Leo sighed and went through with the payment.

"Teleportation arrays," Andrew said smoothly. "You can get one constructed in your territory for one million AC. It comes with a unique identification mark—just carry it, and you can teleport back to your territory from any other teleportation array by imbuing the mark's mana signature." He raised a finger, continuing without pause. "There's also a cheaper option for 100000 AC. That one only connects your territory to the academy and back. The academy charges 50 AC per person for every teleport."

"That…" Leo muttered, rubbing his temple, "…you could have said that for free." It sounded like common knowledge.

"Well," Andrew shrugged lightly, "that's information you didn't know. Not my fault, you asked. That's also why the cost was so cheap."

Leo let out a slow breath and nodded.

"One last thing," Leo said. "Why didn't you retrieve it yourself? Or have your territory claim it?"

Another payment request popped up.

1000 AC.

Leo stared at it for a second, then shook his head and paid anyway.

Money grubber.

"A druid guards the treasure," Andrew replied calmly. "From what I've inferred, it's at least a pseudo–three-star beast. That's outside my operational range." His lips curved faintly. "As for the last part—something you don't need to know."

Leo's eyes narrowed.

"Shouldn't that part have been mentioned earlier?" he said sharply. "If I couldn't defeat the beast, this information would be worthless to me."

Andrew merely gave him a sly, unfazed smile.

"I only provide information. It's not my job to question your capabilities. And besides," he added lightly, "you should be the one being more careful."

"Hmph. Fine."

"Well then," Andrew said, turning toward the door, "if you need anything else, you can always contact me by phone. Bye~"

Just as he reached the door, he paused and poked his head back inside.

"Oh, by the way," he added casually, "I might—or might not—have sold this information to others. And I can sell your information too. Keke." He didn't wait for a response, disappearing down the corridor. Only his voice lingered behind.

"I only sell information that has value. Which means… if you hurry, you might still have a chance~"

Lily, who had been standing quietly at the back, stomped her foot, frustration clear on her face.

"This guy! He cheated us!"

Leo raised a hand, calming her down. "That's his job—to sell information. We still have time."

He exhaled and added, "I wanted Shyra and the others analyzed by an Analyst too. Tsk. I guess that'll have to wait."

"How will we go?" Lily asked, glancing at the map. "Eighty kilometers is quite far…"

"We could ride Shyra or Nyxa, but…" Leo hesitated, then shook his head. "No. Let's just take a taxi."

"Taxi?" Lily repeated, tilting her head in confusion.

"Uh—" Leo coughed lightly. "I mean those eagles outside. Let's get a ride."

"Oh! Let's go!"

Leo quickly opened his map, marked a location ten kilometers behind their destination, and led them toward the designated area where rides could be booked.

They arrived at a wide open field, the air filled with layered sounds—low growls, wingbeats, and the occasional screech. Beasts of all kinds, from ground-types to flying mounts, stood in disciplined lines beside their handlers. Every now and then, a pair of beasts would quarrel, claws scraping against dirt or wings flaring, only for an imposing figure to step in and suppress them with a single glare.

Leo examined the lineup and approached a Skyrend Eagle—large enough to comfortably carry all three of them. Compared to the massive eagles that had brought them to the academy, this one was a whole lot smaller.

The man managing the leases noticed them, his eyes lighting up. When Leo showed him the destination, his expression turned contemplative.

"That's one of the denser regions around the academy," he said slowly. Then his gaze dropped to Leo's badge. "Are you sure? You could die out there. That area has low three-star beasts."

"We're sure. How much for three?" Leo asked.

"Three?" The man glanced past him, noticing Lily and Miho standing close together.

Taking them there to fool around? He thought briefly. Not my problem. Credits are credits.

"The fare is 6 AC per kilometres per person from me," he muttered, calculating. "Let's see… seventy kilometers…" He frowned and pulled out his phone.

"420 AC per person," Leo said smoothly. "For three, that's 1260. How about 1200 flat?"

"Uh? Ah—yes. Sure. 1200."

They mounted the eagle. Unlike the earlier ones, this Skyrend Eagle was fitted with a harness and saddles. Leo and Lily adjusted easily, but Miho froze, gripping the straps tightly, her face pale.

Seeing that, Lily shifted closer and sat with her in a double-seat harness, wrapping an arm around her reassuringly.

The eagle took off with a powerful flap of its wings. Though the handler used limited magic to reduce wind pressure, the rushing air still battered them, tugging at clothes and hair. The eagle's speed also felt restrained, as if deliberately slowed. The handler wore a sheepish expression, clearly nervous.

Lily shook her head and raised her hand, forming a translucent wind barrier around them. The slicing wind vanished instantly.

The handler stared, visibly shocked.

Under her calm gaze, he urged the eagle forward, pushing it to its maximum speed—just under two hundred kilometers per hour. Still painfully slow compared to the massive eagles used by the academy or the trial city.

Skyrend Eagle (High 2-star) — Ordinary Bloodline.

No wonder. The beast had already reached close to its maximum potential; from here on, it would only grow larger, not stronger.

Even so, the speed was enough. They reached their drop-off point in under twenty minutes.

"Do you need me to pick you up later?" the handler asked, a hint of hope in his voice. "It'll cost a bit extra."

"No need. We can handle things from here," Leo replied. "Thanks for the service."

Though 1200 AC seemed steep for a single trip, Leo understood the economics. The eagle's energy consumption alone would require nearly a 1000 AC worth of beast meat to replenish, leaving the handler with a modest profit.

"So," Lily said, looking around at the dense jungle ahead, "what now?"

"Now we ride our beasts," Leo replied, reaching to summon Shyra.

"Wait!" Lily stopped him. "Let me summon Lunaria. She can carry us comfortably too. Let Shyra enjoy her holiday."

She raised her hand and summoned her beast.

An eight-meter-long blue spirit wolf materialized, its fur tinged with black and a sharp unicorn-like horn protruding from its forehead. Mana rippled outward as it appeared, stirring leaves and grass around it.

Leo admired Lunaria for a moment before hopping onto her back. Lunaria didn't resist—she already considered Leo family. Moments later, they were moving, Lunaria bounding effortlessly through the jungle.

"Wow!" Lily exclaimed, eyes bright. "Leo, the mana here—it's so dense! I feel like I can keep using my skills without getting exhausted!"

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