Chapter 69: The Island’s Secret: A Risky Proposition

“Amos, do we still have to keep waiting?” Alfred asked, as all of us remained hidden behind a low hill.

Before us stretched a vast lake, nestled within a barren shingle beach. A slender river flowed into it, seemingly the same eastward-flowing stream Sally and I had spotted from high above.

Based on the location Angelina had described, the lake’s expanse should have been where she was previously teleported from. However, no exchange phenomenon was occurring, so there was no sign of the Kaja Mountains.

And indeed, this proved to be true.

When our group first arrived, we discovered thousands of Monster Beasts densely gathered around the lake’s edge.

They waited motionlessly until the entire lake surface was suddenly replaced by a mountainous jungle. Only then did they all step across the dividing line between the grass and the shingle.

Immediately afterward, the lake water reappeared, and the space quickly reverted to its original state. The Monster Beasts, however, had vanished without a trace.

“Something seems off. This is very different from before.” Amos said, his voice hesitant, after witnessing the entire exchange and teleportation process.

“Those Monster Beasts were teleported away immediately after entering the exchange range. I recall the exchange time wasn’t this short initially, otherwise, we wouldn’t have had the chance to sneak in and teleport here. And the range is problematic too; while this lake’s area is similar to the deep pit in Val City, haven’t you noticed its edges perfectly align with the shoreline…?”

“So, someone is precisely controlling the entire process, and the entire lake area is under surveillance?” I couldn’t help but interject.

“Precisely! Which means we’re in big trouble now.” Amos said, a hint of anxiety in his voice.

“If we want to be teleported back, we must approach the shore, or even enter the water. But doing so would almost certainly lead to our detection by the enemy.”

“But this lake is huge! The enemy might not be able to monitor the entire shoreline, right?” Hayden, from beside me, leaned in to offer his opinion.

His point wasn’t entirely wrong. The lake was indeed vast. Had it not been for the tall tower on the small island in the center, we might have dared to enter the water from another location, waiting to be teleported back to the Asante Kingdom.

However, since the enemy had constructed such a clearly watchtower-like building, it undoubtedly served a purpose. If we carelessly approached the lake area, we would likely be discovered.

“It’s a shame the terrain around the lake is too flat,” Alfred sighed with a hint of regret. “Aside from a few hills in our direction, there’s almost nowhere to hide.”

He then turned to Angelina. “When you were teleported here before, did you also see so many Monster Beasts entering from outside?”

“I didn’t really pay attention to that…” Angelina scratched her head, recalling. “Mainly, the exchange range was too vast, and there were tall trees on the ground obstructing my view, so I can’t be certain…”

‘Can’t this person be a little more reliable?’ I thought.

These Monster Beasts, whether dispatched from the nearby Val City or not, were certainly headed to fight in the Asante Kingdom. I sensed they were far stronger than the miscellaneous soldiers who had pursued us earlier. Perhaps it was precisely because powerful forces were needed for the war in the kingdom that Val City lacked the means to intercept us, allowing us to escape successfully.

Just now, when the mountainous region from the kingdom’s side was exchanged, the lake’s shoreline served as the precise dividing line, not far from our hiding spot. Had those Monster Beasts not been blocking the way, we would have surely rushed straight in.

My fear was that under human control, if no Monster Beasts were waiting outside, the exchange wouldn’t initiate. In that scenario, we would be left with no opportunities whatsoever, unless we dared to engage such a multitude of Monster Beasts in direct combat.

“I think we should just be direct and attack that place,” Angelina declared, pointing to the building on the island. Even with her Qi-Condensed Sword, she feared a numerous army of Monster Beasts.

However, it was unlikely that the tower itself could house such a large force, making it her target.

“It definitely contains the exchange device for this side—the other half of what they call the divine artifact. If we seize it, wouldn’t that solve everything once and for all? We could then teleport back to the kingdom from anywhere, not just this spot.”

“Isn’t that a bad idea?” I was the first to object.

“You’re truly overconfident. Knowing it’s a critical enemy stronghold—the most vital of vital places—how can you suggest such a thing? Aren’t you afraid of encountering an expert who could handle you?”

“Even if you successfully seize the device, are you sure you’d know how to use it?” Amos also expressed his doubts.

“If we don’t know how to use it, we can just keep someone alive to tell us,” Angelina retorted, completely ignoring my opinion. “Besides, there are no other options. We can’t just waste time here, can we?”

Angelina, with a nonchalant air, completely disregarded my opinion and even rallied everyone for a vote. “If you don’t believe me, ask everyone, right?”

“Yes, yes!” Sally was the first to raise her hand in agreement. This one was a staunch fan of Angelina’s, making opposition almost impossible.

“Angelina is a very powerful angel… I think the success rate is high.” Erica pondered for a moment, then raised her hand.

Seeing Erica raise her hand, Hayden immediately followed suit. The two of them almost always took the same stance on everything.

