The other six exchanged looks, hesitated, and all together looked at Ce who was the recognized second in command after Tu.
Ce shook her head and said, "I'm afraid only Tu is getting that feeling… Well, while we have a similar feeling, there's also that mysterious wave of rejection, as though we can both benefit and suffer if we go in."
Aza'zel fell silent for a moment, numerous thoughts rushing in his mind. It seemed that while they had awakened their supernatural talents under the influence of his growth, they had inherited a power of intrinsically varying fundamentals.
Aza'zel shook his head and said, "Never mind something so troublesome, then. Let's wait until we come across the different lands of Greater Evil and see what happens then, but let me go in with Tu on our own to explore things first."
Although he wanted to take Zof, Ce, and Hailie with him together with Tu, now he had second thoughts. The former three should stay behind, and after the preliminary scouting, he would determine whether or not it was safe for his entourage of seven to dive in.
Aza'zel then looked over at Val, Kirin, and June.
Deep inside, he wondered if these lands of Greater Evil were an opportunity that would allow his entourage of seven to follow in his footsteps on the limitless path of evolution, providing them with sufficient foundations to undergo nine transformations.
Tu's eyes glimmered with a hint of zeal as she skipped over to stand behind Aza'zel, flashing a triumphant smile to her sisters as her eyes spilled their mirth.
The other six felt jealous, but they knew that this was anything but bad for their eldest sister, and it also meant that they had a glimmer of hope to condense source crystals in the future.
"Alright then," Aza'zel clapped his hands and said, "You girls can go around and estimate the overall power of the other teams. Meanwhile, Tu and I can map out the periphery of the Nameless Valley, and we might go further and dive into the dungeon for some contribution points."
"Yes, my lord!"
Ce, Zof, Hailie, Kirin, Val, and June responded in unison.
They pulled their gray raincoats tighter on their petite figures and rushed away. With the constant nourishment of source energy together with the practice of the first martial stance, their physiques reached the apex of the body's potential, bordering the threshold of supernaturals.
Thus, the teams of vultures and opportunists in the region posed little to no threat at all, allowing them to scout for information with particular ease, as long as they found the gossip groups around this region of the barracks.
Tu couldn't wait to explore the Nameless Valley, but she wouldn't carelessly rush into the unknown without the accompaniment of her lord.
"We can get going now," Aza'zel said, "Remember not to get involved with the other teams on our way, no matter what they do."
Their priority task was to explore and gain contribution points, they didn't have the luxury of wasting time on pointless conflicts with the other teams of the resistance army.
Each of them tossed an empty bag over the shoulder and embarked on a trek in the direction of the towering mountain with a cloud of black miasma at its base.
"So many people!" Tu said, as she could see swarms of teams holding positions by the skirts of the slumbering volcano. It was almost like a borderless small town with no clear boundaries as the numerous teams mingled.
"Of course, there will be many people," a passerby who heard Tu, intrigued by the presence of two young kids in such a dangerous environment, approached with a faint smile and took this opportunity to slip into a conversation.
"The rewards offered by the Earl of Doom are very enticing, and some rumors say that once we explore deep enough into the dungeon, the earl's private legion will arrive to complete the expedition. By then, if some of us are lucky enough to catch their eye, we might be brought back inland for better opportunities."
Aza'zel and Tu hadn't expected someone to so shamelessly interlope their private space, and the two of them were at a temporary loss for words.
Meanwhile, the passerby seemed to realize something as he clapped his hands. "I know! My team has about three hundred people now, but we're running low on errand boys to help with the transfer of resources!"
He looked the two of them up and down, smiling as he did so while he suggested, "Will you two lend us a hand? We will do the fighting, and you guys can stay in the rear with the other errand boys to excavate ores and collect proof of contributions. In return, you get 300 points worth of resources at the end of the day!"
Tu's small and exquisite face reddened from anger as this audacious stranger dared to put her lord into manual labor. She was this close to hacking this person in half with a roundhouse kick toward the midsection when Aza'zel voiced his agreement.
"Make it 300 points for each of us, then we can agree."
The man's face twitched as he rebutted, "We're hiring you as a team, why must you each get 300 points?"
Aza'zel shook his head. "We're not a team, and you're asking both of us for help. It would have been a different matter altogether were you to request my help and then I brought my personal assistant with me so we would share the 300 points."
The man's face darkened as he replied coldly, "Then I will hire you alone, you can bring your assistant if you want to."
Aza'zel shook his head once again and replied, "We've already agreed to your earlier terms of 300 points per worker, even if I wanted to get myself an assistant, it would be someone else."
The man clenched his fists, his teeth grinding as he struggled with his urges to teach these kids a lesson.
Then, he inhaled a deep breath and snorted.
"Fine!" said the man, "Just don't think these 600 points are so easy to earn… The situation in the miasma can get pretty dangerous, unpredictably too."
"We're fine with that," Aza'zel said, "Isn't that right, Tu?"
"Yes!" Tu's response had a touch of childish mischief as she imagined her lord taking action personally.
Well, their lord always suppressed his power to their standards while teaching them, so they had no clue to which level his power reached.
They could only compare through the three martial stances as they could only withstand performing the twelve forms of the first stance, while their lord could easily go through the thirty-six forms of the three stances.
The man snorted, turning his back to the two while he mumbled curses in a low voice.
"Let's get going, then! The team of three hundred is waiting by the entrance below," the man said.
Aza'zel tucked his hands away into the pockets of his gray trench coat, the voluminous robe fluttering, unlike the bound raincoat of the earlier days.
In this manner, no one could spot the outlines of his two guns holstered on his chest.
Tu skipped lightly behind Aza'zel, her round eyes taking in the surroundings and the teams all around, wondering how many of them will come back to the barracks alive.