Garron Duskbane had appeared in numerous programs on the Celestial TV network and even starred in a fishing documentary on the Wild Fantasy Channel. As for cooking and core extraction shows, Thane had seen plenty of those. Garron had appeared as the head chef in three episodes of Ten Ways to Cook Monster Eggs!

"Erm... yeah. I did. He taught me a few things, along with my master," Thane replied a bit sheepishly.

The entire group froze.

"You've met Garron Duskbane?!" they all exclaimed in unison.

Josiah's eyes were as wide as saucers. "The greatest adventurer of our age?!" he asked.

Priscilla clasped her hands to her mouth. "The Outdoor Cooking King?!"

Edwin practically fell over. "The walking encyclopedia of the world?!"

"Uh... yeah." Thane rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't know he was such a big deal," he admitted.

Priscilla suddenly gasped, as if connecting the dots.

"Wait! That goblin stew you made earlier... that was his recipe, wasn't it?"

Thane managed a sheepish grin.

"Erm... yeah. He kind of taught me that one."

Matthew was staring at Thane as though he'd just sprouted a second head. There were too many mysteries swirling around this man. Finally, Matthew found his voice.

"So... you know how to use Spirit?" he asked, still astonished.

Thane nodded.

"Yes, I do. Through Spirit, I learned to create Mana Chains that let a mage harness all forms of magic." He glanced at Edwin.

"Luckily, my master had copies of some rare books you wrote, Edwin, or at least books you once owned."

Edwin's jaw dropped.

"I... I did have some records on that... But they were never sold or advertised. How did your master even get them?"

Thane cleared his throat, steering the conversation back on track.

"In any case, here's the plan. I'm going to take out the Red Chains, and I think I could use some help."

Everyone protested at the audacity of the idea, calling it suicide to challenge a mercenary company of that size.

Thane waved off their concerns. He turned to Edwin. "Your detection device, can it track a magma element signature?"

Edwin adjusted his glasses nervously. "Magma? It's rare, but yes, it can."

"Perfect." Thane grinned.

"Something is stirring in the magma caves below. I caught a glimpse of a Magma Beast awakening. I plan to lure it out and let that creature wreak havoc on the Red Chains for us."

His friends gawked in disbelief.

"Magma Beasts have appeared here recently... But no reports of them ever leaving their lair! It would take a miracle to get them out!" Matthew shook his head.

Thane just chuckled and hefted his pack.

"Don't worry. I have a method to draw them out. Trust me. It may take a miracle, but with the right bait, you can fish almost anything out."

Despite their misgivings, the others realized they couldn't dissuade him. In the end, they could only hope this crazy plan would somehow work.

Without further ado, Thane clambered onto the old stone well at the edge of the chamber.

"If all goes well, I'll see you on the other side of this," he said with a wink. Before anyone could protest further, he pinched his nose and hopped in.

With a splash, Thane plunged into the frigid underground stream as he fell down into the river below. He kicked steadily until he finally hauled himself out into a dim cavern on the far side, gasping for air.

"Now... First things first..." Thane thought.

"Libra, is it safe to go back to my channels now? I've been gone for a bit after all. Or will the gods detect me if I go back in there?"

Libra's voice echoed in his mind.

"...Yes. Those gods lost your trace when you jumped off the first time. They have been scanning the area with their power, but in my state, they cannot sense me. Also... As you have been moving around in this world, it made them slowly lose sight of the dimension. So it will be difficult for them to find you again now."

Thane grinned. "Great!"

In a blink, he vanished from the damp cave and reappeared in the great hall of his Dungeon Channel. One moment he was surrounded by dripping rock and sulfurous air, the next he stood in the familiar stone chamber that felt almost like home.

He arrived to find over two dozen small groundling creatures practicing combat moves in unison, following along to a martial-arts training show that Libra had put on. A few of the little goblins stopped and stared as Thane appeared, until Libra's apparition materialized beside him in a swirl of dark mist to keep them in line.

The spectral figure of Libra, a tall, gaunt being draped in ethereal black robes and carrying a pair of faintly glowing scales, cast an unimpressed gaze over the scene.

"Are you planning to binge-watch here again?" he asked dryly.

