North of the Lost Forest, within Monte City's jurisdiction, the Adventurers' Camp bustled with activity. Adventurers entering the Lost Forest from the north stopped here to replenish supplies, exchange information, and recruit companions.
The place had been especially lively lately. The Imperial Capital Academy's annual Academy Assessment was in full swing, and confirmed reports that a Nine-Leaf Green Flower in the Lost Forest was about to mature had drawn even more people interested in it.
Even the Imperial Capital Academy had sent someone over.
Bai Fenghua had only learned that the academy had sent someone else after arriving near the Lost Forest with its students. That someone was Ernie, who had long been at odds with him, making the arrangement seem distinctly calculated.
Then the academy's students began running into trouble one after another. None of the incidents were particularly serious, but they kept Bai Fenghua running around sorting things out, leaving him no time for anything else. Ernie, meanwhile, claimed he had another assignment that required him to monitor developments in the Lost Forest. Surely someone as capable as Bai Fenghua could look after the students? He remained completely indifferent to their problems.
Kang Nan's group had encountered the most serious trouble. By the time Bai Fenghua learned about it, the entire group had vanished in the outskirts of the Lost Forest. The other Intermediate Class and Junior Class students had suspended their assignments, and only the Advanced Class students were helping search the outskirts. Bai Fenghua had followed their trail for days, but he could not venture too deep. There were still more students who needed his care, and he was certain that if he strayed too far from the camp, Ernie would seize the opportunity to make trouble for him.
Better yet, Ernie could use this incident