As they ran, Calvin threw out the card in his hand, and in the next moment, it transformed into a magnificent silver-white giant wolf, the same Doulou from earlier in the day.
"A silver wolf? It looks much stronger than before, but how can one wolf fit all five of us?" Ezra asked, slightly surprised as she examined the wolf.
"Who said there's only one?" Calvin chuckled. As he spoke, the wolf let out a howl, and its figure blurred.
Instantly, two identical Doulou wolves split from it, making three in total. Calvin's team had arrived at the entrance to the Sky Maze.
"Sort yourselves out. Each wolf can comfortably carry three people, so two people sharing one will still be spacious enough," Calvin said to the group before leaping onto one of the wolves.
The wolves' silver-white fur contrasted with the saddles and reins on their backs. Calvin looked majestic and confident sitting on one, causing Gray and Natsu's eyes to shine with admiration.
Doulou split by embedding the effect of the "Kaleidoscope: Elegant Clone" magic card. While this card wasn't exclusive to Harpie Lady, Calvin could apply its effects to other summons that weren't too powerful. Doulou's function as a mount made this ability particularly useful now.
Seeing the three majestic wolves, Natsu and Gray couldn't wait to claim one. They fought over one, each trying to get the other to ride with Calvin.
Meanwhile, Erza and Lucy climbed onto the third wolf. Only then did Natsu and Grey realise they would have to share one wolf.
Their original plan had been to each have their wolf, but now, one wolf had to be shared between them.
"Move over to Calvin's wolf, you stupid droopy-eyed fool!"
"What did you say? You slack-jawed idiot!"
The two continued bickering on the wolf's back, nearly coming to blows.
"Enough! Sit down and behave! Don't you know we're in a hurry?" Erza's cold, stern voice cut through their argument. Natsu and Gray turned to see her icy, fierce expression, quickly silencing them. They obediently sat down, much to Lucy's silent admiration of Ezra's authority.
Seeing the two troublemakers settle down, Erza's expression softened. After a moment of thought, she shared her plan: "This maze may be a complex three-dimensional labyrinth, but the arena is to the east. As long as we head east, we should be fine."
Eager to help, Lucy summoned her compass spirit to point out the eastern direction. However, Erza's "I brought a compass" response left Lucy feeling dejected.
"In that case, let's mark our path and draw a map," Gray suggested, looking at Calvin for his input. They needed help to rely on Natsu in such a brain-intensive maze.
Calvin, who had been silent with his eyes closed since entering the maze, raised a hand to signal silence.
"Wait a moment," he said before continuing his silent contemplation, leaving the four and the wolves to wait idly.
Minutes passed, and just as Natsu was about to lose patience, Calvin opened his eyes, smiling satisfiedly.
"Calvin, what is it?" Lucy couldn't help but ask, her curiosity piqued.
Calvin raised his thumb confidently. "Just follow me from now on. I've deciphered the entire Sky Maze!"
The team rejoiced, hardly believing their ears. Calvin gestured for them to follow as he led his wolf forward.
The three wolves were under Calvin's control, so Erza and the others didn't need to do anything but sit quietly. Erza's curiosity got better, and she asked, "What do you mean by deciphered? Do you know the correct route?"
It was hard for her to believe that Calvin could discern such a vast maze by simply closing his eyes for a few minutes.
Calvin laughed, his pride evident. "This Sky Maze, no matter how grand, is still just a form of magic. My perception can cover the entire capital, so this maze is no problem."
The four nodded in admiration, especially Lucy, who greatly respected Calvin. She couldn't help but exclaim, "But that's incredible! The maze is so intricate. Can you really understand it just by sensing it?"
"Of course not. But my perception is too useful to waste. I developed a detection spell for this," Calvin explained.
During his seven years of captivity, Calvin had created numerous spells. While not all were included in his Magic AO series, this detection spell was one of them.
Called Superfrequency Perception, it was inspired by bat echolocation. By emitting high-frequency magic waves, Calvin could detect the environment by sensing the waves' reflections, making it an effective way to navigate quickly and accurately. He closed his eyes for so long earlier to find the correct route.
Understanding Calvin's explanation, the group said no more and sped ahead. With the correct route in mind, Calvin hardly paused.
The maze's challenge lay in its rotating sphere, which altered the surroundings as it turned. However, this posed no obstacle for Calvin, as the fundamental structure remained unchanged.
Additionally, Doulou's design allowed it to navigate complex terrains rapidly. While the rotation might trouble other teams, it hardly hindered Calvin.
Along the way, they passed other teams without stopping, uninterested in interacting. Even those with ill intentions couldn't keep up with Doulou's speed.
In just ten minutes, Calvin's team reached the finish line, where a smaller version of the pumpkin figure, having just arrived, awaited.