"So... can I consider our alliance formed?

" Leena, the elf girl said meekly.

I nodded.

"Sure. As long as you never betray us, we won't have any problems.

"

"Of course!

"

"That said, has your group found any map pieces yet?

" I asked, getting straight into the heart of the topic.

Leena nodded.

"By luck, we were teleported right next to one.

"

Saying this, she took out a white container similar to the ones we've found and opened it up for me to see. I took out my own container where the two map pieces we discovered were stored and showed it to her as well.

"Oh wow, you guys found two already?

" she remarked, eyes sparkling.

I nodded, then reached for the puzzle piece in her container.

"Here, can I see that?

"

She handed the piece over to me without any hesitation. I had been testing her to see if she would show reluctance, but it seemed she was insistent on relying on us. As a group with a disadvantage right from the start, they were like a group of parasites. In order to survive, they needed to attach themselves to a suitable host. In this case, we were that host.

After some arranging, I managed to get the puzzle piece to fit. The piece I had found on the mountain was on the top-left corner, and the one the girls found in the forest was the one in the center. This new piece Leena and her team had discovered was the bottom-right piece of the puzzle - in other words, none of them connected. I couldn't tell much from this. Unfortunate, but still something.

I handed the piece back to her, but she rejected my offer.

"You keep it there,

" she said.

"It'll be easier to put together once we find more map pieces.

"

"Are you... doing this to make me trust you more?

"

"Hm... I can't deny that. That's part of it,

" Leena replied thoughtfully.

"But really, I want you to think of us as your group members as well.

"

"You mean... protect you in case something happens?

"

She nodded.

"Exactly. Just as you would treat your own group members.

"

"... Sure. Losing one of you will be a demerit to us as well - less firepower overall.

"

"Great! So then, what're our next steps?

"

"Well, for starters, shouldn't we be looking for more map pieces?

" Feng Mian suggested.

"Using the same strategy, of course.

"

I nodded.

"Split up into teams of two. Since your group has seven people... Leena, you can join Mei Gui and me to make a team of three.

"

"Alright, sounds good,

" she replied.

"Eh, but Big Brother Xuan Kai... shouldn't we be together?

" Qing Yue asked, sending me puppy dog eyes.

"Er-

"

"Master will remain with me,

" Mei Gui immediately interrupted, placing herself in between Qing Yue and me as if acting as a shield.

"Grr...

" Qing Yue growled, but Mei Gui stood her ground.

"I'll go with Mei Gui this time,

" I said with a sigh before things escalated further.

"Qing Yue, you can be with... uh, Xiang Peng.

"

"Hm... fine,

" she said with a pout.

"Xiang Peng, she's in your care,

" I told her. She was the most... reliable out of the other girls, as much as I hated to say it.

"Gladly. Anything to not be paired up with that lizard,

" Xiang Peng replied, shooting Obsidia a triumphant grin.

Obsidia wasn't so easily provoked, so she just ignored Xiang Peng's insult, probably marking it as the senseless babble of a maggot.

And so, the new teams were formed.

*****

We decided for each team to head in a different direction on the wide-open plains. After two hours, we would regroup back here. By then, it would probably be nighttime. In order to not lose our way, we decided to each mark the path we took using certain magic spells - for example, Flame Lotus. Anything that could leave a visible mark in the ground, basically.

Leena volunteered to be the one to do that for our team, which was pretty lucky for Mei Gui and I, who both had a limited amount of mana and couldn't regenerate. Apparently, elves had a lot of mana, so she could do this for as long as we needed.

As we walked, we suddenly heard the sound of explosions going off in the distance.

"Mei Gui.

"

Without me even saying anything in detail, she knew what I meant.

"On it, Master.

"

She activated her Third Eye and scanned our surroundings. When she was done, she looked up at me.

"Ten people up ahead, Master. They seem to be fighting one another, five on each team.

"

"I see. Let's check it out,

" I said, then picked up my pace.

