A few hours ago, after Vale was accepted into Ilya's group, the expedition wasted no time.

Under Lord Ilya's command, they advanced into the Ashen Plains of Myrrh, following a map that the Master Alchemist had safeguarded for years…

The moment they crossed the second boundary of the plains, the oppressive heat pressed down on them.

There was smoke and ash across the land like a living fog, obscuring their vision and choking the air…

This was definitely a place where no ordinary people could live. It was no wonder it was included in the list of Forbidden Lands.

Even some parts of the ground glowed faintly, as if lava were buried just beneath the surface, waiting to ignite.

'So this is how it looks like.' Vale mused…

He actually considered using the Forbidden Lands to train the students of the Academy, but seeing this, he decided that it would be too much. Perhaps, only those students he'd accept as disciples would dare to explore such places.

Still, Vale walked silently among them, with his cane tapping against the scorched soil. His Divine Sense stretched outward, as he also ensured to analyze every fluctuation of fire essence…

Well, he also wanted to search for Fire Stones after all.

'Hmm… This heat is intensifying…' Vale mused as he noticed the Alchemists started spreading power that made the surroundings a bit cooler.

They really came prepared.

He had heard of the Plains, but seeing them firsthand was far more daunting.

Then, they did not travel far before the first threat revealed itself.

Ember Wraiths rose from the blazing haze… Their silhouettes that were made of fire and ash seemed threatening, considering their numbers…

Furthermore, their shrieks echoed across the Plains, and it seemed to have an effect that rattled their minds.

Vale considered helping, but he stopped himself. It wasn't dangerous yet.

So for now, he wanted to see how this group fought.

As expected, the mercenaries and Arcanists did not panic as soon as they felt the presence of the enemies.

Instead, the Third‑Class Arcanists raised their Runic Revolvers in unison. It was as if they had practiced this all the time as the others followed…

In just a few moments, they fired bursts of runic-charged bullets!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Each shot tore through the Ember Wraiths, disrupting their unstable bodies of fire…

Vale realized that the revolvers were actually perfectly designed for these creatures… They were meant to pierce the spirits and destroy whatever Spells they were using against them!

Within moments, the Wraiths dissolved into harmless sparks and were scattered by the smoke.

'That's anticlimactic…' Vale commented in his mind after seeing how they were easily dealt with. They were a lot weaker than he thought. Perhaps, aside from a harsh environment, this Ashen Plains wouldn't be too difficult for third and second-class Arcanists.

Still, he couldn't just dismiss how efficient those revolvers were.

'They didn't even waste mana on spells. These revolvers are more useful than I expected.'

Seeing that, Vale couldn't help but recall his Shadow Pillars. Perhaps, they could also be equipped with these weapons since they were already getting more and more advanced.

Just like that, the group pressed forward, feeling confident by their swift victory. But the Plains were not so easily conquered.

Soon, they encountered patches of Sentient Flames.

At first glance, they looked harmless. They even seemed stationary fires burning quietly, radiating warmth.

To an Alchemist, they resembled the aura of Fire Stones, tempting and alluring. Several of the Master Alchemists paused, as they looked at it carefully…

After all, they just looked too similar to Fire Stones…

Lord Ilya raised a hand.

"Careful. These are not treasures. They are traps." Ilya said as he looked at the reaction of his pendant… The pendant he was wearing could actually detect Fire Stones nearby…

Without this pendant, they would have to carefully suppress the fire using a few Formation Arrays to learn whether it was a Fire Stone or not. In short, it would be an expensive process.

After all, if they didn't suppress it that way, the Fire Stone might get broken if it were interrupted inappropriately. Then, if it were Sentient Flames instead, it could be dangerous for them to get closer to…

In short, Ilya's special pendant that could detect Fire Stones was extremely important during this mission to shorten their process and save money as well.

Just like that, no one dared approach the fire to check for the Fire Stone… Instead, they just cast their spells to directly destroy these things!

With the spells coming to attack it, the Sentient Flames realized that its disguise didn't work and it suddenly surged outward, lashing at a nearby mercenary.

The fire suddenly turned into a claw, grasping for flesh…

The man swiftly dodged thanks to the distance he had maintained.

"Tsk… That's fast. It almost got me." The man nervously said as he would surely add more distance when dealing with Sentient Flames.

Nonetheless, the Alchemists immediately responded.

Instead of spells, they produced vials of liquid flame essence and hurled them into the Sentient Flames. The concoctions destabilized the fire, forcing it to collapse back into ash.

Once again, it was thanks to their incredible preparations.

It was not surprising that this was already Ilya's fourth expedition.

Soon, more Sentient Flames appeared… This time, others used their revolvers, firing runic bullets that dispersed the flames entirely.

Vale observed closely.

The Sentient Flames were clever as they really mimicked the aura of Fire Stones to lure Alchemists, but their true nature was destructive.

'Interesting… these flames are too mysterious. I can't even feel any soul or spirit from them. Are they alive?' Vale thought to himself.

It was at this time that he recalled the past of these forbidden lands…

'I guess they're the remnants of the Pyromancer's battle… Maybe fragments of will left behind to guard this land.' Vale mused as he believed that it was a possible reason.

As the journey continued, Lord Ilya glanced at Vale once, noting his calm demeanor…

Vale had only been observing for a while ago so this time, Ilya planned to use him and make him work!

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