That's right, that's what adventure is like!

Chapter 114 The Secret Ring Council

early morning.

Aleta woke up from her sleep.

She stepped out of the tent and was somewhat taken aback to see Roland sitting cross-legged in front of the extinguished campfire, wiping his silver-white longsword with a clean white cloth.

"What happened last night?"

The voice was very soft, drifting across the silent mountain ridge. Roland raised his eyes, somewhat surprised: "Why do you say that?"

Aletta paused for two seconds, as if choosing her words carefully, before finally mustering her courage to say, "Your habit is to only wipe your weapons before resting, or—after encountering the enemy."

Roland raised an eyebrow slightly.

He hadn't expected that this half-dragon girl was actually observing such details in secret.

However, this is also a good thing; staying sharp is never a bad thing for adventurers.

So he casually replied, "There was indeed some unusual activity. A fog demon rushed in from below, but I chased it away."

""

Aletta asked no more questions, simply nodded slightly, and turned back to pack up the tent.

Only Roland knew that this was not the case.

Actually, the fog demon didn't come knocking on his door; Roland deliberately took a few steps into the fog and provoked it.

He had heard of the Fog Demon's characteristics.

These monsters are born from sorrow and despair. They can glimpse the obsessions in the hearts of humanoid beings and transform into the appearance of those they have recently lost or deeply loved, in order to lure adventurers into more dangerous areas.

Roland wanted to see what the Fog Demon would become in front of him.

The result was disappointing. Whether it was the overwhelming pressure from the professional, his distracted mind, or some other reason, the mist demon tried three times but failed to conjure anything.

It was just a wisp of black mist, struggling and writhing.

He found it rather boring, so he dispelled it with a single sword strike.

This little incident can be considered a small venting of his frustration as he ended his journey through the Blue Crystal Mountains.

After getting ready, Roland led Aleta up the rugged mountain path.

The volcanic ash above the withered volcano was too dense for the pseudo-dragon to approach, so it simply hovered in mid-air, waiting for them.

The return.

The mountain road was as difficult as expected.

The soft volcanic ash was ankle-deep, so you had to be careful with your footing before taking a step to avoid slipping. The surrounding temperature gradually rose, and the choking black smoke could easily fill your mouth and nose, so you had to be extra careful with every breath.

Aletta followed behind Roland, stepping in his footprints, moving forward step by step.

Two hours later, they finally reached the summit and saw the wide crater.

This is a huge depression, as if it were the mark of a giant's thumb. The surrounding black rocks are covered with spiderweb-like cracks, and there is a strong red light inside.

Roland stood at the edge of the crack, looking down.

The dark red rock formations surged slowly hundreds of feet below, occasionally bursting bubbles and sending sparks flashing in the darkness before rising upwards and condensing into tiny crystals upon cooling.

These translucent crystals, only the size of a thumb, appeared dark and mysterious under the illumination of the lava below, filling the entire crater.

The heatwave surged up from below, slapping against my face and drying my skin. The smell of sulfur was so strong here that it was unpleasant.

Roland withdrew his gaze and looked at the other end.

Emma.

This time it wasn't a phantom, but a real, living dwarf.

Her dark brown curly hair swayed in the steam as she crossed her arms and looked down at the translucent crystals, seemingly lost in thought.

Hearing footsteps, she looked up, her gaze falling on Roland, then sweeping over Aletta who was standing still, lingering for a moment on the deep blue scales.

"You're here?"

She spoke softly, offering a casual greeting.

Roland nodded, took a few steps closer, and handed over the Blue Crystal Heart: "Would you like me to examine it?"

Emma glanced at the strange object that was being chased by countless people, and simply scoffed: "Now everyone knows the commotion you've caused, why bother checking?"

Even so, when she looked up, there was a hint of satisfaction in her eyes: "You've completed the trial. Now you're qualified to ask whatever you want. Go ahead and ask."

Roland pondered for a moment, then asked, "How are Yogurt and Emmett doing now?"

"They're all still alive," Emma said calmly, her tone completely flat. "Yogur has crawled back from the abyss, but the mission is only half complete. The organization is now considering how to handle it."

She paused, then added, "Emmette caused too much of a commotion and has now been arrested. What happens next depends on what the elves think."

Roland paused for a moment, then fell silent.

As he had anticipated, this trial was far from easy; simply surviving was already a feat, and completing the mission was even more difficult.

Fortunately, he pulled through.

When he spoke again, his tone was somewhat serious: "I would like to know the name of your organization, its philosophy, and its goals."

""

Emma seemed to have anticipated his question, and immediately took out a ring from her bosom and handed it to Roland.

"This is----"

Roland looked down and saw the patterns on the ring; his pupils contracted slightly.

He recognized the logo.

Three concentric but not closed overlapping rings gradually become thinner and blurry from the inside out, with a simple and abstract key tooth pattern at the center.

—The Ring Tower.

"Weren't you all already extinct?"

Roland looked up, staring intently at Emma: "Could it be fake news?"

"It's not fake news," Emma said calmly, raising her eyelids slightly. "The Ring Tower has indeed disappeared."

"However, a few senior members of the Ring Tower team reunited and jointly founded our organization, and adopted this logo."

Her gaze fell on Roland's face, as if observing his reaction.

Our current name is...

"The Secret Ring Council"

Secret Ring Council —

Roland pondered the name, frowning slightly. "What are your current goals?"

"have no idea."

Emma blinked, looked at Roland's astonished expression, and shrugged indifferently: "I really didn't know. This is something only the higher-ups know."

She patted Roland on the shoulder and said calmly, "Don't worry, I've been a member for over a hundred years and I've never heard them mention this. You probably won't know even when you die."

"What you need to know is that our organizational structure is very loose, and there are usually no tasks, but the benefits are very good, so many people want to join."

The benefits are very good.

Upon hearing this, Roland hesitated slightly, then tentatively asked, "For example?"

"For example, this ring in your hand," Emma gestured with her chin towards the object in Roland's hand, "will automatically trigger when you encounter a life-or-death crisis, generating a shield that can allow you to survive for half an hour even against a gold-level professional."

Roland raised an eyebrow: "For example?"

"For example, the dragon egg you saw," Emma looked at the lava below the volcano, "we used this volcano to nurture it, and now it's only six months away from hatching. Whether we're raising it or selling it, we can save a lot of effort."

Roland paused for two seconds, then continued, "For example?"

'

'

Emma gave Roland a deep look and snorted coldly: "For example, we won't take your Blue Crystal Heart away, and we'll even help you resolve the hidden dangers of this trial."

Roland was about to ask what else was there, but stopped when he heard "hidden danger," asking with a hint of doubt, "Can you help me get rid of the Empire's pursuit?"

"Yes, but that's not the most important thing."

As she spoke, Emma gently beckoned Roland to hand over the dimensional bag, and then took out his—soldier's nameplate—from it.

The nameplate still bore traces of blood, imbued with the chill of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Its intricate patterns were now rippling slightly, indicating Roland's location.

"This is more than just a soldier's nameplate," Emma said casually, fiddling with the metal. "It's connected to a lot of things."

"For example, the king's final calculation."

Roland's heart skipped a beat: "What scheme?"

Emma didn't answer immediately, but looked at the cold light reflected from the sunlight on the pattern on the nameplate, and a cold smile appeared on her lips.

"Of course, it is through your deaths that the great work of demigods is accomplished."