She shook her head. "Honestly, I’m not entirely sure, but I suspect that besides the Toad King and myself, there are no other living things around here."

I frowned, thinking hard, and suddenly felt that the oppressive aura from a moment ago was strikingly similar to the aura of the Emissary I had encountered before.

A wave of joy washed over me; Finally, I've found you, Emissary.

This Emissary was not as sharp as I had imagined; it walked right past us without sensing our presence at all.

Previously, we believed the informants in the village were all killed by the Emissary, only to later discover it was the work of the Toad King and the Giant Serpent. Because of this, the Emissary we were currently tracking had effectively been demoted to a secondary role.

For a long time, I had suspected that this particular Emissary was different from the others, posing no threat to humans.

Initially, any reports of casualties here were attributed solely to the Toad King and the Giant Serpent; the Emissary’s very existence was questionable. So, when I actually saw the Emissary now, I was almost surprised.

There really was an Emissary here, and in Ilherizi’s world, no less.

What was this Emissary doing here?

Curiosity overriding caution, I gently pulled Xiao Bai along as we followed.

The Emissary was completely unguarded, its footsteps creating a soft rustling sound as it moved. We followed behind, moving with extreme lightness, producing only the faintest sounds, yet the Emissary remained entirely oblivious.

According to pre-mission intelligence, the reported Emissary was SSS-rank—equivalent to an SSS-rank ability user, three times stronger than me. Such beings usually possess incredibly acute sensory organs, capable of detecting the slightest disturbance in the air.

Clearly, the one before us was not one of them. I seriously began to doubt its ranking.

The thought that this might be a low-ranking Emissary inexplicably excited me. All the Emissaries I had encountered before were violently high-ranking, always ready to fight to the death at the drop of a hat. If I could observe the behavior of a low-ranking one now, perhaps I could uncover some of the Emissaries' customs, maybe even find the root cause of their appearance.

If we could trace the Emissaries back to their origin, it would undoubtedly be a monumental breakthrough in eradicating this scourge. This was the source of my excitement; the legendary crisis mostly stemmed from the threat of the Emissaries, and wiping them out meant saving the world.

With that thought, I gave Xiao Bai a meaningful look, signaling her to keep close.

Xiao Bai understood immediately. Together, we quickly darted through the undergrowth, closing the distance to the Emissary.

Just then, we saw the Emissary halt not far ahead.

Xiao Bai and I stopped instantly, listening intently to the surrounding sounds.

Moments later, we heard a distinct clang, clang echoing from a short distance away—the unmistakable sound of metal being struck. It was a clear, crisp sound, accompanied by the crunching and tearing noise of hard material.

This noise had to be coming from the Emissary, as nothing else here, apart from us, could possibly disturb metal. This meant the Emissary’s attention was diverted elsewhere, granting us much greater freedom of movement.

Gathering my courage, I cautiously pushed aside the foliage in front of us, creating a narrow gap. Because our eyes had been modified by the Magic Flute, we could see clearly even in deep shadow. Through the opening, I saw a creature not far off—it had the build of a mongrel dog, a long neck, and a distinctly human face, savagely gnawing on a sheet of metal plating on the ground.

Yes, this bizarrely shaped creature was the Emissary.

Its teeth were incredibly sharp. With a forceful bite and a tear, it ripped off a piece of metal sheeting, stuffed it into its mouth, and began to chew with a crunch, crunch sound.

I mused internally about its strange dietary habits—surviving by eating metal. I wondered what kind of digestive system it possessed.

Xiao Bai leaned in and whispered, "Where did this metal sheeting come from?"

I paused, realizing the significance of her question. Right—metal sheeting implied the presence of large metallic equipment. Perhaps Ilherizi’s spaceship was located here.

Just as I expected to have to search further for the ship, I noticed something high and bulging not far from the Emissary—it looked like a small hillock, completely overgrown with lush vegetation, making it indistinguishable at a casual glance.

The object had distinct angles and edges, closely resembling the triangular, truck-sized spaceship Xiao Bai had described.

Xiao Bai clearly saw it too. She nudged me and exclaimed, "Hey! Boyfriend, there it is! That’s the ship."

Perhaps overwhelmed with excitement, Xiao Bai’s voice carried a little too far.

