Three days later, a carriage convoy was departing from Firecast. It was unusual in that, despite its relatively inconspicuous appearance, there were many important people on board. The largest carriage contained six people. They were Elizabeth, Benedict, Shirley, Freon, Nassandra, and Yuna. What was stranger was that they were fully equipped in their weapons and armors, looking like they were about to enter battle! Elizabeth had her signature bow, quiver, a rapier, and some light armor. Although she could manifest energy arrows through Magic Energy, she kept some normal arrows in reserve. There was no need to use Magic Energy for everything. Benedict had a simple sword and shield, along with his Royal Guard armor. Speaking of which, it was a long time since he used a shield. He recalled the last time might have been on New Havens with Elizabeth. His sword styles did not require the use of a shield, but since he was tasked with protecting Elizabeth, he wanted to give it a try again.
Shirley had a halberd, a sword, and a slimmer set of her Royal Guard armor. Unlike Benedict who focused on more grounded tactics, her fighting style was very free flowing, adapting to situations as they come. That meant the large and cumbersome plate armor hindered her combat style. Of course, this was also due to her inexperience. People like Sir Winstin or Sentinel Hui had incorporated their armor's traits into their combat style, amplifying their strength! Freon had his wand, a short sword, and light armor. Honestly, there was not much point to having a sword, because if he faced an opponent he could not defeat with magic, his scarce ability with a sword would not matter much at all. His bitter beatdown by Reverent Monk was the best example. However, he liked to prepare for every situation. He would not go into a fight unprepared.
Nassandra was like her brother, having a wand and light armor under her Ten Dawn robe. She had a tense expression on her face, and she could not help but shift uncomfortably in her seat. Although she agreed to this, even enthusiastically at the time, there was still some apprehension in her heart. She did not have much combat experience, despite being a Ten Dawn. Her innocence was clear to see. Yuna had the same wand and light armor, but she looked far paler than Nassandra. Her face was almost sheet white by how nervous and scared she was. This poor girl was invited by Shirley, on the pretext that she could use this trip to get closer to Freon. Yuna was tempted by the idea, so she agreed. Now, she was having second thoughts, when she heard there was fighting involved. Her trauma from the war made it hard to stomach. Yuna could barely control herself.
Aside from their carriage, there were four more. The leading carriage had Perception Realm guards and Arcane Knights. They were responsible for patrolling the area and leading the convoy. Next was Elizabeth's in the middle. After that was a smaller carriage, carrying five passengers. Oddly enough, it was Lord Fredrick, his Perception Realm guard, Lady Kalasena, and her two Half-Perception Realm maids! These two young Grand Nobles were accompanying Elizabeth for unknown reasons. It was quite surprising. Lord Fredrick kept his usual gentlemanly clothing and graceful smile. He was the definition of a scholar, having never picked up a weapon in his life. His companion, Lady Kalasena, was the opposite. This girl had tied up her snow-white hair and wore an illustrious set of plate armor. On her belt was a white-gold scabbard for her sword. Anything that a Grand Lady uses, especially with her interest in swords, was bound to be extraordinary.
The last carriage had three people: Sir Melvin, Lady Rainie, and Sir Pelton. They were the three most promising junior Arcane Knights that Benedict taught. Normally, they would not have participated, but Benedict suggested to Elizabeth that they come along. He wanted them to broaden their horizons and gain battle experience. Elizabeth readily agreed. They were not doing anything secretive. Nassandra, Yuna, and Lady Kalasena joined them for similar reasons. As for Lord Fredrick, he had to guide the way, so he joined.
Once they left the city, they entered the forest and arrived at a predetermined spot. Moments later, a powerful breeze swept over the trees. A majestic and gigantic magpie bird emerged from within. People looked up with astonishment. It was Elder Unvo from the Featherwind Sect! This treasure-hunting bird said nothing but flapped his wings. Elizabeth nodded and urged the convoy forward. Elder Unvo then rose to the sky, blended into the clouds, and followed the convoy into the distance.
Their destination was a small village in the Poderis Region, roughly two days away by carriage. According to Lord Fredrick's acquaintance who received the Nebulous Star Core, someone from this village found this rock in a nearby quarry and sold it to them thirty years ago. It was fortunate that Lord Fredrick's acquaintance kept a thorough record throughout the generations. After some investigation, Lord Fredrick learned where this village was, and when he told Elizabeth, they quickly formed this expedition. Their goal was to find this mysterious quarry and see if there was a Nebulous Star Root or anything else valuable. This was why Elder Unvo participated, since he was the foremost expert in treasure-hunting. He could find treasures with far greater precision.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth and her friends were wielding weapons and armors for a somewhat unexpected reason. Elder Unvo explained that in the vicinity of treasures, there were usually creatures protecting it. The logic was quite simple. Some creatures, such as the Lightning Wisps, created King Lightning Wisp Breaths in its nest. This material was used to repair the Featherwind Sect's airship, and it could not be found anywhere else. Retrieving these materials thus meant clashing with these wisps!
Sometimes, treasures might be found naturally in the wild. For instance, the Lime-touched Rainbow Grotto Wood, which came from deep within a poisonous swamp. Extreme environments often gave birth to extreme adaptions. Like how humans could learn to survive in the cold tundra by wearing thicker clothes, nature was the same. They could learn, grow, and transform depending on the circumstances! These environments could give birth to powerful creatures, some Rank 2 Beast Lord, carrying the power of a Perception Realm or Condensed Drop. Rarely, they could push further and become Rank 3 Beast Kings, wielding equivalent power to a Rank 3 King! The world was vast and wonderous. There was no shortage of wicked and beautiful things.
As for the Nebulous Star Root, its creation process was a bit more special, since it was forged partially during its descent from the heavens. It needed to land in a sufficiently cold location to solidify, but that was it. The environment was nothing particularly special. However, wild beasts had a use for treasures too. They did not have the ability to transform treasures into artifacts, nor did they have the wisdom to trade for other goods. But what they could do was consume them directly! Treasures were essentially bundles of World Energy. This World Energy could serve as nourishment for beasts, and since stronger beasts required greater food, they would naturally seek better treasures. A typical Rank 2 Beast Lord would use Noble Grade treasures. Except that was not all. Just as Elizabeth and her friends used World Energy to advance their strength, beasts could do the same! This was the most common way beasts became stronger!
In summary, there was a high chance there were enemies where the Nebulous Star Core was found. Elizabeth and her friends went with the intent to hunt them down for combat practice. Of course, if there were any beasts, they were unlikely to be particularly powerful. This was the domain of the Zino Kingdom after all. It was impossible for any beasts to wander around unnoticed. Furthermore, beasts were highly territorial, and the stronger they were, the greater the range of their territory. The fact that nobody noticed anything was the greatest proof. Everything considered, their enemies were, at most, Rank 2 Beast Lord but most likely below that, around Grand Rank 1 Beast Mortal. This was at the level of a common bear or lion. Everything Elizabeth and her group could handle. In the worst-case scenario, they could retreat. There was no big danger involved.