I am the Holy Poisoner, the Empress advised me to calm down

Gavin nodded, his eyes firm. "In a situation like this, we do need some outside help. But at the same time, we must remain vigilant and not rely entirely on others." He turned to look at the mysterious figure who had suddenly appeared. "Can you tell us your plan? We need to know how you will help us."

The mysterious figure smiled, his tone remaining calm. "You can call me Aiden. I know many secrets of this area, and this incident is clearly related to an ancient legend. Both the troll and the black dragon were summoned by some dark force."

Lin Fan frowned. "What you're saying sounds incredibly bizarre, but we've already witnessed a lot of incredible things. Keep talking. We'd love to hear your thoughts."

Aiden nodded, a hint of appreciation flashing in his eyes. "You are very clever. Then I will be frank. To completely resolve the current predicament, we must find and destroy the source—the dark core hidden beneath this land. What I can provide is a map to the core location and some ancient spells needed to fight against the dark forces."

The villagers gathered around, all listening intently, breathlessly, as if afraid to miss a single glimmer of information. A young mother held her child's hand and whispered, "I hope this mysterious person can bring us a glimmer of hope..."

The little boy looked up at his mother and said innocently, "I think this uncle is so awesome! Maybe he will become our hero!"

Aiden smiled and waved to the crowd, then turned to Gavin and the other two: "Now you understand. If we work together, we may have a chance to prevent this disaster from spreading further. But remember my conditions. Afterwards, you must listen to something very important from me."

Leon said in a deep voice: "Okay, but we need more details before we can make a decision. Can you reveal a little?"

"I can assure you that after defeating these two monsters, the clues I provide will definitely restore peace to the entire region," Aiden replied confidently. "As for the specific details, please believe that I will do my best to make everything clear."

Gavin glanced at his companions. Despite his doubts, he had to admit that this was the only viable option at the moment. "Okay, let's do as you say. But we also need to be fully prepared. After all, the unknown always catches us off guard."

Just as they were about to discuss the action plan in detail, the earth shook violently again, and the troll let out an even more angry roar, as if it sensed that some threat was approaching.

"It seems it's unwilling to wait any longer," Aiden said with a serious look, "We'd better act quickly. Time is running out."

A commotion erupted in the crowd. A little boy tugged at his grandfather's clothes, "Grandpa, can they really defeat such a powerful monster?"

The old man gently touched his grandson's head, his face full of love and determination: "As long as our faith is strong enough and we are united, there is nothing we can't do. Remember this, my child."

Elsewhere, Gavin, Leon, Lin Fan, and Aiden gathered together, quickly discussing battle strategy. Everyone's expression was serious, and the air was filled with a tense and determined atmosphere.

"First, we need to distract the troll," Gavin said calmly, "and then strike its weakest points while it's off guard. Meanwhile, Lin Fan and Aiden will be responsible for finding and destroying the dark core. This way, a pincer attack from both inside and outside will achieve the maximum effect."

Aiden nodded approvingly: "That's right. I have several powerful protective magic scrolls that can protect everyone's safety in a critical moment."

Just as they were making their plans, a subtle but noticeable sound suddenly emanated from the ground. A sharp-eyed girl exclaimed, "Look over there!"

Everyone looked in the direction she pointed, only to see a faint light slowly approaching from the distance. As the sound of footsteps grew clearer, a new figure appeared before them—unbelievably the long-lost village guardian, Elder Astor!

The elders all showed surprised and excited expressions: "It turns out that Elder Astor has come!"

The little girl opened her eyes wide and asked, "Dad, who is he? He looks like someone very important."

The father gently stroked his daughter's hair and replied, "He is one of the most respected elders in our village. It is said that he knows many ancient secrets."

Elder Astell walked up to the main characters and stopped. His voice, though slightly hoarse, was filled with wisdom and power: "Children, I'm glad to see you so bravely standing on the front lines. I'm willing to contribute my humble efforts to help you."

Gavin quickly stepped forward and saluted. "Respected Elder, do you have any further insights into this incident?"

Astell closed his eyes in thought for a moment before opening them again and saying, "Based on my years of research and inherited knowledge, I speculate that this sudden change is closely related to the destruction of the ancient seal. Only by reactivating those lost seal points can the problem be fundamentally solved. Of course, this is also a very dangerous act..."

Hearing this, Lin Fan hurriedly asked, "Are you planning to repair the seal alone? It's too dangerous. Why don't we take the risk together?"

Astel shook his head slightly and smiled. "You have more important things to do. Leave this task to me. I believe I can complete it. But before that, I hope you can successfully eliminate the enemy in front of you."

Gavin took a deep breath and announced to everyone present, "Friends, we will now split into two groups. One group will follow Mr. Aiden deep underground to destroy the Dark Core; the other will be responsible for holding back the trolls, buying Elder Astelle precious time to repair the seal. Please take care of each other. Whether we succeed or not, we are each other's strongest backing!"

When the villagers heard this, their morale immediately rose, and many of them expressed their willingness to join the battle to defend their homes.

With their respective divisions of labor finalized, the team busily began preparing. However, no one noticed the gradually darkening clouds in the distant sky, as if foreshadowing something even more terrifying approaching...

As night fell, Gavin and the others were ready to go. Just as they were about to take their first step, a strange, eerie sound of wind suddenly rang out in their ears...