"Move!" Ronin called out, and everyone immediately quickened their pace.
Although the number of Gold and Silver Ingots lured away by the shadow clones was nowhere near the massive force that had pursued the floating island, that was only by comparison.
In reality, every shadow clone had to face more than a hundred Gold and Silver Ingots.
With so many of them, even attacks consisting solely of golden beams posed an enormous threat to the clones.
The fact that they had lasted this long had already exceeded Ronin's expectations. As they withdrew, he tore open more scrolls and released new shadow clones.
Some of the new clones intercepted the Gold and Silver Ingots returning from behind, while others immediately rushed ahead to lure away any Gold and Silver Ingots along their route.
This allowed Ronin's group to advance at remarkable speed without encountering any real obstacles.
The key was simply that shadow clones were exceptionally good at drawing hostility.
Two hours later, Ronin stopped.
At the centre of a fountain ahead, a seven-coloured lotus was in full bloom.
Brilliant light radiated from the lotus, making it obvious at a glance that it was some kind of treasure.
But while everyone else focused on the colourful lotus, Ronin's gaze fell on the grass swaying beneath it.
Because that seemingly ordinary grass was the panacea herb described in the information provided by the Gatekeeper!
A strange fragrance lingered in the surrounding area. Even a single breath made one feel refreshed, relaxed, and comfortable all over.
And that fragrance came either from the lotus or from the swaying grass around it.
"Get the herb first. And be careful," Ronin said.
He also had his suspicions about the lotus.
In the giant's memories, every location where the panacea herb grew was accompanied by a different but extremely eye-catching plant.
Here, there was a dazzling lotus. Deeper inside the city, there was also a gourd shining with radiant treasure light.
Ronin had not seen any obvious danger around the panacea herbs in the giant's memories, but that only made him feel even more uneasy.
After all, the giant in those memories had never approached either the herbs or the treasure-like plants growing beside them.
The shadow clone previously sent in this direction had already disappeared.
Remaining cautious, Ronin took out one of his last five shadow-clone scrolls.
After he tore it open, a new shadow clone quickly appeared and carefully walked toward the colourful lotus in place of Ronin's group.
Everything seemed perfectly normal.
But when the clone reached the fountain and stepped inside to approach the herbs, the lotus that had been continuously radiating rainbow light suddenly erupted!
Just like the Gold and Silver Ingots they had encountered before, the colourful beams released by the lotus possessed both penetrating and explosive power.
Although the shadow clone had prepared for battle in advance, the rainbow light erupted far too quickly.
The moment a stone slab rose from the ground, the beam pierced straight through it and struck the shadow clone behind it.
The Enhancement-type Nen the clone had converted as a last line of defence managed to block the light for only an instant. In the next second, the beam striking the clone exploded.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The shadow clone staggered backward repeatedly. On its fourth step, it burst into white smoke and disappeared.
Watching from afar, Ronin's group widened their eyes in shock at the sudden development.
The colourful beams alone would not have surprised them so much.
What truly stunned them was that after the light erupted, an enormous eye slowly opened beneath the beautiful lotus.
It was a perfectly round eye glowing blue and measuring more than two metres across. The colourful lotus rested on top of it, making the creature look somewhat ridiculous.
Beneath the eye was a tiny body.
The body resembled that of a human, but it was less than half a metre tall. Combined with the enormous eye that was completely disproportionate to it, the creature looked extremely strange.
As the tiny body turned, it carried the gigantic eye above it around, carefully scanning the surroundings as though trying to find Ronin's hidden group.
However, Ronin and the others were quite far from the fountain. Even after the huge eye rotated twice, it failed to detect anything unusual.
In the end, the creature could only reluctantly burrow underground along with its tiny body.
The fountain soon returned to its previous appearance.
Only the lotus remained in the centre, radiating colourful light, while the surrounding herbs continued swaying in the breeze.
"Interesting." Curiosity rose in Ronin's heart.
What exactly was that strange thing?
A plant? An animal? Or perhaps a magical beast?
It was difficult to classify.
But clearly, the dazzling lotus was no treasure. It was bait deliberately exposed by the creature.
There were probably similar beings at the other locations where panacea herbs grew. These creatures were likely the final obstacle preventing them from obtaining the herbs.
But how were they supposed to take the herbs from beneath the monster's protection?
According to V5's records, the Saherta United States special forces had failed to bring back even a single panacea herb.
The shadow clone had not lasted long, and Ronin's hidden group had no intention of revealing themselves.
During this period, Ronin released two more shadow clones.
That left him with only two sealed scrolls.
This clearly did little to make him feel secure.
Fortunately, every member of the team was carrying at least two scrolls of their own. If something unexpected occurred, they could still use those scrolls in an emergency.
For now, Ronin planned to rest and recover while producing new sealing scrolls. From their current position, they could also observe the nearby fountain more effectively.
The Gold and Silver Ingots that had been lured away by the shadow clones soon returned to the area.
What surprised Ronin and the others slightly was that the Gold and Silver Ingots had no intention of approaching the fountain either. Instead, they concealed themselves some distance away.
As they entered a dormant state, their golden and silver shells gradually receded, revealing the trees within. The trees then drove their roots into the ground.
Upon closer inspection, Ronin discovered that every location where the Gold and Silver Ingots stopped had been specially constructed. The ground contained structures resembling charging ports.
This discovery further convinced Ronin that another city existed underground.
He also considered another possibility.
Would destroying these "charging ports" affect the Gold and Silver Ingots throughout the city?
The answer was no.
The city was simply too vast. They could never destroy every port.
Ronin then suddenly remembered the giant from earlier.
Why had it been able to move freely throughout the ancient city without worrying about the Gold and Silver Ingots?
Did it also possess some kind of access permission?
It was similar to how controlling the floating island allowed Ronin to grant permission to his companions, preventing the island's Gold and Silver Ingots from attacking them.
If they could find the correct method—or perhaps locate a control console—would they also be able to travel throughout the city without obstruction?