Chapter 1097 - 891: Success

Zaied, clan leader of the Gray Bone Tribe, was the most silent and dangerous among the five tribes.

The pupils of the short and stocky Warlock contracted to the extreme in an instant. He wanted to turn and continue running, but his body no longer obeyed his commands.

The gray energy released from Zaied’s half-clenched palm was like countless fine spider threads, and at some unknown moment, it had already wrapped around his limbs, completely immobilizing him.

The gaunt Warlock simultaneously tried to activate the short-distance Teleportation Scroll prepared beforehand in his arms, but when he lowered his head, he found the scroll had already been eroded by some gray energy, leaving only a few tattered fibers.

He opened his mouth, but before he could make any sound, he felt his consciousness swallowed by an icy darkness in an instant, and he collapsed softly to the ground, unconscious.

The short and stocky Warlock held on for a breath longer, gritting his teeth as he infused his last remaining rune with all his magic power, attempting a self-harming close-range explosion to buy himself a chance to escape.

Zaied merely glanced at him, those deep gray eyes under the hood’s shadow showing no anger, no intent to kill, not even the basic scrutiny, but a nearly indifferent calm.

He released his half-clenched fingers, and the gray spider threads entwining the short and stocky Warlock suddenly tightened, directly crushing the rune about to be activated in his palm.

The explosion did not occur, and the short and stocky Warlock let out a muffled groan, his knees slamming heavily onto the rocky ground, immediately hit by a gray light on the back of the neck, passing out along with the gaunt Warlock.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself tied to a support pillar in a mine tunnel, his hands bound behind the pillar, and his legs tightly secured with gray Energy Lock Chains.

The gaunt Warlock was tied to the pillar opposite him, head hanging down, still unconscious.

All around was a temporarily cleared area deep in the mine tunnel, torches wedged into the rock wall cracks, casting Zaied’s slender shadow on the uneven stone wall.

Zaied stood between them, the hood of his cloak had already been removed at some point, revealing a face matching his aura completely.

His cheekbones were high, eye sockets deeply sunken, the chin thin and sharply angled, with short gray-white hair clinging tightly to his scalp.

His lips were very thin, the corners of his mouth naturally curving slightly downward, making him seem as if he were scrutinizing or judging something, even without any expression.

"I know who you are. Trialists of the Path of Divine Revelation in the Wizard Plane." Zaied’s voice was low and unhurried, but each syllable echoed clearly and coldly in the mine tunnel like a stone dropped into a deep pool, "Tell me your plan, how many people have infiltrated the mine, their locations, and how many are on standby at the perimeter."

When the short and stocky Warlock awoke from unconsciousness, he found himself tied to a rough mine tunnel support pillar, his wrists and ankles tightly bound with gray Energy Lock Chains.

He struggled to lift his head, using the flickering torchlight on the rock wall to see clearly the figure standing before him.

The Level 4 Powerhouse wrapped in a dark gray cloak was calmly gazing at him with deep gray eyes, a gaze whose indifference alone sent a chill down the spine.

The short and stocky Warlock’s heart sank heavily; he knew he was likely doomed this time.

When Zaied began questioning him, he barely listened to what was asked, instead, quickly assessing the situation in his mind.

He had already completed the task of creating chaos; the Burst Runes and Smoke Bombs at the mine perimeter had diverted most patrol attention, and Rodrick should already be in the core mining area.

Under the control of these Level 4 Natives, escape was almost impossible, and holding on any longer was meaningless—only a needless sacrifice.

His hands were tied behind the pillar, but his fingers could still barely move.

He quietly hooked the Energy Lock Chain around his wrist, using his fingernail to pry open a minuscule loosened node on the chain’s inside, slowly injecting a wisp of magic power into the Divine Revelation Mark.

At the moment the Divine Revelation Mark lit up, a silver-blue transmission light descended from the sky, enveloping his body within it.

Zaied’s eyes turned cold, his dry fingers abruptly clenching, attempting to forcefully interrupt the transmission.

However, the teleportation mechanism of the Divine Revelation Mark was the Wizard Council’s specially designated exit channel for the trialists, at a power tier far beyond the interference scope of Level 4 Powerhouses.

When Zaied’s gray energy clashed with the silver-blue transmission light, it was like a stone cast into a deep pool, only causing a slight ripple before dissipating silently.

The short and stocky Warlock’s body quickly became blurry and transparent within the transmission light; Zaied stepped forward and reached out, trying to grab his collar, but his fingers passed right through that residual image, grasping nothing.

In the next moment, the transmission light completely closed in, engulfing the short and stocky Warlock entirely, disappearing into the depths of the mine tunnel.

Only a few broken gray Energy Lock Chain fragments were left on the support pillar, swinging weakly in mid-air before turning into tiny particles of light.

Zaied withdrew his hand, looking expressionlessly at the empty support column.

Behind him, Byron and several other clan leaders had already arrived, standing silently at the mine tunnel entrance, witnessing this scene.

Zaied turned and walked towards them, pausing slightly when passing by the still unconscious gaunt Warlock tied to another support pillar, glancing down at his pale face, then raised his hand to signal.