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"That spellcaster is suspicious. Really."

There was a professional-tier powerhouse in the team, so Xuan Ye naturally could not keep something like this to himself. After all, they were following the other party's group. If there really was a problem, then with the absolute difference in strength, his side would definitely be finished.

He immediately told Luo Luoji what he had discovered, and the burly man showed a rather surprised expression. Then, while poking at the campfire, he said with a sigh,

"Ah~, that mage sir still hasn't gone to sleep at this hour."

Uh, that was not quite the right thing to be surprised about...

"Hey, hey, didn't you hear me? His expression was so sinister then. He was staring fixedly at that zombie."

Seeing that Luo Luoji was actually concerned about whether the other party had slept, Xuan Ye nearly lost it.

"Zombie? A Wanderer? Mm, that's quite an apt description. Haha, kid, you're wound up too tight. He may only be a Magic Apprentice, but a mage sir is still a mage sir. They like researching all sorts of strange things, and plenty of them use Undead as research subjects. Since they finally came all the way out here, it's normal for them to pay extra attention."

Luo Luoji found Xuan Ye's anxious look somewhat amusing as he spoke, his thick beard trembling.

"Huh? You don't find it strange? Undead! They're Undead! I may not have read much, but I know that the Undead Scourge in the Near-Ancient Era was what dragged our Human Race down from its pedestal. What if he's some evil Necromancer?"

Looking at Luo Luoji's unconcerned attitude, Xuan Ye felt as though he had punched empty air.

"An evil Necromancer? Uh, oh, you're worried about running into those extremist cultists. Relax, these four definitely aren't. There's a Paladin right beside them, so what are you afraid of? Ordinary Necromancers are just a little gloomy. That doesn't make them evil.

"As for the Undead Scourge, that was thousands of years ago. Ever since the Undead Overlord pledged allegiance to the Lord of Hell, He has become one of the gods protecting our Reizel. Although not many among the Human Race worship Him, there's no denying that Necromancers are even better than Light Priests at dealing with plagues and diseases."

Luo Luoji laughed at Xuan Ye's nervous appearance and patiently gave him a brief explanation. Then again, it was normal for someone his age not to know such things.

Xuan Ye's eye twitched as he listened to Luo Luoji. His worldview was instantly thrown into chaos. Was this for real? Since when had Necromancers become such a positive profession? Well, from the sound of it, there really were still some extremely negative "normal" ones among them.

Over the course of that night, Xuan Ye gradually learned from Luo Luoji that the Desert of the Dead got its name from a Necrotic Tower left behind in the desert's center during the Undead Scourge of the Near-Ancient Era.

Most Necrotic Towers had been destroyed in the calamity that swept through all of Reizel. After the Undead Overlord "turned over a new leaf" and "abandoned darkness for the light" to become one of Reizel's gods, the remaining Necrotic Towers had been preserved.

They were, after all, things connected to the gods. The important figures capable of destroying a Necrotic Tower were unwilling to bear such a risk, and it was not worth the trouble.

The Undead were too poor. Demand for all kinds of Undead materials was extremely low, and their prices were dirt cheap. In contrast, certain special medicinal herbs produced in the corrupted regions around Necrotic Towers were far more valuable. Naturally, no one bothered targeting the towers, and the Desert of the Dead had become something of a benefit zone for Stanrosai City, a paradise for mercenaries and scavengers.

"Still, kid, your vigilance is worth praising. When you're out in the wild, you really should be more careful. And don't mistake ordinary Undead for harmless things. Even in the New Era, there are still countless countries and cities that have been destroyed by uncontrolled plagues."

In the end, Luo Luoji wrapped things up with words of praise and encouragement. Before they knew it, a streak of light had appeared on the horizon. Once Xuan Ye noticed, he could not help feeling miserable. His recent breakthrough had left his mind excited for a while, but he had still gone the entire night without sleep. He did not have the endless energy of a professional-tier expert like Luo Luoji...

