Chapter 33


    Not long after vin returned to Mount Eagle, the foraging teams began trickling back with


    evidently fruitful harvests and smiles brightening their faces. The Protégés tasked with protection


    had also snagged some spoils, dividing among themselves a few stalks ofmon Elixir Herbs.


    No one paid much attention to vin, and he couldn''t be bothered with them either. He sat by an


    iron bucket, nibbling on his hardtack, admiring the stunning vistas of the Cloudveil Woods.


    By nightfall, eleven out of fifteen foraging teams had returned, but four were still missing, including


    Ogmundr and Nysah, who would never return.


    Foraging was always apanied by danger, and every Protégé was mentally prepared for it.


    Among the returning eleven teams, there were casualties: nine people had perished in the forest,


    their bodies never to be found.


    "Nysah hasn''t returned? Who was she grouped with?"


    "I believe she was with Ogmundr."


    "Lucky Ogmundr, foraging with a beauty by his side. I bet he''s deliberately staying out longer. Every


    extra day is a blessing for him, ha!"


    "Let''s wait a bit longer; they should be back soon."


    At night, atop the mountain, campfires zed as the Botanic Haven Protégés gathered to tally each


    group''s findings. They were on a mission, required to return with at least ten Advanced Elixir Herbs,


    preferably uprooted whole, and a minimum of a hundred ordinary Elixir Herbs and Elixir Fruits.


    Failing to meet the quota would result in punishment, while exceeding the quota promised special


    rewards.


    The guardian Protégés sat together,ughing and chatting, enjoying a hearty dinner. A girl called


    out to vin with a grin, "Hey, vin,e sit with us?"


    Half-asleep, vin cracked open an eye and shook his head before drifting back off.


    "We''re curious about how you broke through to Novice Mage rank, would youe and tell us?


    We’ll reward you with a chunk of meat,” another young man shouted to vin.


    “Did you really reach Novice Mage Stage III? Fancy a friendly spar? I promise to go easy."


    "Come on over, we''ll make room for you."


    "I''m quite intrigued by thisd. A young lord turned servant for eight years, that''s some patience.


    What do you think—is he truly carefree or brooding with dark thoughts, and biding his time for


    revenge?"


    "Hard to say. Hey, vin,e here, I have a question for you. Do you hate Cobalt Strike?"


    The Protégés'' interest was piqued as they beckoned vin over.


    vin twitched the corners of his mouth into a silent smile, stood up, straightened his clothes, and,


    to everyone''s surprise, walked down from the mountaintop to rest elsewhere.


    The next day, one of the foraging groups returned, but there was still no sign of Ogmundr''s team or


    the other two missing groups.


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    Some grew anxious; some of them stayed to continue waiting while others scoured the nearby


    mountains.


    After two days and nights of searching, they found the remains of one of the missing guardian


    Protégés, reduced to mere fragments, unrecognizable. But the other foraging teams and Ogmundr''s


    group remained unfound, not even their bodies.


    "Could they have been ambushed?" They had to consider the worst. Perhaps they encountered a


    band of mercenaries or were in by a Magi-Monster? Normally, mercenaries wouldn''t dare


    provoke a Protégé of Cobalt Strike, but exceptions could ur. If they had the misfortune of


    encountering a formidable Magi-Monster, their lives could also be in danger.


    Such incidents used to bemon during foraging, but in recent years, through the frequent


    deterrence by the Elders, they had be rare.


    This time, the loss of three groups at once deeply unsettled everyone, especially since Nysah, an


    special Elite Protégé, was among them.


    They couldn''t easily give up and continued their search for another two days. They eventually found


    the remains of another foraging group, but it was unclear whether they had been killed by Magi-


    Monsters or mercenaries. Finally, they discovered the body of the swordsman from Ogmundr''s


    group.


    ...


    Three dayster, the foraging teams returned to Cobalt Strike with a bounty of energy potions and


    the grim news of Nysah and the others'' deaths.


    No one suspected vin, as outsiders were unaware of the grudge between Nysah and him, nor of


    vin''s true strength.


    Upon his return to Cobalt Strike, vin''s first action was to visit the cliff beside Botanic Haven to


    check if the Viper''s Berry was still there. The cliff was draped with green vines and thick leaves,


    hiding many venomous snakes and giant pythons.


    The Viper''s Berry was indeed there, tucked away in a hidden nook. The energy within


    Shadowbringer stirred again, casting a hazy ck fog over his Energy Realm, silently spreading as


    if to caution vin. vin found it strange why Shadowbringer was alerting him to the Golden


    Serpent. He hadn''t experienced this when encountering other powerful Magi-Monsters in the forest.