Dungeon Raider System
Chapter 697 - 697: A little request Part 3

Nika mentioning the students were ready in front of everyone was actually a means to inform Uriel he needed to start making the preparations needed to set up the expedition without letting everyone else he was the one actually in charge of the expedition.

Without wasting any more time, Uriel exited the campus and the city in what could be considered record time, but it wasn't until he got outside the city's line of sight that he actually picked up speed by activating his Dash skill.

Riding the jaguar spirit could have been a better choice, but since he would be outside the city for a couple days and would be unable to train with his study group he decided it was best to make the most out of his travel.

[System notice] Physical training level 3 has been complete.

Uriel grinned as he made his way throughout the wilderness with an ease only a veteran ranger could display. He wasn't a ranger for long, but he thought dearly of the time he spent learning with Truesight and the other rookies. It wasn't the people what caused him to be fond of those memories, though, and he couldn't care any less about the fate of the rangers.

What he actually cared about was the knowledge itself.

He learned how to follow tracks, how to move undetected by cryptids and more importantly, he also learned how to move fast through the harsh terrain. The technique was simple enough as he just needed to keep his momentum, though the practice was what actually made the difference.

Tumbling on the ground after jumping over a rock wasn't just to brag about his heavenly rank prowess as it allowed him to keep the forward momentum or even increase it. Time was of the essence because as soon as night fell Uriel would be running blind while most creatures would be able to spot him.

Taking detours to sort major obstacles may have seemed like a waste of precious time, but although it was counter intuitive, running in the open was the safest choice. It made him an easy target, but most cryptids were opportunistic ambush predators.

Rangers had many sayings, one of the most important was 'the difference between prey and predator is who spots the enemy first'.

"Those are words to live by." Uriel said as the megacity of Hollywood came into sight. Unfortunately for Uriel, there was no way he could get inside the city without announcing his arrival since he needed to meet with the city governor no less.

"Uriel, what a nice surprise." Lister greeted Uriel with a hug as soon as he entered the office.

"Was this really necessary?" Uriel grunted as he showed the handcuffs they placed on him.

"What do you want me to say? You've made many enemies in the past few months." Lister shrugged, then nodded at Halstead to release him.

"I've been minding my own business."

"And it just so happened that your business was killing other hunters," Lister chuckled then continued with a sharp gaze. "why did you come back now of all times?"

"I'm about to lead an academic expedition to find archaeological remains. I need your permission and as many detectives as you can spare." Uriel explained.

"I refuse, it was good seeing you. You know the way out, right?" Lister asked after returning to his desk and noticing Uriel remained standing.

"You owe me!"

"I don't. Our arrangement was clear from the beginning, I let you deal with the remnant members of the society and in return I didn't trial you for murder. Besides, I'm not as naive as to believe you will be doing an academic investigation. You'll just grab whatever artifacts you find and sell them to the higher bidder. Or will you deny it?" Lister asked.

"Why do you care? The expedition will take course in the Mojave desert, your hunters will never set foot in there." Uriel grunted.

"Why didn't you start with that? Then I'll grant you your request." Lister nodded.

"I get it, there's no need to be sarcastic." Uriel fumbled. Without Lister's approval, the expedition will not only be delayed but he would also need to figure out different waypoints to follow in order to reach his destination. It was a setback, but there was nothing Uriel could do about it, or so he thought.

"I believe the governor isn't being sarcastic, Mister Sage." Halstead butted in.

"He's not?" Uriel asked dumbfounded.

"I'm not. There's actually something I need your help with, it's nothing much... just a small ask in return for giving you permission to raid our artifacts." Lister said with a cunning grin.

"How are they yours if you didn't even know if they exist in the first place?"

"They're in my territory, everything in the vicinity belongs to this megacity and this megacity alone. Even if I had no plans to unearth whatever trinkets or weapons you may find, they're better off sealed underground than in enemy hands." Lister explained his reasoning.

"That's nonsense! Artifacts are meant to be found and their existence shared with the world. That's the point of this expedition."

"And I'm sure you share the existence of all the artifacts in your possession. Just for your information, I'm being sarcastic now," Lister said as he handed Uriel a small folder. "this is my request, you can check it out later. Oh! And don't forget to stop by the Cryptid hunting agency to grab the information you may need about the desert. It's not much, but it's better than walk in empty handed."

"Whatever." Uriel snatched the folder from Lister's hand and exited the office.

"Are you sure about this?" Halstead asked the governor.

"If I'm right, everything will be fine, but if I'm wrong it won't make any difference. It's not like he knows anyway," Lister shrugged and went back to his documents, only to continue after a short pause. "It's funny, though... of all the places he could have chosen to explore, he went and picked the exact place we are currently investigating. Would you call that a coincidence?"