Although the Sen Rian Tribe, following their Chieftain Zumama, hurriedly withdrew from the battle, Mavesotia was still in full swing.
Ultimately, the so-called 'Chieftain Selection' event was nothing more than an excuse for everyone to fight.
Not far from the competition grounds, there were several large white military tents, and a group of researchers in professional protective suits were busy going in and out, running all over the place.
Around the camp, professional guards from Blacksteel International provided security, and inside, there were mercenaries with various equipment, some tattered, some advanced.
Those were mercenaries from Columbia and Sargon. Pasha had no right to lend his private soldiers, but he could use his influence to provide the best assistance to his Columbian partners.
Occasionally, one or two Vouivre / Wyvern mercenaries with long blue horns on their heads could even be seen among them—everyone knew that these little Dragon people were definitely not to be trifled with.
"Is this photo you?"
"It's me."
"Really?"
"Yes."
Inside one of the tents, Goki stood beside a young Researcher Miss wearing thick glasses, a white research uniform, and a 'infinity' logo. He took off his hat, tidied his black hair, and generously let her look at him.
Beside them, an advanced mobile communication terminal, identical to a smartphone, displayed an Adaklis person with an alligator head and feathers stuck on top—not all members of the Sen Rian Tribe were Feranmut.
"You mean this? Back then, I was still relatively thin."
Putting his face next to the alligator face on the screen, Goki's expression was exceptionally sincere.
"Look, aren't they exactly alike, just like biological brothers from different fathers and mothers!"
Looking at these two who were completely unrelated and not even the same species, the young Researcher Miss fell into confusion.
"I don't think this is you."
"You're saying he's not me?"
"No."
"I'm saying he's not me either—this isn't me at all!"
"Then why did you come over—are you here to cause trouble!"
The Researcher Miss broke down; she was just an ordinary grassroots employee who had just joined Rhine Lab!
"Alright, alright, that's enough, Goki, stop teasing her—be serious."
Beside him, Gavial looked at the jester in front of her helplessly, sighed, and stepped forward, interrupting Goki's antics.
"We're not here to cause trouble, Little Bro. Zumama is my friend. She has something to leave for. It's not a problem for me to bring people to help them. If you don't trust me, you can ask anyone you want. Who is the best fighter in the entire tribe?"
Carrying her Staff like a bludgeon, Gavial's gaze couldn't help but look outside the tent, deep into the entire field camp.
"This place isn't far from our camp. When I was little, Zumama and I often came here to explore. I'm very familiar with the inside—but I never thought of smashing the wall directly."
Inside the camp, an old wall, inscribed with ancient Sargon texts and murals, had been crudely torn open, revealing a deep passage leading downwards.
Even from a distance, everyone could feel the rolling heat radiating from within.
To excavate the temple, Rhine Lab's exploration team even brought the most professional engineering equipment.
They must be trying to dig something out.
After traveling thousands of miles back to the Rainforest, Gavial was worried about the raging Flame Giant reappearing, so she definitely had to go with them.
With Goki and Skadi there, at least they could ensure that these Columbians wouldn't be left to clean up their own mess after they courted death.
"Gavial is going, and I'm going too! I'm the Chieftain of the Wild Will Tribe, I know this place very well!"
Beside her, Tomimi was covered in dust, and her big tail had several red fist marks.
Just now, after winning several matches, she was knocked off the stage by Kmar, the new Chieftain of the Flint Tribe. Although the opponent was small, she was flexible and versatile, and the Little Alligator couldn't even touch her clothes.
"Mhm mhm, I'm very strong. Even if some strange things pop up, I'll help you flatten them."
Skadi also nodded vigorously beside her, mimicking Kmar, who had just defeated Tomimi on the stage, with slightly dark skin and a small stature, extending her arms left and right to display her non-existent biceps.
"Forget it, Nona, you're even thinner than me, and our mercenaries won't have the strength to protect you—Ah! Professor Parvis, you're finally here... They've changed a batch of guides."
