Duke wasn't worried that Robert would pocket the money. From what Duke had learned about Robert in this period, the man was just a wealthy player, unlikely to be tempted by such an amount.

If Robert really did embezzle these supplies while Duke was gone, it would mean there was no need to nurture this player further.

Upon returning this time, Duke definitely planned to make preparations regarding the Slave Mark, and would then decide whether it was necessary to take such measures.

After all, the human heart is unpredictable, and without the Slave Mark, one can never fully trust someone.

However, it's still uncertain whether the Slave Mark would be effective on players, and this must be tested to know for sure.

After packing up all the equipment in the makeshift laboratory, Duke took one last look out the window and then activated the Coordinates Earring, targeting the coordinates of the Wood Elf Plane.

He was particularly cautious at this moment; if he accidentally went to the Nightmare Plane, it would be dangerous.

The space around him rippled, and everything around him twisted like the water's surface, then everything before him turned pitch black.

The darkness lasted only a moment, and in the next instant, he felt the refreshing air and some familiar scents.

Upon opening his eyes, Duke found himself inside the wooden house in the Wood Elf Plane.

He had recorded the coordinates here before, and now he appeared here again.

Sweeping his spiritual power through the entire wooden house, Duke found it empty; it seemed Yala was no longer here.

According to Black Sail's usual rules, under such circumstances, Yala would generally be sent back to her own island in the Wizard Plane.

As long as he hadn't died, these personal belongings would be temporarily safeguarded by Black Sail.

Opening the wooden house's door, Duke stepped outside where it was still deserted, indicating that no one had been around here for quite a while.

After leaving this place, he went to the Medicinal Garden nearby and quickly noticed some Wood Elves at work.

These Wood Elves also noticed him, but they quickly averted their gaze, afraid of offending Duke.

They didn't know Duke, just that this person was a distinguished Wizard.

Walking on sandy ground, Duke then headed directly to Kalanin Manor, which was previously managed by Deke.

When Deke first created a spatial rift, he was the first to dive in; no one knew what became of him afterward.

Duke wanted to learn about the follow-up situation, and Kalanin Manor was the fastest way, as Black Sail's Wizards were stationed there.

As soon as he arrived at the manor, the Wizards inside sensed him. A male Wizard came out to investigate, glanced at Duke, and neither recognized the other.

Most of the Wizards in Kalanin Manor had gone to Firefly City back then, so the current ones here must have come later; it was normal for them not to know Duke.

"Who are you?" Boen asked.

Duke directly flashed his Black Sail Badge and said, "I'm Duke, the one who ended up on another plane after the incident in Firefly City a few months ago and just found the chance to return."

"What? You're Duke!" Boen obviously knew of Duke. He was quite familiar with the list of Wizards missing from that incident, particularly impressed by Duke's name.

According to Black Sail's reports, a total of twenty-five Wizards went missing or died in the Firefly City incident, but only Duke and Deke's spiritual aura remained unextinguished.

This meant that only the two of them were still alive in the incident, though no one knew where they were.

This was why Boen reacted so strongly upon hearing Duke's name—he couldn't believe Duke had managed to return on his own; it was unbelievable.

"Let's talk inside." Realizing the gravity of the situation, Boen led Duke into the manor.

Inside, Duke encountered an old acquaintance, Lucas from the Fifth Battalion of the Third Corps, who was equally surprised to see Duke.

After the Firefly City incident, Lucas came here to investigate the reasons behind the event, try to retrieve the missing persons, and temporarily assume Deke's responsibilities.

In fact, Lucas took on this task at Grace's request, motivated to come here willingly.

His relationship with Grace was quite good, and Grace was helping her student, Vivian.

Vivian was very anxious when she learned about Duke's situation and had no choice but to ask Grace for help.

But Grace didn't have any good solutions either. Duke most likely ended up in another plane, and without specific plane coordinates, there was practically nothing they could do.

The only good news was that Duke was still alive, and as long as he was, there was hope.

No one expected that Duke would return in just a few months.

Many thought it would take him at least a hundred years to return, or he might never come back.

With Lucas here, Duke's identity was quickly confirmed; he was indeed the missing Duke and not a Demon in disguise.

Duke and Lucas talked for a long time, with a Wizard nearby recording all sorts of information about what really happened during that event and how they escaped.

He described Deke's creation of a spatial rift in detail but didn't reveal much about the Oracle Plane, only mentioning that he returned to the Wood Elf Plane through its Teleportation Magic Array.

Duke also learned about what happened after he left. The entire Firefly City had vanished, leaving a giant crater behind.

After a fierce energy storm emerged, the area was filled with the aura of death, despair, and other negative energies. An Evil God's projection clone from another plane even descended there, continually consuming negative energy and souls, posing a huge threat to nearby life.

Later, Third Corps Commander Swain personally arrived to deal with this Other Plane Evil God's clone and cleared the lingering negative energy forces.

The incident caused significant losses for Black Sail, and to prevent similar events from happening again, Black Sail eradicated all former Wood Elf Priestesses, executing them all.

Now that Duke had returned, only Deke remained missing, and no one knew to which plane he had gone.

"This Second Level Wizard really is something. His daring to rush into the spatial rift must mean he had some self-preservation measures..." Duke contemplated.

Recalling the scene, Duke remembered how swift Deke's actions were, rushing in without the slightest hesitation. No one knew where he ended up.

If he was still alive after several months, it meant he had survived the most dangerous initial phase, and most likely could continue living in the Other Plane for an extended period.

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