Otherworld Bone Dragon Operation Guide

Chapter 236 The Cunning Supplier
Su Ming clicked on the image enhancement function, and the people in the image were analyzed, enlarged, and arranged into a list. However, all the bear-like figures were treated as background by the recognition software and ignored.

[Miao Xin, when the studio does the person recognition, please include animals as well.]

【……good. 】

Two humans in the scene stand out from the rest—they are dressed in rags and are treated like slaves.

Su Ming felt that one of them looked very familiar, but he couldn't remember who it was. Moreover, the other person had been tortured quite badly, so it was a bit difficult for him to recognize them based on the distant footage.

However, the recognition software indicated that a matching record was found in the database. Su Ming retrieved the historical data and discovered that it was video footage taken by a communications relay drone during the operation in Shafenger Town.

Upon opening the detailed screen, Su Ming suddenly realized, "Oh! It's the sheriff from that small town! The one who cheated me out of two drinks at the tavern, I think his name is... Rupert!"

"You and Iser, in the end, you escaped by taking him hostage, right?" Violet also remembered.

Su Ming carefully recalled the scene at the time, "That's right, when I left, I gave him a few gold coins as compensation!"

Another slave was recognized by Genndal: "It's Father Zefferin! The parishioner in Shafur, currently leading an investigation into the disappearance of a girl."

"Then it all matches up!" Newman clapped his hands. "This is their distress message!"

Su Ming finally breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that the letter wasn't a trap, and it even gave them a tactical advantage!
After the second drone was positioned, it transmitted images back.

This time, the angle revealed the front of the cave. Through exposure compensation and magnification, Su Ming could clearly see the scene inside: some girls bound by ropes, huddled in a corner.

Based on the image attached to that gold coin, there must be more kidnapped girls imprisoned deep within the cave.

"Human traffickers?" Su Ming immediately dismissed his guess as soon as he uttered the word—such a large-scale operation could not possibly be for human traffickers.

The only answer can be: those teenage buyers who have never been caught!

The drone also successfully captured the faces of several other humans. When one of them was zoomed in on, Kira, who was blinking her one eye, recognized him—it was the middle-aged man she and Iser had met back in Bubing City.

“Well, there was an older woman with him at the time,” Qi Luo said. “She seemed a bit neurotic.”

"Gerndar, contact Catherine immediately," Su Ming instructed. "Explain the situation here to her!"

"Ok!"

****
Shim Cave.

Inside the largest stone chamber of the cave, Abigail was drawing rune arrays on a completely naked girl.

The sharp carving knife sliced ​​across the girl's fair skin, leaving fine, bloody marks that seeped out like tears. The girl bit her lip tightly, tears welling in her eyes, but she forced herself to suppress even the slightest tremor.

In the corner, more girls with the same fate huddled together, their eyes filled with fear. On the ground lay a body with its neck broken, a warning example of "disobedience."

Roggen stepped forward, bowed, and said, "My lord, Evanbel has arrived."

A giant bear-man, nearly four meters tall, stooped as he entered the stone chamber. The low ceiling of the cave forced him to constantly duck to avoid the hanging stalactites. His enormous body almost filled the entire passageway.

“You’re late,” Abigail said, his voice barely containing his barely suppressed rage.

According to the plan, she and Roggen were responsible for collecting and modifying "dolls" along the way, while Evanbel was responsible for transporting magical weapons and supplies. The two agreed to meet in the cave.

But the reservation time was three days in advance!

Evanbel immediately fell to his knees with a thud, shattering several stalagmites in the process. He hurriedly explained, "Sir, the magic crystals supplied by the Whittaker family have been delayed by a full seven days!"

Abigail paused upon hearing this, then raised his hand to signal the bear-man to stand up.

She wanted to throw a tantrum, but this reason is not entirely Evanbel's fault.

The organization began preparing for this prison break three months ago, with the most crucial element being the magical artifact "Eternal Star Orbit." Although it resembles the "Winter Ring" of this world in appearance, its power is far greater, and its production difficulty and resource consumption are also far more astonishing.

The failure of the Sea Monster Project two months ago led to the abortion of the plan to sever the East-West sea route, and the idea of ​​monopolizing the intercontinental trade in alchemical materials also collapsed. Although the "Eternal Star Orbit" was eventually completed, the magical crystals that drive it have not yet been gathered, with a shortage of one-third.

Therefore, Yousi had to adjust its plans and instead seek to purchase from the Whittaker family, a leading magic crystal supplier in the North.

Evanbel had just stood up when he bumped into and broke a stalactite above his head.

Large rocks tumbled down the cave wall with a crash. Abigail flicked her finger, and a shield as thin as a cicada's wing instantly unfolded, blocking the falling rocks and protecting the girl's "product" that she was processing in front of her.

"Have you gotten everything successfully now?" Abigail continued his work, his voice returning to calm.

