A messenger scout followed the secret markers agreed upon beforehand in the forest, riding at full speed until he found the area where Huohe and his party were hiding. He swung down from his mount, his face brimming with uncontainable delight, and strode up to Huohe, laughing as he declared, "Mission accomplished! Our Radiant Church has secured ownership of the level nine magical beast cub!"
His voice rang with excitement, and pride shone plainly in his expression, as though the level nine magical beast cub, which would one day be powerful enough to shake an entire faction, already belonged to him personally. This collective sense of honor, etched into his very bones, was just like the heartfelt pride and glory that welled up in every citizen on distant Earth whenever their country accomplished some astonishing feat.
"Our general has ordered all of you to return to camp first," the scout then relayed.
"All right," Huohe replied mildly, his expression perfectly calm. He casually took out a lustrous Level Three Magic Core wreathed in a faint magical glow and pressed it into the messenger guard's hand as a reward for delivering the message. Surprised and delighted, the guard hurriedly bowed and thanked him repeatedly.
Without further words, everyone immediately gathered their belongings and followed the scout at full speed toward the Radiant Church's military camp.
When the camp came into view, its rows of tents stretched out in orderly ranks, and its garrison stood in gleaming armor under tight security. The familiar sight allowed everyone to lower their guard somewhat. Huohe, Shiheng, and the others had only just passed through the gates when the seventh-level legion commander who had received them before personally stopped them. With a note of concern in his voice, the legion commander led them into the main command tent and immediately asked how their training expedition had gone.
Huohe kept his account brief, giving only a simplified description of their experiences: under orders, they had cleared magical beasts from several dangerous areas in the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, eliminating threats around the camp, and would later take the magic cores they had collected to the Hall of Military Merit to register them. He said not a word about how they had joined forces to kill a level seven Swift Raptor, calmly changing the account instead. "Along the way, we encountered a party from the Shadow Alliance, led by a seventh-level warrior and accompanied by two sixth-level warriors. They intended to lure a level seven Swift Raptor into a surprise attack on our camp. But their scheme was exposed, and the Swift Raptor severely wounded them instead. They fled in panic into the sector the seven of us were defending, and we killed them all."
With that, Huohe raised his hand and took out the heads of the three Shadow Alliance warriors, respectfully presenting them to the legion commander.
Their deliberate concealment of their victory over the level seven Swift Raptor was, in fact, a carefully considered decision to hide their capabilities. A level seven Swift Raptor in a frenzy was immensely powerful, beyond the ability of ordinary experts to contend with. Only someone with eighth-level combat strength had any chance of killing one. If the fact that their small group had killed a level seven Swift Raptor came to light, it would be far too shocking and would inevitably draw suspicion and scrutiny from the various factions. Besides, they had already accumulated enough military merit. There was no need to display their abilities so openly and invite undeserved trouble for no reason.
After hearing Hogg's account, the legion commander's face instantly filled with astonishment. "So that was what happened! No wonder those people from the Shadow Church kept provoking us, making cryptic declarations that you were certain to die, and urging us to hurry back to defend the camp. They threatened that if we kept fighting over the cub, our main camp would fall!"
He paused before continuing, "At the time, we were focused on our decisive battle with the Shadow Church over the magical beast cub, and we weren't sure whether to believe them. Fortunately, the Church's higher-ups immediately sent scouts and guards back to investigate. Only after they confirmed that nothing was wrong at camp could we put our minds at ease and fight with all our strength, ultimately securing ownership of the level nine magical beast cub."
"I will report the information you've given me to the higher-ups exactly as you've told it." The legion commander looked at Huohe and his party with approval in his eyes. "Not only did you clear out magical beasts and secure our defensive lines, but you also killed elite members of the Shadow Alliance who harbored sinister intentions. You've rendered a great service, and the Church certainly won't withhold any of the military merit or rewards you're due! What's more, our Church has successfully secured the level nine magical beast cub. The higher-ups are overjoyed right now, and they will certainly reward those who have distinguished themselves handsomely."
Having said this, the legion commander was in excellent spirits. Suddenly, he lowered his voice, his tone turning solemn as he revealed a secret from the Church's higher ranks. "The major powers of the continent have long maintained an ironclad rule: experts of Saint rank and above must not interfere at will in the wars and conflicts of the mortal world. That makes level nine magical beasts the pinnacle of combat power among mortal armies. Once this cub is raised to maturity, it will be enough to give our Radiant Church an absolute, dominant advantage in the future struggles between the factions!"
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