Three days later, at Deadwood Flats.
Sixteen Worker Mantises dragged a heavy iron-cage cart into a prepared depression in the center of the basin under Kale's guidance.
The cage was cast from black iron as thick as a man's arm. Inside lay a massive beast over five meters long.
It was the bait Caroline had purchased at great expense-a Level-Four Magical Beast, the Horn-Crowned Crystal Armor Rhino.
The giant rhino's single horn was broken, and cracks covered its crystalline armor. Each breath grew weaker than the last.
It was near death, but the vast reserves of life energy remaining within it still served as a conspicuous beacon.
A freshly cut wound in the artery of its hind leg bled steadily, the blood flowing through the opening beneath the cage and down into the depths of the earth.
Roland stood on a high rock face, watching the dying beast as unease stirred within him once more.
A single living Level-Four Magical Beast like this was valuable enough to put a serious strain on a baron's finances.
Yet Veylin had treated it as a disposable consumable without the slightest hesitation.
Just then, a cool female voice sounded directly in Roland's mind.
[Attention, all units. Mind Matrix connection test. Nodes stable.]
Roland stiffened. Spiritual energy instantly surged through his body as his gaze swept his surroundings.
"No need for alarm, Sir Roland."
Veylin spoke beside him, pressing down on the arm he had raised to draw his sword.
"That little device on the back of your neck, the Mind Terminal, has connected your consciousness to the Wide-Area Mental Link Sarah created. Think of it as a temporary communications network. Everyone connected can receive orders and provide simple feedback."
Veylin gestured for him to try it.
"How... do I use it?"
"Just