Whenever the dungeon closes, it’s always a peak time for adventurers to exchange information.

Whether it’s information brokers specifically asking adventurers or adventurers chatting while resting, there’s always more or less information being revealed.

After all, not everyone is willing to exchange what they know at the Golden Lion Commerce for rewards. Some people don’t care about the rewards, while others feel that holding onto information can bring more benefits.

"Brother, where did you explore? Want to exchange information?"

"Sure, let me tell you, I found a checkpoint entirely manned by soldiers. There must be something good there, which is why so many people are guarding it. Hehe, if you can offer a good price, I’ll tell you the route to get there."

"You’re dreaming! That place can be reached by following the blessing’s guidance. Even a fool could find it, yet you want to sell that information? Get real!"

"Has anyone not managed to get rid of the White Mask? Can someone tell me what he said? I accidentally gave him a couple of light cuts, and now I know nothing."

"Are you saying you lightly slashed twice to scare off the White Mask who should’ve been left seriously wounded to keep fighting?"

Wherever adventurers gather, there’s noise and chaos, but also a unique vitality.

It’s noteworthy that the number of non-human adventurers from the Warrior Country is clearly more than in the Yanor Kingdom. The chances of hitting a Beastman, Dwarf, or even Fishman with a thrown stone are only slightly lower than hitting a human.

If you’re wondering why the Warrior Country attracts so many different races... perhaps it’s because they have Dragon Knights who notoriously intermarry with dragons, making society more open-minded?

Anyway, Gong Qiying feels he’s incapable of making a move against a Fishman with a fish’s upper body and a human’s lower body.

Yet, while he was drinking, several people had gone to chat up the Fishman ladies.

Gong Qiying paid them solemn respect.

Listening to adventurers exchange the bits of information they know is also part of the fun. Adventurers reach distant places, cluster in certain spots, linger the longest in small zones... Gong Qiying has data on all this, updating it daily, so he’s well-aware of what kind of information adventurers exchange.

Sometimes listening to people seriously discuss actually useless information gives him the feeling he could drink another glass.

However, some adventurers exchange information that isn’t about the Sain Dungeon.

"Ms. Uffie, the guild has an urgent assignment intended for you. Are you available?"

Hearing this, Gong Qiying turned his head towards Uffie.

Naturally, his body has undergone special enhancement through the dungeon, allowing him to hear conversations even from a distance, especially since Uffie and the others weren’t secretive.

"What assignment? We just got back; our bodies are exhausted," said Uffie, scratching her somewhat messy hair, visibly tired.

"It’s about a series of recent unknown monster attacks. The guild has deemed it a dangerous event and only experts can take it on," said a staff member.

Seems like Fanan had some impression of this assignment, pondering: "Apparently similar events have been increasingly frequent lately... Does the guild already send investigators who ran into danger before coming back to seek us as help?"

The staff member looked around, nodding while lowering his voice: "The culprit might not be monsters, but the Demon Clan."

"The Demon clan that enjoys marking others with a sigil resembling three fingers!"

While Uffie and the others didn’t react much, Gong Qiying, silently listening, showed a peculiar expression.

Three-finger sigil? How does that sound like Mad Fire’s Three Fingers?

But those who have seen Mad Fire within the dungeon should all be gone by now, specifically naming Ganago and Eliphas.

"Well, if it’s the Demon Clan, then there’s a need for a proper investigation," Uffie shook off her reluctance, stood up, and followed the staff member to the guild, Fanan and Isha joined in, while Tepi, seeing he had no role, went to handle commerce affairs.

And Gong Qiying naturally followed too, but not in his current guise.

Moments later, inside the small meeting hall at the upper level of the adventurer’s guild.

The local adventurer guild branch president was conversing with Uffie’s group.

"There’s something you might not have heard of, but it’s already spread among city managers."

The sharp, capable, slightly-scaled-skin woman branch president said:

"Shortly after you departed for Red, the Imperial Capital and surrounding cities, including Black Stone City and Duel City, showed traces of unfamiliar Demons."

Fanan and Isha, having the first direct contact with such Demon-clan-centric intelligence, felt excited, given previously Red was so isolated that Demon clans were mere legends.

Uffie, keenly sensing something, asked:

"Could it be the Demon that fled the Imperial Capital is now retaliating?"

