Chapter 329: Practical Countermeasures for Anti-Detection: The Banquet

Inside the Adventurer’s Guild.

Guild Master Botejin took out an exquisite wooden box and opened it; resting quietly on the red velvet lining were four metallic-textured nameplates, shimmering with a pale cyan luster.

"Adamantite" nameplates!

Crafted entirely from Adamantite, a high-grade metal material, they possess an affinity for magic, and their hardness exceeds that of Orichalcum and Mithril; the material itself is extremely valuable.

"I hope Team Leader Tang will leave the 'Gold-ranked' 'Free Will' nameplates with our Adventurer’s Guild."

Guild Master Botejin held the wooden box with both hands, his face full of solemnity and excitement as he bowed deeply to Tang Zheng, every movement filled with a sense of ritual.

Facing the gazes of countless adventurers nearby, all craning their necks in anticipation.

"I understand."

Tang Zheng looked at Guild Master Botejin, who was over fifty years old with graying temples, and sighed softly.

He placed the two Gold-ranked nameplates onto the tray held by the female attendant from the Adventurer’s Guild standing to the side.

"Strange, the Captain usually doesn't wear gloves." Anli stood to one side, looking at Tang Zheng's gloved hands with some confusion.

"It is the honor of our Holy Kingdom's Adventurer’s Guild to be able to keep the 'Free Will' nameplates."

Seeing this, Guild Master Botejin’s emotions became even more agitated, and his smile grew radiant.

According to the Adventurer’s Guild regulations, adventurers are not necessarily required to return their old nameplates to the guild after upgrading their rank.

These nameplates also hold a certain commemorative significance for adventurers.

"Is that an 'Adamantite' nameplate? It's my first time seeing one."

"I heard that a small piece of that material is worth over 500 gold coins. These four Adamantite nameplates are worth... hiss, 2,000 gold coins."

"Hmph! How can such a thing be measured by money?"

"It's a pity that 'Free Will' isn't an adventurer team from our Holy Kingdom, but from the Kingdom."

"I heard they already have one Adamantite adventurer team called 'Vermilion Dew'."

"…………!"

"Amazing, that means the Kingdom already has two Adamantite-ranked teams."

Dense discussion and heated emotions filled the Adventurer’s Guild; the adventurers were thrilled to be able to witness this scene.

For all the adventurers, being able to witness the birth of an Adamantite-ranked adventurer team was nothing short of good fortune!

There were even many adventurer teams fantasizing about becoming Adamantite-ranked adventurers themselves, becoming the center of attention just like "Free Will" before them.

Tang Zheng picked up the four Adamantite nameplates from the red velvet lining of the wooden box; they had a bit of weight to them, and the name of the "Free Will" team was engraved on the front.

He didn't recognize the characters, but that didn't stop him from guessing.

"Four of them, huh."

"I thought there would only be two."

Tang Zheng muttered to himself.

The information he registered at the Adventurer’s Guild actually only consisted of two people—er, to be precise, one person and one dog.

Even though Anli and the Witch of the Green Leaf were seen as members of "Free Will" by outsiders,

in reality, according to formal procedures, "Free Will" only had two registered members: Tang Zheng and the Evil Spirit Dog.

"That's fine too."

Tang Zheng thought to himself and spoke to Guild Master Botejin:

"There is a banquet at the Guest House; it sounds like a celebration, and Guild Master Botejin must have been invited as well, right?"

"Indeed. To be honest, I am not interested in such banquets." Guild Master Botejin reluctantly moved his eyes away from the Gold-ranked nameplates, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothing out quite a bit.

"Since Team Leader Tang and Miss Anli intend to attend, as the Guild Master of the Adventurer’s Guild, I naturally will not be absent."

Guild Master Botejin spoke with gentlemanly respect, then suddenly thought of something, his eyes shifting:

"I hear that nobles of all sizes from Kalinsha will be attending, and perhaps there will be foreign nobles as well."

When saying the words "foreign nobles," Guild Master Botejin’s voice was noticeably lower and heavier.

"Then I shall take my leave." Tang Zheng understood, responded gently, and led Anli away from the Adventurer’s Guild.

The emotions and gazes of the adventurers on both sides became even more reverent and heated; some even shouted for autographs.

Huh?

Tang Zheng’s mouth twitched, and he quickened his pace.

As expected, he would need to spend some time in the future learning the languages of this world; he was currently relying entirely on "Read Magic," keeping one foot in the realm of the semi-illiterate.

