Atiste now had only one goal.
That was to find the special material known as “Naga Scale Powder” that could break through the file barrier.
The things covering parts of the documents were actually “Sprite Dragon Powder,” which could conceal specific objects such as people, animals, doors, drains, or text.
Only by neutralizing it with Naga Scale Powder could the covered text be revealed.
The principle was quite simple; the Sprite Dragon Powder was specifically used for hiding, while the Naga Scale Powder was specifically used to dispel such special effects.
Therefore, Naga Scale Powder was an extremely rare material.
Even for Atiste, it would take quite some effort to find it.
At this moment, a system notification appeared.
[The next task will be issued to the host: Rob the Hero]
“What? The current Hero is penniless and destitute, what is there to steal?”
[Task information: The Hero has obtained a bag of strange powder, and she does not know its true purpose. The bag contains “Naga Scale Powder.”]
Atiste decided immediately: “Fine! I’ll do it! Give me the Hero’s location!”
[System searching…]
[System detecting…%%…%FAILURE%#ï¿¥#ï¿¥…]
[Map T%^&FGV error…&%…]
“DAMN IT! You choose this moment to fail me!”
It was not rare for Atiste to be angry, but it was rare for him to use profanity from his hometown; after all, who could stay calm when dealing with such a garbage system?
Be that as it may, even without the system’s help, locating a specific person in such a large world for Atiste was not exactly finding a needle in a haystack, but rather finding a grain of sand in a desert.
In any case, he would first go ask the Flame Demon.
Atiste teleported instantly to the Flame Demon’s lair, the deepest level of the Underground Demon Cave.
The Flame Demon was currently bathing in lava, enjoying the comfort brought by the high temperature.
“Ah, life as a demon is best when soaking in a bath. Though, if I hadn’t been tortured by those two stars of disaster a couple of days ago, I wouldn’t have realized that simply being alive is a blessing!”
Watching the Flame Demon talk to himself in a good mood, Atiste did not intend to spoil his fun, as the moments to follow would not be so comfortable.
“Are you saying I am a star of disaster?”
As soon as the Flame Demon heard that familiar voice, he immediately jumped out of the lava, prostrated himself, and shouted with an extremely spirited voice: “Greetings to Lord Atiste!”
“Enough, enough, spare me that routine. You can go back to your lava bath; I just want to ask, where did the Hero go?”
The Flame Demon dared not move, maintaining his prostrate position while answering without lifting his head: “My Lord, after you and the beautiful Lady Eileen left, I let her go. After all, you had given orders that she should not suffer any harm while here.”
Atiste grew impatient: “Answer my question.”
The Flame Demon immediately responded: “I don’t know! The last thing I sensed was that she headed East!”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it…”
“Tsk, useless trash.”
“As you say, my Lord!”
Atiste teleported to the East immediately.
The Flame Demon still dared not look up, knowing Atiste’s temperament; he might turn back at any second to ask more questions.
If he were caught looking defiant, he would have to be killed several more times—no, dozens?
Hundreds of times?
It was too terrifying, so it was better to remain face down.
The Flame Demon indicated that his awe for Lord Atiste was heartfelt!
Atiste flew through the air, keeping his mana detection active to search for the Hero’s trail.
However, it was strange; there was absolutely no information regarding that Hero in the East.
Forget traces of mana; there wasn’t even a scent of her existence.
Atiste returned to the bottom of the Underground Demon Cave immediately.
Seeing the Flame Demon still maintaining his prostration, he felt speechless.
“Just how afraid of me are you?”
“My Lord, do not joke! My worship for you is like the surging river, endless and continuous! Like the waters of the Yellow River cascading from the heavens, flowing into the sea never to return!”
“Tsk, where did you learn these flowery words? Has someone named Taibai visited this place?”
“What Taibai or Taihe! None of them compare to even half of the greatness of Lord Atiste!”
“Stop blathering. I asked you, there isn’t a single trace of the Hero in the East. You aren’t just making things up, are you?”
The Flame Demon continued to crawl on the ground, not daring to slack off, and explained loudly: “If her traces have vanished, then it must be the work of the ‘Holy Sword’!”
“Oh? Tell me, how so?”
“I sense that the Holy Sword of this era seems capable of absorbing the mana leaking from her body. Perhaps the traces of her were absorbed by the sword.”
“Very well, are you certain she headed East?”
“Yes, I ordered the monsters around the territory to closely monitor her movements, so she was definitely heading East before she left the Demon Cave area!”
“What is in the East?”
The Flame Demon said: “My Lord, you may not know, but during the years you were focused on your creations, Aoyi City, east of the Demon Cave, has developed into an alliance center. Although it is not as developed as the Muse Kingdom, it can be called the gathering place for all adventurers…”
“I see. So you are saying the Hero likely went there?”
“Yes, she was holding a bounty mission when she entered, only she encountered Lady Eileen, so the items she had were destroyed.”
“Fine, you may continue your bath now. I will not return.”
“Go safely, my Lord!”
Atiste teleported away from the bottom of the Demon Cave.
The Flame Demon still dared not look up until he truly sensed that Atiste had left the Demon Cave area, at which point he finally dared to relax and slumped on the ground.
Atiste followed the Flame Demon’s words and headed toward Aoyi City.
From above, he saw a massive protective barrier, and he could clearly sense that individuals with power here were as numerous as ants.
“Ah, long time no see, human world.”
Atiste landed on the ground and shifted into his human form.
With a neat suit and an imposing demeanor, every action he took revealed him to be a cool, super cool, top-tier cool super artist.
He combed his refreshing silver hair back, making his image appear even more crisp, elegant, and filled with a transcendent aura.
Near Aoyi City, a young village girl who passed by saw the current Atiste and was instantly stunned, unable to tear her eyes away from him.
“How… could there be such a perfect man in this world? Too handsome!”
The young girl’s eyes turned into hearts, and she fainted on the spot; she would likely never be able to marry any other man in her lifetime.
Atiste disregarded this entirely, as his handsomeness was merely a performance.
In reality, he was one hundred times more handsome—no, that was wrong, one hundred times more terrifying!
Atiste had a clear objective: he had snuck into human society for the sole purpose of finding the Hero and seizing the “Naga Scale Powder.”
Atiste walked up to the barrier and said confidently: “Hero, I have come to find you.”