With faint dark circles under his eyes and a listless expression, Xuan Ye felt like he was turning into dried fish beneath the scorching daytime sun. Half-dead, he continued following the group, while the dozens of pounds of packages he had newly gathered seemed to have grown much heavier.

"Mm, judging by their behavior, if I'm not mistaken, those four probably came here because of the nearby Undead. They seem to be researching something, likely a Dream Island project or assignment."

Although Luo Luoji had confidently assured Xuan Ye the night before that there was no problem, he was still an old hand who had spent years surviving through hardship. His mouth said one thing, but his body honestly raised its guard considerably and deliberately shifted the direction of his observations. Soon, he vaguely deduced the purpose of those four formidable figures.

"Indeed. Even Wanderers have started appearing this far out, which means the activity range of these Undead has expanded again. Did something happen at the Necrotic Tower? It actually attracted people from Dream Island."

Although Jack had lost their previous spar to Xuan Ye, his experience was far beyond anything Xuan Ye could match. After Luo Luoji finished observing, he added his thoughts.

As a Scavenger Squad, they were the most sensitive to environmental changes. Wanderers might be common minor creatures, and most could be dealt with by Level 2 or 3 Knight Attendants, but their appearance in this location carried a different meaning.

After so many years of adjustment and understanding, humans were not overly hostile toward ordinary Necromancers. However, they still remained highly vigilant toward ownerless natural Undead. The countries and cities that had fallen to plagues due to carelessness were still vivid in everyone's memories.

Though this was merely an inconspicuous change, Luo Luoji's first words when they discovered the Undead last night had been, "Why is this thing here?"

Now, with the four Dream Island elites stopping to conduct research as well, it naturally gave them some ideas.

"That Axe Man is waving at us. Should we go over?"

Xuan Ye had been staring from the sand dune at the four people in the distance. He was nearly sick of watching the Mage Apprentice who kept squatting down, drawing on the ground, and playing with sand. Although Luo Luoji had given him a simple explanation, Xuan Ye still felt that the pale-faced fellow was suspicious. Just as his eyes began to ache and he was about to turn around to look at the beautiful woman for a change of pace, he caught sight of the Axe Man grinning foolishly and waving at them.

That was why he asked uncertainly.

"Let's go take a look. If they mean us harm, this distance won't guarantee our safety anyway. Perhaps they need our assistance with something."

After only a brief moment of contemplation, Luo Luoji made a decisive decision. If they truly wanted to do something to them, they would have done it long ago. Besides, given their identities and status, there was no need for them to have any concerns about people like them.

Now that they had actively invited them over, refusing rashly might instead offend them.

Moreover, for people with status and wealth like this, who could not even be bothered to pick up most monster materials, if they really needed help, they would certainly pay generously.

Luo Luoji would never admit that the last point was the important one...

"See? I told you they'd come over. They'll willingly help us; we're not forcing them. They're scavengers who have been following us since the outskirts, so we know enough about them. There aren't any more suitable candidates."

Axe Man Ye Man stopped waving and looked at the Mage Apprentice Dean, who was still playing with sand, with a clear expression of Praise me already. After speaking, he secretly glanced at Young Lady Aitiya beside him, who had not voiced any opinion, seemingly afraid that she would refute him.

But he had clearly worried for nothing. The heroic and valiant female knight seemed to be lost in thought, staring blankly into space without paying either of them any attention.

"Mm. Their strength is a little lacking, but these people should be reliable enough. And with strength like theirs, even if there is a problem, handling it will be easy."

Blue-haired Aide curled his lip as he watched the few people descend from the opposite sand dune and head toward them.

On the other side, Mage Apprentice Dean stopped drawing in the sand. He stared at the ground with a grim expression and spoke heavily.

"It seems this incident has exceeded our expectations. Even our mentor likely did not anticipate such a situation. If things truly develop in the worst possible direction, the four of us alone may indeed find ourselves stretched too thin."

On the patch of sand before him, he had drawn an obscure and complex magical rune with his finger, using Magic Cores and crystals to suppress several key nodes.