After Guild Master Botejin personally saw Tang Zheng and his companion off, he immediately rushed back into the Adventurer’s Guild, ignoring the confused gazes of the adventurers.

"Place the original Gold-ranked nameplates of 'Free Will' in the most conspicuous spot in the guild!"

"Yes!"

"Put them on the center of the wall facing the main entrance, hang them there, with a transparent glass display."

"What? You don't have one?"

"Go buy one immediately, have the craftsmen make it!" Guild Master Botejin shouted excitedly.

With the nameplates left behind by the Adamantite-ranked "Free Will" hanging here, the presence of this unremarkable Adventurer’s Guild would surely improve!

The carriage moved forward—

The Evil Spirit Dog manipulated the bone chains, pulling the carriage as it began to head toward the Guest House.

As for the so-called banquet.

Tang Zheng was equally uninterested; according to his previous style of operation, once the Hills incident was resolved, it was about time to leave the Holy Kingdom.

However, because of the "Integration Potion."

He needed to handle things reasonably, and in the Hills incident, he had ultimately helped the demi-human side and stopped Quirate, which would inevitably cause some impact.

"'Integration Potion,' Abelion Hills, demi-humans." Tang Zheng’s gaze flickered slightly.

"'Free Will' should perhaps fade into the background for a while; he needed to carry out some actions in secret, and there was also the most important matter of leveling up."

While deep in thought.

Tang Zheng casually raised his arm and took off the light-colored gloves he was wearing, pale blue magic power surging out and pouring into them.

Gloves made of ordinary material could not withstand the power of magic.

His palm shook.

The two gloves turned into dust in his palm!

Tang Zheng clenched his fist and extended it out the carriage window, opening his palm; the fine glove dust flew off his fingertips and dissipated into the air.

"Captain?"

Anli’s light brown pupils were filled with confusion and bewilderment.

Tang Zheng’s fingertips moved slightly, feeling the cool evening breeze blowing through the gaps between his fingers, a faint, imperceptible smile appearing on his face.

"In magic, there is a spell called 'Object Locate,' as well as many similar detection spells; through an object, one can lock onto the user's location."

Tang Zheng spoke while taking out one of the Adamantite nameplates he had obtained from Guild Master Botejin and handing it to Anli:

"Of course, this also requires certain conditions—the object must be carried by the target for a long time."

"As an adventurer, if an enemy uses an object on your person to locate your position, they could set traps or launch targeted attacks without your knowledge, putting you in an extremely dangerous situation."

How could Tang Zheng not take precautions against items as clearly linked to him as adventurer nameplates?

Upon hearing this, Anli’s expression immediately became tense, and she instantly understood why the Captain had been wearing gloves.

It was to completely isolate the connection to the "Gold" nameplates!

Eh?

That didn't seem right either.

Anli seemed to have discovered something; she opened her mouth, then wondered if she was overthinking it.

"Are you wondering if using gloves to isolate it temporarily is meaningless?"

Tang Zheng saw the conflicted expression on Anli’s face and smiled, pulling his hand back from outside the carriage:

"Because those 'Gold' nameplates were fake."

"I troubled a craftsman last night to make them on the spot; gold is a soft material, much easier to work with than Adamantite."

From start to finish.

Tang Zheng had never actually touched the two "Gold" nameplates he gave to the Adventurer’s Guild, and even the craftsman he found on the fly was handled using "Charm All Species."

If anyone in the future really wanted to use the "Gold" nameplates to locate his position, they would only locate an ordinary craftsman in "Kalinsha."

Detection and counter-detection are, after all, a game of intelligence and information!

"If someone really does that in the future, I might even be able to gain some information in return."

This thought flashed through Tang Zheng’s mind.

Of course, normal detection magic cannot locate items that have been away from their original user for too long.

But that didn't stop Tang Zheng from taking precautions; after all, the magic he knew was only a fraction, and even if tier magic couldn't do it, what about some Super-Tier magic?

Especially that most special "Wish Upon A Star."

"I understand!" Anli nodded earnestly, her hands clutching the Adamantite nameplate tightly, her heart filled with excitement and joy.

She had never been exposed to this kind of knowledge before, and now that the Captain was telling her, it meant he acknowledged her.

The Guest House.

Located in the center of the city, it was built quite grandly; although this city was a fortress city, it was also the only city in the Holy Kingdom that served as a necessary transit point to the outside world.

Coupled with the fact that "Kalinsha" was a territory directly under the Holy Kingdom's royal family, the Guest House naturally became the place to host nobles or important figures coming from other countries.

At this moment!

