Fisher moved swiftly; for him now, even the once formidable Sema Snow Mountain of the Northern Realm was no longer a challenge, except for those spatial turbulences generated by the roots of the World Tree. So now, the Southern Branch Mountain Range was merely a relatively high mountain.

He and Emhardt chatted casually, not causing any alarming commotion, rapidly searching for clues that might be traces of the Red Dragon Court.

"Just now you said, along with Rafael, you also bought a few of her sisters?"

"Not exactly sisters, not blood-related, but they have a strong bond."

"How odd, someone like you didn’t make a move on those other sisters?"

"...I am not that kind of person."

As they talked, Fisher had already crossed a mountain range and arrived at the forested mountain area between two segments of the Transversal Mountain Range. From this place, the clear spring flowing down the mountains they had crossed nourished various plants, including some essential materials for Magic creation.

He stood by the creek until he noticed his reflection in the water; only then did he suddenly remember he was still wearing the tattered white robe brought back from the Holy Land, resembling a beggar from nowhere, albeit somewhat fair-skinned.

He had come too hurriedly and forgot about it, but Fisher had no other option now. He certainly couldn’t wrap himself in leaves, could he?

"Fisher, look quickly!"

"..."

Fisher shook his head, turning his gaze away from the creek just as Emhardt, perched on his shoulder, suddenly spoke, directing his attention back to where Emhardt indicated.

In the dense forest a bit away from the creek, numerous bodies of demi-human and human soldiers clothed in green Dragon Court banners lay scattered. Fisher guessed it hadn’t been long, perhaps within a few weeks, since the corpses had yet to fully become pure white bones.

Fisher walked slowly over, discovering their equipment had been thoroughly looted. The ancient trees around had been severed at their waists, some bearing bullet holes, likely evidence of the battle fought by these Green Dragon Court soldiers before dying.

Fisher touched the spot where the vast tree had been broken and then quietly said to Emhardt,

"We should have reached the place."

"Hmm, the mountain area ahead doesn’t have any obvious battle traces. Green Dragon Court people couldn’t come up; Red Dragon Court people couldn’t get out, so it’s all guerrilla skirmishes. The forest ahead spans at least a hundred kilometers, and in this kind of terrain, it’s quite challenging to enter without significant effort. That group has Nali’s support; didn’t they use Magic?" 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"They did, but it shouldn’t have been a large-scale, full attack. Besides, the Dragon-men also have Magic, which they had already applied during the Fermat Baha Dragon Court period."

Fisher raised his eyes to look into the distance, and indeed on the mountain range farther away, many dried trees hung on the cliffs. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a trace left by a large rift and pits stretching several kilometers. The High Ring’s Magic had pierced through the forest and mountains, lifting trees originally growing on the ground onto cliffs hundreds of meters high, still hanging there till now.

"Rustle rustle..."

"Buzz buzz..."

Amidst a very quiet area, seemingly devoid of life except for the "rustling" of the breeze passing over mountain and forest, Fisher’s extraordinary Life Rank allowed him to hear an extremely faint sound.

He raised his eyebrows, then abruptly stepped back two steps.

Within those sudden retreating steps, two iron blades cut swiftly through the air where he had just stood, pierced deeply into the broken tree ahead.

Fisher looked, as expected, deeply embedded into the wood.

"There’s... oooh!"

Emhardt wanted to say something, but Fisher, expressionless, already pressed him into his embrace. He then seemed to perceive many entities approaching from afar, yet he remained as if unaware, waiting in place for something, unwilling to act rashly.

"Whiz whiz!"

Beside him, the dense forest swayed from afar to close, Fisher raised his eyes, and before him were two hook locks cutting through the air.

Fisher abruptly grabbed the hook locks and gently pulled; the silhouettes on the other end were uncontrollably slammed into several trees, crashing toward him.

"Boom boom!"

In pain, they let go temporarily to escape that immense power’s control, yet this left their weapons at Fisher’s disposal.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

In the dense forest, gunfire sounded again densely; Fisher calmly raised the hook locks he had just seized. The iron hook locks quickly twirled in mid-air, rapidly forming overlapping layers indistinguishable to the naked eye, deflecting any bullet coming close.

"Quick, use Magic! (Dragon Court Language)"

Within the forest, an urgent call came suddenly from a direction entirely unclear where people stood, the first discernible voice Fisher had heard from these folks.

He abruptly stopped the hook locks in his hand, turning to look in that direction.

In the distance, about a hundred meters away, a figure entirely clad in leaves had just placed a stone engraved with Emblems aplenty to his mouth, as the red Dragon-man Species magic was about to ignite, the human man’s gaze struck him as if physically tangible.