Gerhard’s expression suddenly contorted.

"Tepi Basque!" He jumped up, his face flushed, and charged forward, "You damned bastard!"

Tepi made a gesture, and the hesitant adventurer was about to act to protect the boss. But at this moment, Lanley’s personal guard rushed up and casually intercepted Gerhard, this human cannonball, holding him in place.

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Tepi thanked Lanley, who waved a hand casually, and said:

"Count, don’t you feel that this demeanor is unbecoming of noble dignity?"

Gerhard was originally respectful to Lanley, but now he lost control and shouted at Tepi:

"Basque, you damned bastard!"

Tepi wiped the tears of laughter from the corner of his eye, shrugged, and said, "What have I done to you? Even if you are noble, you can’t insult my character on the street, Count Lord."

His mocking demeanor now resembled that of his son, even surpassing him.

Gerhard was trembling with anger, his words were incoherent: "You, you, you, what kind of place did you find? This damned mine, is it a place for humans? I think you’re basically—"

"Oh? How does the Count Lord know I’ve been to the mine? I clearly haven’t mentioned it to outsiders." Tepi asked curiously.

"You, you, you..." Gerhard was confused by anger; anyone trapped in a dungeon forced to play all day with a meteor-fallen beast would lose their mental stability and control.

"Alright, both of you, let’s end this meaningless argument."

Lanley clapped his hands and said, "Don’t forget, what valuable things you can present are the keys to deciding your fate... How did I say this?" He glanced at the young man dressed as a magician.

"Great, it’s worthy of being composed into poems by bards and sung."

The young man flattered while casting magic, conjuring up a few cloth strips to cover Gerhard and his group, quite thoughtfully.

Gerhard glanced at Tepi, then looked away as the two reported their exploration results publicly.

"We discovered the Celia Crystal Tunnel, rich in minerals, and..." He finished detailing the basic situation of the Celia Crystal Tunnel, then said:

"We engaged in fierce battles with the leader inside. It’s the notorious Fallen Star Beast. Although the battles repeatedly failed, we persevered and identified several weaknesses of the Fallen Star Beast, thanks to the bravery of the knights..."

The ordeal of being trapped and forced to battle the Fallen Star Beast was exaggerated into a heroic fight of a hero against an evil dragon, analyzing the monster’s weaknesses for half a day without realizing he got even the monster’s name wrong. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Lanley nodded after listening, showing no reaction, and turned to look at Tepi.

"I discovered the Celia Crystal Tunnel earlier," he said with a smile, "but I’m not interested in competing with the Count on who explored the tunnel deeper. In fact, I merely summarized the ways with a higher probability of leaving the tunnel, without deep exploration nor encountering the Fallen Star Beast, clearly indicating the Count’s exploration was deeper."

Gerhard didn’t become complacent because of these words, because knowing Tepi well, his calmness now must mean he has more tricks up his sleeve, making the little merit he had in exploring the Celia Crystal Tunnel inconsequential.

He couldn’t help but worry, as sweat beads gradually appeared on his forehead.

"We have officially investigated the ruling forces in the Galide region, controlled by the Red Lion Legion of Shattered Star General Latan, and thoroughly studied the strength of the Red Lion Legion, researching strategies against them and the spoils we could gain after defeating them."

"Moreover, we discovered that the Red Lion Legion is hostile towards the toxins permeating the entire Galide. Any encounter between the two forces would lead to a life-and-death war, offering great benefits to adventurers during exploration just with this knowledge."

"Additionally, I have a story mixed with my speculations regarding the Red Lion Legion and Galide that I want to share."

He presented the story he extrapolated at the burning Fire Wall, a story not complicated and of questionable authenticity, but his narrative was full of emotion. Even without listening to the content, the tonal fluctuations were a sensory pleasure, making the simple story profoundly moving to the audience.

Unnoticed by everyone, Lanley’s expression finally changed, a hint of excitement flashed in his eyes but quickly vanished, returning to his usual frivolous demeanor. He lightly clapped, praising, "Well told, Lord Basque, perhaps I should consider making you my spokesperson."

"Your Highness praises me too much."

Lanley’s smile suddenly vanished, saying, "Although the Red Lion Legion you mentioned is brave, embodying the spirit of warriors from our country and demonstrating such admiration towards them, Lord Basque, you should not forget, I have always supported the Warrior Reform."

This so-called Warrior Reform is the official name for the trend within the Warrior Country abandoning combat skills in favor of studying magic.

"I haven’t forgotten, Your Highness." Tepi’s expression changed, no longer mixing personal additions into the report, objectively describing what he saw and heard, sharing the remaining information including Magic Town Celia.

"Can you show me the crystal fragments you’ve brought back?" At this moment, the young man dressed as a magician suddenly spoke.

Facing Tepi’s puzzled look, Lanley simply introduced:

"This is Edgar, apprentice to the Court Great Magic Sage Younka, sent specifically for the Sain Dungeon by his teacher’s orders."

Court Great Magic Sage? Tepi certainly knew this famously renowned figure, a magical authority in the Warrior Country, reportedly over two hundred years old, with one foot in the legendary realm.

But more importantly, he is the greatest promoter of the Warrior Reform!

He discovered and improved many ancient magics, especially the improvements, making them better suited to the Warrior Country’s people’s physique, spreading magic more widely—the King’s efforts were slightly lesser compared to his.

Such figures also value the Sain Dungeon?

Edgar took the crystal fragments Tepi brought back, scrutinized them for a moment, and said joyfully:

"Indeed, these are fragments of Luminous Stone, highly pure Luminous Stone, feeling like they just fell from the sky!"

He turned to Lanley, smiled, and said, "With this, we can continue unveiling the veil of Luminous Stone magic. If there is more, possibly advancing my teacher’s research further."

Lanley also smiled, as if genuinely happy for him. The outcome of this contest was already apparent.

"You’ve displayed remarkable talent, Lord Basque," he looked at the spirited Tepi, and said, "Congratulations, the management rights of this Teleportation Gate and surrounding areas are yours, assured by me, surely no one will criticize your future actions."

Gerhard immediately looked ashen, his heart sinking halfway, having some land within his territory divvied up for management rights—who could accept this? And Lanley’s next words further dealt him a blow.

"Do you want to be an official, Lord Basque?"