Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix-Chapter 970: Working together

Still, they balanced things out a bit by letting all the other important folk behind. Seadrei, Seadir, Branden, Esmeralda, Liss and Asche… all of them would stay behind this time and they would plan things for the third week. That kind of work had to be done in anticipation, after all.

Eventually, those two groups were ready to move to explore the dragons' territory. While Isa's memories were still good, and she helped everyone consider several places to search, she knew that three thousand years had passed, and many things would have changed in that area. Moreover, the ice was still melting there, so they had to take her tips with a grain of salt.

"Let's get going, it has been a while since I did something exciting that it didn't involve fighting," Seara said while stretching her body.

"Why are you stretching then?" Rain asked.

"When you aren't the one saying stupid things because of your excitement, you are throwing cold water at other people's excitement, huh?" Terra asked after she crossed her arms.

"He is getting old and jaded," Seara shrugged.

Rain felt a tinge of sadness and slight discomfort due to the banter with his wives in front of his children. Unintentionally, their exchange about him being "old and jaded" might have left him feeling a bit down.

Their light teasing took a humorous turn but indirectly added to Rain's reputation as someone who had been absent for long periods and returned after a hundred years, leaving to buy milk, so to speak.

Though it was all in good humor, Rain was aware that these kinds of exchanges, particularly in front of their children, might not help his reputation. His wives' remarks, even in jest, could contribute to a perception that Rain was detached or absent in some way, which could further impact his image and reputation among his family and associates.

Still, those three looked fine… who could say that they didn't hear many other things while he was away. Branden took control of the two capsules carrying the groups as they were sent back to the planet's surface. His responsibility was immense, as the lives of important individuals were in his hands during this critical maneuver.

The tension is palpable as Branden controlled the capsules, and his face gets pale, indicating the weight of the situation he's managing.

Despite the reassurance that these individuals were resilient enough to survive brief exposure to the vacuum of space without fatal consequences due to their strength, the potential risks such as radiation exposure loomed in the background. Branden was acutely aware of the stakes and the importance of safely guiding the capsules back to the planet's surface.

Fortunately, despite Branden's apparent anxiety, he successfully guided the capsules to their designated landing points without encountering any issues. This success allowed the groups to disembark safely, and they proceeded to split up to begin their exploration of the dragons' territory.

"Well, we have five places to investigate, the remains of the stump, two large cities, and two camps," Rain said while checking the map that Isa drew for them. "We are pretty close to the stump, but we still need to hurry up. Who reaches the destination last will have to take the final turn of the guard duty tonight!"

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Rain used Frozen Impulse and then began to dash toward the destination. Meanwhile, his wives and kids looked at each other in confusion… they were in the middle of an important job and Rain was acting like a kid. Technically, he was the youngest of the group, but still… it made them feel weird.

"I need my eight hours of sleep, so see ya," Terra said and then disappeared as well.

"Crap… I don't need more lines on my face thanks to the lack of sleep," Seara said and then disappeared as well.

Danny and Annie shrugged and soon followed their mothers, disappearing from the scene. Meanwhile, Sealyn, exhibited a more serious demeanor, and sighed in exasperation, questioning her presence amidst the seemingly nonsensical approach taken by some of the group members. Her serious disposition clashed with the carefree attitude displayed by the others. It seemed that no one taught her how to relax…

Despite the many attitudes within the group, Rain managed to reach the stump first, fulfilling the challenge he had set. Following the same order as they left, the rest of the group arrived at the stump, joining Rain. However, instead of engaging in lighthearted antics, they found Rain deep in thinking, his gaze fixed intently on the massive hole left behind by the stump.

This unexpected display of seriousness from Rain in examining the hole intrigued and puzzled the rest of the group, especially considering his earlier playful behavior. The shift in Rain's demeanor indicated that it was time to get serious.

"Isa said that in this area, nothing was here before, do you see anything?" Terra asked.

"No, but this is the central part of the dragons' territory, so a lot of mana should have been here," Rain said while looking around and confirming that most of the snow had melted. "While the snow was created with mana, this place is completely silent, and there are no signs of life here."

Rain jumped on the hole and checked the ground again… just like before, it was filled with lifeless sand. He used his earth magic to check how deep that far went, and he confirmed that it had gone for around five hundred meters of depth… maybe it actually stole some mana from the barrier around the first layer of the planet.

"This place is quite unnerving… there are many sources of water around, but they don't put me at ease," Seara said. "I hope that the seas won't change once all this snow moves toward them."

"Isn't it because it was created with the intention of killing everything in the world?" Sealyn asked. "Even if it is water, it would make us feel uneasy when it was created to kill us."