After the events in Aurum Alley, Bailu returned to the Vidyadhara and discussed the issue of the Echo of War with her people.
The higher-ups of the Vidyadhara clan approved the plan almost instantly—not because they feared Bailu's power, nor out of courtesy to the Trailblazers, but simply because it was an incredibly profitable deal.
No exaggeration, the revenue share they would receive in a single week equaled an entire year's worth of the Vidyadhara's savings. And while the profit didn't come entirely for free, it was practically effortless.
Sure, it occupied some space in the Scalegorge Waterscape, but who cares? Money is money. If anyone opposed the idea, they were welcome to go out and make the same amount of profit for the Vidyadhara—one week's worth of earnings equivalent to a month's savings in money or resources—and then they could say no to the plan.
Besides, accessing the Echo of War didn't even require passing through the Scalegorge Waterscape. With a designated guide, participants could simply be teleported in and out. The Vidyadhara could just build a massive structure to seal off the Echo inside, station a few skilled guards, and the problem was solved.
In the end, the decision was unanimous. Some members even volunteered to help maintain order in the Scalegorge Waterscape just to secure a slice of the profits.
Even though visitors wouldn't be entering through the Scalegorge Waterscape but rather via Pei Guang's teleportation function, the Vidyadhara Dragon Wardens and other high-ranking members decided that while they were taking this money and these resources, they also needed to reinforce the protection of the Vidyadhara eggs.
Thus, in recent days, the Vidyadhara had started a large-scale cleanup of the Scalegorge Waterscape. But to their surprise, during this inspection, they discovered aggressive creatures that did not belong to the Scalegorge Waterscape—or even to the Xianzhou at all.
It was common knowledge that after the Xianzhou crisis, many Vidyadhara eggs had been destroyed, and a significant number of their people had been harmed by the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. Before this, there wasn't a single ferocious beast left in the Scalegorge Waterscape—anything remotely dangerous had already been eliminated or driven away. And yet, out of nowhere, these creatures had appeared?
This immediately caught the attention of the Vidyadhara. As their nominal leader, Bailu knew her position was mostly symbolic, but she genuinely cared about the future of her people.
Especially now, when so many Vidyadhara had been personally sent off for reincarnation by her own hands. Their safety was her responsibility. If even one of those eggs was shattered, she would be wracked with guilt—after all, these were people she had sent to be reborn.
But with the surveillance system currently offline, there was no way to trace who was behind this. To make matters worse, the Vidyadhara were still recovering from their losses.
They had stationed Pearlkeepers to protect the eggs, but the Scalegorge Waterscape was vast. If someone really wanted to release wild beasts into the area, the current Vidyadhara forces simply didn't have enough manpower to monitor everything.
Bailu laid out all of this information in detail, and after listening carefully, Pei Guang nodded thoughtfully before speaking:
"So that's how it is. Alright then—once we finish this meal, we'll head out!"
Hearing there was a new task, Pei Guang felt a surge of motivation. But since this was a meal that March 7th was treating them to, they had to thoroughly enjoy it before getting to work.
March 7th, upon hearing about the mission, turned to Pei Guang. "You know, Ah Guang, if you really want to do the mission, you can go ahead without us. We're sitting this one out~ Mmm, going through my memories really drained me, I need to rest up properly. But if you finish your task, come to my room—I've got something good to show you~"
Stelle perked up. "Something good? I wanna see too!"
March 7th grinned. "Of course~ We'll all check it out together."
Pei Guang chuckled. "Alright! We'll check it out together. But… how urgent is this mission?"
He turned to Bailu for confirmation.
Feeling Pei Guang's gaze, she waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine, there's no rush at all. The culprit isn't you, Ah Guang, so delaying it a day or two makes no difference. Besides, the Pearlkeepers are keeping watch over the Vidyadhara Eggs, so safety isn't an issue."
Though Bailu said it wasn't urgent, her eyes kept drifting toward the table full of delicious food.
Seeing this, March 7th grinned. "I think you're just hungry, Bailu~"
Bailu chuckled. "March, you really get me. With so much good food in front of me, it'd be a waste not to eat!"
March 7th laughed. "Then dig in! It's my treat today."
Bailu had no reservations about making herself at home. She grabbed a set of chopsticks and a bowl and joined in, eating heartily.
Once they were full and satisfied, March 7th and Stelle returned to the Astral Express to rest. Stelle was truly exhausted from everything they had been through, while March 7th returned to her room, preparing to tidy up before Pei Guang arrived.
She even debated changing into a different outfit before he got there. Though she liked what she was wearing, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing.
While March 7th and Stelle went back to prepare and rest, Pei Guang followed Bailu to Scalegorge Waterscape.
Under Bailu's lead, Pei Guang found several wolf corpses.
Standing next to the bodies, Bailu puffed up her cheeks in frustration. "These are the ones! These beasts were vicious—if they had made it near the Vidyadhara Eggs, they would've eaten them for sure! Ah Guang, let's split up and search. See if there are any more lurking around or if there's any evidence pointing to the culprit."
Pei Guang nodded. "Got it!"
The two of them went in opposite directions to investigate. Pei Guang, however, had a stroke of luck—he had only been searching for about ten minutes when he heard the sound of wolves howling.
Looking ahead, he spotted three wolves on the shore of Lunarescent Depths, all of them eyeing him with hunger in their eyes; judging by their ragged state, they were starving.
Nearby, Pei Guang noticed a pool of blood and some tufts of pink wool scattered on the ground. As for bones? These wolves were so famished that they had devoured everything, leaving no scraps behind.
The wolves had also noticed Pei Guang. To them, the tiny pink sheep they had caught earlier had barely been enough to fill their stomachs. But with Pei Guang in front of them, they had found a proper meal.
However, their thoughts never got past the stage of "Let's eat him"—because before they could make a move, Pei Guang had already drawn his blade and lopped off their heads.
"Huh? That was kinda weak," Pei Guang muttered. "They feel like ordinary animals. But since I'm already here, I might as well make use of them."
Although these wolves weren't Abundance creations, Pei Guang wasn't picky. With practiced ease, he skinned them, cleaned the meat, and salvaged the bones. At the same time, he carefully searched for clues—but unfortunately, he found nothing.
"No clues, huh? Oh well. At least I got some pelts, meat, and bones out of it—not a total waste."
As he was casually gathering his spoils, a refined but oddly lilting voice spoke up behind him.
"Oh my, you killed them. Now what am I supposed to do?"