Chapter 150: Mission Reports

Chapter 150: Chapter 150: Mission Reports

"Anyway, let’s continue with the report."

Caelia didn’t move.

She simply stared at him.

Damon looked back.

"What?"

She kept staring.

There was a small smile on her face, but it was obvious what she meant.

You are explaining this to me later.

Damon sighed.

"Alright, alright."

Caelia smiled.

"Good."

Only then did she turn back toward the table.

The elders exchanged glances.

They had questions too.

Quite a lot of them.

But Damon had clearly decided to move on, so Cornelius didn’t force the matter.

The elders followed his lead.

The representatives, however, were left sitting there with their frustration.

The meeting continued as if nothing had happened.

And that only made them more annoyed.

They couldn’t exactly complain.

They had come to Winterbourne because they needed help.

At this point, they were already fortunate enough to be allowed to stay and listen.

So they could only sit there, swallow their pride, and hope the report contained something useful.

Caelia began.

"Our theory was correct."

The room became quiet.

"The unstable Aether from one Distorted Zone can pass through a connection and affect another zone."

She paused briefly.

"But after investigating the Zone Heart, we believe there’s more to it."

Cornelius leaned forward slightly.

Caelia continued.

"It seems the zones are somehow sharing the unstable Aether."

The representatives stopped fidgeting.

They listened carefully.

"The mutation isn’t limited to one location anymore. It spreads between the connected zones, and the more it spreads, the harder it becomes for the natural elemental Aether of the zone to suppress it."

Her expression became serious.

"If this continues, more Distorted Zones could eventually be affected."

One of the elders frowned.

"And the mutation isn’t slowing down?"

Caelia shook her head.

"No."

She looked around the table.

"It is getting worse."

A quiet tension settled over the room.

"Eventually, the Zone Heart itself could be completely corrupted."

The moment she mentioned the Zone Heart, the representatives became much more attentive.

They had discovered the same thing.

Or at least, they had suspected it.

They had spent so much time searching for their own Zone Heart without finding it.

Now they were beginning to understand.

Winterbourne had found theirs.

Caelia continued.

"The Zone Heart was already struggling to push the mutation back."

She didn’t explain everything.

She didn’t mention exactly how Damon had been purifying the corrupted Aether.

The elders understood why. And so did Cornelius.

So they didn’t interrupt.

"We were able to stabilize it," Caelia said.

The representatives immediately looked toward Damon.

Their expressions said everything.

They couldn’t believe it.

They had found the Zone Heart.

They had stabilized it.

And Damon had done it?

The questions started immediately.

"How?"

"What did you do?"

"How could he possibly..."

Caelia simply continued speaking.

"We don’t need to discuss that right now."

The representatives stared at her.

She ignored them.

"Since the Zone Heart became stable, Frostveil has changed."

The tension in the room slowly shifted.

"The Aether is much calmer, and the Ice Elemental essence has become purer."

She glanced toward Snow.

"It has also become much better for cultivation."

Snow stepped forward.

Her white fur looked even more beautiful than before, and the changes from her recent evolution were obvious.

The elders stared.

Cornelius’s eyes widened slightly.

Caelia smiled.

"Snow evolved because of the rich Ice Elemental Aether around the Zone Heart."

That immediately caught everyone’s attention.

Even the elders who had remained calm throughout the meeting couldn’t hide their reaction.

Spirit Elementals evolving was rare.

Extremely rare.

And they all knew what it meant when one evolved.

Caelia looked at her father.

"That’s why we need to increase the protection around the Zone Heart."

Cornelius’s expression changed.

"How exposed is it?"

"We don’t know."

Caelia’s voice became more serious.

"We were attacked immediately after leaving the area."

The room went quiet again.

"There were quite a few of them. They clearly knew where we had been."

Cornelius’s eyes narrowed.

"Did they know about the Zone Heart?"

"We believe so."

Caelia paused.

"At the very least, someone sent them to investigate us."

Cornelius leaned back.

His expression had completely changed.

A valuable Zone Heart was already dangerous enough.

One capable of producing such rich elemental Aether was something else entirely.

If the enemy obtained access to it, they could corrupt it.

They could exploit it.

Or worse, they could use it to affect another Distorted Zone.

Cornelius stood.

"How many people are guarding the area right now?"

One of the elders answered immediately.

"Very few. Most of our forces are still spread around Frostveil."

"Then change that."

Cornelius didn’t hesitate.

"Send a team there immediately."

The elder nodded.

Cornelius continued.

"Not just elemental users. I want people capable of detecting Aether disturbances as well."

"Understood."

"Double the patrols around the surrounding area."

He looked toward another elder.

"And investigate the group that attacked Damon and Caelia."

"We’ll start immediately."

Cornelius’s voice became colder.

"I want to know where they came from, who sent them, and what they already know."

The elders nodded.

Cornelius looked around the room.

"And until we know more, nobody goes near the Zone Heart without permission."

His eyes hardened.

"We don’t let anyone discover that location again."

The elders immediately began discussing the arrangements.

The representatives remained silent.

Their anger had almost disappeared.

They were too focused on what they had just heard.

A Zone Heart.

A stabilized Zone Heart.

An evolving Spirit Elemental.

And the person responsible was sitting right there.

Damon watched Cornelius organize everything.

He couldn’t help smiling slightly.

"He’s taking this pretty seriously."

Caelia glanced at him.

"Of course he is."

Damon nodded.

"It was indeed wise to leave it to him."

Then he looked toward the representatives.

They were still staring at him.

This time, however, their expressions were different.

They weren’t looking at a reject anymore.

Not completely.

They were beginning to wonder if the person they remembered had ever really existed.

Damon noticed their looks and smiled.

"Don’t stare too hard."

One of them frowned.

"You’ll make me uncomfortable." Damon continued.

Caelia covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.

The representative’s expression darkened.

Wnile Damon simply leaned back in his chair.