Chapter 1968: Coincidental Encounter Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales Translated by XephiZ Edited by Aelryinth — — Mo Fan did not continue staying in Lhasa, since the retarded Judicator might blame him if and when he failed to track down the heretic. After saying goodbye to Kris and Priest Dowell, Mo Fan, Mu Ningxue, Zhao Manyan, Jiang Shaoxu, and Lingling headed for Tianshan Mountain. Muse Pelina was planning to visit the same town, but Mo Fan and his crew had no intention of waiting for her. They could just go on their own since they now had some clues to follow. —— The town of Hope was located at the southern foot of Tianshan Mountain. It was very different from some of the outposts nearby, since it consisted of wooden huts that the people who had come to look for their missing family members had built along a river. It had gradually developed from a village into a town. People who were planning to visit Tianshan Mountain would drop by because of its convenient location. It eventually turned into a point of departure for groups of adventurers, explorers, mercenaries, students, and people who came to train themselves. The town did not have many locals. Most of the people came from other places. When Mo Fan and his crew arrived at the town of Hope, they realized the town that had made a name for itself due to Tianshan Mountain was a lot bigger than they had thought. It was almost half the size of Bo City! 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚 Mo Fan initially thought the town would be like a typical outpost, where the houses were built with simple materials and the streets full of vendors selling magic serums, equipment, magic ores, information, and people recruiting new members for their teams... “This place is surprisingly lively. The town at the foot of a mountain is more bustling than the marketplace of most cities,” Zhao Manyan observed. “Why aren’t these people afraid of being killed?” Mo Fan had to ask. “Tianshan Mountain is huge. It’s split into different layers by altitude. Not everyone is aiming for the Valley of Glaciers. The other layers have lots of undiscovered treasures too,” Lingling informed him. Only Advanced Mages and above were strong enough to enter the Valley of Glaciers. The town had at least a few thousand Mages, but not many of them were in the Advanced Level. However, it was obvious that the Mages did not come here to play. Their overall strength and morale were more impressive than Mages in most other places. “Hey, did you three bring the national team’s badges?” Jiang Shaoxu suddenly asked. “Yeah, they are quite useful. They can help us track where everyone is,” Zhao Manyan confirmed. Mu Ningxue had brought hers, too, storing it in her Space Bracelet. She took it out after Jiang Shaoxu reminded them. The badge was made of a special material. The badges contained pieces of a single stone that was imbued with the Psychic Magic, granting the badges the ability to display one another’s presence through the strength of the light they were emitting. If the badges were too far apart, they were not very effective, and they could only point in a rough direction, like a compass. However, the badges would definitely glow when they were within a certain distance. The badges were custom-made, and every member of the national team would have one. Even though they had already graduated and the World College Tournament was over, everyone still held on to their badges and treated them as a souvenir. “Why is it glowing? Is it because we are close to one another?” Mu Ningxue was puzzled. “No, it’s someone else,” Jiang Shaoxu said. “Someone else?” “You’re saying that someone from the national team is nearby?” Mo Fan asked, looking around. “Mm, let’s follow the light and see who the person that is bold enough to come to Tianshan Mountain is,” Jiang Shaoxu smiled. They had not expected their badges to light up. The members of the national team had parted ways after the World College Tournament. Only Jiang Shaoxu, who was so obsessed with Totem Beasts, had stayed in contact with them. Even Jiang Yu, who used to be quite close to Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan, was nowhere to be seen. He must have moved on with life. Their team had won the World College Tournament. Almost every member on the team was supported by a powerful faction, not to mention the honor and fame gained by winning the World College Tournament. Their victory had basically given all the members of the national team a bright future. Mo Fan, Zhao Manyan, and Mu Ningxue had all reached the Super Level without being supported by any faction and cultivating on their own. If they had reached the Super Level, the others with a solid foundation should have grown stronger too! The group of five walked down the main street while following the light of the badge. The street was crowded, and the light of the badge gradually grew brighter. It was flickering at a higher frequency too, almost shining continuously. “We are very close.” “It should be the man in a brown shirt.” “Damn, how can you tell?” “Are you blind? He’s right in front of you. Don’t just stare at the badge.” Zhao Manyan looked up and saw a man with a tanned face in a brown hemp coat. The mink scarf around his neck enhanced his haughty demeanor. He was standing there staring at Mo Fan and the others as they were approaching him, his face blank. Most importantly, he was holding a badge from the national team in his hand too. He had also noticed that someone on the national team was nearby. “Oh my, isn’t that Captain Ai?” Zhao Manyan exclaimed. “Why is it you... the four of you are all here?” Ai Jiangtu was stunned. He did not expect to bump into four fellow members of the national team in a place like this! “Say nothing, let’s find a place and have some drinks first!” Jiang Shaoxu was overjoyed. “Well, I’ll bring you all to meet a few people first,” Ai Jiangtu agreed. — The atmosphere was a little weird as everyone took their seats. The table had eight seats. Mo Fan, Zhao Manyan, Jiang Shaoxu, and Mu Ningxue were sitting on one side, and opposite them were Ai Jiangtu, Nanyu, Jiang Yu, and Guan Yu. They were all staring at one another with wide eyes! “Is this like an annual gathering after we’ve all graduated?” Jiang Yu was the first to break the silence. “How would we know you guys came to Tianshan Mountain?” “We didn’t expect you to be here either!” “HAHAHA, I bet the Heavens have gathered the members of the strongest team here because we are about to set the Thames on fire.” It was a great coincidence that they had bumped into one another in Tianshan Mountain. Both sides finally explained what was going on after laughing about it. “Basically, our advisors invited us to the capital to give the students a lecture, so we decided to hang around for a bit. Old Ai told us he’s planning to take some time off from the military to train himself. Jiang Yu, Guan Yu, and I had the same thought. We heard something about a Rift Valley in Tianshan Mountain recently, so we all agreed to come here,” Nanyu explained with a smile.