Wizard: I use my omniscience to interpret the truth.

After listening to Byron's account, Eliza's eyes lit up with understanding.

As for Gray, he nodded repeatedly in sudden realization: "Byron, I knew how you did it! So that's how it is!"

"At first I thought that you had prepared some alchemical products or potions to conceal your own vibrations."

"I never expected you to be even more capable than I thought. You actually found a solution through your own research, and under those circumstances no less!"

Byron was getting a little embarrassed by Gray's boasting, and just as he was thinking about how to interrupt Gray, Eliza spoke up.

"Byron, Gray, we can't keep going at this slow pace. We must hurry back to the wizard's camp and submit this information. We can't let someone else beat us to it."

Upon hearing this, Gray slapped his forehead and nodded repeatedly: "Yes, Byron, Eliza is right, we must go back immediately."

As he spoke, Gray pulled three runes from his chest.

"I thought I'd never use these things since I prepared them for this expedition, but I never expected they'd come in handy here."

With that, Gray handed the other two runes to Byron and Eliza respectively.

He then explained to Byron, "This rune was specially developed so that it can form a protective film around the body while being used, preventing magical fluctuations from leaking out."

"That way, we won't attract the attention of those worms."

At this point, Gray's tone suddenly became extremely envious.

"Byron, you have no idea. The guy who researched this thing made a fortune. He earns a lot of points every day just by selling runes. Even if you don't have points, you can buy them with magic stones."

Byron asked in disbelief, "Will this really work?"

Gray: "Why not? I haven't seen anyone doing anything about it."

At this point, Gray smiled and looked at Byron: "Byron, if you could develop something similar, you'd be set for life."

"You don't even need to go out anymore; you can collect points and magic stones just by sitting at home."

Hearing Gray's words, Byron was somewhat tempted, but since nothing was certain yet, he didn't continue on that topic and instead changed the subject.

Eliza explained from the side, "At the wizard's camp, besides those resources that can be repeatedly handed over in exchange for points..."

"Other intelligence and information can only be submitted once, making them unique."

"Once someone hands it in, even if others know about it, they can't get points."

"Moreover, unique items like these can be exchanged for significantly more points than resource-based items."

Gray interjected, "That's why we're in such a hurry to get you there; after all, you can really miss something if you're even a little bit late."

"After all, no one knows how long it will take for others who are also researching this to figure it out, so we can only try to seize the time as much as possible."

Byron nodded, indicating that he understood.

The three of them then fell silent and hurried toward the wizard's encampment.

.........

Meanwhile, at the spot where Byron had previously poured his heart out to the worm that had just been feeding, countless worms were now surging wildly, a sight that sent chills down one's spine.

Shortly afterward, as the worms left, three corpses lay quietly on the ground, their abdomens ripped out, their expressions grotesque, their deaths extremely tragic.

If Byron had witnessed this scene, he would have surely sighed at the impermanence of life.

After all, he only wanted to destroy the evidence, but who would have thought that these three unlucky guys would happen to run into him and greedily try to make a profit.

If they don't die, who will?

.........

On the other side, a massive city stands on a plain adjacent to the wasteland.

This city is like a giant tiger lying on the grassland, staring at the wasteland in front of it with greed in its eyes, wanting to swallow it whole.

There were no tall buildings in the city; the tallest buildings were just a few towers standing in the center of the city.

Apart from that, all the buildings were low, gray houses, just like any ordinary city in the secular world, without any distinctive features.

This city, which could hold tens of thousands of people, now had only one or two thousand people moving around, making it seem very empty, even deathly silent.

In a row of bungalows in the southeast corner of the city, from an inconspicuous room, a burst of excited shouts suddenly rang out.

The students in long robes waiting outside the door were all startled by the exclamation, and their faces broke into excited smiles.

"Bang—"

The door to the room was suddenly pushed open, and a young man with a messy head and dark circles under his eyes excitedly walked out.

He excitedly murmured to himself, "I did it! After all this hard work, I finally succeeded!"

"So that's why those worms could so easily sense us underground, and why they didn't kill each other even without sight or smell... Now I know!"

"I really am a genius! I've finally figured out this mystery!"

The crowd that had been waiting for a long time began to chatter amongst themselves.

"Knus, I told you you could do it! You really did it! Congratulations!"

"Knus, this information is enough for you to exchange for a large amount of points. From now on, you can stay in the base in peace and quiet, unlike us, who still have to brave the wind and fire."

"Knus, don't forget about us after you collect your points. You absolutely have to celebrate..."

"......."

Knus's smile grew wider as he listened to the crowd's words, accepting all the praise without hesitation.

And so, time passed little by little.

During this time, some people reminded Knus to go to the mission hall from time to time to submit the information, so as not to let others get there first.

But Knus hadn't yet had his fill of everyone's praise; he was still enjoying it immensely. How could it possibly end like this?

So he brushed off all these well-intentioned reminders and continued to do as he pleased.

After all, in his mind, how could there be such a coincidence? He had just figured it out, and others had the same result.

This is not nonsense.

Those who had offered reminders saw that Knus himself wasn't in a hurry, so they stopped offering them and let him continue.

After some time, Knuth, surrounded by the crowd, headed towards the mission hall, stopping and starting along the way.

..........

Wizard's Residence, Quest Hall.

The domed hall is extremely spacious, enough to accommodate thousands of people at the same time.

Upon entering the hall, Byron saw a huge crystal screen standing directly opposite the entrance, displaying constantly scrolling information.

Recruiting team members, selling information, selling materials... there are many kinds, but most of them are simple and clear, making them easy to understand at a glance.

On the left and right sides of the hall, there is a row of windows with staff members inside, who are checking the students' earnings and distributing points.

This mission hall is very similar to the mission hall in the academy, or even exactly the same.

If it weren't for the different exterior buildings and the much smaller size, Byron would have even suspected that this was the mission hall from the academy that had been moved in.

Although the city outside the base looked deserted, there were a few hundred people scattered around the mission hall, making it look quite lively.

Byron and his two companions walked in without making a ripple, and no one paid them any attention.