Little Li was also surprised. [How come Cousin Wushuang is suddenly sharing secrets with Lem Yan? How come she doesn't share secrets with me?!]

Even Mu Hou thought, [Oh? So it's her he's after? That makes sense. Even if she looks like a beggar, Xue Wushuang is still a member of the Xue Clan. He can get all the resources and support he needs if he manages to land her. Who cares about beauty when the woman comes with money, eh? Wise decision. He's smart enough to know he has no chance with Li-er. At least he knows his own place.]

Zhao Feng meanwhile, thought, [Why is she paying attention to them? Is the real secret of Red Mist Forest in Wushuang's hands, or Lem Yan's?]

Oddly enough, Wushuang's thoughts buzzed with the answer. [Is Big Li worried I might tell Lem Yan about the Treasure? No, no, this has nothing to do with that…]

Remian half-froze. There really was a secret of Red Mist Forest! And it was a Treasure!

How much was it worth? Was it worth a Green Jade Vitality Pill? Remian's hand twitched involuntarily. That thought brought a whole new meaning to the phrase 'life-saving treasure'.

In a place like this, where only he could detect others from afar, would he be able to grab it and sneak away with it? They'd never find him in the Red Mist…

They'd also all die, probably. Remian frowned, not saying anything.

"Why are you staring at your shoes?" Big Li interrogated him. [Why are you looking at your shoes rather than at a beauty like me? Look at me! Adore me! Serve me! Do everything you can to please me like any other guy besotted with my looks and glamor! Why are you suddenly acting like a Xue Clan servant?!]

What the…? Now she wants his attention as a boy? When did her demands of him change?

Her next thoughts clued him in. [Why is he paying attention to Wushuang rather than me?!]

So that was it? He started talking to a girl that she saw as a rival and she felt jealous?

This had nothing to do with that sort of thing! This was a matter of life and death! The hints of the treasure were just an unexpected bonus. First, he had to save himself from Mu Hou's casual killing! Even with his misunderstanding of Remian's interest in Wushuang, he still hadn't called off his intentions to kill!

What was wrong with these people? Can't they just let innocent pa.s.sers-by just live in peace?!

Then again, maybe he wasn't entirely innocent. The memory of Big Li spitting blood nudged at him.

But that was an accident! And Remian had already worked off that debt to Big Li! And again, it had nothing to do with Mu Hou wanting to kill him just because he didn't like Big Li paying attention to other guys!

Remian kept his eyes down. Come on, Big Li! Please don't draw attention to me any more!

But of course, he didn't say so out loud. Doing so would only draw all the more attention to himself.

Little Li's thoughts clued him in. [Since when did Wushuang share secrets with boys?! She never bothered with boys before! But I guess Lem Yan does have an unusual ability… maybe she just wants him to serve her? But Lem Yan is MY servant! Only I get to bully him and order him around!]

Remian almost face-palmed on the spot.

Wushuang herself, at least, wasn't thinking along those lines. [I must keep my technique's secrets safe! n.o.body should know that he's helping me develop my ultimate technique!]

Out of the blue, she grabbed Remian's arm. "So what? He's already paid off his debts to you. He can set his gaze on whoever or whatever he wants!"

Big Li gaped. "Wushuang?! You really… I mean… him?!"

[Don't. Please stop.] Remian grimaced.

But Wushuang kept it up. "Why? Is there a problem? You could find warriors and alchemists anywhere. But who else do you know who can sense danger coming in the Red Mist?"

Remian silently and mournfully bade his last hopes of a peaceful expedition goodbye.

Instead of replying Wushuang, Big Li studied Remian as if seeing a weird specimen for the first time. "How? How did you get her attention?"

Remian didn't reply, but inwardly he sighed.

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[I just talked to her about martial techniques.]

***

Around that time, Phoebe was sending a request for more medical supplies in the Nine Kings Range Emergency Field Hospital.

"Also, is there any word from Remian?" she added to her list.

George, on the other side of the comms crystal, let out an awkward cough. "There's been no sign or trace of him. At all."

"What about those s.p.a.ce mages you wanted to hire?"

"We managed to get two from Ecclesia. They were painfully expensive." George's voice echoed that pain. "Hopefully they can come up with something."

"Keep me posted." Phoebe said calmly, but her voice had the weight of a mountain about to fall on someone's head.

After ending her call with George, Phoebe took a break. The field hospital was little more than an oversized tent half-filled with adventurers who were the earliest responders to the Spectres Outbreak. The other half was filled with lower tier Wilds who survived fierce battles and suffered grevious injuries.

