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"Who was she?" Fendli walked over to Odovish. His grandfather had once been Odovish's playmate, but a Spell Saint lived far too long compared to them, so it was common for several generations of one family to serve a single person. For their kind, a steady supply of materials to satisfy their creations was far more appealing than any reward.

"My student." Odovish lightly brushed the subject aside. "You had the Earth Bear summon me. Did you find something?"

Fendli's gaze remained fixed on the Spectral Tiger. Hearing Odovish's question, he said, "I saw people from the Holy See. At least three regiments of Templar Knights were heading north. Over the past few days, some divine casters have also been traveling north one after another. They came from the Eastern Plains. Father said there had also been large-scale troop movements in the Sith Duchy. Is the Holy See up to something big lately?"

"North?" Odovish dismounted, casually patted the big tiger's head to send it off to play, then carefully propped the elf against a tree blooming with unknown little flowers. Pink irises filled the surrounding area.

"An elf?" Fendli cried out when he got a clear look at Elufiel. As a special race incapable of cultivating any magic and lacking any talent for combat, the gods had granted them the ability to see through all magical illusions. Whether it was confusion magic or enchantments with similar effects, they were as good as nonexistent in his eyes.

"Do you know exactly which direction the Holy See went?" Odovish tacitly acknowledged Fendli's words but offered no further explanation.

Nearby, the Spectral Tiger let out two low growls as it circled the motionless standing Earth Bear. Upon discovering that it neither moved nor breathed, and had no heartbeat, it lost interest, flicked its tail, and trotted on tiptoe back to its master. It lay down on its side beside Elufiel.

Under Odovish's watchful gaze, Fendli never found a chance to pet the Spectral Tiger. He could only suppress his urge to study it and lead Odovish to a small wooden cabin in the woods.

This was where he lived. Because he enjoyed making destructive puppets, he could not live in the city. When he was young, his father had taken him to live in barren mountains far from human habitation. A single trip for supplies took three or four days, and during Frostmoon, when heavy snow sealed off the mountains, they could not make it to the nearest village for ten days or half a month. Then one day, Odovish suddenly appeared with the Snow Family's seal and provided them with a spatial artifact, directly turning the entire area into a sealed, independent space. His father chose to go to the Sith Duchy to provide "the old master" with intelligence-related assistance, but he could not understand his father's thinking.

The golden age of magic had long since passed. What future was there in following a mage? For that, his father gave him a beating and confiscated all his alchemy tools. Back then, constrained by his father's orders, he had no choice but to "obey" the mage. Later, he gradually realized that the mage did not demand much of them and was always generous with alchemy materials, leaving him plenty of time for his own research.

Because their entire race was scattered, the alchemical theories in their possession were sometimes incomplete. At such times, it was usually Odovish who solved the problem. Fendli marveled at the mage's vast knowledge and gradually grew curious about him.

The cabin was piled high with alchemy materials and tools, making it rather messy. The bed was covered in bear pelts and small parts, while the two stools seemed to be the only relatively clean places.

Fendli carelessly cleared off the table, shaking a layer of dust and powder onto the floor. Odovish took two steps back and raised a sleeve over his mouth and nose.

Fendli took out a thick sheet of parchment. It was much thicker than ordinary paper, about as thick as three stacked gold coins. Once unfolded, it covered more than half the table. Mountains and rivers were drawn across its surface, marked with place names. Without a doubt, it was a map of the Kanado Continent.

In Kanado, maps were not particularly common, especially detailed world maps. They could usually only be seen in the Holy See and royal families. Mercenaries mostly used regional maps, and even those did not show routes very clearly. Ordinary people might never leave the place where they lived in their entire lives.

Yet such a rare and expensive world map now lay on this worn old table. Fendli took out another bag of powder, grabbed a handful, and scattered it over the map. Something magical happened: tiny figures appeared on the thick parchment. Looking closely at their attire, some were armored Templar Knights, while others were divine casters dressed entirely in white robes.

"I sprinkled some Shadowtrace Powder on the Holy See members who passed by. The Guiding Butterflies will show us the way," Fendli said proudly. The world map had been brought by the mage, but he had completed the modifications himself. Aside from using Guiding Butterflies for surveillance, as long as he obtained a personal belonging of the target or any part of their body, including blood, he could track them precisely.

"It's a good idea, but there are no butterflies in the dead of winter." Odovish mercilessly struck down the young inventor's idea and swiftly folded the map shut.

Far away in Moonglade, the Guiding Butterflies dispersed in an instant as their magical source vanished. The leading Templar Knight warily looked back, but saw nothing—only the increasingly fierce wind and snow raging around them.

"How long ago did they pass through?" Odovish asked.

"About half a month ago," Fendli said.

"Half a month is enough time to pass through Moonglade and go deeper in." Odovish pushed open the window and looked into the distance. "Everlook Canyon is near Moonglade. This is definitely no coincidence."

"You mean the Holy See has already discovered where the Council is located?" Fendli frowned. "Their noses can't be that sharp, can they?"

The mage said nothing. He stared intently in a certain direction beyond the window.

When Elufiel opened her eyes, she saw her Spectral Tiger stretching out its head, trying to poke her with its whiskers. Silently pushing away that huge head, whose fangs were far more conspicuous than its whiskers, the elf sat there blankly for a while.

What had just happened? What a wonderful feeling. The comfort of that pure, gentle magic flowing through her entire body was more exhilarating than any act of absorbing magic.