Stone of Destiny Trial, Theft

Ronan made a cursory observation.

Of the five-person team from the Astronomy Society, Ai Wen, as the leader, and another Mid Level Four wizard Fu Ge were the strongest, and their main responsibility was to clear out the wandering monsters along the way.

Astrologer A Nan De is the team's "navigator," another Level Four Wizard is responsible for reconnaissance, and there is a female wizard who acts as "logistics."

The five-person Dawn Wizard team was fairly well-equipped and coordinated well with each other. However, apart from Ai Wen, the other four were severely lacking in practical combat experience. Under normal circumstances, they might be fine, but if they encountered even the slightest setback, the team's flimsy formation would likely be immediately broken up.

The person who will be most overwhelmed at that time will definitely be Ai Wen, the leader. He is a man whose strong sense of responsibility and ambition are evident from his appearance. No wonder he chose to "cooperate" with them without hesitation. He probably felt that he had reached the limit of his ability after playing the role of "nanny" for the team, but he was unwilling to give up.

Ronan gave Hathaway a look, and Hathaway obediently took the lead and ran to the front of the group.

Ronan chanted a deep incantation, and circular ripples spread across the void around him like waves, from which one after another Elemental Lifeform forms emerged.

Primarily composed of Water Elementals, supplemented by Fire Element life forms, each radiating a powerful energy fluctuation comparable to Mid Level Four wizard.

Control of the Water Element was shared with Hathaway, while the Fire Element was controlled by Ronan himself, distributed around the entire team. It dispelled the decay, dampness, and darkness in the waterways, and also served as an early warning system.

Ronan had previously thrown all the monster corpses that Hathaway had "accumulated" into the Elemental Pool, which slightly upgraded the Elemental Pool and was now able to create Mid Level Four Elemental Lifeform without much effort.

The upper limit of Elemental Lifeform creation of the Crown of Deep Knowledge is linked to the number of Primordial Spirit Writing the user possesses. Theoretically, Ronan can create an Elemental Lifeform with a scale of tens of thousands!

However, this is contingent on the Elemental Pool having sufficient energy reserves and his mental cultivation reaching a level where he can command so many Elemental Lifeform to act simultaneously.

Ronan estimated that with the current energy accumulation in his Elemental Pool, if all of it were used to create fourth-order Elemental Lifeform, he could summon between two and three hundred of them.

This power was enough to create an overwhelming force, allowing him to sweep through the Ancient Waterway ruins, but at the cost of draining all the energy from the Elemental Pool that he had painstakingly accumulated.

This was certainly not what Ronan wanted.

Therefore, Ronan only summoned twenty Level Four Water Element and ten Elemental Lifeform.

With the enhancement of the Crown of Deep Knowledge, the actions and vision of all thirty Elemental Lifeform were completely under Ronan's control, as if they were his own limbs, as if he could read the lines on his palm.

Mental energy ebbs and flows like the tides of the moonlit night. Even if this state is maintained for a long time, it will not be depleted at all, and there is even a slight tendency to increase.

On the Character Panel, the proficiency of the [Tidal Meditation Technique], which he hadn't paid much attention to, was automatically increasing by a little bit every now and then.

Ronan's Elemental Guardian and Hathaway's powerful addition greatly reduced the physical and psychological pressure on the Astronomy Society team.

It was obvious that everyone, including Ai Wen, breathed a sigh of relief, and some were even overjoyed. Their attitude towards Ronan and Evan also began to change, gradually becoming more intimate from their initial indifference and distance.

For a group of "trial novices," there is no better way to win their favor than to relieve their pressure in time and allow them to return to their own "comfort zone."

Even Ai Wen cast a grateful glance at Ronan.

Leading such a "headache-inducing" team to participate in the trial must have been incredibly exhausting for him.

With the Elemental Guardians and Hathaway present, the task of clearing out the monsters along the way no longer required Ai Wen and his companion. Ai Wen deliberately slowed down, landed next to Ronan, and took the initiative to talk to him.

"Is this the effect of the Crown of Deep Knowledge?"

Ai Wen attributed the ability to summon thirty Elemental Lifeform in one go entirely to the Crystal Crown atop Ronan's head, uttering a soft exclamation. "I once learned about this legendary artifact in an ancient book. It is said to be the culmination of the wisdom of the wizards of the Spirit Lake Deep Sea School, and it has always held the first position among the three inherited artifacts of Spirit Lake."

"You are even more knowledgeable than I expected..."

Ronan looked surprised and asked, "How much do you know about this selection? Can you tell me in detail? To be honest, I still don't know what I'm supposed to do; I'm completely being forced into this."

Ronan wore a helpless, bitter smile, as if it contained many unspeakable stories. What he said wasn't entirely false, because he had taken the position that rightfully belonged to Misha. Apart from a Rune Stone with the basic procedures written on it, the Deep Sea wizard who led the way hadn't revealed any additional information about the selection process to him.

"You mean the Stone of Destiny Trial?"

Stone of Destiny Trial.

Ronan's eyes flickered slightly. Well, he only just now truly knew the real name of this trial.

"Actually, I don't know that much either..."

After thinking for a moment, Ai Wen said, "Finding the entrance to the Quivada Oasis heading there is the first stage objective of the trial."

