“What happened?” Billy was slightly taken aback.
“Five days ago, a group of fifty comrades from the survey team went to the Southern Polar Domain for a survey mission!” Otis Hum responded. “They were quite lucky this time. Yesterday evening, they discovered a high-purity spirit stone vein in a remote valley. According to what they said on the phone, the vein is at least of medium-grade, and there might even be some high-grade ores inside!”
“And then?” Billy continued to ask.
“I spoke to them on the phone last night, urging them to be cautious and safe. I planned to send another group of people to set up camp there today,” Otis Hum replied. “But just now, they called back and said that the hotel they were staying in was attacked!”
“Hmm?” Billy furrowed his brow slightly. “Do we know who was responsible?”
“We’re not sure at the moment!” James Reynolds shook his head.
“And we can’t reach them now?” Billy asked again.
“Yes!” James Reynolds nodded. “They brought eight satellite phones with them, and we can’t reach any of them.”
“Do we have the coordinates of the hotel?” Billy continued to inquire.
“Yes!” Otis Hum responded. “According to the regulations of the survey team, whenever they go to a new place for rest during their mission, they have to immediately transmit the location coordinates back to the city, just in case.”
“Mr Hum, come with us. Let’s go and check it out!” Billy said after a moment of thought.
“Alright!” Otis Hum nodded vigorously.
“Holy Son, I’ll go with you!” Grand Ravenwood spoke up at the same time.
“Elder Ravenwood, you don’t need to go. It’s a critical time right now. You and Mr Reynolds should stay in the city!” Billy responded.
As they spoke, they stood up and walked towards the door, with Otis Hum, Harleen, and the others following closely behind.
Ten minutes later, after getting in the car, they quickly headed towards the coordinates of the hotel.
“Mr Hum, do you know anything about the Southern Polar Domain? What’s the situation like there?” Billy asked on the snow carriage.
“I have a general understanding.” Otis Hum responded. “Compared to the other territories, the Southern Polar Domain is the most chaotic one!”
“Why?” Harleen asked.
“That’s because the countries that have established their base in the Southern Polar Domain are relatively low-ranking countries in the world.” Otis Hum continued.
“No country can dominate there, and their strengths are more or less equal. They don’t accept each other’s authority, leading to constant conflicts.”
“Moreover, some insignificant non-governmental organizations have also set up their headquarters in the Southern Polar Domain, which further exacerbates the chaotic situation.”
“Why don’t the higher-ranking countries establish their base in the Southern Polar Domain?” Harleen asked again.
“That’s because the natural resources in the Southern Polar Domain are the most scarce among the five major regions of the Polar Domain!” Otis Hum replied. “Before this, our comrades have gone to the Southern Polar Domain dozens of times, but the harvest was meager. The discovery of this spirit stone vein this time is truly unexpected. Of course, this also suggests that in these unexplored areas of the Polar Snow Domain, there may be abundant resources waiting to be discovered.”
“I see.” Harleen nodded.
“Mr Hum, what cultivation levels do the members of the survey team have this time?” Ivy asked.
“Considering the chaos in the Southern Polar Domain, the teams sent there are always well-equipped. The leader this time, Elder Coates, was a Sovereign at the Eighth Rank.” Otis Hum said.
“And besides him, there are two comrades at the Seventh Rank, and the others’ strengths are not low either.”
“Are there any late-stage Sovereigns among the countries or power organizations in the Southern Polar Domain?” Ivy asked further.
“The information we have suggests that it’s unlikely.” Otis Hum shook his head. “Before this, the strongest might have been a Seventh-rank Sovereign.”
“Then who could have done it?” Bob furrowed his brow and looked at Billy. “Could it be the people from Northfortia?”
“We can’t rule out that possibility.” Billy nodded slightly.
“But how would the people from Northfortia know the route of the survey team?” Judge said, surprised. “Could there be a spy in the city?”
“I don’t think so.” Otis Hum shook his head in response. “This is different from the last incident, where the four hundred comrades were surrounded by the people from Frost Palace on their way there.”
“But this time, those fifty comrades have been surveying in the Southern Polar Domain for several days already, so many locals should know about their whereabouts. If Northfortia really wanted to deal with them, it would be easy to find out their route.”
“Alright.” Judge nodded.
The small hotel where the incident occurred was over a thousand kilometers away from Glavale City. The group hurriedly made their way and arrived in the small town where the hotel was located around two in the afternoon. The city was not particularly large, more like a border town, with few pedestrians on the streets and not many shops on the roadside.
After getting off the car, the group approached a passerby and inquired about the location of the hotel. They then walked towards it. Soon, when they arrived in front of the hotel, they were met with a scene of complete destruction. The entire hotel had been completely ruined. The building next to the hotel had also been affected, with several holes in the exterior wall. From this scene, it was clear that there had been a fierce battle here before.
“Excuse me, do you know what happened here?” Bob stopped a passerby and asked.
“I… I don’t know.” The passerby replied in a panic before quickly running away.
Bob didn’t give up and continued to ask two or three more people, but the result was the same. Each person had a look of avoiding a plague and ran away.
“Billy, someone is coming!” After a while, Harleen raised her eyebrows slightly.
“Hmm!” Billy nodded. He also sensed that there were many martial auras surrounding them.
Just as Harleen spoke, a group of people, around five to six hundred in total, approached from all directions. From their expressions, it was clear that most of them belonged to non-governmental organizations. They had fierce and belligerent looks, with powerful auras.
“Are you people from Glavale?” One of the bald men, the leader, looked at Billy and the others and spoke. As he spoke, his gaze lingered on Harleen and Ivy, his eyes filled with a sinister desire.
Not only him, but most of the people around also stared at Harleen and Ivy like they had found prey, their Adam’s apples involuntarily moving several times. Even several women among them had a hint of strangeness in their eyes when they looked at the two.
“Do you need something?” Soul Chaser looked at the bald man and spoke indifferently.
“I’ve heard that the women from Glavale are exceptionally beautiful, and seeing you today, it’s truly not a disappointment!” The bald man didn’t respond to Soul Chaser’s words, instead licking his dry lips.
“Heh, yeah, Glavale is indeed a place with countless beauties!” Another scarred man who was the leader of another group replied with a lustful tone.
“I’m asking you a question, didn’t you hear?” Soul Chaser looked at the bald man again and asked.