Pike in Action

Parsona learned of the incident at the restaurant immediately, but he didn't care. He had his own trump cards, and for this mission, he was simply looking for some cannon fodder.

He had already breached the ruins of the super-ancient civilization several times, each time falling just short. Cultivating his own forces cost a great deal, so it was far better to simply post a mission like this.

No matter how much others gained inside, it would all end up being his in the end.

Reke knew nothing of their petty schemes. Due to his confidence in his own strength, he wouldn't meddle in other people's business as long as they didn't provoke him.

Reke hadn't listened to a word Parsona said today; his mind was entirely on the food.

The food here truly suited Reke's tastes. Things that flew in the sky, ran on the ground, or swam in the water—if you could think of it, they could get it.

Reke had eaten to his heart's content during his few days at the castle, to the point where he almost didn't want to leave. In the end, he used his stubborn willpower to suppress his appetite.

Before departing, Reke flew over to Parsona, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Fatty, you've served this young master well during this time. If anyone has any bad intentions toward you later, just leave them to me."

Parsona gave a look to an inconspicuous youth behind him, stopping him from taking any further action, and just watched as Reke flew in front of him.

After hearing what Reke said, a flash of anger crossed Parsona's eyes, but a smile appeared on his chubby face as he replied with a hint of flattery, "Then I thank you, little brother."

"Easy, easy."

The others watched Reke's behavior. Some took his words to heart—for instance, the trio of busty women, who gave up completely.

But others were indifferent, filled with confidence in themselves, and didn't take Reke's words to heart at all.

The group of several dozen people followed Parsona onto the aircraft.

Reke asked curiously, "Is the place very far?"

Everyone was speechless. Parsona had mentioned this a few days ago, so why was he still asking? No one wanted to bother with him.

Reke scratched his hair, thinking the others didn't know, and was just about to run over to Parsona to ask for clarification when one of the busty women spoke up.

"Little brother, it's fifty thousand miles away. It will take more than half a month to arrive."

"Alright, thanks."

Reke nodded at the woman, his impression of her improving slightly.

Ever since Pike left Hatton, he had been wandering the Wild Grasslands with his Talent Skill active. Unfortunately, months had passed, and he had almost crossed the entire grassland without finding a single energy signature above 3000.

As for anything below 3000, it served no purpose other than to provide the Budaso Adventure Team with combat experience.

Pike was unwilling to give up. Gritting his teeth, he crossed the grasslands and entered the region of the Rocky Mountains.

He stopped after walking about a hundred miles, opened his briefcase, and activated the Energy Detector.

"Beep, beep, beep—"

Pike stared in shock. Dense, overlapping values appeared on the Energy Detector, and there wasn't a single reading below 3000 within a thousand-mile radius. The highest ones were over twenty thousand, and even the small hill he was currently standing on emitted an energy signature.

He didn't understand why this was happening, or why he hadn't detected these values while in the Wild Grasslands.

He was first overjoyed to have finally found the monsters he needed, then distressed, not knowing how to lure these monsters toward the Budaso Adventure Team.

The Beast-Luring Incense clearly had no effect on these rock-like monsters.

He racked his little brain but couldn't come up with a solution. He began his return journey, intending to report the situation to Hatton to see if they had any ideas.

Pat and the others had gained a great deal over the past few months. Not only had they collected samples of many unknown creatures, but their combat power had also further improved.

The younger members of the team had accumulated a vast amount of combat experience; they no longer needed the elders to watch over them and could now repel wave after wave of beasts through their own coordination.

Lan Xin and Bellis had shown the most progress. Their combat power had not only left their peers far behind but had also surpassed elders like Pat, reaching nearly 5000.

"Leader, don't you think we should head back? We've almost crossed the grasslands," Lan Xin asked after finishing off a beast that had just attacked.

He kept Reke's words firmly in his heart: do not cross the grasslands.

"Why leave? We're already here, let's go over there and take a look," Bellis said, pointing toward the Rocky Mountains before Pat could even speak.

"No, Brother Lei said the monsters over there are not something we can handle," Lan Xin retorted firmly.

Seeing Lan Xin bring up Reke again, Bellis was instantly incensed. "Only a fool like you would take the words of a bumpkin to heart. I'm not listening to him, and besides, I find the beasts here too weak."

Lan Xin knew he couldn't convince Bellis, so he turned his gaze toward Pat, trusting that Pat would make the right choice.

Pat was hesitant. On one hand, Reke's warning echoed in his mind; on the other, his curiosity was constantly urging him forward.

Lola saw this and spoke up, "I'm with Lan Xin on this one. We can't take that risk, especially with a group of children following us."

"If it were just us, it wouldn't matter if we died, but those children can't be involved. They have so much life left to live; they shouldn't be risking it with us."

"If nothing happens, fine, but if something goes wrong, our Budaso Adventure Team is finished. Total annihilation, Leader."

Lola's words were the final straw, and the scales in Pat's heart tipped.

Looking at the children cleaning up the battlefield below, Pat made his decision.

"Alright, we head back once the battlefield is cleared. We've conquered the Wild Grasslands; this journey of training is mostly complete."

The others smiled happily, but Bellis hung her head, filled with frustration.

She could argue with Reke's words, but she had to listen to the Leader. Not to mention that all the older brothers and sisters in the team agreed, so she had no choice but to put her little schemes aside.

Because Pat and his team were clearing the path ahead, Hatton and his group had followed the Budaso Adventure Team deep into the Wild Grasslands without encountering any major danger.

Yet, following them all this way, he felt increasingly desperate. He couldn't understand why the energy signatures of the Budaso Adventure Team members kept rising. He had already given up on Pat and was preparing to find a small place to spend the rest of his life.

"Leader, Leader, look who's back."

Just as Hatton was making his secret decision, a voice reached him.

He didn't have to wait long before the dwarven figure of Pike appeared in his sight, and Hatton's heart surged with joy.

Seeing no hope for revenge, he had been preparing to find a place to hide. At a time when he needed money, Pike bringing back the latest model of the Energy Detector meant a large sum of money was about to come in. It was hard for him not to be happy.