As for the higher-tier Wilds who were gravely injured… they had been taken away by the Kings somewhere. Phoebe didn't know where, but she was glad she didn't have to try and stuff creatures twice or thrice the size of elephants into her (comparatively) small field hospital tent.

With that, despite the casualties they were taking, they actually managed to fit the most critically injured into that tent. There were still wounded outside having to put up with patch jobs and no bed or temporary nest to rest in, but there weren't all that many. Usually, when Spectres inflicted casualties, rather than wounded, most of them were dead.

Right now the death toll had reached roughly six hundred Wilds and two hundred humans. The vast majority of them were rated at Tier 3 in terms of strength. Anyone weaker than that were simply not allowed to take part in the fighting any more. Tier 2 Wilds and Adventurers were outright relegated to logistics and supply.

At this rate, they might soon have to do the same with Tier 3 defenders. They were taking too much damage for too little results. But a great many Tier 4 Wilds had taken heavy damage in the past two days. They needed time to recover and get back on their feet. There were simply too few Tier 5 and above fighters on their side to cover the entire area if the lower Tier Wilds were to pull out.

And they had to cover the whole area. The Wilds and the defenders were keeping the Spectres contained, surrounded on all sides, out of necessity. Even now, they were losing ground as more and more Spectres emerged, but everyone had seen what would happen if the Spectres ever broke containment.

The land had turned black. It took only a matter of hours as the Spectres spread out from the initial black zone around the Rift. Everywhere they occupied, gra.s.s had wilted, soil and sand turned to silt, and the very terrain blackened and liquefied. They didn't know how or why, but everyone would very much rather stop them from turning the whole world into that than find out.

"Incoming attack wave! Cla.s.s 3, with with five Tier 7's!" a warning was sounded.

"No Tier 8's?" Phoebe calmed down after the initial alert.

"Not in this one."

Hearing that, she shrugged and went back to work treating the wounded. Meanwhile, six formations of corvette-cla.s.s airs.h.i.+ps zoomed overhead, craft of many different styles and sizes from at least nine different nations, many of whom initially came here trying to find the Source of Magic and stayed to help protect their world.

The most uniform of the formations was George's, made entirely of KarGoth's corvettes, and Mindy's, which were, supposedly, just a 'little extra' that the Fal'Herim industrial zones managed to pump out. That her 'little extra' numbered almost a hundred was an issue that everybody conspirationally kept silent about.

As the airs.h.i.+ps started their attack runs, the Wilds and the ground forces drew up in a single, bulk solid line. Adventurers in heavy armored Frames led herds of hippos and formations of phalanxes marching side by side, while Arnold and Jim's newest invention slowly trudled up the rear on heavy tracks.

"That's the tank they built?" Phoebe eyed it. "I don't see why they made all the bother."

"They'll get better at it." Lydia a.s.sured her. "Once they have the designs tested, they can start ma.s.s-producing them a lot more cheaply and quickly than the Frames favored at Three Pines."

"They're just moving bunkers." Phoebe sniffed. Speaking of bunkers, there were easily a dozen of those within shouting range of her current position. The defenders were rus.h.i.+ng to build a fortified defense line on Nine Kings Range, and there were many heavily armored bunkers being constructed, along with sporadic guard towers and most importantly, Arnold said, nine heavy artillery emplacements spread out to cover the entire range with overlapping fields of fire.

As for the cost to pay for all that, well…

Suffice to say that Craggy Falls was currently under mortgage. The town, the airport, everything under construction… all of it was mortgaged to Deutero before they were even finished building. George was having to borrow and spend heavily, and the costs only seem to be growing larger. Phoebe helped him out using Remian's turf, seeing as the turf itself would be useless if the Spectres took over everything. Darian agreed to it and between his brother and his girlfriend, Remian's territory was mortgaged behind his back.

But even that didn't seem to be enough. At this rate, they'd have to mortgage Song Chen's territory too…

Money from Itarim and La Vive helped. They had sent mercenaries and supplies in aid as well, but that was it. They only sent aid. It was as if KarGoth was a minor nation facing a natural disaster and were pleading for emergency relief. George ended up literally yelling into the comms crystals about how everyone in the world would suffer if the Spectres got through, only to receive condescending replies of understanding and sympathy from the diplomats… and maybe just another squad of mercenaries.

"One more squad?! Send your whole army!" George almost threw the crystal into the wall.