Gan Ning tilted his head and adjusted the mask on his face.
Suspicious sounds drifted faintly from deep within the howling wind and snow, putting him on alert.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
One figure after another passed through the blizzard and landed silently before the wizard. There were fewer than ten of them. All wore black cloaks and Crow Masks, with small golden issue numbers set on one cheek of their masks. The numbers varied in size. The smallest was the number three mask worn by Gan Ning, while the largest was worn by a tall wizard numbered twenty-one.
As in many card games, the smaller the number within this organization, the higher the status. Thus, with Crow Number Three remaining silent, everyone else tactfully kept quiet as well.
The snowstorm was fierce.
In only a few moments, snowflakes had covered the crows, turning their black cloaks white. From afar, they were almost indistinguishable from the surrounding Tree.
Gan Ning continued to tilt his ear, carefully discerning the subtle differences within the wind.
At last, the wizard numbered seven could no longer restrain himself. He raised his head to look at the sky. "Is something wrong? I remember the Observation Room's 'eyes' have already been blocked... The School Guardian Formation can't monitor this area either, can it?"
"It's 'deception,' not 'blocking,'" Crow Number Three corrected his companion's wording. "The Observation Room can still see the Edge Hunting Team's hunting grounds, but the footage has been delayed and altered... What I'm more concerned about is whether anyone has heard any strange sounds."
"Strange sounds?" Crow Number Seven immediately became interested. Like Crow Number Three, he cocked his head and listened carefully to the sounds deep in the wind and snow.
The other crows followed suit, all tilting their heads in unison.
After