Lucius was still hidden in the shadows. He was watching and listening intently to the whole conversation between the elders and the master.

    He began to remember every word and key detail in his memory. By the time the three elders bowed and left the room, he had gathered more information than he had expected.

    Lucius smirked as he followed the three elders. "So your names are Zerath, Tarron, and Sevrina. But I don''t really need this kind of information."

    He then smirked as he remembered the other important information. "But still, to think that there are still two remaining Red Dragon Materials."

    Lucius put his hand on his chin. "One of them is in the Kryndal hub in Flame Wing City, and unexpectedly the other is in Volcaria estate."

    His smirk grew wider. "This is better than I imagined. Not only do I know their names, but I also have two clear targets."

    Lucius knew that he needed to act fast. This information wouldn''t stay valuable for long.

    If he could interfere with their mission to steal from the Kryndals, he could disrupt their plans and possibly gain another Red Dragon material for himself.

    And as for the material in Volcaria? He''d make sure it stayed far out of their reach. He smirked as a new plan began to form in his mind. "Master Bryson, you''ve just handed me everything I need."

    Lucius then had arrived at the gate and immediately slipped out. "Time to regroup with Luna and Liora. They''ll want to hear about this."

    ---

    Luna and Liora were now waiting at the promised meeting spot. Both had successfully completed their tasks and returned without being detected.

    Liora leaned against a nearby wall. She was ensuring that no one was nearby, while Luna quietly checked the contents of her spatial ring.

    Moments later, Lucius arrived. He was smirking as he approached them silently. He didn''t waste any time and asked. "Did you find anything useful?"

    Luna crossed her arms and smirked. "Yes, Master. I got some really good stuff from here."

    It could be a strategic route likely used by the group for deploying operatives or fighters without being detected.

    Lucius glanced back toward the direction of the volcano and muttered. "This is further than I expected. They planned this place well. No wonder the empire couldn''t track them."

    Liora gestured toward the faint tracks on the ground leading away from the base. "Looks like this is how they get out when they''re on missions."

    Luna shrugged. "Interesting, but let''s not waste time. We need to head back and report to the Patriarch and Matriarch before they start worrying."

    Lucius smirked faintly. "Agreed. Let''s return to the Volcaria estate. We''ve got plenty to tell them."

    With that, the three of them set off. They were ready to deliver their valuable information and prepare for whatever came next.

    ---

    Inside a grand hall within the empire''s capital, Ragnar sat comfortably in a large chair. He leaned back with a smirk.

    Across from him, Anselm, the empire''s minister and Karion Kryndal, the patriarch of the Kryndal family, were also sitting on the same type of chair.

    Both men were quite annoyed as Ragnar suddenly called them so suddenly for a sudden meeting.

    Karion, who was pretty angry, slammed his fist on the table. "What the hell is this about, Ragnar? Why did you call us here so suddenly?"

    Before Ragnar could respond, Anselm raised his hand to calm Karion. "Ragnar. It hasn''t even been a full week since we last met. What''s so urgent that you had to summon us again?"

    Ragnar laughed hard. He enjoyed their irritation. He waved his hand dismissively. Relax... I just wanted to ask something simple."

    He leaned forward slightly and smirked as he glared at both of them. "It has been nearly a week, like you said. With all of your resources and influence, I assume you''ve got something."

    Ragnar then added again. "You two are some of the most capable people in the empire. Surely, with all that power, you must have some information by now, right?"

    Karion and Anselm immediately frowned upon hearing Ragnar''s question. Neither of them had expected Ragnar to suddenly bring up something like this.