After some thought, [ Howling Pothos ] realized that this task really couldn't be done by himself.
Given Antiya Lisi's level of expertise, whether it's tailing or staking out, once the other party is discovered, there's almost no chance of survival.
After much deliberation, [ Howling Pothos ] finally decided to share its "plump and juicy" task.
Since I can't handle it by myself, let's get everyone involved.
If a group of players can cooperate perfectly, with each group or each person responsible for tracking only a section of the route, then through handover, they can perfectly replicate Antiya Lisi's movement trajectory and find each other's residence.
However, such tasks require a high level of skill and mental fortitude from players. After much deliberation, [ Howling Pothos ] finally posted a recruitment ad on the forum.
By setting certain entry requirements, he successfully recruited several teammates a day later.
First, there's [ Clear Soup Master ], who has been undercover for some time. Antiya Lisi goes into the dungeon below the cathedral every night to release the Treant Hunter, so he can pinpoint Antiya Lisi's initial location.
However, considering that the curfew at night would not be conducive to the players' tracking, [ Howling Pothos ] eventually moved the main part of the plan to the daytime, letting [ Clear Soup Master ] confirm the movement trajectory of Antiya Lisi after all the Treant Hunter returned, and then immediately went offline to leave a message outside.
Secondly, the trio of [ Zhong Lele ], [ Pond Fish and Old Abyss ], and [ Dark Archmage ] will guard all the gates of the cathedral. Once the archbishop appears, they will immediately log off to report and reconnect to begin the first wave of tracking.
The second round of tracking was outsourced to the carpenter [ Mules and Horses Drive the Sun ]. Once Antiya Lisi's direction of travel was confirmed, he would immediately head to the other party's likely route to facilitate the subsequent handover.
As for [ Howling Pothos ], he is the third round of tracker. Of course, he needs to change his face before he starts tracking. Fortunately, many female players are skilled at this, which makes this step much easier.
The last member of the team is [ Do Some Farm Work ], who will remain offline throughout the entire process, focusing on gathering intelligence for the players on their mission.
With everything prepared, the players' shared investigation mission officially began early the next morning...
Hundreds of kilometers south of Fir City.
A flickering spark streaked across the sky, flying northwards.
The spark seemed to never go out; whenever it dimmed and was about to disappear, it would brighten again in a very short time.
Unlike ordinary burning sparks, this spark did not contain any real fuel; it was composed of pure flame.
The demon, in the form of sparks, soared through the air, while its true form had already penetrated into the depths of the world.
Although both are demons, as a demon, he does not possess the exceptional Psionic Energy of a lich, so he cannot teleport long distances.
However, it is still possible to transform into different forms, conceal one's identity, and move at high speed, as is the case now.
Just as the demon was advancing at full speed, he suddenly noticed a somewhat different area below.
That looks like... a camp?
The demon, perched high above, once again succumbed to his professional habit; the flames froze in mid-air as he stood deep within the world, pointing and gesturing at the camp below.
"The tents were arranged neatly, and the outer walls of the camp were also very orderly, clearly the work of the Holy Crusaders."
"Despite being so far from Aduolin, the Grand Knight Commander is meticulous in setting up camp, so he must not be a frivolous person."
"This group of tents isn't in very good condition. It seems like it's not under the command of a Grand Knight Commander?"
"That's interesting..."
The spark paused for a moment, then deftly changed direction and plummeted downwards, landing lightly in the brazier next to the camp guards.
The burning wood crackled slightly, making a "pop" sound, but otherwise remained unchanged.
A tall, muscular man walked up to the two guards of the Holy Crusaders with his hands behind his back, and a pair of crossed spears immediately blocked his way.
"Hey, I'm the Grand Knight Commander of the Fourth Knight Order the Holy Crusaders. Are you going to stop me too?"
"My lord, the Grand Knight's order is that all personnel entering and leaving must have their identities verified."
The two Holy Crusaders showed no fear in stopping a Grand Knight Commander, forcibly demanding that he prove his identity before raising their spears and letting him in.
Several people had already gathered inside the tent. The middle-aged man sitting in the center waved for the last Grand Knight Commander to sit down, then raised the letter in his hand:
" Antiya Lisi's latest plea for help."
An impatient voice asked rather irritably:
"What's wrong with him now? Lord Sailesi has already deployed three times the elite troops, and he's still urging us on? Useless."
The Grand Knight Commander, seated at the head of the table, showed no reaction to his colleague's complaints and continued:
" Fir City was attacked a few days ago using animal aggregates."
"What?"
The other person looked surprised upon hearing this:
"How could the Empire's technology be...?"
"It's not imperial technology."
The Grand Knight shook his head:
"It was the rebels themselves who caused it."
"How can this be...?"
A priest was about to say something when he was suddenly interrupted by the Grand Knight Commander in the main seat:
"Don't forget who's leading those rebels. It's just a rumor, but there's still a chance it's true."
Silence fell over the tent.
After a long while, someone asked hesitantly:
"We... we really are going to..."
"Kill God."
The high knight in the main seat confidently added the last half of the sentence for his colleague.
He sighed and said with emotion:
Antiya Lisi doesn't yet know who he's facing... it's inevitable that he'll be struggling.
Can we really succeed?
Another high knight commander asked sincerely.
"Yes, three elite knight orders are enough to deal with a god who appears to have just awakened."
One person, upon hearing this, said indignantly:
"Why not send more elite troops? That's a god, even if it's only a newly resurrected god..."
"It's only a suspicion; Lord Sailesi hasn't fully confirmed it yet. If we go all out before we've figured it out, the balance of power in the Holy City will be Imbalance."
After a brief explanation, the composed Grand Knight Commander tapped the table, drawing everyone's attention:
"My friends, we are Cardinal Sailesi's vanguard. We are willing to be tainted so that the Tree God may be reborn in our hands, not so that it may begin to undermine our foundations in its infancy!"
He looked around, his expression unwavering:
"If the Tree God is on the opposite side, then let's choose a different Tree God."