Looking at these strange people who gave off a slightly unreliable feeling, the Researcher Miss raised her eyebrows, somewhat hesitant, but upon seeing the figure walking into the tent, she immediately went up to him as if she had found her backbone.
And Goki, who had just been teasing the Researcher Miss with others, now restrained his smile and looked at the white-haired old professor.
No matter who it was, at first glance, they would think that this man was just an ordinary scholar.
Under his old-fashioned round glasses, his clear eyes were bloodshot from staying up late, and his white coat was slightly disheveled but had been basically tidied.
Parvis, the leader of this research team, was now holding a stack of forms filled with text, constantly checking his mobile terminal. After hearing his student's voice, he finally looked up, slightly impatient.
"Hmm, changed people? It doesn't matter who they change; I only need someone who can lead us into the core of the temple. We will hire anyone, and the salary will be paid as before. We only need results—notify Mr. Elwin to handle it. Lina, you also get ready."
The white-haired Director Parvis raised his eyes and didn't care about these strange-looking guests. All his thoughts seemed to be on the temple.
"We are only one step away from the truth. Research from other temples indicates that this is the most important central temple—if we can gain some inspiration from the ancient Spell constructs, then our experiment will complete the last puzzle, and the headquarters' experiment can advance further."
Saying this, Parvis couldn't help but lecture his young student.
"Leave trivial matters to others. Our lives are exceptionally short. You should learn from Miss Olivia Hermer; her passion for science and true knowledge is worth emulating by everyone."
Parvis said a few words and then hurried away to make the final preparations for the expedition.
"Uh, alright, since the professor said so, please wait a moment, everyone. Our investigation of the temple will continue. I will report the personnel changes to Mr. Elwin."
The female Researcher Miss finally breathed a sigh of relief, her dog ears shaking twice, and she turned and left with a sense of relief.
"Ha... He seems quite easy to talk to? At least much better than that idiot Elwin."
Watching the two leave, Gavial couldn't help but sigh.
"In Sargon, many Columbian 'gentlemen' like to talk down to people. Someone like this Parvis is quite refreshing instead."
In Sargon, the aggressive "Mr. Elwin" from before was the norm.
Whether Columbians or Iberians, they inherently felt superior, and even if not overtly, their eyes were full of contempt for the local Sargon people.
And the residents of the desert, in turn, held a subtle contempt for the Tiakau people of the Rainforest.
Coupled with Gavial herself being an oripathy patient, placing her at the very bottom of the chain of contempt, Gavial particularly cherished her two non-human friends, Goki and Skadi.
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If the super-strong Skadi was a naive child who hadn't seen much of the world, then Goki was an even stranger eccentric.
He didn't discriminate against oripathy patients, nor did he despise Rainforest residents; he held a peculiar perspective of equality towards almost everything.
This made Gavial particularly admire him.
Of course, he seemed a bit more enthusiastic towards pretty girls—just like the Researcher Miss earlier.
This was unavoidable, after all, he was a healthy adult man.
"Huh? Is that what you think—I, on the other hand, would rather be friends with Mr. Elwin if I had to choose."
Goki crossed his arms, squinted, and looked in the direction the Researcher Miss had gone, at the suit-clad man who was fuming, yelling, occasionally glancing over here, and then putting on a fake smile again.
"Ha, what do you mean? That idiot wants to turn all the residents of the Rainforest into his cheap labor."
Raising an eyebrow, Gavial smiled and leaned next to Goki, looking at Elwin in the distance with him.
"Tell me?"
To this, Goki merely shook his head.
"As you said, Columbia wants to occupy the Rainforest. Without Elwin, someone new will take over, and he is just a pitiful person with simple motives and crude, childish methods."
Last night, Manticore ambushed Goki.
In the end, Manticore only injected him with some paralyzing toxins that slowed him down by over twenty percent, which Goki dealt with using a few antidote pills.
The damage from those toxins was even less than the Manticore's chest pressure, which caused more damage to Goki's heart.
However, this was still an attack, and with a little deduction, Goki knew that Manticore's instigator was Elwin.
