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Not hearing a response from Dean Bruce, Lina Jones smiled and asked, "You\'re asking me this because you plan to explore that Relic on your own, right?"

"Mm." Dean Bruce didn\'t deny it.

After coming to this world, Dean Bruce quickly realized that things were different from what you\'d find in a novel. Not every supporting character was foolish or incompetent.

They might misunderstand certain things, but they certainly weren\'t brainless.

Everyone here was sharp enough to figure things out, so keeping secrets unnecessarily might only lead to more trouble.

Lina Jones continued, "Even though we spent most of our time in the Lulu Ruins fighting, I have some thoughts that might help you."

"While the village chief did betray us, in his efforts to gain our trust beforehand, he likely didn\'t lie about anything related to the Relics."

"According to him, the Relic we entered, along with two others, are responsible for keeping the black dragon sealed. The Black Dragon Mountains may be vast, but the core area where the dragon is sealed is relatively small. I believe the three Relics are layered within the same space."

She paused for a moment before adding, "I noticed something when Alita Miller and Horton Martin arrived at the Lulu Ruins. They looked genuinely surprised, not just scared by the dangers of the Relic. That kind of surprise can only come from entering a Relic they weren\'t expecting. I think you\'ve already explored another Relic—one that\'s different from the Lulu Ruins."

"If that\'s the case, it proves that this Relic may appear to be a single entrance, but it leads to multiple spaces. As for how to determine which Relic you\'re transported to? It could be based on the timing or the type of magical energy you inject."

Dean Bruce nodded slightly. He had already been speculating along similar lines.

If the three spaces were interconnected, it could be a matter of random teleportation, or perhaps the energy\'s properties dictated which Relic you\'d be sent to.

Lina Jones and her group had connected with the gods and used the power of the moon, which had led them to the Lulu Ruins.

Timing could also be a factor, meaning that the three Relics might not occupy the same space but rather exist as three distinct entities slowly drifting together.

In that case, which Relic you enter would depend on which one happened to be linked to the entrance at the moment you activated it.

Lina Jones smiled and said, "That\'s all I\'ve figured out so far. From the calmness in your breathing, it seems you\'ve already pieced most of this together. I guess I was just rambling."

Dean Bruce had only a rough idea before, but Lina Jones\' insights had actually been very helpful to him. He smiled and replied, "Not at all. What you said really helped clarify things for me!"

Hearing this, Lina Jones grinned. Who doesn\'t enjoy being praised?

She then added, "If you\'re planning to explore the Relics on your own, it\'s best to wait for a while. The Nine Provinces Alliance has sent so many people because they\'ve likely learned about Borus\' death. I\'m sure they\'ll be sending more forces into the Relics soon, and if you go in recklessly, you might run into them."

"Also, don\'t wait too long. I was just as confused during our last trip into the Relics, but our temple master seems to be dead set on something. It\'s very likely he\'ll send another team to explore. Your best chance is to go after the Nine Provinces Alliance pulls back but before our temple sends another group."

"I\'ll find a way to pass on specific information to you when the time comes."

Hearing this, Dean Bruce narrowed his eyes, feeling suspicious.

Sure, he had saved Lina Jones, and maybe she felt some gratitude, but was that really enough for her to go this far for him?

Not to mention, from their few interactions, Dean Bruce had already sensed that Lina wasn\'t just an ordinary girl with decent strength for her age. She was also highly intelligent and had a certain level of scheming.

She had clearly seen through many things but had played dumb the whole time—a skill most people couldn\'t manage so convincingly.

His mind spinning with possibilities, Dean Bruce softly asked, "You\'re helping me this much, even willing to pass on your temple\'s information. What\'s in it for you?"

"Consider it my way of repaying the favor for saving my life," Lina said with a playful shake of her head, trying to appear as innocent as a young girl.

Too bad it was wasted on Dean Bruce. He wasn\'t easily fooled and knew well that this was just an act.

"I did save you, yes, but it was purely by chance. You should\'ve noticed by now that those attacking you weren\'t really trying to kill you."

Dean Bruce said calmly. "The ambush on you was a setup from the start. I just happened to stumble upon it. Even if it hadn\'t been me, someone else would\'ve come to your rescue, and those attackers would have retreated as part of the act."

