The flying speed of the Cloud Sub-Dragon is well-known.
Rhode merely had the Wind-Blocking Shield set a little slow, and everyone's hairstyles needed rearranging.
Fortunately, no one was swept away.
As they felt close to their destination, Rhode asked the Cloud Sub-Dragon to slow down.
The group struggled to identify the terrain below from high above, but many places were shrouded in mist, making it impossible to see clearly.
In the end, Rhode descended to ask for directions, only then confirming that the mist-covered mountainous area they saw was Saint Dopia Mountain.
A middle-aged villager, carrying a sickle and a basket, left while muttering to himself, "Why is everyone asking about that place today?"
"Wait a minute." Rhode called out to him, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, and handed it to him. He then asked, "Have many people been asking about Saint Dopia today?"
The man looked at the cigarette pack in his hand, realizing it was an unfamiliar foreign brand, and became more enthusiastic:
"Yes, yes, not just today, but three people asked me for directions the day before yesterday and yesterday too, some from home, some from abroad, all seeming to be mages.
"I heard there are many dangerous beasts there... Are they going to endanger us villagers? Has the Kingdom issued some kind of subjugation quest?"
Rhode reassured, "Nothing like that, it's too far away to harm the village."
He inquired further if there had been any strange occurrences lately or any ancient legends in the area.
The man thought carefully and said the strangest thing was encountering too many mages these past few days.
"As for legends... I heard from my grandfather when I was a child, that his grandfather's grandfather… once saw a Celestial God in that mountain when he was young.
"He said something about a body as tall as a mountain, stars falling from the sky, meteor showers turning into Saint Dopia Mountain and so on... Haha, how could that be, a star falling should flatten the mountain, right?"
"Maybe, what about more specific legends?" Rhode asked with a smile, but the man couldn't elaborate.
After all, it was something from centuries ago, and passing down even a few sentences is already impressive. He hadn't even counted how many generations the man mentioned.
After bidding farewell, Rhode flew back into the sky, directing the Cloud Sub-Dragon to fly 100 kilometers north.
The group landed outside the mountain range.
"Let's return first, call if there's a fight."
"You all be careful." The figure of the Cloud Sub-Dragon disappeared.
It was nearing noon now, supposed to be a time when the sun was abundant, but everyone felt a chill—surrounded by too much moisture.
Standing outside the mountains, only the closest mountain silhouette could be seen, beyond that was a sea of white.
Looking up, it was all white too, impossible to distinguish whether it was clouds or mist at the limits of one's vision.
Rhode followed his habit, first sending in River Crab and a bunch of small monsters to search the mountain and patrol, before he and the other slowly proceeded forward.
"It's so beautiful here~" Lucy ran a few steps ahead and twirled, enjoying the feeling of being amidst the clouds and mist.
Moreover, it was the origin of Celestial Spirit Magic, which put her in a good mood as well.
"All this dampness is so annoying," Natsu complained; in such thick fog, his hair was already wet after a short walk.
He shook his hair and then sparked flames all over his body, quickly drying himself.
Gray wiped his flattened hair but didn't seem to have any intent to use magic: "Unless you evaporate all the fog in this mountain, it's useless."
Natsu got excited instantly: "I'll even burn the mountain dry for you!"
Erza punched Natsu on the head: "Don't mess around!"
There were still plenty of people in the mountains; causing trouble could lead to a big mess.
Hapi flew in a circle in the sky, but the aerial view wasn't much better than below, and he almost got lost on the way back.
He returned soaked, asking Natsu for help to dry him, puzzled: "Didn't they say hundreds have come already? Why haven't we run into any?"
Rhode said, "With such a vast mountain area, even if a thousand people were thrown in, it wouldn't be noticeable."
If thinking positively, it's like this; if thinking negatively... someone set off the day before yesterday, and by their means of travel and the urgency of the Star Spirit Mages, they should have arrived by today at the latest.
If it's the worst-case scenario, those who arrived first may have perished already.
Wendy tugged on the corner of Rhode's clothes.
Rhode looked at her in confusion.
Wendy whispered, "It feels like Brother Rhode was just thinking about something scary."
Rhode patted her head, "I was worried about something scary happening."
The group continued along the mountain path. Erza suddenly crouched down, touching a patch of trampled weeds on the roadside: "Looks like someone stepped here."
She looked ahead, spotting a few more places like that and could basically determine the path.
Erza looked to the right, carefully distinguishing the footprints' shapes, squeezing the wet grass leaves: "They probably came from over there, quite some time ago."
Gray elbowed Natsu: "Can you smell anything?"
Natsu crouched and sniffed vigorously: "No, there's not much scent left, and in this weather, tracking by scent is impossible."
"Eh?" Lucy suddenly asked, "Doesn't Carla have any prophecies?"
"Since a while ago, I've just been seeing us walking through fog," Carla said, "But since you mentioned it..."
She transformed into her cat-ear girl form, closed her eyes, and emitted a noticeable magic power fluctuation.
A moment later, Carla opened her eyes: "I caught a glimpse of something different. Lucy... seems to be running away from something."
Lucy froze, then exclaimed in horror: "Why is it always me?!"
"You're the one who asked," Carla said, gloating, "Maybe you'll be used as bait again."
Lucy looked at Rhode with a pitiful expression.
Rhode chuckled, "Ah, that reminds me, Lucy, you should walk at the front later."
"No way!"
"Then at the back?"
"No! I want to be in the middle!"
Rhode didn't enforce it, just teasing her a bit.
When he had a solid lead, reason, and plan, Lucy would agree.
"Let's follow these tracks first and quickly find the Divine Hall mentioned in the intel."
After all, everyone's goal is that place; it's better to go see what kind of puzzle it is.
The group continued following the indistinct tracks, and about 20 minutes later, they bumped into two people at the mountain's foot.
From a distance, they could only see vague figures, and the same was likely true for the other side.
The strangers paused briefly before continuing towards them.
As they drew closer, Rhode saw a woman in a fire-red outfit and a man holding a silver key.
A closer look showed them to be somewhat familiar; he thought for a moment and said, "Miss Phil and… Mr. Dor?"
It's no wonder he wasn't sure; last time he met Dor, his face was swollen quite severely.
The two on the other side paused as well, quickly recognizing them. Phil exclaimed, "Mr. Rhode, Miss Lucy, and Miss Wendy?"
Upon mentioning Wendy, she grew a bit excited, "I didn't expect to meet you here!"
She nudged Dor's calf, "Hurry and thank her; if it wasn't for Miss Wendy, who knows how much longer you would have been hospitalized."
"Um… ah, Miss Wendy, I appreciate your care from last time."