"What's wrong?" Jonathan furrowed his eyebrows, thinking it wasn't possible for Noel to purify the lake.
But Noel, on the other hand, said, "I feel like my Spiritual Energy is decreasing, but I don't think it's at the level I have to be concerned about. In fact, I might be able to purify this kind of pond more than a hundred times."
"Seriously?" Jonathan and Ben widened their eyes in amazement. "You serious?"
Noel nodded. "Yeah. I don't have any problem in doing it."
Ben glanced at the lake. "Just by comparing the sample and the size of the lake… And the fact that we have two days to work on it… You might be able to purify the entire lake. Then again, we have to consider the amount of your Spiritual Energy. If you're a Spirit Master, taking care of this lake is feasible, but because you are still a Spirit Master… Let's see, half a lake within two days? Someone has to be by your side too."
"That's a very rough calculation. But I can kind of understand. Either way, we're going to do the calculation tomorrow, so for now, let's test how much Spiritual Energy it takes for you to purify around three to five percent of the lake. And how fast your Spiritual Energy gets refilled…" Jonathan shook his head helplessly. Even though it was good news, he had to make sure that Noel wouldn't overwork himself too.
The fact that Noel could purify the entire lake alone could change their plan. Hence, it was better to discuss the matter with Paul first.
"That's true. Though, how about purifying the entire lake? This way, we can give the city the best result." Ben narrowed his eyes, having another thought.
"You're the one doing the negotiation, Ben. What do you think of the valley master? Is he someone who will accept this and consider this mission a success? Or is he the type of guy who wants the contract to be fulfilled literally?"
"I'm not very sure. I might have to go to the castle again to discuss the plan and see whether he accepts it or not."
Noel raised his hand. "I think we should have drained a bit of the water instead of completely purifying it. If we take a look at our situation, it's clear that we're the baits. So, we still have to drain the lake to become proper baits, but…"
Jonathan understood what he wanted after seeing Noel staring at the artificial wall he had made. "So, you want me to dump a lot of dirt into the lake and divide the lake into several parts? Then, we'll confirm the draining part just by draining only a portion of the lake, while the real work comes from you…"
"Yes," Noel confirmed the plan.
"That's also a good plan." Ben thought for a moment. "I'll talk to Paul about this plan."
"Also, how do we prove that this water is purified?" Noel asked.
"We can ask the valley master about it. Usually, he can bring out a few criminals to test this poison. Though, we are often asking criminal who has a death or life sentence."
"I see. I don't have any problem with it."
"Yeah. For now, we'll continue to test the sample. I'm going to ask you to do a few things for me later, so don't use too much Spiritual Energy." Jonathan ended their conversation and began to work.
This was the first time Noel had participated in a test like this. It was a good experience for him, considering he knew how hard it was to solve the poison problem.
If his territory experienced the same situation, he knew how serious the problem was. Luckily, this water was running through one city, but if there were multiple cities on its path, the problem would become worse.
As a lord, he had to understand how much he had to prioritize this kind of problem.
While they were testing the sample, the other three had been going around for a while, trying to find a trace of enemies.
They could find a few demons here and there, but they couldn't find any trace of humans around. Zion even climbed the hill to see everything from the top but to no avail.
They were perplexed and started doubting that the enemy would attack them from behind.
However, Anna was the only one who didn't doubt this fact. Noel had confirmed their existence, so she had to find some proof to prepare for their ambush.
"The city fell in the past. The valley master and the people from the zero squad die… Assuming that the new zero squad is bad, I know I have to save these people. At the very least, Noel will get a better squad compared to the past.
"But how did they destroy the city? The Superior Demon shouldn't be able to cause any problem with the valley master protecting the city. Hence, there must be a third party that caused their downfall… It's just, where are they? Are they staying far away from here so that no one knows their position?
"But if they are too far from the city, won't it mean they don't know what's going on around here? How do they know the city is under attack?"
Anna looked down, falling into deep thought. She might not be as clever as Noel, but she was, by no means, a fool. With these facts, she realized something. "Wait a minute. Noel is suspecting the water lord, but the water lord doesn't have a flaw in his management… Then, why did he want to die in the past?
"No, what if he was truly a good lord and the reason why the enemies stayed far away from the city was… because they had a source of information coming from the city. A mole?!" Anna gasped.
"If the city had a mole, then it could explain how they destroyed the city in my past life. But I have no proof right now, so…" Anna turned around and looked into the distance. "There are only a few paths to enter the city, so they must be camping in one of the paths. It seems I have to go further this time."
