Forest

We entered the green forest. I used the system to shield my presence. I really didn’t want the Zero Puppet to travel with me. Yet, I thought of taking a risk this time.

Zero Puppet’s ability had improved. Its grade was now Magic Lord. Even the Forbidden Wizards would find it hard to see through its true form.

It was because the magic of the Red Smoke was strong.

It could do many things right now. As we moved through the forest, the system reminded me of the people ahead.

"Master, there are monster carriages ahead. Should I go ahead and eavesdrop on their conversation?" Zero Puppet asked.

Hearing that, my eyes flickered.

"What are they doing?" I asked.

"Master, the group seems to be taking a small break," Zero Puppet said.

"Alright, go ahead and collect the information. I will be waiting here," I said to the puppet before stopping on one of the tree branches.

The Zero Puppet agreed. The Red Smoke then moved towards the monster carriages. Looking at the retreating back of the Red Smoke, my heart was stirred.

I had thought Zero Puppet couldn’t communicate in the Red Smoke transformation. It appeared that the evil black bead gave it new abilities.

My presence was already shielded by mana. Now, the tree branches and leaves were shielding my presence as well.

Meanwhile,

The Red Smoke covered a few meters before arriving at the location. The monster carriages were stopped in a row. There were guards protecting each of the six carriages.

The strength of the guards was Level-10. They were Supreme Wizards. So, the people inside the carriages were somewhat influential.

The Zero Puppet had already sensed the mana fluctuations of a Magic Lord hidden in the dark. The person could be the leader of the guards.

But the hidden wizard couldn’t sense the Red Smoke. The Red Smoke entered the last carriage first. No one saw it.

Inside the last carriage, middle-aged men were sitting. They were Supreme Wizards. They were chatting among themselves.

Soon, the Zero Puppet opened a new database and began to record the conversation. The three middle-aged men were talking about Gold City.

The city ahead was called Gold City. The city was known for trade and business. It was also one of the safest hubs for travelers and merchants.

Because of its current location, the city was the only safe point around here. If they missed the city, they could enter the territory of monsters, such as a worm monster den or other dangerous places.

So, Gold City was the only safe hub for them. The Zero Puppet recorded everything. After listening to some of their conversation, it moved to the fifth carriage. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

There was an elderly couple inside. They were discussing family matters. The Zero Puppet didn’t find any useful information.

It then moved towards the fourth carriage. Inside the fourth carriage, four middle-aged wizards were sitting. But their strength was at the Magic Lord level. They were also dressed in luxurious clothes.

They were talking about the factions inside Gold Stone City. Apparently, they had enmity with some of the factions there. The four of them were discussing how to deal with them.

During the discussion, they revealed the names of the factions and the threats faced by them. The Zero Puppet continued to record more information.

In a short while, it was able to record useful information.

"No matter what, we should participate in the auction. I heard the final auction item is a special relic. The family head said that it could be a relic that helps us understand rule power."

One of them revealed the information.

"Special relics are hard to see in the chaotic land. But only the Gold City Auction can pull that off."

Another person added.

Zero Puppet recorded this crucial information as well. It knew the Master had a habit of collecting information regarding special relics.

Zero Puppet then left the carriage. Then it went to the other three carriages.

One hour later,

The Zero Puppet returned to the tree branch. It saw the Master.

Seeing that Zero Puppet had come back, I took him inside the Gregor Mansion.

We sat down on the seats.

"Tell me, what did you find?" I asked.

Zero Puppet then began to tell me everything.

Ten minutes later,

I stood up from my seat. My eyes flashed with excitement. Just this morning, I had begun to worry about rule power.

Now, I had an opportunity to raise my rule power to 100%.

"Zero, you did an amazing job," I said to the Zero Puppet.

"Thank you, Master. But it’s not easy to enter Gold Stone City," Zero Puppet replied.

"Don’t worry, I will follow the old method. You will stay here. After going inside the city, I will take you out. Until then, you can watch me in the control mirror," I said to the puppet.

Zero Puppet agreed. Then I appeared outside and landed on the tree branch. I took out my mask and wore it on my face. Zero Puppet reminded me that the carriages were protected by the Magic Lord hidden in the darkness.

There were also four important people with Magic Lord level strength sitting inside the carriage. I could hide my presence, but if the hidden wizard saw me, it would be a problem.

I decided to follow them from a safe distance. Then I started moving. On the other hand, the break ended. The monster carriages started moving as well.

It didn’t take long for me to spot the last carriage. But I didn’t get closer. I stood on top of a tree branch.

[Ding! Hidden Magic Lord is observing the area.]

Swoosh!

The next second, I appeared inside the Gregor Mansion. I went to the control room and saw Zero Puppet monitoring. I arrived in front of the mirror and saw a black-clothed wizard standing on the exact same tree branch.

He was looking around the place in confusion. Seeing that, my mouth twitched. I thought I was careful, but I still caused the hidden wizard to find the exact tree branch.