Chapter 290: The Most Wanted Scholar on the Island (2)
[Silvena’s POV]
A few minutes before the bounty announcement...
Silvena led her squad up the steep trail toward the flat summit of Vasta Mountain in Sector E2, where they planned to camp.
One of her teammates, Diel, looked at her back and asked between heavy breaths, "Lady Silvena... why are we climbing this mountain again?"
He pulled himself over a sharp ledge.
Silvena turned slightly and smirked with pride.
"Well, if we want the best view, we naturally have to reach somewhere high enough to see the entire island, don’t we?"
"Erm, I guess?"
Perplexed by her answer, Diel slowed his steps and glanced toward Owen beside him.
"Haha, I never knew Lady Silvena was such a devoted admirer of nature."
Owen remained silent, his gaze casually following Silvena’s swaying figure as she climbed ahead of them.
Then, with a perfectly straight face, he replied.
"Well, who wouldn’t appreciate nature’s beauty?"
Diel followed the direction of his gaze before understanding what he meant. His expression immediately turned blank, though Owen continued climbing as if he hadn’t said anything wrong.
Behind them, Corwin was being supported by Neyla as he struggled up the slope, his footing constantly disrupted by the fierce winds battering the mountainside.
"You alright?" Neyla asked.
"Yeah, thanks, Neyla."
After some time, they finally reached the spot Silvena had been aiming for. Everyone aside from Silvena and Neyla was breathing heavily from the climb.
Diel looked out over the island and let out an impressed breath.
"Huh... this really is a great view."
At that moment, Silvena reached into her dimensional ring and pulled something out.
The first thing she took out was a large, soft chair with a tall back. Silvena placed it near the edge of the summit, where she could clearly see the island below.
She then pulled out a large canopy to block the afternoon sun. However, the strong mountain wind caught the cloth at once, making it flap wildly and almost fly from her hands.
Without showing the slightest concern, Silvena calmly unfolded the canopy and drove several enchanted stakes into the rocky ground, securing it firmly against the violent gusts.
Then, she brought out a small folding table, a thick rug, and a basket filled with snacks and chilled drinks.
By the time she finished arranging everything, the empty mountaintop had been transformed into a comfortable camping spot overlooking the entire island.
The others stared at the luxurious arrangement in silence, seemingly unable to understand why she had carried so much camping equipment into an examination.
Silvena paid no attention to their bewildered expressions and simply lowered herself onto the cushioned chair, crossing her one leg over the other.
"Ah~ being prepared is such a wonderful thing."
"Oh, right..."
Then, Silvena slipped the dimensional ring from her finger and casually tossed it toward Neyla.
Caught off guard, Neyla hurriedly raised her hand and caught it before the powerful wind could carry it past her. She looked down at the ring resting in her palm, then turned her confused gaze toward Silvena.
"Lady Silvena? What is this for?"
Silvena pulled out a pair of enchanted sunglasses and placed them over her eyes.
"There are more chairs, canopies, and other useful things inside," Silvena said, lightly adjusting her sunglasses. "Take whatever you like and make yourselves comfortable. For the four of you."
Neyla stared at the ring in her palm, her jaw slowly dropping as the meaning behind Silvena’s words sank in.
"Wait, are we really going to just—"
"—Rest, yes."
Silvena finished the question for her.
Then, she sank deeper into her cushioned chair.
"Hehe~ I mean, why not? Something fun is going to happen soon," she said with a sly smile. "And it would be such a shame if we missed the opening act of it."
’Something fun? What?’
The same question crossed all of their minds.
They were certainly leading the examination, but why had their leader suddenly decided to stop pushing forward now?
And still, what exactly did she mean by fun?
"Oh, by the way, Corwin..."
Silvena turned her head slightly toward him.
"Can you create that powerful Voidspawn-repellent drug again? It helped us avoid several troublesome encounters before, so having some around this place would be very useful."
She glanced toward the open sky surrounding the summit.
"We wouldn’t want any flying Voidspawns disturbing us while we’re trying to relax."
"Ah, y-yes, I can!"
Corwin replied immediately, straightening his posture despite his lingering exhaustion.
"I still have enough ingredients left to prepare another batch."
"Aye, thank you very much~"
After a while, the others finally followed Silvena’s example and settled into the camping area. And just as they began to relax, a piercing chime suddenly erupted from their bracelets — cutting through the howling mountain wind.
Before anyone could even react, a blood-red notification flashed across their screens.
[The first {Bounty Card} has been used.]
[Scholar ’Julian Rozenberg’ has activated a {Bounty Card}.]
[A bounty has been placed on ’Ruvian Castelor’.]
[Current Bounty: 1,000 Points.]
A deathly silence immediately swallowed the entire mountaintop.
"Huh?"
All three of them stared at their bracelets in utter disbelief. Corwin’s reaction, however, was far more severe.
The color drained from his face in an instant. His trembling eyes swept over the same lines again and again, rereading Ruvian’s name.
’R-ruvian.... was given a bounty?’
Unlike the others, Silvena showed no trace of surprise.
She remained comfortably seated beneath the canopy with an irrepressible smile, barely holding back her laughter.
"Ho~ it seems... it has finally begun."
She pulled the drink closer and took a sip.
*****
[Calyra’s POV]
Panicking, her teammates rushed toward her, just as Calyra returned from scouting Sector G6, descending through the air.
"Lady Calyra, have you seen the notification?"
"I have," she replied calmly.
"Should we take that to mean you’re also considering hunting down the bounty?" another man asked, eagerly smacking his hands together.
Calyra sighed inwardly.
’Ruvian did say this was going to happen.’
Her expression turned thoughtful as she recalled the conversation they had shared through the [Farscribe].
’I wonder... can he really hold out until the eighth day?’
If he were eliminated before then, everything they had planned for that day would fall apart.
Even though Ruvian had assured her that everything was under control, Calyra could not help but worry about him. After all, what could he — a Class E scholar — possibly do if everyone came after his bounty at once?
She sighed, this time aloud.
"Yes."
Her tone suddenly grew serious.
"Gather your things..."
She looked at the holographic map on her bracelet and the red spot on that map before turning towards the North.
"We’re heading to his location."
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[Chapter 290: The Most Wanted Scholar on the Island (2)]