Chapter 011: The Barrier

Although it was spring now, the spring in the northern regions of Roland Continent was often several degrees colder than winter.
Yet, due to the existence of the Divine Palace, the valley remained in a perpetual spring-like state. Those unaware of the truth might mistake this place for the mountains of the southern lands.
The beautiful sunset had already disappeared behind the mountains, casting an indescribably solemn atmosphere over the valley. A faint scent of blood lingered in the air, making noses itch and prompting people to sneeze.
Du Fan sat atop a tree branch, gazing at the corpses scattered around, lost in thought.
Feyre stood silently behind him, wanting to say something but unable to find the words.
Since the recent battle between Ordas and the octopus monster, Du Fan had somehow changed his attitude. Under such circumstances, with his despicable nature, he should have had at least an 80-90% chance of killing Ordas and his group while escaping unscathed. Yet he did nothing, merely watching quietly until Ordas and Kris recovered and left with the last two apprentices toward the Divine Palace. Only then did his expression shift slightly.
Still, he took no action and simply watched them go.
Suddenly, something in Feyre’s palm glowed faintly. He glanced down and said in a low voice, “Lord Du Fan, there’s news from Lord Alfred.”
Du Fan nodded and asked, “What news?”
Feyre replied, “Lord Alfred says that according to the plan, you should have already dealt with the people from Roland Academy by now. But why did he see Ordas enter the Divine Palace? Could it be that our mission has failed?”
Du Fan smiled and said, “Whether the mission is a success or failure isn’t up to him to decide. I can’t believe Alfred would use such a precious communication magic scroll for such trivial matters. Never mind… I’ll explain to him myself when I get back.”
With that, Du Fan swiftly moved toward the octopus’s corpse by the lake. Moments later, he held a fist-sized magic stone in his palm. After stuffing it into his storage ring, he slowly headed toward where Alfred and the others were hiding.
Feyre sighed, not knowing what to say, and quickly followed him.

In a corner of the dense forests in the valley, there was a clearing of moderate size. After Du Fan set out to carry out his so-called “plan,” Nicholas used some unknown secret technique to create a barrier there. However, this barrier offered no protective function; its only purpose was to completely conceal the presence of those inside it. Even the strongest warrior would not be able to detect the slightest anomaly. When Du Fan saw Nicholas setting up this barrier, he initially thought of learning from him, but later he realized that both the magic array and incantations used were completely different from the magical system he knew. Although Nicholas cast spells right in front of him without hiding anything, Du Fan couldn’t understand a thing. In the end, he had to admit that the mysterious sorcerer’s skills were by no means something that could be learned easily. As he approached the barrier, Du Fan once again marveled at its mystery before slowly stepping inside. Instantly, various auras blocked by the barrier hit him. His powerful spiritual sense sensed this impact, and he sighed once more. Alfred, Nicholas, and Tasia were sitting in the center of the clearing, while most of the Temple Knights were resting in their tents. Upon seeing Du Fan arrive, Alfred was the first to react. He glared at Du Fan and said, “Lord Du Fan, if I remember correctly, you said before that you had a way to deal with everyone from Roland Academy. So why is there still someone inside the sacred palace now?” Du Fan replied calmly, “Lord Alfred, you’re joking. How could you know that I haven’t dealt with everyone from Roland Academy if you’re hiding inside this barrier?” Alfred snorted and remained silent. Nicholas, on the other hand, smiled and said, “Both of you, don’t get upset. Even if people from Roland Academy have entered the sacred palace, what does it matter? We were already prepared for this, weren’t we? And… Lord Du Fan, there’s no need for that expression. I left a small device outside the sacred palace yesterday. As long as someone passes by, I’ll be able to sense it.”

Du Fan nodded slightly, but inwardly he became a bit more wary of Nicholas. This effeminate, passive Nicholas had remained low-key throughout the journey, yet his tactics in the past day or two had been truly impressive. Of course, for Du Fan, the more tactics Nicholas had, the greater the trouble he would cause in the future. But for now, he didn’t show these thoughts.

Hearing Nicholas’s words, Du Fan gave an expression of “I see.” He nodded slightly and said, “Then, Lord Nicholas, since you can sense someone entering the Divine Palace, you must also know how many people have entered, right?”

Nicholas shook his head slightly. “I can only sense that the number of people who entered the Divine Palace is definitely no more than ten. As for the exact number, I can’t tell. But since I have no idea what exactly happened, perhaps Lord Du Fan can explain it, so everyone can have a better understanding.”

Du Fan nodded slightly and recounted the whole story from start to finish. However, he downplayed his own despicable actions deliberately. As for exactly how many people died and how many remained at Roland Academy, he didn’t change those figures at all.

Nicholas and Tasia were fine. Alfred’s expression gradually shifted from anger to surprise. He could hardly believe that Du Fan, who clearly only had a third-level strength, could deal such a heavy blow to Aldas.

After finishing the story, Du Fan spread his hands and said, “That’s how things went. But… failing to deal with Aldas in the end is indeed a great loss for us.”

Nicholas took a slight breath, his gaze becoming somewhat complex. But after a moment, he smiled again and said, “In any case, Lord Du Fan has made a great contribution this time. Not only has that troublesome octopus monster been dealt with, but Roland Academy’s strength has also been greatly weakened. It seems that our Holy Church will ultimately be the winner. When we return to the capital, I will surely report everything truthfully to Lord Anthony.”

Du Fan smiled slightly and said, “Then… I thank Lord Nicholas in advance.”

“Very well…” Nicholas stood up, his expression serious. “Since Aldas and the others have already entered the Divine Palace, we don’t have time to linger here any longer. Shall we set off?”

Du Fan exchanged glances with Alfred and Tasia. They could see the hidden emotions in each other’s eyes, but they didn’t say much. Instead, they all slowly stood up.

Except for a few injured knights who stayed behind to guard the camp, all the others set out lightly. Dozens of figures moved like ghosts through the dense forest, and in the end, only streaks of blood could be seen against the setting sun.

When they stepped back onto the road paved with blue bricks, everyone let out a soft sigh. Unlike the day before, this place, which had not been visited for countless years, now showed signs of human activity. Though these traces were not very obvious, they still indicated the path taken by Ordas and the others.

Alfred frowned at the marks on the ground. After a moment, he said, “What exactly does Ordas want? By leaving these traces, isn’t he telling us where they went?”

The group exchanged glances, with no one speaking.

After a long while, Nicholas hesitantly said, “If Ordas still thinks we’ve already entered the Divine Palace, then he probably won’t hide the traces of his passage. But… should we really follow them?”

Du Fan smiled faintly and said, “Let’s follow them. After all, when Ordas first discovered this place, he must have explored it. He likely knows more about the surroundings than we do. Following him doesn’t guarantee we’ll be faster than them, but it at least shows that the path is safe. As for what’s in the Divine Palace, I don’t think Ordas can succeed right away. If it were that easy, there would be no need for our mission.”

The others agreed. Given the current situation, although they weren’t sure if they could deal with the mysterious third party lurking ahead, dealing with the people from Roland Academy seemed effortless. So, they weren’t afraid of any traps and moved quickly along the traces left by Ordas and the others.

As time passed, the road paved with blue bricks reached its end. The originally dark sky somehow became a bit brighter. Finally, when Du Fan and the others reached the end of the road, they were all stunned.