And the purpose of his attack was probably just to give Goki a warning.
How to put it, such a simple method of attack reminded Goki of Cleric Quintus—if all enemies were as easy to understand as the two of them, the world would have been at peace long ago.
"The terrifying one is Parvis. His composure is built on madness. I've seen too many such clear-headed madmen."
Looking at Parvis's retreating figure, combined with his mention of "Olivia Hermer," Goki knew that this guy's position in Rhine Lab was not low—Silence's teacher, Director of the Structure Department, was a big shot.
"If possible, I never want to deal with such madmen again in my life; one Quintus is enough."
In Yharnam, the one thing Goki saw most often were these fanatics pursuing "truth," "true knowledge," and "reality."
And beneath Parvis's calm exterior, Goki could see that fervent desire for the essence of the world—he was even crazier than Quintus, and even harder to deal with.
If you pried open his brain, it would surely contain "Madman's Knowledge."
"No wonder these Rhine Lab people could come up with the Ifrit Project... Forget it, let's take it one step at a time."
"Alright, Skadi, Gavial, and Tomimi—let's go, get ready for a fight."
Goki skillfully took Skadi's small hand, and the Little Orca, after a moment of stunned, happily nodded.
"Mhm!"
Looking at the path leading into the temple, Skadi felt a mix of fear and excitement surging through her blood.
— — — — — —
"Useless! Incompetent! Aren't you an organization that claims never to fail, capable of assassinating even King Chief and Pasha? I just asked you to give him a small lesson, and what happened? He's still bouncing around—and now he's coming after me. What am I supposed to do!"
With a nervous face, Elwin stomped his feet in the camp; his little scheme had failed.
The mercenary "Manticore," who was never seen and whose appearance was unknown, reported that she had successfully injected venom into Goki, who had looked down on him. But Elwin discovered today that the other party was still moving freely, without any pain.
Although he knew this might be because the other party had an excellent antidote, it was clear that his "warning" had not worked; instead, the other party was coming to demand an explanation.
"If he comes to ask for the culprit, Manticore, you know what to do—this is your dereliction of duty, don't try to implicate me!"
Elwin didn't want to take the blame for this matter at all.
"I understand, the responsibility is mine alone."
A detached voice came from the air; Manticore had no intention of making excuses.
"Mr. Elwin, I apologize for disturbing you. Our guides have been replaced. Others will lead us deeper into the temple. They are in the tent over there."
Suddenly, the Researcher Miss's words, as she walked over, made Elwin's uneasy heart settle, and a smile once again appeared on his face.
"Are they here to be guides? Good, thank you, thank you."
Immediately after, Elwin's eyes began to roll again, and his voice was full of anticipation.
"Temple mechanisms causing fire, the Chieftain of the Wild Will Tribe dying unexpectedly—how pleasant that sounds—Manticore! Call the others, I have an extra task for you!"
Before, he didn't dare to truly make a move, but in this temple, which clearly had many mechanisms and was full of dangers, if someone died accidentally... that would be unavoidable!
"Yes, I obey your command—we depart immediately!"
In the air, Manticore sighed indifferently, looking at her self-satisfied employer.
Without thinking, she knew that his little tricks would be meaningless in front of Mr. Goki, and the other mercenaries were old hands who definitely wouldn't take it seriously.
"Mr. Parvis is still more reliable. This temporary employer is really... unprofessional."
Thinking this, Manticore remained hidden in the air, looking at the man in black not far away, who was surrounded by three lovely girls.
Then, Manticore suddenly noticed that the man actually looked up, directly at her, and extended his hand in a friendly wave, as if greeting her.
!!!
Startled, her huge scorpion tail stiffened. Manticore immediately scurried behind a nearby tent, cautiously poked her head out, and looked at the smiling Goki.
That person... could he really see her?!
Filled with surprise and joy, Manticore hid her body where Goki couldn't see her, covering her face somewhat shyly.
She hadn't fully adapted to being looked at directly.
Thus, the temporary expedition team, each with their own ulterior motives, was successfully formed.
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