Fang Hong steadied himself for a moment, remained silent for a while, then raised his head and asked, "People of the Blood Oath Alliance, have any of you seen them?"

The others shook their heads, only the priest mentioned in passing that the people from the Blood Oath Alliance seemed to have arrived earlier than them. Since they were here earlier, naturally no one knew where they had gone, and it wasn't even certain if they were still on this level.

Fang Hong pondered alone for a moment, then asked, "Sorry, we wasted some time on the previous levels, could you tell us about the situation below?"

"No problem, just ask away, we're not in a hurry," the man replied, "But what do you mean by 'below'?"

"After the seventh level."

"The seventh level? Well, it was like this, the Giant Dragon alerted us that someone had reached the seventh level ahead of others and asked everyone to prepare, then we were transported down."

Fang Hong was stunned for a moment but still composedly asked, "And then, immediately?"

"It was a matter of a few minutes."

"A few minutes, very good." Fang Hong cursed inwardly and then asked, "Transported to this place?"

"Of course not, it was the eighth level."

Fang Hong's expression darkened, but he still thanked the other party. Before sending them away, he confirmed another matter with them, and then he sought out Sophie.

Sophie listened quietly to his description and took the initiative to say, "It seems like we have a serious problem."

"More than serious, it's ridiculous to teleport everyone to the eighth level, I can understand that, but why make us wait for four to five hours?"

Fang Hong felt it was utterly absurd. Thinking about what could have happened in those four or five hours, it was likely related to Hilveld, and that Native miss, whose smile was somewhat heart-stirring. Each time he thought of her help, a pang of pain struck his heart.

Even if the matter wasn't related to Hilveld at all, being left in such a situation couldn't be any good. Although she appeared to be an enigma, the thought of possibly finding Hilveld's lifeless body in these dark depths was almost unimaginable to him.

Sophie sighed, "Lord Toragotos probably thought we were a bit too strong."

Quite annoyed, Fang Hong said, "What a damn Lord, I thought it would be biased towards you."

The girl raised an eyebrow sharply and replied, "It wouldn't be, the Dragon is stingy beyond belief. We've dealt with it for so long and have never gained any benefit. On the contrary, it's you," she paused, looking meaningfully at Fang Hong and recalling those few ceremonies, "—it has been especially generous to you."

Fang Hong was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head, "Sorry, I didn't mean to take it out on you. It's pointless for us to blame each other here, I just think it's too utilitarian, it can't guarantee everyone's safety, as you've seen. It might have known all along that its Semi-Divine Artifact is useless in the face of the real Dark Force—"

"You were the one who started it, what's the point of getting angry with me? Or do you think we are in league with it?"

Fang Hong was taken aback again before realizing his mentality was a bit off-balance, and he calmed down and apologized, "Sorry."

"It's okay, we do bear some responsibility," Sophie also calmed down, "Let's control our emotions. I always feel like there is something here affecting us."

Fang Hong also had the same feeling, glancing around him: the cracked gray earth, wisps of lingering smoke shrouded the distant and close scenery with a thin layer of black veil, always giving off a peculiar feeling.

"So what are your plans now, to back out?" Sophie asked as she looked at him.

Fang Hong shook his head, how could he back out now? Who would have thought the old Dragon would trick everyone? Clenching the brooch in his hand, he knew he had to resolve this perfectly, or at least understand what had happened.

Besides, all this might still be owed to Miss Atira's brother for justice.

"Alright then, as it stands, our agreement still counts. As long as a map can be obtained, assuming you don't get what you deserve, I'll try to persuade the guild to compensate for your loss," Sophie, seeing his decision, exhaled a sigh of relief.

Fang Hong was taken aback: "Am I that important?"

Sophie spoke bluntly, nodding, "The facts have proven that I have a good eye for people. You work well with the team. Of course, the more important thing is that an excellent Combat Artisan is too important in this environment. I can't have the Guild air-drop another one right now, especially one who may not even be at your level."

"Aren't you worried I'll raise my price?"

"No worries, you're not that type of person." Sophie replied confidently, "Besides, I might not even agree."

"You're pretty straightforward, Miss Sophie."

Sophie laughed heartily, "I always have been."

Although they argued, they each went about their business. Fang Hong planned to stay, but there were two members in the team who were not exactly part of the Adventure Group. He had to candidly inform Tainaric and Xiangzi of the current situation, then let them decide whether to stay or go.

He was confident in Tainaric and quite aware of his goals, but Xiangzi was a different story. Although Xiangzi had expressed a desire to stay, in a situation where they could lose Starlight at any moment, how many people could hold on to their choices?

Fortunately, the answers from both reassured him, but while the former's was out of firmness, the latter seemed to be somewhat insouciant.

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