My inventory is full of monster materials.

Merito Falls.

The icy landscape has completely melted away, the waterfalls are rushing again, the streams are flowing gently, and the pools are still littered with bones.

The rotting animal carcasses that were originally scattered all over the ground have mostly been quietly "digested" by the Golan Forest, with only a few scattered animal hairs, broken bones and blackened traces of rotting flesh remaining in the soil, telling the story of the past tragedy.

At this moment, more than a dozen people dressed in uniform dark green short cloaks were scattered around the waterfall, scouting and collecting traces.

The "staff and sword" wing emblem embroidered on the back of their cloaks indicated their identity as the Adventurers' Guild Investigation Team.

Two of them were standing two or three meters before the cannibal fell.

To be precise, they were standing where the frost dragon Frost had once stood.

The leader was Lucas, the head of the investigation team. He was tall and slender, with a resolute face, a high nose, and slightly narrowed eagle eyes as he nodded in thought.

The deputy commander beside him, Joel, looked middle-aged with slightly graying temples. His eyes frequently scanned the surroundings, and he seemed somewhat impatient.

Just then, a young clerk named Zoe, with a neat ponytail and a capable demeanor, walked quickly to Lucas and Joel, holding a neatly bound file in her hands, and bowed.

"Reporting to the commander and deputy commander! Based on the location provided by multiple eyewitnesses in the Golan Forest, this is the very place where the White Dragon appeared."

"But after a thorough search, our people discovered that the so-called white dragon was just an elemental summon. This is the detailed investigation report."

After saying that, Zoe handed over the file with a respectful attitude.

But the captain, Lucas, did not react; he simply kept his head down, deep in thought.

Joel had no choice but to take the report, quickly flipped through it a few times, and then spoke with the commander beside him.

"Lucas, based on the evidence we've gathered, it is indeed an elemental summon, not a real dragon."

Captain Lucas slowly raised his head, his tone calm yet unwavering.

"No. At the time, Kayla, the captain of the 'Green Vine' squad in the inner circle, clearly heard a voice that sounded like a dragon's true name. She was a 'Druid' and although she didn't understand dragon language, she wouldn't mistake it."

"And simple elemental summons cannot possibly utter dragon language."

"..."

Joel and Zoe fell silent immediately upon hearing this, both showing expressions of confusion.

Suddenly, the existence of the dragon became shrouded in mystery.

A moment later, Captain Lucas's gaze returned to Zoe, and he asked in a deep voice.

"Wasn't an adventure team on a mission in this area a few days ago?"

Zoe quickly composed herself.

"Yes, guild leader. A bronze-level adventure team called 'White Eagle' recently hunted the ogre Gulag here and was even personally commended by the guild master afterward."

Lucas and Joel both showed varying degrees of surprise.

A bronze-level adventure team actually managed to hunt the ogre Gulag?

Although the "Silver Killer" Gulag is only a Tier 1 elite monster, it is incredibly powerful, surpassing many Tier 1 leader monsters. It's just that it always fights alone, which is why its threat level isn't rated as high.

Commander Lucas's expression hardened, as if he had caught some clue, and he immediately gave the order.

"Zoe, immediately retrieve the mission files for 'White Eagle' this time. I need to review them carefully."

But Zoe looked troubled and said...

"Guild Leader, that mission file has been classified as confidential by Deacon Madeline. According to guild rules, it requires the Guild Master's personal approval before we have permission to view it..."

"Tsk."

Joel couldn't help but click his tongue, his face clearly showing his displeasure.

"It's that woman again! Why is she always going against us?"

Lucas, however, did not agree, and said in a somber tone.

"She's not making things difficult for us; she's forcing us to take sides."

"Choose sides?"

Joel and Zoe both looked puzzled—how did a perfectly good investigation mission get involved in "choosing sides"?

Lucas slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his gaze was fixed on his deputy.

"Joel, Eugene has been suspended pending investigation. Your past dealings with him will soon be exposed one by one."

"What?!"

Joel was instantly horrified.

But Zoe, standing to the side, also turned pale and trembled slightly after hearing this.

The usually composed Lucas was enraged upon seeing Zoe's appearance and shouted at her.

"Tell me quickly, to what extent have you accomplished this!"

At this angry shout, the members of the investigation team who were working nearby all stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to him.

Zoe remained silent, head bowed, not daring to speak.

Joel was the first to react, looked around, and hurriedly stepped forward to explain.

"Commander, we only downgraded the difficulty assessment of Eugene's cases by one level. This was already within the scope of the investigation team's work..."

Lucas interrupted him directly.

"It's true that the intelligence gathering by the investigation team may fluctuate by 1-2 levels of difficulty, but if a single person repeatedly underestimates the difficulty level, can that be considered normal?"

Joel looked flustered, knowing his secret thoughts could no longer be hidden, and immediately knelt down, bursting into tears.

"Commander, I was just blinded by greed."

"You know, my daughter's magic lessons in the city are expensive, and I also like to dabble in magic myself, so I accidentally listened to Eugene's words."

Zoe, who was standing to the side, also lost her usual composure and stood there, unsure whether she should kneel down as well.

Lucas slowly turned his back, no longer looking at them, his tone filled with weariness and helplessness.

"There's no point in saying anything now. As the leader, I am responsible for what you've done."

Joel cautiously raised his eyes and asked.

"Then... what should we do?"

"What should we do—"

A glint of light flashed in the eyes of the regimental commander, Lucas; his thoughts were clear, and his words were forceful and resolute.

"At this point, I don't know how deep the waters are in Eugene, but all we can do now is hold our position."

The two were completely dumbfounded by what they heard.

The next second, Lucas abruptly tossed his short cape aside and strode away from the waterfall, a resolute voice echoing from his tall, imposing figure.

"Spread the word that the dragon has returned."

Joel and Zoe stared at each other for a moment, their faces still full of confusion.

Their current findings at Merito Falls are far from sufficient to support the conclusion that "dragons exist."

Then why does the leader insist on announcing to the outside world that "the dragon has returned"?

Almost simultaneously, the same thought flashed through their minds—to divert attention and nurture an enemy to enhance their own prestige!

As long as the "dragon" is used to create external pressure, then at this critical juncture, neither the Adventurers' Guild nor the guild leader can easily reorganize the survey team members.

They could take advantage of this gap to have more room to maneuver, such as exploring new areas to atone for their crimes. In short, they would have plenty of room to maneuver.

Having figured this out, the two felt much more at ease.

Joel was overjoyed and eagerly chased after him, calling out.

"Commander, wait for me! I'll arrange for someone to spread the word right away!"