Mystic Overlord: Reading Gives Strength-Chapter 1233 - 1227: Mountaintop

At the location of the channel, jump down with the map in hand?

Judging from the signature and magic power characteristics on the scroll, there's no doubt that this is a clue left to him by Catherine.

She even anticipated the situation where Ronald would arrive here without a map.

But then...

Where exactly is this channel referring to?

Reflecting on his past experiences in the [Infinite Negative Zone], Ronald quickly locked onto one place—Judgement Well.

It was the channel through which Ronald and Bapulor finally left the [Infinite Negative Zone], completely fitting Catherine's expression to 'jump down'.

Moreover, with careful perception.

The vertical line of Judgement Well, now located at the very center of the mountain, is completely covered by powerful defensive spells. The strength of this magic surpasses even the defenses of the [Gred] fleet.

With the abilities of these pirates, it would surely be impossible for them to enter.

After processing a rough conclusion in his mind, Ronald didn't act on it alone but instead pointed at a pirate:

"You, come here, I have something to ask you."

The 'Pirate King' who was pointed at eagerly ran over:

"Sir, ask away, I will tell you everything I know without holding back!"

In this pirate's eyes, Ronald's action of flipping through the scroll and his thoughtful manner at the moment both proved that the man in front of him had already made a discovery.

Thus the outcome could be easily foreseen.

So long as they handle things properly, freedom and safety would be restored to them!

Just like that, Ronald questioned the pirate in front of him:

"I want to know if you have ever been near the Judgement Well? Is there anything unusual over there right now?"

"Judgement Well?"

The pirate's face initially showed some confusion, but having been active around Barrier Mountain for over a month, he quickly made a deduction from the existing information:

"Sir, you're talking about that hollow in the center of the entire Floating Mountain?"

Ronald nodded affirmatively:

"Yes, that is the Judgement Well, as the original inhabitants here called it."

"..."

Ronald's familiarity with Barrier Mountain was like pressure to the pirates.

Thus, after lowering his head and pondering silently for a few seconds.

The 'Pirate King' then raised his head again, and replied cautiously:

"Sir, that place is protected by a very strong spell, we couldn't manage to explore inside. But some of the brave ones did successfully climb to the top along the exterior of the mountain and they also saw some things."

The 'Pirate King' answered earnestly, yet did not detail what was visible from the mountain top.

A bad premonition arose in Ronald's heart.

Could it be that the pirates who could provide him with critical information were already swallowed by the hellish black mist during the earlier siege!

"Where are they? Where are they now?"

Filled with unease, Ronald immediately asked.

But this time his luck was evidently good.

The 'Pirate King' turned his head, glanced around the square, and quickly spotted something, shouting towards a direction gleefully:

"Pete, Lair, you two come over, sir wishes to ask you something!"

Two pirates standing in the puddle immediately responded and made their way through the cleared path.

As he saw these two pirates approach, the 'Pirate King' took the initiative to command:

"Sir wants to know what you encountered on the mountain top!"

"Answer honestly with everything you've seen, leave nothing out, understood!"

"..."

Pirates named Pete and Lair exchanged a glance.

Their reaction, instead of showing much fear towards the 'Pirate King', displayed more respect for Ronald, the formidable figure.

This reaction was quite understandable.

Among all pirates that explored treasures in Barrier Mountain, those daring enough to climb towards the peak's surface—even if driven by greed—were definitely not of an ordinary level.

After observing for a few seconds, the man standing on the left first opened his mouth:

"Sir, I am Lair, and this is Pete."

"Indeed, we climbed to the mountain top from the outside before and acquired some level of information."

Lair's tone was cautious and bore evident probing intent.

Recognizing the probe from Lair, Ronald casually responded:

"Answer truthfully, I guarantee your safety."

"Thank you for your generosity." Lair exhaled a breath of relief and began recounting his previous sighting. "Together with Pete, I climbed to the top, which was also protected by strong magic, rendering us unable to break through."

"Nevertheless, standing face-to-face with it, we did see some things."

"On the mountain top, shattered earth and massive boulders were scattered everywhere, the entire environment looked like it had endured giant's ravages. It was vaguely discernible that there had once been constructions atop, yet now it's basically just ruins…"

Lair's account was very detailed.

Listening quietly to his description, Ronald quickly noticed some discrepancies.

Back then, when leaving the [Infinite Negative Zone], there had indeed been a battle with the wizards of Barrier Mountain, and considerable damage was inflicted.

However, compared to Ronald's memory of the scene, the current state of Barrier Mountain is evidently more decrepit. It was likely that it later became a battleground for other powerful casters, such as Catherine and that elder.

Analyzing the intelligence in his mind, Ronald began to question himself

"Besides architectural ruins and the broken ground, was there anything else peculiar?"

This was Ronald's first proactive inquiry.

Lair treated it with utmost seriousness, contemplating carefully before responding:

"A grey light."

"In the gaps of the ruins, I think I saw a grey light. But this hue was very akin to the surroundings, I'm not entirely sure I saw it clearly."

Lacking absolute certainty, Lair didn't dare affirm his finding before Ronald.

However, at this point, Pete chimed in:

"Sir, I saw what Lair saw as well."

"Unless there's something there deliberately misleading, we presumably didn't both err."

"..."

Carefully interrogating for information, Ronald confirmed that there wouldn't likely be any major discoveries from the pirates.

Hence, he reorganized the spells on himself, and then spoke to his companion beside him:

"I've gathered a general understanding of the situation."

"Let's head up to the mountain top and have a look, be cautious along the way…"

Before setting off, Ronald definitely needed to brief about the condition of Barrier Mountain, and the potential issues that might arise later.

Yet what he didn't anticipate was.

Mermaid Lulu suddenly spoke up at that moment, staring intently into Ronald's eyes with a look of anticipation:

"Ronald, can I join you guys?"

"In my clan, even though I'm merely a novice adventurer, I still possess some skills!"