One-Eyed Monster

Arnold looked at Kadi and Igor in surprise, genuinely not understanding what these two were up to.

Arnold thought that Kadi and Igor would be anxiously stomping their feet on the opposite bank, trying their best to seek the assistance of Lord Xiso.

Honestly, if Kadi and Igor came to their senses and directly apologized to Lord Xiso, he, Arnold, would definitely plead for mercy on Kadi's behalf. He also wanted to ask this young man, Igor, how he had managed to see through his trap.

Although Igor hadn't completely cracked Arnold's trap yet, it was clear he was close to the answer.

"This young man named Igor seems to have a mixed bag of knowledge." After observing their general movements, Lord Xiso knew what they were planning.

He was, after all, a renowned scholar in the Empire. It would be a disgrace to his profession if he couldn't figure this much out.

Clearly, the two youngsters were fiddling with scholarly methods. Although it was hard to see clearly from afar, as a seasoned Scholar, he knew what the stones and branches thrown into the swamp represented.

Those were Markers, used for calculating distance. However, he didn't understand what distance they were trying to gauge by throwing these Markers into the swamp.

Were they trying to measure the size of the swamp, or perhaps its depth? Whatever they were attempting to measure, the results wouldn't help them. Crossing this swamp required a special method, not mere measurements.

Moreover, they still had no inkling about Arnold's upgraded trap. They were still putting in futile effort, and Lord Xiso was growing a bit anxious for them.

However, Lord Xiso knew he couldn't help them. This was a test from the Great Mentor. Using the Sound Transmission Stone to warn them had already been an exception. Xiso had warned Igor and his companion out of sheer helplessness because he could feel their time was genuinely running short. Kuyi Tulan's Alchemy Workshop was closing in, and an unknown force was also approaching. To carry on the Great Mentor's legacy, they had very little time left. Truthfully, he himself wasn't even sure how much time remained.

Everything now depended on whether Kadi and Igor could successfully pass this second test.

Only by crossing this swamp would they get a chance to face Arnold and encounter his upgraded trap.

And to meet the Great Mentor, they still had many more tests to pass...

"I hope there's enough time," murmured Lord Xiso.

"My Lord, will Kadi and the others be able to cross the swamp?"

"Who knows? Judging from their tactics, it looks doubtful."

"Then... then, are we really going to send them to the Eternal Tranquility Realm?" Arnold had doubts in his heart. If it were just Igor, he supposed he wouldn't say much. Although it would be a pity, he wouldn't hesitate to act when necessary. But now there was also Kadi, the little one Kevin always cared about. As Kadi's guide, would Kevin agree to let Kadi be sent away?

This issue definitely needed to be confirmed beforehand; otherwise, it would become very difficult to handle later.

"If they can't cross the swamp, it just means they're nothing more than ordinary people. At that point, we won't need to do anything; they'll simply disappear into the swamp."

"I understand. But if it comes to that, would we need to assist Kadi?" Arnold finally voiced his deepest thoughts.

"Kadi? That little one... he should be fine," Lord Xiso blurted out, as if Kadi were some kind of special case.

"Uh..." Arnold didn't press further.

Let everything follow its natural course, then.

At this moment, Kadi and Igor had no idea they had just stepped into the midst of these trials. Kadi, especially, still thought that crossing this swamp would allow them to see Guru Guru, completely oblivious to any other challenges.

The storm was about to arrive. Although they sensed something was amiss, it was clear they hadn't thought things through completely. They had neglected to consider just how intense the storm would be.

Their current progress was still in the Initial Stage, just before the storm's arrival, so they hadn't noticed any irregularities yet.

"There! I've thrown them in all directions as you requested," Kadi said, after working for a long time. "If you need me to throw more, I'll have to gather more reeds and branches. The ones we prepared are nearly gone."

Kadi had been busy for a good part of the morning, and the sun was already high in the sky. The temperature had climbed, and parts of the swamp bubbled, as if boiled by the sun, constantly churning.

"Um, no need for now. Let's just observe a while longer," Igor grinned, seemingly confident about what was about to happen.

"PHEW—" Kadi heaved a long sigh. His earlier despair and astonishment had faded with the activity. After bustling about for a good part of the morning, he was tired, and his stomach involuntarily started to growl.

"Come, let's eat." Igor tossed Kadi a wild fruit. On a large banana leaf beside him lay a roasted fish...

Kadi didn't know when Igor had prepared these things, but he was so hungry he didn't care. He walked over, sat down, picked up the roasted fish, and began to eat it with the wild fruit.

"How is it? Is it good?" Igor winked.

"It's alright... edible, at least. But the taste is a bit strange." In fact, Kadi was on the verge of tears. The fish was not only incredibly fishy but also had a pungent, acrid taste.

"Hehe, I learned it from you! I squeezed the juice from the wild fruits onto the fish before roasting it."

Kadi almost spat out the mouthful of fish. The wild fruits Igor had found were not only tasteless but also incredibly sour and astringent. Just imagine, the juice of such fruits squeezed onto a fish and then roasted—no wonder it's so fishy and pungent!

It seems Igor has a significant weakness, Kadi thought. This guy seems to be a terrible cook; he really doesn't know the first thing about food!

"Why does it taste so awful when I eat it?!" Igor finally realized the problem, shouting with a frown.

"Ugh, let's just fill our stomachs for now. We can discuss food after we cross this swamp," Kadi reminded Igor. "We still have a long way to go."

"Don't worry, Kadi! I've already figured out this swamp's breathing pattern. As long as we can calculate its frequency, crossing this swamp won't be a problem!"

SPLUTTER—

This time, Kadi really did spit out the fish that was so overpoweringly fishy and pungent.

Cross it? A breathing swamp? What on earth is Igor thinking?

"Are you okay? The fish I cooked isn't *that* bad, is it?" Igor asked Kadi worriedly.

"No—COUGH, COUGH—no... Did you really discover the secret of this swamp?" Although Kadi was shocked, after spending some time with Igor, he knew Igor wasn't a madman. So, after his initial surprise, he calmed down.

"It's not that I discovered a secret, more like I figured out a pattern, that's all. I'm not a Scholar. If a Scholar were here, they could probably discern the swamp's breathing pattern at a glance, without needing me to go through all this trouble of calculating it."

"Huh..." Kadi's mouth hung open in astonishment.