Huh? There's a magic school here.

"What? They used crystals to build houses?"

"My lord, I can testify to this! They did indeed use a type of crystal we've never seen before to build their houses, and there were many different styles of crystal, but the most common was a transparent one. Moreover, their houses were all very tall and large; I don't know what methods they used."

"What you're seeing are tall buildings? What we're seeing are wooden structures, but they also have many crystal windows, and the local temperature is very hot!"

"Hmm, I see! Perhaps their world is rich in crystals?"

"Their magic is also very peculiar, quite different from ours. They don't seem to use much offensive magic, though I'm not entirely sure. The main problem is that the attacks we've encountered are mostly of the stun and trapping type; perhaps they're trying to capture more of us."

"By the way, High Priest, when they cast spells, they all wave a kind of wand that looks like a wooden stick. It seems to be used to amplify magic power?"

"That seems to be true; their attack methods appear to be somewhat limited."

What was originally just a report from Ao quickly turned into a discussion because everyone had similar feelings and couldn't help but chime in.

"Have you noticed? They don't seem to have any professions other than mages. I don't remember suffering any physical damage, have you?"

"Now that you mention it, it seems to be true! Our team also appears to have been attacked by magic."

"But their alchemy skills are really good; there are many identical strange birds flying in the sky."

"We've encountered many strange birds. They keep spraying a colored liquid that makes our invisibility ineffective."

After saying that, the mastiff took out the drone it had brought back from its clothes, and the priest took the drone and examined it carefully.

"It is indeed very ingenious, but I didn't sense any magical fluctuations on it. I really don't know how it is used. Perhaps we need to study it carefully."

"To be honest, the one it brought back is almost identical to the iron birds we encountered, except for some differences in size and appearance. I noticed that these iron birds seem to have different roles; I saw a larger iron bird that only flew in the sky and didn't participate in the attack."

The last to report intelligence was the eleventh squad that had raided the United States.

“Priest, we are entirely thanks to God’s blessing. When we arrived, it was nighttime there. They were off guard and we were able to launch a surprise attack.”

"Very good! I see you've even brought back prisoners! I will certainly speak on your behalf before the great king to secure even more benefits for you!"

"It's what we should do for the glory of the orcs. We encountered something different from other squads. We were attacked not only by professionals but also by ordinary soldiers. We knew they were ordinary soldiers because they didn't use magic or other energy fluctuations when they attacked; they were using a strange ranged weapon."

As he spoke, he pulled out a pistol from his pocket, which he had picked up during the raid on the Lighthouse Nation, and handed it to the priest. The priest took the pistol, weighed it in his hand, and felt its weight. It appeared to be mainly composed of metal and some unfamiliar substances. Then the priest looked at the members of the eleventh squad and asked...

"Do you know how to use it? Or have you noticed how they use it?"

"I see, that should be it."

The team member picked up the pistol again and, mimicking how humans attacked them from memory, fired a shot at the tree in the courtyard. With a bang, debris flew and a hole appeared in the tree. Everyone present looked on curiously. Noticing their attention, the team member pulled the trigger a few more times. He only stopped when the pistol emitted a series of clicks of empty shots. The team member then awkwardly scratched his head and looked at the priest, bewildered. He, too, didn't know why the creature was no longer attacking.

The priest looked at the team member and thought for a moment before speaking.

"A very clever thing, it looks somewhat similar to the dwarves' muskets. But its design is far more sophisticated than the dwarves'. Don't be embarrassed, kid, it's probably lacking ammunition. This thing can't fire indefinitely, otherwise it would be a real problem for us!"

The team members then added some details, and the priest listened attentively, pondering and asking questions. Finally, when everyone had finished speaking, a white-robed priest handed the priest a recording device. Everyone's words were recorded, and the priest then instructed the priest to lead everyone away to rest.

After everyone left, the fox spirit knelt respectfully before the priest, waiting for the priest to speak.

"Fox Spirit, tell me everything that happened to you in detail, don't hide anything!"

The fox spirit was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. The priest hadn't asked such detailed questions when everyone else was present; why did it seem to have ulterior motives now that it was her turn? However, it didn't dare to overthink it and immediately revealed the entire deal with Andres. It wasn't that it didn't want to hide it, but rather that it dared not.

After a while, Fox Fairy finished recounting her experiences on Blue Star and her speculations about Andres. The priest nodded in satisfaction, his expression softening considerably. With a wave of his hand, the priest cast a blue spell around Fox Fairy. When the blue light disappeared, Fox Fairy felt an unprecedented sense of relief.

"Very good, it seems you are loyal to the Empire! You know, when I saw you earlier, I noticed you were different from the other team members; you had a different magical mark on you. I thought you were being controlled by the enemy, but it seems that powerful figure kept his promise and didn't harbor much hostility towards you, merely leaving a mark on you. He probably wanted to make it easier to find you after arriving on the Karen Continent!"

Hearing this, the fox spirit's face turned pale, and it immediately said with a face full of gratitude.

"Thank you for saving my life, sir. I have no way to repay you and am willing to serve you. I will do my utmost to fulfill your command!"

"Alright, child, this means nothing to me. As long as you remain loyal to the Empire, I personally don't care."

"By the way, you also heard all the reconnaissance information, and you even went to the other world and met their powerful figures. What are your thoughts on the opening of this spatial gate?"

"My lord, the fox spirit believes we orcs are invincible. We will surely achieve final victory!"

"I want to hear the truth, not slogans, child! Your honesty is the greatest help you can give me, because this information will ultimately be reported to the great King. His decisions will affect far more than just the fate of a hundred or so of you! I think you understand what I mean!"

Foxy hesitated upon hearing this. After all, when superiors say they want to hear the truth, all the servants should be wary, because there might be a trap waiting for them.