?” Mo Fan asked.

“Mo Fan, what are you trying to do?” Mu Bai and Zhao Manyan asked simultaneously.

“I’ll Teleport to the Eighth Mound right away,” Mo Fan declared.

“You’re going to get yourself killed. Those Portals are meant for non-living things. No one knows what’s going to happen to a living thing. You might be able to reach the Eight Mound, but your body might end up in several segments. We should just follow the Mounds instead. It’s not our fault if we don’t make it in time. We have made a lot more progress than the Magic Association and the Holy Judgment Court, who always notice something is wrong after it’s already too late,” Zhao Manyan yelled at him.

There were many kinds of Teleportation Portals. The principles of a Portal used to transport goods were different from those that could Teleport a person. It did not matter if goods were disintegrated in the spatial rift.

For example, if they were transporting potatoes and jerky, it would still be fine if they ended up as potato chips and mincemeat at the destination.

However, it was not the same for a living thing!

“I’m a Space Mage. I can look after myself in the spatial rift. If everything goes smoothly, I can go straight to the Eighth Mound. It’s even better if I can find the evil herbalist and send him to Heaven with my flames, giving the world its peace back,” Mo Fan replied confidently.

“Mo Fan, you are smashing an Apple against a Nokia. Who knows which one is going to last until the very end!” Zhao Manyan warned him.

“I have to take the bet. I’ve never taken a flight like this before… let’s not waste any more time. You two aren’t Space Mages, so don’t follow me into the Portal, I won’t be able to protect you. Just start from the First Mound and try to back me up. I’ll head to the Eighth Mound first. We are always one step behind the Black Vatican throughout this operation. We almost captured the evil herbalist who is such an important asset for Salan in Greece, yet he ran away right under our noses. If we don’t try harder, we’ll still be a step late. I don’t want a city to end up in a bloodbath because of us,” Mo Fan said.

“The Americas owe you a Nobel Peace Prize!” Zhao Manyan declared.

Mo Fan could not help it. He only had a few hobbies in his life. If the world was not peaceful, how could he read a book on the sandy white shore pretending he was preparing for his classes while enjoying the view of ladies in their bikinis?

If the world was not peaceful, how could he go wild with his lover on a bed inside the Parthenon Temple until the sun rose the next day?

If the world was not peaceful, the delicacies he loved would soon be drowned in the ocean, like his favorite restaurant that served crayfish in Pudong.

Fighting a war was not necessarily scarier than losing the things he loved, so he had no choice but to fight now!

——

The Eighth Mound had a Teleportation Portal that was used to transport goods. No one had ever tried using it to travel through it.

It felt like he was walking toward his reincarnation; the Way of the Animal, to be precise. He had no clue which species he would turn into.

Mu Bai always found Mo Fan’s courage impressive. If Mo Fan made it to the Eighth Mound in one piece, he would only be a dozen kilometers away from the Ninth Mound. He might be able to stop the evil herbalist in time!

“Mo Fan, do you know people who are involved in high-risk work will write their last words every month in case their families can’t take their possessions if they die a sudden death? Can you tell me if you have written a similar entry in your diary lately, before going inside the Portal?” Zhao Manyan inquired of him blithely.

Mo Fan already placed one of his feet inside the Portal. Silver strings began to circle him rapidly, forming a polygon. It was like Mo Fan was standing between two mirrors facing one another. His reflection was being projected in multiple dimensions.

Zhao Manyan saw Mo Fan talking as he entered the spatial rift, but his voice was sucked into the spatial rift. He could only guess what Mo Fan was saying by reading his lips.

It was more like Mo Fan was telling Zhao Manyan to send his regards to Chen Yi, rather than leaving his last words…