Thane chuckled, running a hand through his damp hair. "As much as I want to, not this time!"

"I'm only here to claim some rewards and check on something." He glanced around at the glowing crystal clusters now studding the dungeon walls and floor.

"By the way... I can sense you've set up a lot of new mana centers in here since I last visited," he added, raising an eyebrow. A faint vibration under his feet attested to the power humming through the stone.

Libra's hollow eyes glinted with a hint of pride.

"Oh, you noticed? I'm impressed, Master. I took the liberty of cultivating additional mana nodes throughout the dungeon. The ambient energy is much stronger now. And I've also been experimenting with the Mana Chain Theories that Edwin explained."

Thane nodded slowly as he took in the changes.

"With all these mana centers strengthening the place, I'd wager that if I remove the dungeon core, this place would hold together for roughly a day before collapsing. Am I right?"

Libra drifted alongside him, hands tucked into his sleeves.

"Take the core out? Well... yes," he admitted, clearly alarmed by the idea.

"Removing the core would destabilize everything. One day, give or take a few hours, is about as long as the dungeon would last before it collapses into wild mana and destroys this channel." He narrowed his eyes at Thane.

"I could act as a sort of pseudo-core to keep things running temporarily, but why would we ever do something so reckless?"

A slow grin spread across Thane's face.

"The Magma Beasts! I need something irresistible to lure them out. Remember the magic coursing through the lava in their cave? It's controlled by their dungeon core. The Magma beast are not so sentient but were only following orders. The Dungeon Core is using the lava as a means to travel around the cave. So I was thinking... what if that core sensed another dungeon core nearby?"

Libra's eyes widened as realization hit. The spirit let out a soft, incredulous chuckle.

"So that's your plan. You intend to use our dungeon core as bait." He shook his head, equal parts astonished and impressed.

"A mobile dungeon core would go berserk if it detects a foreign core. They'll chase it without regard for anything else." A hint of admiration crept into his tone.

"In essence, you're going to make their dungeon's power come to you."

"Bingo! Of course, the plan is to get them to fight the Red Chains. I just need to find a place to trap them! I'll meditate here and maybe watch an episode or two to recover my mana. And then, I'll take this Groundling Dungeon Core and store it."

"Great! Now, before I put that plan into motion, let's swing by your channel," Thane said.

"I want to see what goodies we got from purging those souls."

Libra bowed his head and, with a thought, shifted their surroundings. They entered Libra's Soul Keeper Channel, where three soul wisps floated above the dark altar, Bolgard's soul among them. But the faint cries of the two other souls could be heard.

"So Bolgard's soul is in there..." Thane said, nodding at the crimson wisp trapped in a crystal.

"And nothing came from the first four souls we purified, huh?"

"Patience, Master..." Libra replied with a thin smile.

"Something interesting should happen with the fifth. If you had purged Bolgard's soul, we would have triggered the next reward. But of course, keeping that soul would be more beneficial."

"Well then..." Thane grinned, rubbing his hands together.

"Sounds like we have time to kill... let's see what's on TV. What's my next show to binge?"

Libra gave a reluctant nod, and an ethereal screen flared to life before them.

The translucent screen blazed to life with the title "Let Them Fight Your Battles! – The Art of Summoning" accompanied by a triumphant fanfare.

"Oh? The summoning show?"

"You already have found a means to channel magic even without a Mana Core in you... You could summon beasts soon."

"Good point..." Thane nodded.

A montage of whimsical scenes showed summoners calling forth elemental creatures and beasts to do their bidding.

The montage gave way to a cozy, book-lined study backdrop. In a puff of smoke of pure theatrical flair, the host made his entrance. He was a stout, middle-aged man with a shiny bald head and forest-green robes embroidered with playful bear motifs. The man greeted his audience with a broad, grandfatherly smile.

"Hello there, future summoners!" he announced warmly.

"I'm Elisha, the She-Bear Summoner, here to show you how to let your summons do the heavy lifting! Some snotty brats with high levels and flashy magic books used to insult me. But when I learned how to summon the She-Bears, we'll let's just say things got unbearable for them." At his flourish, two spectral bear figures popped up at his sides, standing on their hind legs.

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