Allen listened as Aerin spoke, nodding slowly. Soon, he had pieced together the full sequence of events.

  Two days ago, Evelyn had stumbled upon an Enlightenment Fruit while exploring Godfall Battlefield.

  The Enlightenment Fruit was also one of the key items for Matteo and his companions' current mission.

  When Matteo and his group learned of this, they immediately found Evelyn and demanded to exchange the fruit.

  But these noble youths, accustomed to acting above others and taking what they pleased, never considered a fair trade.

  First, they arrogantly announced their identities. Then, they casually took a few bottles of inferior mana potions from their bags, expecting to swap them for the Enlightenment Fruit in Evelyn's possession.

  In their view, Evelyn, coming from a common academy, should have considered it a great honor to offer the fruit willingly to curry favor.

  Evelyn, however, had no respect for these overbearing nobles, and their rude attitude only worsened her impression. The potions they offered were of far lower value than the Enlightenment Fruit.

  Those potions might at best alleviate mana consumption; they were not even in the same league.

  So Evelyn refused the exchange on the spot, intending to keep the Enlightenment Fruit for herself.

  Seeing her refusal, Matteo and his companions immediately lost their temper and attempted to forcibly seize it.

  Evelyn knew she was outnumbered, and each of them was a Senior Mage. Her own strength alone was no match.

  Unwilling to suffer a total loss, she finally compromised, exchanging the Enlightenment Fruit for their potions, thinking the matter would end there.

  But a complication arose yesterday. A freelance mage, having learned that Matteo urgently needed an Enlightenment Fruit to complete his mission, sought him out voluntarily.

  To gain Matteo's favor, the mage offered all the Enlightenment Fruits he had collected over years of adventuring.

  This completely wounded Matteo's twisted pride. He felt that his initial gesture of exchanging the fruit had actually lowered his own status in comparison to Evelyn.

  He also believed Evelyn's hesitation and refusal at the time had been a personal affront to his noble identity.

  So Matteo brought his companions to confront Evelyn, berating and humiliating her without restraint.

  One of his followers joined in, speaking arrogantly:

  "Us noticing your Enlightenment Fruit was already a huge favor to you!"

  "If you hadn't willingly handed it over, that would have been fine. But you even refused, making us exchange our items for it? How ungrateful!"

  "Don't you realize Matteo's status in Aetherlan City? Leaders of countless factions have to flatter him just to gain favor."

  "Even your academy head at Radiant Magic Academy would have to be polite to Matteo. He wouldn't dare offend him like this!"

  "If we don't teach you a lesson today, your Radiant Magic Academy will only grow more arrogant in the future!"

  Hearing these words, Evelyn's anger boiled inside her

  Evelyn, however, clearly understood that these nobles' influence in Aetherlan City ran deep, far beyond anything she could confront.

  She had intended to swallow her anger and ignore Matteo and his companions' provocations, hoping to prevent the situation from escalating. But the nobles only grew more audacious.

  No one had expected Matteo to call upon his family connections to summon the guards of Falling Ash City so easily.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  In the end, Evelyn was forcibly dragged out of the city by the soldiers, completely expelled from the human stronghold.

  Matteo stood atop the ruined city walls with his followers, looking down at the expelled Evelyn with undisguised contempt.

  "Some people will never understand the difference between rank and station unless they are taught a lesson!"

  His tone was arrogant, his voice loud enough for Evelyn to hear clearly.

  "That Enlightenment Fruit of yours, I have no use for it anyway!"

  With that, Matteo casually tossed an Enlightenment Fruit over the wall. It landed heavily at Evelyn's feet, rolling a few paces away, laden with humiliation.

  "Just kneel here and reflect," Matteo said, his words dripping with mockery.

  "Maybe if I'm in a good mood tomorrow, I'll let you back into the city. Otherwise, stay outside and wait to be torn to pieces by the beasts!"

  "And this way, your Radiant Magic Academy will remember me well. Next time you see me, you'd better know your place!"

  With that, he turned and left with his group.

  Evelyn stared at the rolling Enlightenment Fruit, her eyes filled with humiliation. She would rather die at the mouth of a beast than kneel to Matteo. Resolutely, she turned and strode toward the city outskirts.