Leena blinked in surprise as she sped up herself in order to keep up with us.

"How did she... just determine that?

"

"Ah, she has a Magic Artifact that lets her do that,

" I explained. This was the lie I had planned on using just in case Leena asked. Magic Artifacts came in all shapes and sizes - some of which were even invisible. They could also do many different things, from leveling entire cities to cooking. If I just blamed everything on a Magic Artifact, it was both believable and logical.

"Oh, I see,

" she murmured and didn't inquire further.

We soon reached the edge of the plains we were on. There was more land across from us, but to reach there, we would have to first cross this chasm. It seemed that even these plains weren't the lowest point of this 'space'.

However, what truly caused us to stop was the ongoing fight across from us. Two teams of five, ten people in total, were going full out against one another, launching spells and attacks without any holding back.

Leena immediately began chanting a spell.

"Level One Sky Magic - Flig-

"

I covered her mouth, not letting her finish the incantation. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Don't go over there just yet.

"

I removed my hand from her mouth.

"But... why? Shouldn't we join this fight?

" she asked in confusion.

"We need the map pieces, right?

"

"Let them fight for a bit longer. If we join now, it'll just make it more difficult than needed,

" I explained.

"Wait until both sides are tired and weakened. That's when we'll strike.

"

"I... see,

" Leena murmured.

"Got it.

"

And so, we watched on as the battle before us unfolded.

"Legendary Fire Magic - Solar Nova,

" a boy chanted, leaping up into the air and conjuring a massive blazing ball of fire, before throwing it towards the ground in front of him. He was wearing quite the high-quality-looking armor, mainly red and orange themed with literal flames on his shoulders. It seemed... he was quite the Fire Element enthusiast.

"Tch... everyone, gather around me!

" a bald man with a large build yelled. He seemed to be on the other team, and was half-naked despite the freezing weather.

"Legendary Metal Magic - Unbreakable Dome!

"

As his teammates converged around him, he put up his defense against the other boy's ferocious attack. Fire struck metal, and a loud explosion ensued. When the smoke dissipated, I could see that the dome had cracks in it - but it still held, nonetheless.

"Hm... you're stronger than I expected,

" the boy who had used the Fire Magic said.

"I am impressed.

"

The dome melted away and the bald man along with his teammates emerged unscathed.

"I could say the same to you. That's the first time my dome has been cracked,

" he said with a chuckle.

"This is getting me fired up!

"

"Is that so?

" the boy sneered.

"Well then... why don't we fire you up even more?

"

Saying this, he raised both of his arms and chanted once again.

"Legendary Fire Magic - Serpents of the Sun.

"

Two bright yellow serpents shot out of his palms at lightning speed and dived towards the other team. The snakes of fire split into multiple as they flew, again and again, until there were hundreds of them flying towards the other team.

"Tch... Legendary Metal Magic - Unbreakable Dome!

" the man yelled once again as a steel dome encased him and his allies once more.

The serpents tackled the dome at all angles as the boy who had cast this spell looked on with a smirk on his face.

"That will only delay the inevitable. These serpents of mine will not stop until they are either destroyed or they kill their target... in other words, you. I wonder, how long can you hold up?

"

He then glanced at his other teammates.

"You four. Attack his dome. Let's speed this up.

"

His four 'servants' did exactly as told, and began to pelt the dome with Level Three spells. It seemed that among them this boy was the only one who could cast Legendary Magic.

"S-Sir! At this rate, the other team will die, and the fight will be over!

" Leena said in a panic.

I sighed.

"Relax. I'll handle this. but for that to work...

"

In a flash, I reappeared behind Leena and struck her on the back of her neck. Immediately, she fell into the snow, unconscious.

"Now then...

" I glanced over at the fight, then at Mei Gui.

"Ready, Mei Gui?

"

"Yes, Master.

"

I grinned, and the two of us flew over to the other side of the chasm to join the fight and reap the benefits.