The Duke remained silent, only subtly lifting his head, allowing the face beneath the hood to faintly appear in the shadows. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

At the same time, he did not purposely completely restrain the aura belonging to an Official Wizard, nor the indescribable sense of authority naturally emanating from the Light Divine Status deep in his soul.

The two guard players froze almost simultaneously, as in their view, a clear symbol appeared above the head of this mysterious hooded man, one that inspired awe in all players.

[Lv.??? Duke]

Three question marks! In "Oracle," this signifies only one situation, the target’s level far exceeds the viewer’s detection limits and is an existence that cannot be provoked.

Plus, paired with that inexplicably oppressive aura, the guards instantly stood solemnly, quickly withdrawing their defensive stance, bowing to clear the way.

"Turns out it’s Lord Duke, President Robert is waiting for you inside." One of them respectfully said.

Although they had never met Duke, they had heard Robert mention Duke.

In the Oracle Plane, the information displayed overhead is the true name, except for identical names, there would be no mistake.

The Duke nodded slightly, entering the valley without speaking.

The space inside the valley appeared larger than it looked from outside, having been simply tidied.

At this moment, over a hundred players were standing in neat ranks awaiting.

They were well-equipped, mostly wearing armor of the same series or at least stylistically coordinated, their weapons well-maintained, with stable gazes and minimal conversation, their discipline far surpassed those scattered troops outside.

With a glance, Duke saw that the equipment he previously gave Robert was being worn by these players.

This was precisely the core elite group of Star Embers meticulously crafted by Robert; in reality, members had formal contracts with Robert’s company and were genuine professional players with high obedience and execution abilities.

At the forefront of the team, Robert donned bright silver light knight armor, a longsword strapped to his waist, with a stable and fierce aura, exhibiting the prowess of a Level 1 Initial-stage Knight.

Beside him stood a dozen people, dressed in warrior attire and mage apparel, each with notable auras, clearly the backbone of this elite group, with levels generally close to or reaching Level 1.

When Duke’s figure appeared, the previously silent team experienced an extremely subtle commotion.

All players’ eyes involuntarily focused on this mysterious visitor, and then, almost everyone bore an expression of shock.

In their view, likewise, they only saw [Lv.??? Duke].

Three question marks! This was virtually unheard of in the current player community!

Currently, the highest level among players was only Robert, a Level 1 Initial-stage.

Being able to display three question marks meant this NPC’s level was already far beyond theirs.

Upon seeing Duke, Robert immediately strode forward, under everyone’s watchful eye, unhesitatingly kneeling, bowing his head in respect, saying, "My lord, you have arrived. The team is assembled, ready to depart at any time."

His voice clearly resonated throughout the valley, his posture incredibly humble.

This scene caused many elite group members to secretly gasp; they were well aware of their president’s strength and disposition, definitely top-tier among players, able to maintain composure even facing high-level NPCs of the Four Gods Sect.

But at this moment, their president was so respectful towards this mysterious person, even performing such a grand gesture.

"Who exactly is this Duke? Could he really be a hidden super boss in the game? The key to triggering special events?"

The Duke did not respond to Robert’s actions, only softly hmmed, his voice transmitting through the hood, sounding somewhat low and indistinct.

His gaze scanned over the team before him, pausing slightly on those players whose auras reached Level 1.

Thirty-four at Level 1.

This number was terrifying among current players, nearly all cultivated through Robert’s exhaustive resources, plus occasional special channel resources flowing from Duke.

"Status." Duke succinctly said, only uttering two words.

Robert immediately stood up, still slightly bowed, reporting:" The relic’s light membrane is stable, with a repulsion field range about two kilometers around the core area. The Four Gods Sect has camps on both the eastern and western flanks, totaling roughly 120 people, with confirmation of two Level 2 Magic Masters stationed, seemingly attempting to weaken the light membrane using complex elemental magic arrays, progressing slowly but continuously.

On the player side, there are over fifty teams, with an estimated total of over three thousand people, mainly concentrated in the open areas south and north, with conflicts occurring frequently but no team has managed to break through internal guards to approach the core altar."

"Have our people tried?" Duke asked.

"Sent three elite reconnaissance squads, with the deepest group reaching about 500 meters from the altar, confirming the presence of the golden light sphere and Energy Guards. The guards are pure light energy bodies, highly resistant to physical and elemental attacks, but extremely sensitive to darkness and curse-type forces," Robert answered in detail and caution.

The Duke remained silent for a moment. The valley was so quiet that only the sound of the wind could be heard.

All elite group members held their breath in concentration, listening to this brief dialogue, attempting to deduce more information from it.

"Depart. South side." Finally, Duke spoke again, issuing a directive.

"Yes!" Robert promptly turned, facing the team, restoring his presidential authority, "Attention, everyone! Assemble into predetermined groups, target the third observation point on the southern periphery of the relic, advance rapidly! Maintain alertness, avoid unnecessary conflicts with other forces!"

"Yes!" A chorus of over a hundred responded, voice resonating through the valley, then quickly and orderly moving out, dividing into several small groups, exiting the valley in succession.

Robert personally led the most core team of ten, surrounding Duke, both as protection and to block the overly curious gaze of other ordinary members.

The team left the valley, officially entering the range of the Greyash Mountains.

The terrain began to turn charred and fragmented, as if it had undergone terrible burning, forming a strange borderline with the glaringly white sands of the Radiant Wasteland.

In the air, the pulsating light essence grew increasingly clear, even occasionally seeing faint golden streams flashing in the distant horizon.

Along the way, more and more player teams were encountered; upon seeing the well-equipped, disciplined, and orderly Star Embers group, many cast wary or envious glances.

When someone attempted to use detection skills on the hooded figure closely guarded within the team’s center, seeing only the blinding [Lv.???], they quickly changed their expression and shifted their gaze, daring not to look further.

The Duke silently walked within the team, coldly observing the surroundings beneath his hood.

His Spiritual Power had long quietly expanded, combined with the Divine Status’s sense, far sensing that conspicuous Light Source Power like a lighthouse in the night located at the mountain and wasteland junction.

"Light Seed..." he murmured inwardly, feeling the pure and immense pulsing of power and the chaotic, burning auras surrounding it.

Later in the day, the Star Embers team finally reached the distinct junction of the Greyash Mountains and the Radiant Wasteland.

The charred and fragmented mountains that seemed to have been licked by Hell’s fire abruptly ended here, ahead was an endless, glaringly reflective white sand wasteland, truly deserving the name Radiant Wasteland.

And in a relatively flat depression at the junction of the two, was the center of this entire storm.

What came into view was a nearly transparent light golden membrane covering a vast area.

It was like an inverted giant bowl, enveloping the core area of several square kilometers within.

The light membrane itself was not glaring, instead flowing with a warm and sacred sheen, yet its presence was immensely strong.

It seemed to be materialized from the purest Light energy, its surface rippling with water-like waves, distorting internal scenery into blurriness, where only vague outlines of some broken tall stone structures and the central area’s unmistakable heart-like pulsing pure golden glow could be made out.