Yet the Magic Cores suppressing the rune were now all beginning to crack. Even the core red crystal at the very center had completely turned to powder. This change made the Mage Apprentice's expression darken uncertainly.

However, Ye Man, who seemed to have muscles growing in his brain, did not appear to fully understand Dean's words. He tossed away the remains in his hand like a cigarette butt, scratched his head, and looked confused.

"Did you get it wrong? You're only a Ninth-Grade Apprentice. Don't forget that Mister Roland is the expert in this field, and he's a Six Star Occupational Peak Formal Mage. He's been in Stanrosai City for decades. No matter what, he can't possibly be inferior to a little apprentice who just got here."

Faced with Ye Man's blunt words, Dean replied with absolute certainty.

"There's no way I'm wrong! Senior Roland is indeed extraordinarily talented. That is exactly why he was able to discover that something was amiss in advance and notify the academy's mentors. And haven't you noticed that the events which tied up Senior Roland and Mentor Pusang were far too coincidental?

"Senior Roland must have vaguely sensed the hidden threat behind this, which was why he notified the academy despite being so busy. Yet just after he sent the notice, he was dragged into that trouble, and even Mentor Pusang, who had led us here, was held back. At first, I also thought it was just a coincidence. But the Undead from last night and the abnormal magical fluctuations here show that things are not so simple. The anomaly at the Necrotic Tower isn't some magical cycle. It was caused by human interference!"

A mage was still a mage. Even if he was only an apprentice, Dean already possessed a unique perspective when it came to researching problems and his own academic field. He dared to explore, and he dared to question.

Blue-haired Aide nodded in agreement.

"That is our mission this time. Whether it's true or not, being careful can't hurt. Dean is the professional when it comes to magic."

"Fine, fine, fine. My brain isn't as sharp as yours. You two call the shots."

As the discussion grew increasingly complicated, Ye Man's rough mind clearly could not keep up, and he raised his hands in surrender.

When Xuan Ye and the others arrived, they happened to hear Dean's final few decisive words. The moment Xuan Ye finished listening, he immediately felt the urge to turn around and leave.

Damn it, I've only just gotten a new life! Compared to freaks like you, I'm still just a Level 7 Knight Attendant with tiny arms and legs! Why have I somehow gotten dragged into something so serious? That damned Luo Luoji is way too greedy for money. See? Now he's going to regret it.

While Xuan Ye silently wept and cursed inwardly, before he could finish his thoughts, he heard Luo Luoji's seemingly obsequious voice beside him.

"Young masters and young lady, just give the word if you need anything. As long as it's within our abilities, we guarantee that we'll complete the task to the best of our ability..."

Turning his head, he saw—

The giant of over two meters was now hunched over, trying his best to appear humble. He kept rubbing his hands together with a calculating expression, wearing a fawning, sycophantic grin.

What the hell? Did you even hear what they said? You're accepting this so easily?

"The reason we formed a Scavenger Squad and came here to risk our lives was for what? Now that there's better pay and better resources, of course we won't turn it down. Haven't we always been trading our lives for money, for cultivation resources?"

Yet just as Xuan Ye's heart filled with bleakness, Jack's firm and indifferent tone left this young man from the peaceful twenty-first century of Earth staring blankly.

Only now did he suddenly understand the hardships and sacrifices of the original owner's father, the scavengers before him, and perhaps all ordinary civilian cultivators across Reizel.

When he had first joined the Scavenger Squad, combined with the sudden change in environment after transmigrating, he had felt more curiosity and freshness than confusion. After all, with Luo Luoji around, the brutal side of an ordinary Scavenger Squad had not been shown too much. The main hardship had simply been the exhaustion of travel, which was nothing to him with the physical foundation of a Level 6 Attendant.

But this sense of freshness was the ordinary reality Jack and the others had long become numb to. They were people who spent their lives hovering at the edge of death.

Compared to them, his current mentality and will were even further behind than his experience. Only at this moment did Xuan Ye vaguely begin to understand the feeling called "reality," slowly and truly integrating into his role and place...