Chapter 71

To the southeast of Serenity Canyon was Mandara Desert, one of the hundred zones in the Grandsky Realm. It was a land filled with sand as far as the eye could see, and like Serenity Canyon, it was just as large as the Innate Dimension.

At this moment, five humans rode griffins above the desert sand, their clothes flapping in the wind. One of them, a man with a bushy mustache, wiped the sweat from his brow and complained, “Cap'n, the heat’s killing me. You sure you don’t have any fire resistance potions?”

“Fin, weren’t you the one who decided we could save money by skipping on luxury items like that?” Rose, a woman flying on Fin’s left, laughed in amusement upon seeing her companion sweating buckets.

“That was before I started melting,” Fin groaned.

“Bear with it. We’re almost there,” grunted the leader of the five, a middle-aged man flying at the front.

Rose turned to their party’s captain, “Pierson, isn’t it time you tell us why we’re flying so deep into the border zones?”

The rest of the party looked over.

Those belonging to the Elemental, Conceptual, and Sin Dimensions considered zones like Serenity Canyon and Mandara Desert unworthy of their time, as they were too low-level and too far away. The only people who explored border zones were those looking to get away from the non-stop war between the dimensions, to test their luck, or had some secret.

Pierson nodded and answered, “Fine. You all know how Commander Rayel’s a monster tamer? Well, she came up with a clever method. She’d raise broodmother-type pets before releasing them into the wild in far-out locations. Then, once her released pets grew their brood, she’d cull their numbers for loot and experience. What we’re doing now is checking to see if the time is ripe.”

“Huh, that’s smart,” Fin looked ahead, where Serenity Canyon was coming into view. “So what broodmother are we looking for?”

“A Royal Queen Bee,” Pierson answered with a grunt.

Rose’s eyes widened in surprise. “No way! Isn’t that the monster that produces Life Essence Honey?”

Pierson smiled, his expression full of respect, “Sure is. Now you know how Commander Rayel could make Radiant Glow into one of the top mercenary organizations in just a few decades.”

Fin, Rose, and the other two members looked at each other. After two years, it seemed the higher-ups finally considered them official Radiant Glow members, or else they wouldn’t have sent them on a mission that involved Commander Rayel’s secret. This was no doubt a final test of sorts.

A few minutes later, the group of five passed into Serenity Canyon’s territory. Soon after, the massive hive came into view, at which point Pierson sat up in surprise. His face grew grim as he said, “Quick, into the clouds!”

Alarmed, the group soared into cover and glanced at each other in surprise. Rose was confused. “Why are so many people here?”

Fin furrowed his brow and made a guess. “It could be a military exercise for the younger generation of the Elemental Dimension. They do these from time to time.”

Pierson crossed his arms and groaned irritably. “Doesn’t matter who they are or what they’re doing here. All we care about is the state of the brood.”

“Uh,” Fin coughed, “pretty sure they killed everything, considering they were mining away at the hive without any resistance.”

“I’m aware,” Pierson glowered at Fin.

Rose shrugged helplessly. “So what now? We’re just gonna let these people take our Life Essence Honey?”

Pierson considered for a moment before shaking his head. “Whatever faction it is, just based on their numbers, it isn’t worth becoming their enemy. Things like this happen, albeit rarely. We simply got unlucky. All we can do is go back and report what we found.”

The group took a few moments to collect their thoughts when Pierson abruptly stood up, whipped out his bow, drew an arrow, and spun around, all in one smooth motion. At some point, a masked woman with long black hair floated in the sky not fifty feet away.

Pierson felt a chill as he took in the newcomer. Was it just a coincidence the masked woman stayed just an inch outside the range of his Sensory Field or was it intentional? Either way, the fact his Inspect skill came up blank made him wary. Pierson was a level 729 ranger, so the only people who could hide from his Inspect were those far beyond his level or had a special item.

Thinking quickly, Pierson lowered his bow and said, “My party was just passing by. We mean no harm.”

The masked woman simply hummed gently in response to Pierson’s act of de-escalation, causing the atmosphere to grow heavy.

Pierson cursed his luck for encountering an unknown group in the border zones. Was it some faction trying to avoid the war or a military operation, as Fin said? Both options didn’t sound appealing.

When Pierson was about to try and state his intentions to leave, the masked woman said, “For security purposes, I need you all to follow me.”

“And if we don’t?” Pierson gripped his bow tight as his companions grimaced.

The masked woman held her hands behind her back. “As far as I know, you could be spies sent to locate where our younger generation was training. It's in your best interest to remain here until our operation ends. After that, you’re free to go.”

Pierson fell into thought. Honestly, he felt relieved. Based on his instincts, the masked woman was no doubt a powerhouse, and considering the circumstances, she would’ve killed them by now if she wanted to.

“Captain?” Fin, Rose, and the other two fearfully looked at Pierson when he remained silent.

After going over his options, Pierson put away his bow with an aggrieved expression. “Fine, we’ll go with you. How long until we’re free?”

“Not long,” the masked woman answered vaguely.

Pierson sighed and once more cursed his luck.