Lina\'s body stiffened. She had suspected something was off but hadn\'t been sure. Dean Bruce had acted so normally and hadn\'t demanded anything from her, so she\'d thought she might have been wrong.

But now, Dean Bruce had laid everything bare!

Dean Bruce spoke calmly, "Don\'t take me for a fool. I\'ve been kind to you and willing to help because I want something in return. You\'ve been treating me well—what\'s your motive?"

"Let\'s be straightforward. It\'ll make our cooperation easier."

"..."

After a long pause, Lina Jones sighed softly, "Being too straightforward can hurt feelings."

"There are no feelings between us," Dean Bruce replied matter-of-factly. "If we\'re clear about what we want from each other, it\'ll make things smoother."

Dean wasn\'t being aggressive. He just wanted to keep control of the situation. If he entered into an agreement without understanding the full picture, he risked falling into a trap.

"You\'re right," Lina Jones nodded. "The reason I\'ve been good to you is because I want an alternative path—a backup plan. Learning magic from you is also part of building a stronger connection between us."

"A backup plan?"

Hearing this, Dean Bruce was genuinely surprised.

Lina had the backing of her family and was the designated saintess of the Temple of Wisdom. Why would she need a backup plan?

Noticing his confusion, Lina gave a bitter smile. "Everyone assumes I\'m in a privileged position, that my future is limitless. But only I can feel that the temple master and others have their own agendas regarding me."

"You might think I\'m being paranoid. After all, the temple leaders are powerful figures, archmages of the highest order—why would they have any interest in me?"

"But I can\'t afford to gamble. I have to be prepared for whatever might come."

Dean Bruce frowned. Just as Lina had predicted, his first thought was that she might be suffering from paranoia.

But he quickly discarded that notion.

Lina\'s talents were remarkable. It wasn\'t unreasonable to think she could sense things others couldn\'t.

This only deepened Dean Bruce\'s curiosity. What secret could Lina be hiding within her that would attract the interest of such powerful figures?

Taking a deep breath, Lina spoke in a low, serious voice, "I\'m not going to prioritize the temple\'s interests over my own life. So you don\'t need to worry about the truth of the information I provide. If we work together, I can give you what you want. All I ask is that if I find myself in danger, you help me."

"And if I manage to escape, there will be a great reward waiting for you."

Sensing the sincerity in Lina Jones\' words, Dean Bruce stopped overthinking and nodded. "Then let\'s look forward to a successful partnership!"

"Agreed, to a successful partnership!"

Lina Jones smiled.

Dean Bruce then asked, "We\'ll need to go to the Lord\'s Manor for this act. Are you sure they won\'t catch on to anything?"

"Absolutely."

Lina replied with a slight smirk. "Carol is too cautious. I\'ve dealt with people from the Nine Provinces Alliance before. They\'re all incredibly arrogant. The one guarding the Lulu Ruins was Borus, a formidable figure from years ago, so they wouldn\'t suspect anyone beneath the level of a High Magus."

"From what they\'ll sense, we won\'t seem like more than Magi. They won\'t pay any attention to us."

"Oh, right!" Lina suddenly asked, "That spell you use to conceal your aura—does it work against higher-level mages? Could it be detected by someone like a third-tier mage, like the one who serves as the bodyguard?"

Dean Bruce\'s expression remained calm as he replied casually, "No problem."

What a joke, he thought. That\'s my natural aura. It\'s not even being concealed—so how could it be detected?

Noticing the ease in his tone, Lina felt reassured, silently congratulating herself for choosing Dean as her backup plan.

If even a mage at that level couldn\'t see through Dean\'s disguise, just how powerful was he really?

Unbeknownst to Dean Bruce, Lina\'s estimation of his strength had risen even higher in her mind.

With no concern about being recognized by the Nine Provinces Alliance and given the presence of a high-level mage, Dean Bruce decided not to use the magic he\'d learned from Horton Martin to alter his appearance and aura.

The more layers of disguise, the more chances there were for mistakes. Instead, it was better to go as he was, in his true form.

No matter how hard anyone investigated, they wouldn\'t find a single flaw.