THE RISE OF WHITE CONQUEROR

Chapter 110: Wide Spread Search

One wrong word... and he would be next. So, without a single complaint, he lowered his gaze and stared silently at the floor.

The woman knew exactly what Pope Lotario was feeling. She could see all of it as clearly as if his thoughts were laid bare before her. His conflicted emotions, his fear, his anger, his desire for revenge... and finally, his resignation. But none of it mattered to her. After all, who cared what ants thought? In her eyes, his emotions held no value. As long as he fulfilled his purpose, that was enough. What happened to him after that meant nothing to her. And the reason she had eradicated the other ant was no different. His purpose had been simple to keep the seeds safe. He had failed. And once something failed its purpose... it had outlived its utility.

’I was careless’

For the first time since entering the room, the woman’s thoughts turned inward. The only person she blamed for this was herself. Ever since coming here, she had carried an unprecedented confidence that nothing could possibly go wrong. And why wouldn’t she? What could a kingdom full of ants possibly do to her? She had been absolutely certain that as long as she was here, no one would dare lay a hand on the seeds. She had taken this assignment too lightly. She had grown careless. And that carelessness had led to this disaster.

"Get out."

The moment those words left her lips, Pope Lotario moved as though he had just been handed a lifeline. He scrambled to his feet without hesitation and hurried out of the hall, Joan following close behind. Unlike the Pope, however, Joan’s eyes were shining with an unsettling glee that spoke of pure chaos. Even as she walked away, Lotario could hear her muttering the same word over and over again. "Angel... angel... angel..." But at this point, he couldn’t have cared less about the madwoman. Without looking back, the two of them disappeared from the hall, leaving the woman standing there alone.

"All of them have the basic runes inscribed on them. Those runes should track their location and automatically teleport them out of range the moment they face any life-threatening danger..."

The woman’s cold voice echoed through the empty hall as she stood lost in thought, her icy blue eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

"...And yet, I still can’t locate them."

For a brief moment, silence returned then. The woman raised one hand.

With a simple gesture, an unfamiliar circular plate materialized above her palm, its surface covered in intricate patterns and symbols that seemed to shift with every passing second. Without wasting another moment, she spoke complex and utterly unfamiliar words. The words flowed from her lips with flawless precision, each syllable causing the plate to hum faintly as ripples of light spread across its surface. Nearly a minute passed before the plate finally stabilized, its glowing surface transforming into a clear reflection.

A young man appeared within it. Blond hair. Blue eyes. He looked young perhaps in his twenties, but appearances could be deceiving. And both of them knew that.

The man looked toward the woman with a calm, professional expression before inclining his head slightly.

"Good evening, Madam."

The woman’s expression remained unchanged.

"Evening, Kaizer."

After a brief silence, Kaizer was the first to speak.

"They have vanished, Madam."

"Vanished?"

For the first time, the woman frowned. A subtle movement. But enough to make the atmosphere grow even heavier. Kaizer maintained his professional expression and continued his report without hesitation.

"I deployed the Twelfth Legion to search the surrounding ten thousand kilometres. At their current level, it should have been impossible for them to travel more than a hundred kilometres from the point of disappearance."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"As an added precaution, I exercised my authority and mobilized the entire legion. We expanded the search area a hundredfold in case the runes had malfunctioned."

His blue eyes remained steady as he delivered the final report.

"However..."

A brief silence.

"There was nothing, Madam."

His expression hardened slightly.

"It is as though... they simply vanished."

As she listened to Kaizer’s report, the woman’s frown deepened. Countless possibilities ran through her mind. Scenarios. Variables. Outcomes. Calculations so complex that even the greatest minds would need years to process them. And yet, for her. Not even a second passed.

After reaching her conclusion, she looked at Kaizer. And for the first time since this entire ordeal began. Her voice carried a trace of sincerity.

"Good work, Kaizer."

Kaizer’s expression remained professional, but his posture straightened ever so slightly. The woman continued.

"I’ll handle it from here."

Her icy gaze sharpened.

"Take the legion back. This much disturbance in the planets mana flow, it would be troublesome if someone realizes our forces are here."

Kaizer bowed his head without hesitation.

"Understood, Madam."

And with that, Kaizer’s projection vanished. The circular plate dimmed before disappearing from her palm as though it had never existed in the first place.

Once again, the woman stood alone in the silent hall. For nearly a minute, she remained motionless, her icy blue eyes unfocused as countless thoughts passed through her mind. Possibilities, calculations, conclusions each one processed faster than any mortal mind could ever comprehend.

Then, as though finally reaching an answer, she let out a quiet sigh. Without wasting another moment, she raised her hand once more.

The circular plate reappeared. But this time... the ritual was far more complex.

Complex words, far more intricate and unfamiliar than before, flowed from her lips with flawless precision. The symbols engraved across the plate began rotating at impossible speeds, layers of light folding into one another as if space itself was being forced open.

Then. She waited. Unlike before, this connection was taking far longer. Minutes passed. Then tens of minutes.

And eventually. An entire hour. Only then did the plate finally react. Its surface rippled, and a new projection slowly came to life. It was a man. Immaculately dressed.

White hair framed a youthful face completely untouched by age, not a single wrinkle visible anywhere upon his features. His deep crimson eyes stared directly at the woman without the slightest hint of hesitation.

Yet despite that intense gaze, his expression resembled that of a mischievous child who had just discovered a new toy.

The very moment his eyes landed on her, a playful grin spread across his face.