Chapter 99 : Chapter 99

Chapter 99. Gathering Information

“Explain in detail.”

The reason Fulan had brought Welinte along was precisely because Welinte understood some things that she herself did not. Naturally, she wanted to hear Welinte’s thoughts.

“Although I do not know exactly what kind of person Ailante’s father, the ‘Gray Dragon,’ is, I already figured it out after seeing how the residents of Monsa behaved just now.”

“Judging from the title ‘Gray Dragon,’ he must be a professional who possesses dragon-like characteristics. Otherwise, he would not have such a nickname.”

“And that enemy we just encountered—you saw him as well. He possessed tremendous strength and outstanding defensive power. Even your Fireball could only cause minor damage. But his agility was clearly lacking, and he almost never used any Combat Techniques.”

“I suspect that the miraculous potion mentioned in the mission description is some kind of potion that transforms people into dragon-like creatures. I just do not understand why they do not have obvious dragon traits.”

“Ailante’s goal must be to obtain a dragon-related talent during this trial.”

After finishing her explanation, Welinte fell into thought.

She was certain that the residents here had drunk that potion. But why did they not display dragon traits such as vertical pupils, scales, or sharp claws?

“You mean a dragon transformation potion, right?” Fulan recalled a few scattered passages she had read in a book while studying Pharmacology.

“This kind of potion allows a human to gain dragon-related traits, such as immense strength, a massive body, and hardened scales.”

Welinte’s eyes lit up.

“You understand potions?”

“Uh… a little,” Fulan said somewhat embarrassed.

“Then we can make use of the dragon transformation potion,” Welinte said excitedly. “If you understand potions, we only need to find a way to steal the formula and materials. Then we can gain strength by drinking it.”

This was an unexpected stroke of luck.

She had never expected that Fulan actually knew how to make potions. With the power granted by the potion, they could defeat that powerful enemy.

Originally, she had been worried that if Luca was an obstacle that absolutely had to be defeated in order to save Monsa City, they might not be able to pass the Spirit Realm trial.

If Luca were the only enemy of that level, she and Fulan might be able to defeat him together.

But what if there were many enemies of that caliber? Or even stronger ones?

“Will that really work?” Fulan asked with a frown. “I do not mean the potion-making part. I mean whether drinking a potion in the Spirit Realm will actually have any effect.”

Logically speaking, their bodies in the Spirit Realm were not truly made of flesh and blood. They might not even be the same kind of beings as the residents within the trial. Would the potion still work under such conditions?

“There is no problem with that. You might not know this, but many Spirit Realm trials require participants to obtain a certain item before they gain the ability to defeat the enemy. Before that, you might not even be able to harm them.”

Welinte explained excitedly.

Fulan then asked,

“So what do we do next?”

Now that they had determined their objective, the next question was how to proceed.

At the moment, the guards in the city were hunting down Spirit Realm explorers everywhere. If they stepped outside carelessly, it might immediately lead to a fight.

“First, we should find two sets of clothing to disguise ourselves. Then we should ask the local residents about the situation here. We do not even know the layout of the city.”

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In a certain area of Monsa City, the streets looked very different from the one where Fulan had first appeared.

That earlier street had at least been relatively tidy.

The street before them, however, was filled with piles of garbage. Filthy water flowed across the ground. The surrounding houses were placed randomly, squeezing the narrow pathways between them until only one person could pass through at a time.

This place resembled the slums of Monsa City.

Almost no one appeared on the streets, and thanks to the filthy environment, the guards rarely came here.

Two oddly dressed figures walked along the street.

They were Fulan and Welinte.

Neither of them had removed their original equipment. Instead, they had simply put on the clothing of the local residents over it.

“Why did you not take off your robe?” Welinte asked curiously. Wearing armor beneath a disguise made sense to her.

But Fulan’s yellow robe did not appear to have any defensive power at all. Yet she had done the same thing, putting another set of clothes over it.

“That is my little secret. Do not ask,” Fulan replied, making up an excuse.

In truth, she had discovered that she simply could not remove the robe.

When she had tried to lift it above her knees, she felt a strange sensation as though her skin were being pulled. In the end, she had no choice but to wear another piece of clothing over it.

There was nothing she could do.

She had considered abandoning the disguise entirely and simply moving through the city as she was.

But that was impossible.

If you wore an extra layer of clothing, the local residents would at most think you dressed strangely and glance at you a few times.

But if they walked around wearing their original equipment, the residents would immediately report them to the guards. Some would even attack them directly while shouting “Outsider.”

That was why they had no choice but to wear the disguise.

Now, as long as they did not encounter the guards, the residents would not attack them.

However, they still had not completed the other task—gathering information from the locals.

Whenever they tried to ask about the city, the residents would look at them suspiciously.

After several such attempts, Fulan had begun to lose her patience.

“We are here. Let us do it here.”

Fulan stopped in front of a relatively intact house and carefully observed it.

“Are we really going to do this?” Welinte asked hesitantly.

Fulan’s earlier suggestion had startled her a little, and she was still unsure whether it was a good idea.

“We have already come this far. Do you want to ask the guards instead?” Fulan replied.

Without waiting for Welinte’s response, she walked straight toward the door.

She took a deep breath and gathered strength into both hands. Then she slammed one hand directly against the wooden door.

BANG!

A loud crash echoed from behind the door. The door was pushed inward slightly, allowing her to see that the latch on the other side was nearly broken.

Her other hand clenched into a fist and struck the door again.

This time the wooden door could not withstand the blow. The hinges on the opposite side snapped, and the entire door collapsed to the ground with a dull THUD.

At the same time, the person inside the house heard the noise.

A frail girl came out of the room.

“Who are you? Why did you break into my house?”

Una shouted in terror. She grabbed a nearby chair, intending to use it to protect herself.

Fulan leaned forward and pressed down. She seized Una’s wrist, causing the girl to cry out in pain and drop the chair.

“I only want to ask a few questions. Do not worry, we will not hurt you,” Fulan said as gently as she could.

Her reply was another scream.