The Emissary seemed startled, drawing its long neck upright and peering around frantically. But unlike us, it lacked night vision, and after searching for a moment, it appeared to find nothing amiss.

However, this creature was intelligent. Sensing something was wrong, it picked up the metal sheeting in its mouth, slowly turned, and headed in the direction of the ship. Then, we watched it take a swift leap, soaring into an opening on the side of the vessel with a decisive clang.

Seeing the Emissary vanish, we relaxed our guard and stood up straight.

Xiao Bai whispered, "What now? Should we look for another ship? This one seems to be the monster's lair, and we shouldn't engage it directly; there are other ships, after all."

I surveyed the surroundings. "A mere little monster, nothing to fear. Even though I’m currently limited, this hand is still quite capable. I just need to figure out what this creature is and if it’s connected to the Emissary I'm investigating, so we have to follow it."

Xiao Bai deferred entirely to me now and didn't argue, simply nodding her head.

Without hesitation, I led Xiao Bai toward the hatchway the Emissary had disappeared into.

Approaching the opening, I saw it was a small hatch door concealed by dense vegetation. This hatch was likely designed for launching escape pods, though the pods were long gone. The interior was pitch black, leading into the ship's depths. I peered in and saw the Emissary was no longer in the passage, meaning it had moved further inside the hull.

Examining the hatch’s dimensions, I noted it was barely large enough for one person to crawl through. I asked Xiao Bai, "Your body isn't small, whether in your first or second form. It seems hard to get through this hatch. Why are the hatches on your ships designed so small?"

Xiao Bai considered it. "I don't know the specifics, but this ship is only an escape craft from a sub-vessel, so being small is probably normal."

I nodded, thinking that if it was just an escape craft, the size was understandable. This hatch was likely just an ejection window, an exit to jettison the pilot from the cabin during a crisis, only wide enough for a single person.

But that led me to ask, "Aren't escape craft for fleeing? Why did you say they have ray emitters? Aren't those for research?"

Xiao Bai chuckled. "Who says rays are only for research? The rays equipped on escape craft are used to pass through Space Gates. The ray contains a password, much like swiping a card—how else would the ship know if it's friend or foe?"

I grinned. "Oh, right. What's a Space Gate, then? Sounds incredibly advanced."

Sensing my awe of her civilization, Xiao Bai puffed up with pride. "Hmph, of course you wouldn't know. Earth hasn't built an Ionic Shield yet, so naturally, you wouldn't have something like a Space Gate."

"The so-called Ionic Shield is a permanent barrier constructed outside the planet's atmosphere using high-energy electromagnetic waves. It repels impacts from small meteoroids and various harmful cosmic rays. Your Earth has an excellent geographical location, rarely suffering attacks from asteroids or rays. But in deep space, meteoroids and rays strike on average every thirty days. Without an Ionic Shield, your planet would have been destroyed countless times by now."

"On this Ionic Shield, there are gateways for spaceships to enter and exit—those are the Space Gates. Only the ships belonging to this planet or those explicitly authorized are allowed to pass through."

Her explanation instantly clarified everything. I nodded. "That sounds incredibly powerful. If a devastating asteroid hit Earth now, we’d probably just have to wait to die."

Xiao Bai continued, "For one, your location is fortunate. Secondly, many threats from outside the cosmos are intercepted mid-route. Did you think your ancestors, the Atlanteans, were simpletons? They provide long-distance protection for you. The God-King Shield Project, established outside the Milky Way, guards all of Atlantis's descendants within the galaxy."

"The God-King Shield Project?" I asked in astonishment.

Xiao Bai nodded. "We’re straying off topic. In short, the God-King Shield is one of the Eight Wonders of the Universe. I doubt you'll see it in your lifetime, but it is truly magnificent, an incredibly beautiful sight. I cried the first time I saw it."

I swallowed hard. "I really want to see it someday."

Xiao Bai patted me on the shoulder. "Treat this young lady well, and perhaps after my mission is complete, I can ask my kin to take you. After all, you are Ilherizi's son-in-law!"

I chuckled sheepishly. "If I'm fortunate enough to treat you well, I would certainly agree."

Xiao Bai’s face flushed slightly, and she seemed unsure what to say next.

After a moment, I broke the silence. "Let's go in. We’ll deal with that thing first, then unravel the secret of the glass bead, and we can leave. I'll take you to eat something delicious."