It was already evening.

The VIP hall was brightly lit; the eternal lights hanging on the walls and from the ceiling emitted a soft glow, illuminating the hall thoroughly.

Attendants dressed in neat uniforms shuttled back and forth through the hall, carrying food and wine glasses.

Gentlemen and ladies in formal attire were dancing in the center of the hall, whispering to one another, or drinking in silence.

There were also those wearing armor and carrying weapons, whose movements produced a constant clanking sound of metal.

This was not a normal banquet; it should be considered a "victory celebration" to commemorate everyone resolving the crisis caused by the undead in the hills.

That’s right!

Most of the people present were survivors from the Paladin Order and the Priest Corps, and some nobles and important figures from Kalinsha were also in attendance.

Faced with this disaster that had taken so many companions, although everyone was at the banquet, their moods and spirits were not particularly high.

This banquet had come quite suddenly.

Enri sat in a corner, her gaze sweeping over the people at the banquet, and she picked up a piece of fruit and took a bite; she was indeed a bit hungry.

Delicious!

The Captain was not at the banquet but had left together with that Captain Remedios.

Just after taking a bite of the fruit, someone else walked over, and Enri could only brace herself to deal with it, feeling a headache coming on.

Even though she had already hidden in the corner...

"Enri, are you bored? How about the two of us have a spar?" A rough voice rang out from in front of her, filled with eager excitement.

"Mr. Orlando."

Enri saw the muscular man with messy whiskers walking toward her.

"Red" Orlando raised his thick arm, waved it, and revealed an incredibly expectant look.

"Um, I cannot unleash that kind of power right now, Mr. Orlando."

Enri refused, as many people at the banquet had been inquiring, and she had followed the Captain's instructions to say it was due to a natural innate ability.

"What a pity."

"Red" Orlando looked directly at Enri, who had not a shred of muscle or any trace of training on her, and shook his head in disappointment.

"Is Mr. Pavel alright?" Enri asked in a low voice.

"Don't worry, he is a strong man."

"Red" Orlando grinned, though a trace of seriousness still lingered in his eyes.

"Oh."

Enri felt that Mr. Pavel must be very sad.

After all, his wife had died on the battlefield, which reminded her of a remark the Captain had seemingly made earlier about "fate" or something similar.

And at this moment.

On the upper floor of the banquet hall, in a luxuriously decorated room.

Kelart and Remedios looked at the six vials of potion on the table, one with curiosity and the other with an expressionless face.

"This is the 'Fusion Potion' you spoke of." A sharp glint flashed in Kelart's eyes.

She had returned to "Kalinsha" this time because she had received permission from Her Majesty the Holy Queen, who had granted her high authority in this matter.

"These three bottles are the 'Fusion Potion'; the general effects have just been introduced, and there is a certain degree of danger."

Tang Zheng spoke calmly, then reached out and pointed to the other three red, transparent vials:

"And these three bottles contain the blood of demi-humans, which is also the material for refining the 'Fusion Potion'."

As soon as these words were spoken.

Surprise appeared in Kelart's eyes.

Such a precious potion, and the other party would actually disclose the materials used to refine it?

She had originally planned how to figure out the ingredients of the potion and had even prepared herself for a heavy loss to do so.

"You will definitely try to study the potions you have taken; this is an inevitable matter and not hard to guess."

Tang Zheng chuckled and spread his palms, his gaze colliding with Kelart's in the air:

"I am providing the materials directly to you; you are welcome to try and produce the 'Fusion Potion'. If you can manufacture it, then congratulations."

"If you cannot manufacture it, then we can continue to talk, rather than doing some useless probing as you are doing now."

Kelart's surprised expression vanished in an instant; her long, narrow eyes lifted, and she smiled insidiously: "Heh, heh."

"Team Leader Tang is so confident; it seems you are certain that our Holy Kingdom cannot produce it."

Tang Zheng did not speak, which in itself represented a response.

With a "bang"!

"Hey! Is the matter of stopping and eliminating the demi-humans just going to end like this!" Remedios saw Tang Zheng and Kelart chatting and laughing, and she slammed the table hard.

Kelart remained silent, her gaze merely falling on the three vials containing demi-human blood, lost in thought.

"It seems Captain Remedios does not understand." Tang Zheng said faintly.

"What do you mean?" Remedios said angrily.

"I am an alchemist, an alchemist who specializes in using demi-human blood to refine potions."

Tang Zheng finished, his gentle expression vanishing as he said coldly: "This is my purpose and my reason!"

(End of chapter)