’Whether opportunity or greater danger lies ahead, it’s better than lingering here.’

He adjusted his breathing, bringing himself to peak condition, his gaze growing sharper.

His figure once again vanished into the deeper shadows and rising heat waves beyond the fissure’s corner, following the ancient trail into the profound darkness.

Time slowly passed.

Following the faint, ancient, silver-gray trail, Murphy crept through the depths of the winding fissure for a long time.

The surrounding scenery grew increasingly monotonous and dead silent. Even the charred, low-growing plants had disappeared.

The air seemed to congeal. The smell of sulfur faded, replaced by a suffocating pressure, like being sealed inside a giant metal coffin.

The light was dim. The dark-red glow from the sky seemed unable to fully penetrate this area, and the rocks took on a cold, hard color, almost like Obsidian.

Just as Murphy crossed a natural pass formed by collapsed rocks and a relatively open, bowl-shaped depression appeared before him, something strange happened.

There was no Omen, no preceding Energy Fluctuations.

Dozens of meters ahead, in the center of the bowl-shaped depression, the air rippled like water, rapidly becoming blurry and distorted.

Immediately after, a figure stepped out of the void, as if he had been standing there all along and had just drawn back a curtain of invisibility.

A dark green traveling cloak, a pulled-down hood, and a neatly trimmed short beard.

It was the Wizard who had appeared in the old mine outside Ximu Town.

He had appeared so abruptly on Murphy’s path, his posture calm, even carrying a hint of leisurely anticipation.

He stood alone in the center of the dead-silent depression, his head slightly raised, the shadow of his hood seeming to "look" in the direction of Murphy’s hiding spot.

Murphy’s body had frozen the instant the Wizard appeared, as if he had become a part of the rock wall, his aura retracted to the point of near nonexistence.

He didn’t move immediately, his cold gaze piercing the dim light to lock onto the other man.

The Dark Gold Flying Sword remained silent in its sheath, poised to strike.

However, the expected attack or defensive posture never came.

The Wizard didn’t even make any move to begin Casting or preparing a defense.

He just stood there, as if waiting.

After a moment of silence, a deep, hoarse voice with a strange resonance cut clearly through the quiet air, speaking directly into Murphy’s ears:

"Excellent concealment technique, Governor of Melfield. If I hadn’t set up a ’Silent Trace’ here beforehand, capable of sensing the slightest spatial disturbances and passage of life force, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been able to greet you with such accuracy."

A chill ran through Murphy.

The man not only knew his identity but had also clearly anticipated his route and concealment abilities, even setting up a detection method in advance that Murphy hadn’t fully noticed.

The Wizard seemed unconcerned by Murphy’s silence and continued in that same level tone, "No need to be tense. My appearance here is not to continue the unfinished ’game’ from Ximu Town. In fact, the results of that test have already left me with a rather... profound impression of your strength, Lord Melfield."

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze from beneath the hood’s shadow seemingly able to pierce the rock and stare directly at Murphy. "To be able to quickly regain your footing under that level of siege and a deliberately guided ’surprise,’ to slay that ’little trouble’ almost unscathed, and even to sharply perceive the anomaly in the runic fluctuations... That combat prowess and insight far exceed the scope of an ordinary Peak of Mortality. It’s worthy of me... speaking with you personally."

Murphy still did not reveal himself or respond, but the Qi around him was already surging like a dark undercurrent.

The Wizard seemed to chuckle, the sound exceptionally clear in the silent depression. "I know what you’re thinking. Wondering if this is a new trap? Doubting my purpose?"

He slowly raised his right hand, palm open and facing up, with no sign of Energy gathering at his fingertips—a simple, almost placating gesture.

"If I wanted to make a move, you wouldn’t be facing me alone, nor would it be in this relatively ’quiet’ area." The Wizard’s voice lowered, laced with profound meaning. "The Deep Red Wilderness is vast, Lord Melfield. The anchor points the Church Court wants you to find and destroy are not the only ones. And the things connected to some of those anchor points are far more complex... and more valuable... than what you’ve been told."

He paused, as if giving Murphy time to digest his words, before continuing, "The Ironspine Duke stockpiled supplies in advance, the Church Court hastily issued its highest decree, and you top-tier fighters were thrown into this Desolate Land like chess pieces... Do you really think all of this is as simple as ’defending the Main World and preserving the rule of the Church Court’? Are you truly content to be an insignificant, expendable pawn in the game of those high and mighty figures?"

These words were like cold needles, pricking at the doubts that had long existed in Murphy’s heart.

But he remained silent as a mountain, his gaze only growing sharper.

The Wizard seemed unsurprised. He lowered his hand, his tone shifting to one of a near-cooperative proposal. "I have no personal grudge against you, Lord Governor. The matter in Ximu Town was just business. In my view, the abilities you’ve displayed qualify you to come into contact with some of the deeper... ’truths.’ You also have the potential to leap off this bloody chessboard and obtain something more... substantial for yourself, and perhaps for those you care about."

"For example," his voice was laced with temptation, "clues about the true purpose of the anchor points, information on certain unknown resources and knowledge in this wilderness, and even... a way to leave this place safely and avoid certain unnecessary troubles."

"In exchange," the Wizard finally revealed his true intentions, his gaze seeming to burn brightly from under his hood, "I only need you to do a small thing for me. A small thing that won’t conflict with your current mission objectives and might even be helpful. At the same time, perhaps we can also establish a... limited, non-aggression understanding. After all, in this treacherous Otherworld, having a potential collaborator or Observer is wiser than having another mortal enemy, is it not?"

As his voice fell, the depression returned to a dead silence.

The only background noise was the whimpering sound of the hot wind blowing through the holes in the distant rocks.

The Wizard said no more, simply standing there quietly, awaiting Murphy’s response.

Hidden in the shadows, Murphy rapidly weighed his options.

’The man appeared of his own accord, dangling information and temptation, but his request is unclear and the risks are unknown.’

’But what he said did strike at my doubts about the motives of the Church Court and the Ironspine Duke, and it also offered a potential way out.’

The silence lasted for about three minutes, but still, there was no movement.

The Wizard finally let out a soft sigh, one filled with undisguised disappointment and a faint mockery.

"It seems... the great Enchanting Witch misjudged you. Her little lover is actually a coward, timid and afraid to face an opportunity. Even the Ironspine Duke... perhaps he overestimated you as well."

The very instant that sigh fell, the air in the seemingly empty patch of rocky shadow rippled faintly.

Murphy’s figure slowly materialized as if precipitating from an ink wash painting, gradually becoming clear.

He remained standing by the rocks near the pass, not moving closer. Though his Longsword was not drawn, his right hand rested on the hilt, steady and strong.

His face was devoid of expression, his abyss-like eyes fixed on the Wizard in the center of the depression. His voice was steady and cold:

"Speak."