“Got it, sir,” Evanbel replied. “I also brought the people involved in the transaction.” Fearing punishment, he also abducted Emmanuel, the son of Lord Whicott, who had come to make the deal.

“Very well.” Abigail ordered without looking up, “Rogerkin, go and install the crystal core on the ‘Eternal Star Orbit’ and test it out to make sure nothing goes wrong.”

“Yes, sir!” Roggen replied, then added, “If there are no problems with the goods, Emmanuel can be detained until our operation is over before being released.”

Abigail nodded slightly in agreement. Rugojin and Evanbel immediately took their leave, and the old woman refocused on drawing the runes before her.

Inside the cave, a suppressed whimper escaped from somewhere. Abigail raised his withered fingers, intending to execute the girl who dared to make a sound.

But then she thought about it again; there wasn't much "material" left, and execution might lead to a shortage. In the end, she withdrew her finger and continued her work.

Roggen and Evanbel walked out through the winding passages inside the cave.

With the arrival of the mammoth transport caravan, the outer area of ​​the cave had become extremely crowded.

Rugojin could still barely pass through, but Evanbel's massive body bumped and shoved through the narrow passage, smashing several more sections of the stone wall.

Caves are indeed very unfriendly to someone of his tall stature.

The two emerged from the cave and arrived at the open space where the magical weapons were kept. Emmanuel, accompanied by three guards, was waiting there, shivering in the cold wind.

Ruogejin looked down at the ground. The outer orbit "Star Wall" and the middle orbit "Starburst" of the "Eternal Star Orbit" had been assembled and were emitting a cold light.

The "Starburst" component and the crystal core of the "Star Core" component, which has not yet been assembled, have been installed. What is missing now is the outermost "Star Wall".

Upon seeing Roggen, Emmanuel immediately greeted him, "My lord!"

"I'll settle the final payment after I run it for a while," Ruogejin said without further ado.

Emmanuel quickly agreed and tactfully stepped aside.

Evanbel beckoned, and a bear-man immediately brought over a wooden crate. Opening the lid revealed hundreds of meticulously polished crystal cores neatly arranged inside, refracting brilliant light in the sunlight.

Ruogejin picked up a crystal core and examined it closely. Under the transmitted light, the crystal core displayed a perfect luster, and the magic flowing inside seemed to be alive.

"The quality is good," he had to admit. This batch of crystal cores was not only well-shaped, but also had very few internal flaws. Some even approached the standard of flawless magic crystals, which is rare among crystal cores—they were indeed top-quality goods.

Ruogejin reached out his hand, and crystal cores floated up from the box, beginning to combine with the alchemical components on the ground.

****
In the Youth Civilization Rune Communication Carriage, the magic array was activated, and after several rounds of communication, each node replied in succession: Ready.

The next moment, dozens of magic crystals simultaneously emitted a dazzling light.

The magical signal traveled through the nearest church altar in Xueqila Town, then to the church in Wazhuang Town, and finally to the Great Altar in Bubing City, where it connected with Catherine, who was standing in the center of the altar.

Based on the church system in the northern part of the Temple of Light, it is possible to establish long-distance instant communication in a short period of time!
Of course, the consumption of crystals is also extremely distressing.

Grendel quickly reported the situation to Catherine.

"Since Qiluo was seen in Bubing City, did she investigate the other party?" Catherine asked.

As a unicorn, Qiluo can not only actively detect the malice of a target and identify their allegiance, but she can also passively sense if the other party's malice is too strong or targeted.

Su Ming shook her head. "She investigated at the time, but found nothing unusual."

Catherine's heart tightened. Human trafficking is a crime that can't be done without malice. If even the unicorn was completely unaware, then there's only one possibility: the perpetrator is incredibly powerful!

Su Ming also remembered this incident. Qi Luo had mentioned on Brown Gold Island that she was unable to detect powerful individuals at the level of Grand Magister or above.

"So these are two Archmages?" Su Ming murmured.

But Catherine shook her head. Iser had mentioned the incident at the Frostfire Festival to her. Her daughter had glanced back then; the middle-aged man was speaking to the old woman with a respectful demeanor.

She was quite curious at the time, as this old woman's status was clearly far higher than that of the middle-aged man!
“This old woman might be a Saint-level expert,” Catherine told Su Ming, her voice heavy.

"Are there this many Saint-level beings here?" Su Ming was almost about to protest; how many times had he encountered this already!

“Not many. There are only about twenty Saint-level Saints who are active in the public eye in the entire world,” Catherine explained. “There are also a few who live in seclusion or whose whereabouts are unknown, or who are hiding in obscurity and whose fate is unclear. But this old woman is not any of them!”

"Then it's highly likely not a Saint-level expert," Su Ming judged. The growth of a Saint-level expert cannot be without any trace; they cannot appear out of thin air.

(End of this chapter)