Watching several rangers whispering among themselves in the shadows, Tang Qi recognized them at once. As Ebony Forest's guardians, they were easy to identify: every one of them carried a bow, wore an emerald-green robe, and hid their faces beneath hoods.
Tang Qi stepped forward. "What happened?"
The rangers recognized this new visitor, but perhaps to avoid causing panic, they were unwilling to reveal the truth. "We're counting personnel so we can assign the upcoming patrols."
If that were all, Quinn would not have worn that expression. The rangers' vigilance clearly confirmed that they were in an unusual situation.
He needed to find a way to pry some information out of them.
After a brief moment of thought, he took a Newleaf glowing with golden light from his pocket. Little Rascal had given it to him before, and it was proof of a forest ranger's identity. "Elder Bell Deer gave this to me. We're on the same side."
"7"
That was, of course, a lie.
Fortunately, forest rangers and patrol rangers belonged to two separate systems, and the former held greater status—only those who had made outstanding contributions received such an honor.
Combined with the bonus from [Commoner Hero], Tang Qi barely needed to say much before several rangers quietly leaned close and whispered a few words into his ear—
"You're saying the Flail Snail has gone missing again?"
Tang Qi answered instinctively, startling the rangers into hurriedly shushing him. "Keep it down, keep it down! We absolutely cannot let this get out, or it'll cause unnecessary panic—"
But wasn't this a dream? Could a snail going missing in a dream really affect the ritual in reality?
Since the Society could not possibly issue a pointless quest, Tang Qi could only conclude that the [Road of Wealth] in the dream