Just as Kane and Kakur were having a lively conversation in the forest.
A significant commotion came from the distant forest, indicating that a large group of people was approaching their location.
It must be the reinforcements that Kakur had just requested.
Soon enough, a large group wearing Mist Council uniforms, along with some seemingly independent explorers, rushed out of the woods.
They quickly organized their formation around and remained vigilant. A stern, muscular man with a large sword walked over with an air of righteousness.
He glanced at Kane warily before coming to stand in front of Kakur.
Although Kane did not use Eagle Eye to observe this person’s Magic Power reaction, he could still sense that the person’s strength seemed superior to his own as he passed by.
However, not absurdly stronger, likely at the Silver Bottleneck stage.
As he faced Kakur, Kakur instantly stood upright and solemnly pounded his left shoulder with his right fist.
Kakur began reporting on what happened there, as well as the information he knew.
Kane casually observed the surrounding explorers.
Besides the explorers not wearing the council uniforms, those in uniforms appeared meticulously trained, clearly standing out among their peers, with their equipment configurations quite reasonable.
Kane discreetly used Eagle Eye to observe these people.
Most were at the Copper bottleneck or nearing it.
Before long, the stern man walked over to Kane, with Kakur half a step behind him.
He came before Kane, extending his broad palm, with thick calluses in the center, and said seriously, "Thank you for saving my men and for your contributions to the world. My name is Wilhelm, Wilhelm Betoni."
Kane also extended his hand and shook it politely, "Oh, it’s my duty. I am Kane, Kane Lafray."
"I’ve heard so much about you, Kane. Would you kindly accompany us to the watch station? We wish to understand the situation in detail, and the council has rewards for people like you who’ve made significant contributions. We also need to discuss the spoils from the terrorists you killed."
For such reasonable requests, Kane naturally wouldn’t refuse mysteriously, especially as he had no urgent matters to attend to right now.
Nodding in agreement, he followed Wilhelm and Kakur out of the forest towards the Dungeon’s direction.
Before departing, Wilhelm ordered his men to thoroughly clean the battlefield, leaving no detail overlooked.
The three of them wasted little time and quickly arrived at the watch station.
After letting Kakur clean up himself, Wilhelm invited Kane to a rather spacious room.
Sitting Kane down, he was handed a drink before Wilhelm sat opposite him.
"So, Mr. Kane, could I trouble you to detail how you encountered that group of Black Mist explorers and the process leading to their demise? We need to record it and match their tracks for investigation."
"Of course, no problem." Kane gladly agreed to such a reasonable request.
Upon Kane’s consent, Wilhelm waved to someone outside the window.
A tall, cat-eared girl wearing a uniform, holding a notebook, entered and stood beside Wilhelm, ready with pen and paper.
She appeared to be responsible for recording Kane’s words.
After prepping everything, Wilhelm nodded to Kane, indicating he could begin.
Kane then recounted how he received his uncle’s commission, discovered anomalies, set up defensive traps, and eventually killed those explorers.
During the story, Wilhelm occasionally inquired about certain details.
Upon Kane’s completion, he suddenly mentioned, "Yet the explorers’ captain seemed to mention they had another group of accomplices currently tackling the Dungeon, intending to coordinate from within and explode the Dungeon."
"Are you sure?" Hearing Kane’s comment, Wilhelm abruptly stood up.
"Yes, I believe I heard correctly."
Upon hearing Kane’s accurate response, Wilhelm nodded, then said, "Well, Mr. Kane, I’ll excuse myself for a moment. Please wait; I’ll be back soon. Morris, please entertain Mr. Kane."
Saying that, he turned and quickly strode towards the door.
The cat-eared girl named Morris, after Wilhelm’s departure, came over to sit opposite Kane.
She began chatting quietly with Kane, helping pass the time while occasionally bringing him some drinks and snacks.
Kane was quite pleased with the series of respectful and courteous actions from the council.
After nearly an hour, sunrise began to brighten outside.
Finally, Wilhelm returned, looking sweaty, suggesting he had expended a fair amount of Physical Strength during the hour.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Kael."
"Oh, not at all. Ms. Morris and I had quite an enjoyable chat."
"That’s good. Thank you so much for the intelligence, Mr. Kane, it really helped us."
After that, he pulled out two Space Pockets from his pocket, "Mr. Kane, regarding the spoils from the terrorists you killed, would you be willing to sell us some equipment with mediocre and low Attributes and evidence-related items at market value?"
Kane thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
Seeing Kane’s nod, a faint smile tugged at Wilhelm’s stern face, "Thank you for understanding our work. These two Space Pockets contain the money for our purchase and the money taken from the terrorists, while the other contains some of the better equipment from the terrorists."
Kane received the two Space Pockets and casually placed them in his own pocket, knowing Space Attribute equipment couldn’t be stored inside another Space Equipment.
Seeing Kane accept them, Wilhelm continued, "As for the council’s reward for your actions, you’ll need to personally collect them at Lion City, as this is just a small station without the capability for that, hope you understand."
He then fetched a silver metallic card from his Space Equipment, with only a row of subtle patterns on it.
He handed it over to Kane, explaining that he could use it to claim the reward.
Afterwards, he quietly watched Kane leave the Mist Watch Station. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NovᴇlFɪre.ɴet
Morris stood by Wilhelm’s side, somewhat puzzled, and asked, "Why are you so courteous and respectful to this young man given your status? He’s merely a Silver explorer."
Wilhelm did not answer immediately but stood for a while, gazing at the sky.
"There are things you cannot know, but you must understand, for this young man, perhaps in a few years, I won’t even have the qualifications to stand before him."