  After Aerin recounted the events in full, her tone was heavy with worry.

  "This is a serious problem. Matteo's power goes far beyond what it seems."

  "In fact, he had already collected all the Enlightenment Fruits and completed the academy task. He stayed in Falling Ash City purely to make things difficult for Evelyn."

  She paused, then continued:

  "For the commander of Falling Ash City's guards, expelling a single ordinary person is trivial. They would never risk offending Matteo over such a minor matter."

  "Now that Evelyn has been expelled, the city's teleportation array will almost certainly no longer be accessible to her. She likely has no way to leave Godfall Battlefield."

  "If she remains stranded for a long time without a way to return, the consequences would be unimaginable."

  Allen frowned tightly at this and asked,"Then where might Evelyn be now?"

  Aerin thought for a moment before replying slowly,"The most likely place is the elven city-state."

  "Within Godfall Battlefield, the Demon Tribe holds the greatest power."

  "Therefore, although humans and elves have their differences, they maintain a semi-allied relationship, often joining forces to resist the Demon Tribe's incursions."

  "If the human teleportation arrays are unusable, Evelyn would have no choice but to seek help from the elves and use their teleportation network to leave."

  Aerin's voice grew heavier as she spoke, then fell silent. She did not need to elaborate further; Allen already understood the danger implied.

  From Falling Ash City to the elven city-state, with Evelyn's current strength, the journey would be nothing short of a death-defying gamble.

  "And most likely, the elves will not allow us humans to pass through their city-state," Aerin added gravely.

  "Although humans and elves are technically allies, the bond is extremely fragile. They only cooperate temporarily due to the constant pressure from the Demon Tribe."

  "The elves are proud and wary of humans. Without a compelling reason, they would never open their gates for a single human. On the contrary, they might treat her as a suspicious element and detain her."

  Allen nodded solemnly at Aerin, gratitude in his voice:"Aerin, thank you for telling me this critical information. I will leave the city immediately and pursue Evelyn."

  Aerin froze for a moment, then quickly protested:"You're going out of the city? Absolutely not! If Matteo sees you return with Evelyn, he will definitely order the gates closed to you as well."

  "Then the two of you would be forced to wander the wilderness. Without a city's protection or access to supplies, you wouldn't last more than seven days before becoming prey for the beasts!"

  Allen had anticipated Aerin's concern, but to him it was not a problem.

  If an obstacle cannot be bypassed, remove the person creating it. Matteo and his companions were simply abusing their family influence. Once they were dealt with, no one would dare block him and Evelyn from entering the city.

  "Thank you for your warning, but I cannot stand by and let Evelyn face danger alone. Besides, I promised Mentor Eleanor that I would bring her back safely to the academy. I cannot break that promise."

  Aerin exhaled in resignation, realizing she could not sway Allen's resolve. She took out a map and handed it to him.

  "Very well, I won't stop you. This is an exploration map of Godfall Battlefield. It does not cover the entire area, but the known safe routes are marked."

  "If you follow the directions on the map toward the elven city-state, you may be able to catch up to her."

  Allen took the map, quickly scanning it to memorize the critical routes, then folded it and tucked it into his chest.

  He also asked Aerin about the exact strength of the Luminara Magic Academy group and Matteo's daily routines.

  Once he had gathered all the details, he turned and left Falling Ash City, heading toward the elven city-state in pursuit.

  Godfall Battlefield was already a shattered and vast space, scarred everywhere by the remnants of past wars.

  Beneath the cracked ground, chaotic magic surged. Collapsed giant stone pillars bore faint ancient runes, and twisted spatial rifts occasionally tore through the air, exuding a chilling presence.

  Along the way, Allen fully released his magic to sense the surroundings, but the chaotic spatial laws of this area severely restricted his perception.

  Even more unsettling, upon entering Godfall Battlefield, a strange sense of oppression clung to him.

  Some unknown divine force seemed to exist here, subtly suppressing his magic and sensory abilities.

  This bizarre resistance was so strong that even a full-powered Demon King like him felt constrained.