Translator: CinderTL
"Subsidence? Uplift?"
Vanessa's words immediately furrowed Roland's brow.
Following the witch's gaze, he approached the cave entrance.
Unlike the nearby swamp's foul, black mud, the earth around the cave's edge was remarkably solid.
Moreover...
Roland gripped his sword sheath and gently prodded the ground with its tip.
Moments later, several thick, tree trunk-like roots emerged from beneath the soil.
"These are... tree roots?"
Roland's mind filled with questions.
Such twisted, gnarled formations were typically found only beneath ancient, colossal trees buried deep underground.
Yet as he surveyed the surroundings, including the path he had taken, he saw hardly any trees in sight.
The few scattered specimens were already warped beyond recognition by the magic-infused mist—weak, fragile, and utterly incapable of producing such massive roots.
Even as he pondered, Roland's hands continued to work.
Soon, a larger area of soil around the cave's edge had been scraped away.
Beneath the solid earth lay a tangled mass of countless gray-black roots, intertwined and knotted together.
Amidst the gloom, a slender root, vividly emerald green, stood out with striking intensity.
"This is..."
The moment the green root was exposed to the air, Roland's Material Empathy stirred.
A tangible "whisper" poured forth from the root, piercing his ears with crystal clarity.
"Magic element? No... that's not right..."
Roland narrowed his eyes, straining to decipher the whisper.
"It's... an overwhelmingly potent life force, but... how is this possible?"
He rose to his feet, gazing intently at the intricate network of roots beneath the excavated earth. Lost in thought, his gaze eventually locked onto the vibrant green root.
Such pure, surging vitality... since his arrival in this world, he had only sensed it in one other place.
Memories flooded back to his first days in Far Ocean Port.
If he recalled correctly, the wooden circlet worn by the high elf named Morning Star had radiated a similar aura.
Back then, he hadn't yet become an enchanter or awakened his Material Empathy, yet he could still sense the immense vitality contained within the wooden circlet.
Now, the green root beneath his feet stirred within him a primal resonance, as if both shared a common origin.
Could it be... that the anomalies in this region are also connected to the elves?
Roland pondered, shaking his head slightly. He turned to Vanessa, who was sitting leisurely at the bone table, and asked his question.
But the Purple-Haired Witch merely smiled and shook her head gently.
No matter how subtly Roland probed, he couldn't extract any substantial information from her.
Seeing this, Roland reluctantly gave up.
After all, his relationship with the witch was, at best, one of acquaintance, far from familiarity.
It was merely a transactional arrangement: Vanessa acted as his guide, while he cleared the demonic beasts along their path.
Even though she remained tight-lipped, Roland believed her earlier warning was correct.
They needed to leave this mist-shrouded danger zone as soon as possible.
Whatever was about to happen in this region had nothing to do with him.
For Roland, the top priority was to escape this dangerous place as quickly as possible and return to the safety of the capital to enhance his strength.
With this thought, Roland let out a soft breath and briefly explained the current situation to the Orc Freddy.
As they prepared to set off after a short rest, Roland suddenly remembered something and reached into his waist pouch.
In the next moment, a pitch-black stone with an eerie glow landed in his palm.
It was the trophy he had obtained during the earlier battle from a small, gray-skinned Slaad Toad.
"This... this is... a control gem?"
Vanessa, who had been sitting casually on the stone table, swinging her legs, instantly narrowed her pupils when she saw the gem in Roland's palm.
She immediately stood up and almost ran to Roland's side, her eyes burning with a fervent desire he had never seen in her before.
"Mr. Roland... where... where did you get this...?"
Vanessa's voice trembled slightly, barely perceptible.
After scrutinizing it carefully for a moment, Vanessa confirmed that this was indeed the control gem she had been desperately seeking. Her gaze toward Roland became intensely complex.
A control gem.
A treasure that could only be obtained from creatures originating from the outer planes.
And this... was the sole reason she had ventured deep into this region.
Following the Year of the Apocalypse, with the complete disappearance of magic elements, the planar passages connecting the Prime Plane to other realms had been permanently sealed.
Therefore, when she learned by chance that Slaad Toads—chaos creatures—were appearing in the River Domain Nations, she rushed here at any cost.
Yet even after capturing, studying, and even exterminating over a hundred Slaad Toads, she had found not a single clue about the control gem.
She had ultimately concluded that these Slaad Toads, which had managed to breach the Planar Barrier due to a sudden surge in magic elements, were too low-level to either carry or produce control gems.
After countless failed attempts, she had nearly abandoned all hope.
This was why she had decided to leave this place with Roland.
Partly, she wanted to observe during their journey what made this Chosen One, favored by the Daughter of the Night, so extraordinary.
On the other hand...
Since she couldn't obtain the control gem, there was no point in lingering here any longer.
But now...
The treasure she had longed for day and night was suddenly, vividly before her eyes.
Vanessa gazed at the gem and sighed softly.
"Could it be... that the defining trait of Shar's Chosen Ones is... extraordinary luck?"
"Yet I have served the Daughter of the Night with unwavering devotion, day and night. Why have I never received such a gift? Tsk..."
Vanessa clicked her tongue inwardly, a surge of resentment rising within her.
"It seems it's time to switch my allegiance to another deity."
Roland, naturally unaware of the witch's thoughts, heard her soft sigh and saw the undisguised longing on her face. He had already formed a clear judgment.
"This pitch-black stone must indeed be the control gem she mentioned earlier..."
Having confirmed this, Roland felt a new wave of doubt.
The gem was undoubtedly extraordinary, radiating exceptionally pure magical energy. But that was all.
At least, based on Roland's current knowledge, he couldn't discern any exceptional value in it.
The magic fluctuations emanating from it were so faint that, were it not for his Material Empathy ability, he might have dismissed it as an ordinary gemstone.
However...
Glancing at the witch's eyes, which burned with a mixture of longing and near-fanatical focus, Roland's eyebrows subtly arched.
Though they hadn't known each other long, he was well aware of the beautiful woman's exceptional talent for deception.
Whatever could make her lose her composure like this was undoubtedly no ordinary object.
With this thought, Roland nodded slightly.
"Indeed, Miss Vanessa, this stone appears to be the control gem you mentioned earlier..."
Before he could finish speaking, he had already returned the control gem to his pouch, swallowing the question he had intended to ask.
Given Vanessa's intense desire for the control gem, she might very well mix lies into her explanations to sway his judgment.
By contrast, it would be wiser to secure the gem first and study it thoroughly in a safe location.
Even if he ultimately gained nothing from it, he could still hand it over to the witch later.
But only if...
She wouldn't cause any trouble during their escape, ensuring his safe departure from this perilous place.
Witnessing this, Vanessa, whose gaze had been fixed on the moving gem, suddenly regained her composure.
Realizing her earlier lapse in decorum, the Purple-Haired Witch swiftly straightened her back, adopting her usual serene expression and a faint smile.
"Mr. Roland, would you... allow me to examine the control gem more closely?"
"Of course, Miss Vanessa, but..."
Roland carefully secured the gem deep within his waist pouch, returning her smile.
"As you yourself said, this isn't exactly the ideal place for study or research, is it? Once we've successfully escaped this region, I'll gladly let you study it. After all, this thing..."
He patted his waist pouch lightly.
"...is just an ordinary gem to me."
Observing Roland's warm smile, Vanessa nodded in apparent agreement.
But hearing the implicit condition in his words, the corners of her lips curled upward slightly.
"You sly bastard."
(End of the Chapter)
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