Barrett sifted through the antiquated items in Solution's handbag, setting aside the worn scrolls written in ancient elven and orcish nguages. It seemed he had found the most valuable item—the Imperial Map Fragment.

  This was a triangle of exquisite silk, its two edges embroidered with golden thread depicting all the races of the world, from elves to mermaids to flying dragons, symbolizing the rule of the Eight Greed Kings over all creatures. The center of the silk was bnk, devoid of any text, images, or lines.

  Sebas had conducted extensive research on this piece, and his orally recorded notes were invaluable to EeDeChi and others in deciphering the ancient scripts.

  According to Sebas's notes, the Imperial Map Fragment contained a treasure map of the desert ruled by the Eight Greed Kings. Collecting all pieces of the Fragment would reveal the power and wealth with which the Eight Greed Kings once dominated the world.

  However, a puzzling fact remained: since the empire of the Eight Greed Kings fell hundreds of years ago, no one had managed to assemble all the fragments of the Imperial Map. The secrets of the Eight Greed Kings were still buried beneath the sands, silently waiting for the fortunate soul who would unearth them.

  EeDeChi had no interest in the secrets of the Eight Greed Kings; she merely wanted to try her luck in their desert, searching for the resurrection item known as the "little copper can."

  Barrett and Franco, on the other hand, were exhirated. Day and night, they pored over ancient texts and diagrams on parchment and manuscripts, trying to pick up any trace of the treasure. The elusive treasure map was always an adrenaline boost for the spirit of adventurers.

  The night was deep. In the dimly lit inn room, a wide-mouthed brass oil mp burned slowly on the table, its fme gently dancing within a gss cover, resembling a lone bright lighthouse in the dark vast sea.

  EeDeChi was slumped over the table, her eyelids half-closed, hovering between sleep and wakefulness. Barrett leaned near the dim candlelight, intermittently reading the text on an ancient bronze piece. The circur bronze disc was covered in rust, engraved with ancient Elven script.

  "The sun... falls from the west, fine sand crosses over... the millstone, forged into dazzling broken gold... like streams of golden water flowing..."

  Franco lounged comfortably in a leather chair, half of his face lit by candlelight, the other half hidden in darkness. He sat at an angle, passionately discussing, his arms waving dramatically, making exaggerated gestures.

  Cheeko tucked in its limbs and curled its tail around its legs, squatting neatly on the tabletop. The candlelight reflected golden in its obsidian-like eyes. It perked up its ears, listening intently to Franco's grand pns:

  "Once I find the treasure of the Eight Greed Kings and cim the mountains of gold, I'll build a fleet of ships. I'll find a deserted isnd in the far eastern seas and construct the most magnificent pace with towering spires of pure white ivory. Then, I'll gather the most beautiful female sves from various races around the world to fill my harem..."

  As he spoke, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself with a 'heh, heh, heh.'

  Cheeko shook its feline head, clearly disdainful of such vulgar ambitions.

  Feeling scorned by a cat, Franco gred at Cheeko. He raised his wand: "You dare look down on me, you little kitty? I'll make you fly!"

  He cast a levitation spell on Cheeko, the tip of his wand emitting a beam of light that struck the cat, but Cheeko showed no reaction.

  "Could the spell be too weak?" Franco switched to another incantation, "Skin burst and flesh explode!"

  Another beam of light hit Cheeko, but still, it had no effect.

  Cheeko cocked its head, looking curiously at him.

  "That's odd, let me try a death curse," Franco muttered, aiming his wand at Cheeko.

  "What are you doing?!" EeDeChi darted over and struck the hand holding the wand with a sharp chop, causing Franco to cry out and drop the wand.

  "Why doesn't my magic work on a cat?" Franco wailed.

  EeDeChi took a deep breath and expined, "Because Cheeko is my teammate, and since you were summoned by me, you can't harm allies. So stop thinking about bullying it!"

  Outside the inn's window, the ctter of hooves on cobblestones shattered the night's calm. Barrett set down the ancient bronze piece, raised his index finger to his lips signaling everyone to be silent, and cautiously peered out the window.

  The wind howled over the roof as if giant bird wings were sweeping across the sky.

  "Knock, knock, knock." There was a knock at the door. Barrett went to answer it, and there stood the innkeeper with a ntern in hand.

  The innkeeper was a kind old man with no ill intent; he merely came to remind the guests not to leave the inn at night. The Sorcerer Kingdom had increased its patrols, not only bringing forward the curfew but also increasing the number of Dark Undead Knights and demonic wanderers.

  Barrett adjusted the mp's wind guard, dimming the light to a bean-sized glow. He woke the drowsy EeDeChi, and the three began to discuss their next move.

  Without a doubt, the Great Tomb of Nazarick knew their approximate location and had expanded its surveilnce network. The closer they got to the kingdom's border, the greater the likelihood of encountering enemies.

  Barrett studied the crisscrossing paths on the map and suddenly had an idea:

  "The most dangerous pce is the safest pce. Let's head to the Sorcerer Kingdom's territory—E-Rantel, and then use the teleportation circle from E-Rantel to reach the Sne Theocracy. How about that?"

  The Sorcerer Kingdom had built extensive roads for E-Rantel and had forced Baharuth, Re-Estize, and Sne Theocracy to construct permanent teleportation circles directly to E-Rantel.

  Heading straight for the enemy's stronghold seemed like a ludicrous pn. However, after some analysis, the three adventurers were convinced that the Sorcerer Kingdom's search forces had been fully deployed, making E-Rantel perhaps the most vulnerable pce at the moment. It was a risky move that the enemy would least expect.

  The next morning, the adventure party known as the Last Defender of the Way changed direction and headed towards the fortress city of E-Rantel.

  Across the vast nds, the Sorcerer Kingdom's undead armies were numerous, and their surveilnce network seemed impenetrable. In reality, its mesh was rger than that of an egg.

  The three adventurers were but a thin needle, easily passing through the narrow valleys and the Sorcerer Kingdom's blockades, encountering smooth sailing along the way. Especially as they moved deeper towards E-Rantel, the frequency of surveilnce and inspections noticeably decreased—a promising sign indeed.