The Void Cultist's Plea for Help?

"Bill?"

The moment Ahab saw Bill, he barely managed to hold back the gleam in his eyes.

This was practically a pillow arriving just as he was getting sleepy.

Bill was a Third-Rank Wizard Apprentice. Passing judgment on him would be much easier than judging the other two.

And tucked under Bill's elbow was an incredibly thick book.

It was the Universal Compendium, Ancient Gods volume!

Because he was setting out on a mission and might not return to the Academy for several days, Bill had specially brought along this book that Instructor Gray valued so highly.

He planned to study it properly. After all, this was a book even a First-Rank Wizard Apprentice took seriously.

Bill, however, was not especially surprised to see Ahab.

"Oh my, it's Ahab. Looks like we're going to be on the same boat again."

Bill said it with a beaming smile.

Only now did Bill finally understand Ahab's happiness.

That calm, unhurried happiness of knowing, I can crush you.

After these days of meditation, his spiritual power had already reached 17 points.

And he still had the potion Instructor Gray had given him in his pocket!

"Ahab Gul, none of your schemes and tricks will work this time."

"I'm going to defeat you with absolute strength!"

On the other side, Ahab activated Void Spirit Vision on Bill.

"Sin 48? What a fat little lamb chop!"

"Looks like before Bill became an apprentice, he relied on his strength to kill quite a few people."

"Splash, splash—"

The waves struck again and again.

Once all five people had arrived, they boarded the vessel prepared by the General Affairs Office.

Their destination was an island roughly thirty nautical miles south of the Academy—

Sistan Island.

This island seemed to be the private property of some official wizard, though no one knew what it was used for.

Because of that, although the island lay within the Academy's sphere of influence, no wizard was stationed there.

"Mm, this island is only a little over ten square kilometers, but it's completely covered in vegetation and has fairly high sea cliffs."

"Trying to directly find the hidden Bloodkin really won't be easy."

Ahab unfolded the map issued by the Administration Hall and began studying how to proceed.

"If the escaped Bloodkin are as smart—cunning—as I am, they'll split up and hide separately."

"With the five of us doing a blanket search, we'll definitely catch a few at first, but the further we go, the harder it'll get."

Ahab clenched his left hand into a fist and tapped it lightly against his right palm.

In particular, there was one factor he had to consider.

After bringing the Bloodkin back, how would they determine who had captured them?

After all, there was only one boat. The captured Bloodkin would sooner or later have to be gathered on it.

Especially since he was only a Third-Rank Apprentice, while there were two Second-Rank Apprentices on the boat.

Ahab had always judged others by himself, assuming everyone else was just as treacherous and cunning as he was.

He had to think of a way to leave all these people stranded on the island...

Sistan Island was already close at hand. He had to think quickly.

Ahab stared out at the sea in thought, when suddenly his heart gave a thump, as if it had skipped a beat.

That familiar sense of connection appeared out of thin air, along with some information that was impossible to describe, yet somehow instantly understandable.

"A Void Cultist is calling for help and asking whether I'm willing to respond?"

Ahab raised his head and looked at the sky.

The Path Great Dao was everywhere. As long as one became a believer, they could sense it across distances.

"If I set aside the fact that the Void Ancient God is a dangerous fellow countryman, Void is actually pretty user-friendly."

"The Path Great Dao isn't ordering me. It's asking for my opinion. I can respond to the cultist asking for help, or I can refuse.

"It really is 'all people are born equal,' at least on the surface."

"Hell, I even have the option to reject messages. I can choose to reject them for the next day, the next month, the next year, or reject them permanently."

Ahab thought it over carefully for a while, then smiled.

He had read in books long ago that the Bloodkin were almost all Void Cultists.

Maybe he could make use of that.

Complete the mission and obtain intelligence at the same time.

"I'm willing to respond!"

That inexplicable connection was established once again, and it was as if Ahab had accepted a telepathic link.

He gazed toward the island from afar and instantly sensed the location of the cultist calling for help.

"Three, four, five... So many. Looks like I guessed right. The ones calling for help are those Bloodkin female cubs."

"The rough location is not far from the northern beach..."

Ahab cleared his throat and called out loudly:

"Everyone, I have a plan!"

"Ahab, I think your judgment is very accurate."

After the five small teams held a brief discussion, Lechi Incalos approved of Ahab's proposal.

"According to the map, the north side is a large stretch of sandy beach. The chances of the Bloodkin hiding there are the lowest."

"The east side is mountains, while the west and south are jungle..."

"We'll do as Ahab said and split into four groups, exploring those three places separately."

Eleanor and Daliyuan had no objections to this either.

As for the blond grand eunuch Bill, of course he had even fewer objections!

Splitting into four groups meant he would act together with Ahab.

The other three Second-Rank Apprentices would each act on their own.

This was a good chance to kill Ahab Gul one-on-one!

Once they had discussed their routes, the small seagoing vessel gradually approached the shore.

At Ahab's kind suggestion, everyone anchored the boat on the eastern shore, beneath the tallest sea cliff.

Ahab's reasoning was that the mountains could shield the ship and prevent the fleeing Bloodkin from becoming alert ahead of time.

"Then, I wish you all success."

Ahab politely pressed a hand to his chest and bowed, then climbed up the sea cliff together with Bill.

The area assigned to the two of them was the eastern side, the mountains with the sea cliff.

"Should I do it right here? Just attack directly and kill Ahab?"

Bill held his chin in thought.

The two of them had already climbed more than two hundred meters up the mountain, and the surrounding vegetation was gradually starting to thin out.

"No. If I attack directly, Ahab might trick me."

After being schemed against by Ahab so many times, Bill had gained at least a little wisdom.

"Right. Ahab is walking in front. I'll suddenly shove him from behind."

"He'll definitely lose his balance!"

Thinking this, Bill quietly craned his head out and checked the distance.

They were now halfway up the mountain, more than two hundred meters above the ground.

Although there was a large stretch of jungle below, if someone fell from this height, they definitely would not survive.

Yes, that was it!

This way, he could even save the potion Gray had given him during training.

Ahab, oh Ahab. No matter how treacherous and cunning you are, in the end, you still lack real combat experience.

Strutting around right in front of your enemy like this—did you think you looked impressive?

Bill used the knightly footwork he had practiced for many years before entering the Academy and approached without a sound.

Ahab, who had always been cautious, was striding ahead with his head held high.

"Five meters, four meters—three meters is enough!"

Bill quietly crept up behind Ahab, to a spot roughly three meters away.

Then he exerted force through his calves, and his whole body lunged forward!

"Get down there!"

Bill was over 1.9 meters tall, and he was powerful and robust.

Even a pig, shoved like this with a running leap behind it, would have been sent tumbling several times.

With a "screech," Ahab's feet scraped a long mark across the ground.

Without the slightest suspense, he was shoved off the cliff by Bill.