“I believe, given Angelina’s strength, this issue isn’t entirely out of the question…” Even the usually cautious Alfred had sided with them.

‘Sigh, what can I even say…?’ I thought. ‘Still not cautious enough.’

“Don’t forget, there’s a guy called the God of Flame in the enemy’s ranks.” I reminded them reluctantly, looking at the huge 5-to-2 disparity. “Even when we caused such a ruckus in Val City before, he never showed up. Perhaps he left there to guard a crucial location like this.”

“Since they say he’s the god of all dark creatures, his dark element aura should be very strong, right? Have you two angels sensed anything?” Sally asked Angelina and me.

“No!” Angelina shook her head with absolute certainty. “Anyway, I can’t feel anything inside that tower. Though the distance is a bit far, a god’s aura wouldn’t be this weak, would it?”

“Who said a god’s aura must be strong? What if there’s no aura at all?” I scoffed, questioning her. ‘It’s a shame Angelina, like me, is a transmigrator, yet she doesn’t even grasp this basic common sense.’

“Besides, he’s the God of Flame, so his aura doesn’t necessarily have to be strong in dark elements.”

“That’s hard to say, as it’s a fact that dark creatures are generally proficient in fire magic…” Sally didn’t quite agree with my statement. She had actually mentioned this characteristic of dark creatures to me before; generally, in addition to being physically strong, proficiency in fire magic was also common among them.

However, many Monster Beasts weren’t highly intelligent and didn’t use complex magic. They mostly preferred direct physical combat over casting spells from a distance.

“So, you’re all determined to go, then.” I rolled my eyes. Everything they said made so much sense that I was temporarily speechless.

I turned to look at Amos, who stood nearby, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, simply keeping to himself as if watching a spectacle.

“You’re not even going to say anything to help me!” I complained bitterly. He had been on my side initially; had he retreated so quickly?

“I truly don’t know what to do…” Amos explained with a wry smile. “I’ve never heard of that God of Flame, Migadi, before. There’s too little information about her to make a judgment.”

“So, you might as well give in, Flora!” Seeing this, Angelina smiled triumphantly. “Now you’re the only one opposing it. Don’t resist any longer.”

“Alright, alright!” With no other choice, I reluctantly conceded and went along with the majority.

“Anyway, you’re the strongest among us. If even you can’t win with your Qi-Condensed Sword, then I suppose we wouldn’t be able to escape either!”

In truth, the island in the middle of the lake was more accurately a peninsula, connected to the shore by a narrow path. The initial plan was for Angelina to go alone, but Alfred insisted on accompanying her. As a dignified sixth-tier swordsman, his sense of honor wouldn’t allow him to hide behind them, merely cheering from afar.

“Go for it! If you can’t win, just run!” I cautioned Angelina. The rest of us, merely fourth-tier small fry, could naturally only watch from a distance as the mighty ones showed off.

Unable to fly, Alfred had to take the small path leading to the island. Fortunately, the entrance to the island wasn’t far from us. Though his full-speed run was swift, Angelina, being able to fly, reached the island a step quicker. Without a word, she summoned her Qi-Condensed Sword and plunged directly into the tower.

Alfred soon arrived at his destination. He drew his longsword, about to charge in after her, when he saw Angelina suddenly emerge from inside, fly to the upper levels of the tower, and re-enter.

“What’s going on? Did she come up empty-handed again?”

From my distant hiding spot, I couldn’t understand. Although it was too far to see clearly, it was obvious they hadn’t encountered any enemies. This seemingly assured action had yielded an unexpected result.

“It really seems to be an empty island.” Amos also realized it. Alfred and Angelina entered and exited several times under everyone’s gaze, yet failed to find even a shadow of a Monster Beast.

Finally, after exchanging a few words, they both waved toward us, signaling for us all to come over.

“That’s too risky…” Amos said, frowning. “There’s only one path connecting that island to the outside. It would be terrible if it were a trap.”

However, no matter how much he waved and called out to them, the two on the island showed no inclination to return. Instead, they kept signaling for all of us to join them.

“They seem to have found something,” Hayden suddenly remarked. He and Alfred apparently had a way to communicate specially, allowing him to understand the strange gestures.

“Perhaps we should go over and see?” Sally chimed in, persuading us. “Maybe they found the exchange device, and they’ve been on the island for so long now. If there were a trap, it would probably have been sprung already.”

“Alright…” Amos reluctantly agreed. He looked at me and said, “If you sense anything amiss, fly away immediately. You’re not like Angelina; don’t try to be brave.”

I was grateful he always thought of me, but abandoning everyone to save myself clearly wouldn’t be right. Besides, I had already wrestled with the idea of being a coward before.

“We’ll see then…” I said, flying towards the island. I couldn’t outright defy him, so I offered a vague response.

“…” Seeing my reaction, Amos didn’t press further. He could only lead the rest of the group out from behind the hill.