Mo Han and the others couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when they saw this. Turning their gaze, they saw that the spot where the Silver-Armored Lizard had stood had collapsed under the force of the self-detonation, forming a pit about five meters wide and ten meters deep. One could imagine how astonishing the power of that explosion had been. If Mo Han hadn't discovered the Silver-Armored Lizard's plot in time, many people likely would have perished under the blast today. Thinking of this, everyone’s faces turned ashen, while the mercenaries of that B-rank mercenary group looked at Mo Han with expressions of profound gratitude; Mo Han had essentially saved their lives today.

With that realization, the mercenaries quickly bowed to Mo Han to express their thanks. The one who had spoken to Mo Han initially spoke with deep gratitude, saying, "I am Revord, the leader of this B-rank group, the Thunder God Mercenaries. Thank you, young brother, for saving our lives today. Should we have the chance another day, we will certainly repay the favor."

After saying this, he bowed respectfully to Mo Han, and the mercenaries behind him quickly followed suit to show their thanks.

Seeing this, Mo Han quickly smiled and said, "We are all mercenaries, no need for such ceremony. Helping each other is what we should do."

Revord smiled back upon seeing Mo Han’s demeanor and said, "It is rare nowadays to find someone as warm-hearted and highly skilled as you, young brother. Revord hopes to become friends with you; would you be willing?" In Revord's heart, a persistent feeling lingered. Based on his many years of adventuring experience, Revord sensed that Mo Han's future achievements would far surpass his own, perhaps even resonating across the continent. Becoming friends with Mo Han and his companions would certainly not be a loss; in fact, it would be beneficial for his own future, which is why he voiced these words.

When Mo Han heard this, he immediately smiled and replied, "Heh, of course, we are already friends, aren't we?" As soon as the words left his mouth, both men broke into laughter.

At that moment, Revord spoke up, "Since that is settled, thank you again, young brother. We need to hurry to send our injured companions back for treatment, so we won't keep you any longer. Given your and your friend's skills, you should be able to handle things unless you encounter monsters that are too troublesome. Please take care."

Mo Han nodded with a smile upon hearing Revord’s words, "Yes, thank you for your kind intentions, we will be careful. You should hurry and take these injured people back."

Although Mo Han’s abilities could have treated their injuries, he noticed that the wounded were not gravely hurt and should be able to hold out until they got back. Furthermore, Mo Han did not wish to expose too much of his strength in front of Revord and his group, so he refrained from offering aid.

After hearing Mo Han’s words, Revord seemed to recall something and said, "Oh yes, I forgot to tell you all: reportedly, the forbidden zone of the Magical Forest lies just one day ahead. You must be extremely cautious and absolutely do not venture into the restricted area, or you will be in grave danger."

Mo Han asked with a look of confusion, "A restricted zone? What kind of restricted zone is it?" Revord shook his head, "I'm not entirely clear on the specifics. I only heard that there are exceptionally powerful magical beasts within that zone. Only A-rank mercenary groups would know these details; ordinary mercenary groups simply don't have the capability to venture this far in, so they remain ignorant. I heard this from a good friend in an A-rank mercenary group. Apparently, several A-rank groups entered and were never seen again. Since then, no mercenary group has been willing to risk an expedition into the forbidden zone."

Upon hearing Revord’s explanation, Mo Han quickly nodded his thanks, assuring him that they would be careful. Seeing this, Revord said no more, and after exchanging a final farewell with Mo Han, he led his team away.

After the Thunder God Mercenaries departed, Jack couldn't help but blurt out, "Boss, can you teach me how you cast that Aqua Blue Shield just now? It was so fast! If a mage could cast spells that quickly, wouldn't they be invincible?"

Mo Han smiled and replied, "I didn't cast a spell, Jack. Do you think your boss is a god, capable of unleashing a ninth-level defensive spell that rapidly?" Jack looked utterly perplexed. "But that was clearly the Water Element's Aqua Blue Shield! What was going on?"

Hearing Jack's question, Delilah and the others also grew curious. Due to the urgency of the situation earlier, none of them had paid attention to exactly how Mo Han had produced the Aqua Blue Shield, so upon hearing Jack’s query, they all wanted the answer.

Mo Han smiled, took a blue bead from his pocket, and held it up. "It was this. I used this to cast it just now."

Seeing that everyone still looked puzzled, Mo Han patiently explained, "This bead already has the magic we need compressed inside it. When in a critical situation, one simply squeezes the bead, and the magic within is instantly unleashed. So, this bead is essentially a pre-cast spell, just hidden inside."

Hearing Mo Han's explanation, everyone wore expressions of shock. Jack stammered out, "Boss, what you're describing sounds like scroll magic, right? But that kind of scroll magic disappeared a long time ago; no one knows how to make those scrolls anymore. The magic scrolls remaining on the continent now are all priceless treasures, saved by mages for life-or-death situations. I never thought you would have things like these!"

Mo Han immediately leaned in, "You said these things are priceless?" Jack nodded emphatically, "Of course! In a crisis, these magic scrolls can often save lives, and the higher the compression level of the magic, the more invaluable they are. Just like that Aqua Blue Shield you used to save everyone—that bead is worth at least three hundred thousand gold coins."

Hearing Jack's explanation, Mo Han considered the number of similar beads he still possessed and couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. How much money would all these beads fetch if he sold them?

A wave of pleasure washed over him at the thought.

Leaping to