Honestly, this stage is difficult enough.

But it's said that the truly brutal selection process is yet to come.

Ai Wen's eyes were slightly solemn, as if he himself did not have much hope for the future.

Ronan asked, "How much do you know about the Lost Land?"

"The Lost Land?"

Ai Wen shook his head and said, "When the catastrophe of the destruction of the Keldim Empire broke out, during the protracted war, a small part of the vast Keldim Empire sank into the ground and was broken into many hidden space layers."

It is said that the Lost Land have far more than one layer. The waterway area we are currently in, as well as the Quivada Oasis we want to reach, are considered relatively stable and safe places within the Lost Land."

"I see."

Ronan pondered, suspecting that his and Jason's exploration of the Goblin Vault and their encounter with the Tangista Empire wizards in the greyish wilderness might be some "interlayer" within the Lost Land.

He wanted to ask Ai Wen more questions, but then the sounds of battle came from ahead of the group, accompanied by the exclamations of several wizards from the Astronomy Society and Hathaway's disdainful voice. Driven by his innate sense of responsibility, Ai Wen's expression turned serious, and without saying a word, he immediately rushed over.

Ronan had no choice but to give up.

This hastily formed small group stopped to rest on the second day of the hourglass timer.

It wasn't that the road ahead was difficult or that they were tired from fighting, but rather that the astrologer A Nan De needed to stop for a while to deduce the next route.

"Would you like to try some?"

Beside the burning campfire, Ai Wen handed Ronan a small black cloth bundle. Everyone was resting, drinking water, eating, or meditating. The gray-haired youth A Nan De hid far away, guarded by five Elemental Lifeform, and was engrossed in studying Star Chart.

"Thanks."

Ronan took the cloth bag from Ai Wen, opened it, and found that it contained some dark, jerky-looking things.

"Wind Serpent Jerky".

Ai Wen explained, "It tastes good and is very helpful for restoring physical strength. It also has a certain effect on aiding meditation. If you find it too hard, you can use a wind spell to 'blow' it a little, and the texture will be even better."

Ronan nodded, casually took out a long strip of Wind Serpent Jerky, and activated his "Storm Bloodline" slightly, causing some free wind energy particles to gather and gently brush over the surface of the jerky.

As Ai Wen said, the Wind Serpent Jerky, which was "soaked" in the wind element, quickly became as soft as noodles, even though it was originally so hard that it could almost be used as a weapon.

Ronan gently tore off a piece, put it in his mouth and chewed. The taste was exceptionally fresh and fragrant; it was indeed a rare delicacy.

He suddenly recalled his apprenticeship, when he relied on consuming the flesh and blood of magical beasts to help temper his body. At that time, he knew very little about magic and magical beasts. It was a memory that made him smile and couldn't help but miss.

"Would you like to try some of Hathaway's homemade pies?"

Having tasted the Wind Serpent Jerky given to him by Ai Wen, Ronan naturally "generously" took out the pies that Hathaway had baked a few days earlier to share with the members of the Astronomy Society.

When Ai Wen saw the pie, his eyes lit up noticeably. He glanced at Hathaway not far away, then whispered, "Then I won't be polite," and "excitedly" took the pie back to share with the others.

Ronan was really looking forward to seeing their expressions when they bit into the live frogs and bats in the pie. Oh, several days had passed; the ones that were alive should have suffocated by now. While everyone was enjoying their "delicious" meal, Ronan's eyes flickered, and with a few snacks in hand, he got up and slowly walked towards A Nan De, who was in the distance.

During this time, Ai Wen's gaze lingered on him for a moment, but he quickly looked away and did not say anything to stop him.

"Star trails... tidal and seasonal cycles, Polma Coefficient thirteen."

As you approach A Nan De from behind, you can hear him muttering words that most people would find completely incomprehensible.

A Nan De was half-squatting on the ground in a rather ungraceful posture. In front of him was a Star Chart projected by a crystal and a mercury blackboard. With the surging light naturally emitted by the Elemental Lifeform, it was clear that the mercury blackboard and the ground beneath his feet were densely covered with various calculation formulas.

A Nan De's hair was disheveled, resembling a bird's nest, and his brows were furrowed, giving him an appearance of extreme anxiety and agitation.

Ronan deliberately made a sound, A Nan De turned around abruptly. Upon seeing Ronan, he instinctively used his body to shield the calculation formulas under his feet.

What do you want to do?

"Let's eat something first."

Ronan casually tossed him the food he was holding and replied nonchalantly, "Star Chart deduction is an extremely mentally taxing task."

"We can't go on without filling our stomachs."

A Nan De was taken aback by what he heard. He subconsciously looked in the direction of the Astronomy Society and found that his companions were chatting and eating happily, and no one paid any attention to him.

She pursed her lips and looked at Ronan with less wariness.

"Thanks."

A Nan De quickly and quietly thanked Ronan, then lowered his head and began to haphazardly tear at the pie and jerky in his hands, wolfing it down; he seemed genuinely hungry.

Ronan naturally squatted down beside him, casually glancing at the calculation formulas at A Nan De's feet. As his eyes gleamed, the messy symbols on the ground seemed to come alive, quickly passing through his eyes and flooding into his mind.