Everyone knows that once there was a young member of the Demon Clan who appeared in the Imperial Capital, searching everywhere for the location of the Light Eagle Group’s base. Later, when the guards of the Warrior Country mistook him for a spy and tried to arrest him, he revealed his true form as a member of the Demon Clan and fled in haste. This incident also led people to suspect that Eliphas was colluding with the Demon Clan.

But few know that this member of the Demon Clan was never apprehended and is still on the run, whereabouts unknown.

"At first, we didn’t pay much attention to this matter. It’s just a member of the Demon Clan, and every year dozens or even hundreds of incidents related to the Demon Clan occur within the borders, without causing any significant harm."

The branch president looked regretful as he placed a document in front of everyone.

On it was a round, red sphere.

It was the Fallen Demon Egg!

"This is the item lost after that monster fled, and it is now stored securely in the Royal Family’s treasury in the Imperial Capital, with access only granted to the King and the Magic Sage."

"We knew nothing about this item until Ainz III, the King of the Yanor Kingdom, made the dangers of the Fallen Demon Egg public, and we realized that this unremarkable thing could significantly harm humanity by turning them into members of the Demon Clan."

The branch president sighed, "Back then, the whole Imperial Capital, no, the whole country, was swept up in a frenzy of eating Happiness Eggs to prove that they were not carrying the Fallen Demon Egg—this is something you surely remember."

"That impression was indeed unforgettable."

Uffie recalled that during that time, everyone she saw on the streets seemed to overflow with happiness after consuming excessive amounts of Happiness Eggs, each smiling so creepily like big mandrills.

However, during that period, the national crime rate rapidly declined.

"The Royal Family is now paying attention to matters related to the Demon Clan, but unfortunately, it’s too late; there’s no trace of that guy now."

"Yes," the branch president said, "so we believe this incident is a breakthrough. Perhaps that Demon Clan member is using the Fallen Demon Egg to transform humans to retaliate against us!"

"The investigation team we previously dispatched has confirmed that the perpetrator of the attacks is indeed from the Demon Clan, so we withdrew the commission. Other cities have given the commission to Gold Level adventurers, and for Black Stone City, you are the only suitable person to investigate this matter. We request your assistance!"

"Now that it’s been put this way, I have no reason to refuse," Uffie naturally didn’t reject, "It’s just as well, I haven’t faced the Demon Clan in a while. Let’s see what my current strength can do."

"We are deeply grateful," the branch president visibly relieved, "because of Prince Lanle’s presence here, we sincerely hope this matter can be resolved quickly, so that during his next outing, he won’t be attacked again."

Speaking of which, she was quite puzzled why Lanle had not left; the Sain Dungeon shouldn’t have been a place for this fun-loving prince to reside in Black Stone City.

Could there be another hidden motive?

At that moment, Uffie suddenly sensed something, swiftly turned her head towards the window, and her Fighting Qi surged over.

"Who’s there?"

Outside the window, the rustling of shrubs could be heard. She walked over, opened the window, and looked around. There were no suspicious traces anywhere.

"No residual magic power, not a monitoring envoy demon or anything... Did I sense it wrong?"

She carefully examined her surroundings again, but found nothing, so she closed the window and continued discussing the earlier matter with the branch president.

From the shadows of the bushes, a round figure emerged, looking very much like the sneaky monster in the Casas Underground Tomb—Geng Ghost!

The Geng Ghost lurked in the shadows, shuttling along the way, finally arriving in front of Gong Qiying, handing the Sound Stone in her hand to him.

"Thank you, you’ve worked hard~" Gong Qiying gave Geng Ghost a rub, feeling the strange, addictive texture—both the one doing the rubbing and the Pokemon being rubbed appeared to enjoy it immensely.

After returning Geng Ghost into the Elf Ball, he went back to his temporary rented house in the Warrior Country and listened to the recording in the Sound Stone.

After listening, his expression turned more intrigued.

"Interesting, there’s more to learn."

Gong Qiying, being quite lazy, didn’t want to follow along himself.

So, he planned to employ some means to obtain a copy of Uffie and their investigation results.

At this moment, on a moonless and windy night, events akin to a horror movie were about to unfold.

Meanwhile, outside Black Stone City, in a hidden lair.

The entire lair was covered in scorch marks from flames, presently engulfed in a raging fire, though ordinary flames devoid of magic or other special properties.

Amidst the flames, a sinister-looking old man crawled and slithered within the shadows, mumbling:

"Some Mad Fire, some Mad Fire, some Mad Fire..."

"Where can I find Mad Fire!!!"