Hidden deep beneath the desert’s floor lay the Ant Nest—a sprawling underground village where the Scarletborn clan had made their home.0

"I can never get used to this," Idnik muttered, raising a brow as her eyes roamed the place.0

The cave, though dug into the unstable depths of the desert, was complete—everything the Scarletborn needed was already there.0

There is a school, a dining hall, a training ground… and a farm. How did they manage to build a farm underground? Idnik thought.0

“It is well made, right?” Allen said with a bright smile. “That farm stands because of a spell I learned from the Professor.”0

"What sort of spell would that be?” 0

“It’s called an artificial sun, and it was originally part of a midterm assignment. With a mana stone valued at around one hundred thousand elne, it can sustain a farm large enough to feed three hundred people for an entire year, and there’s groundwater beneath it all.”0

The artificial sun wasn’t anything elaborate—just a mana stone device positioned above the farm.0

“What about the money?”0

“It’s sustained through sponsorship.”0

“Hmm, fair enough.”0

The Scarletborn had built their fortune on the clan’s distinctive abilities, and lately there had been reports of sweeping inspections of the Scarletborn, but evading them wasn’t impossible, and since their money hadn’t disappeared, they weren’t likely to face hardship anytime soon.0

“But what if there’s a spy among those people?” Idnik asked.0

“It’s nothing to worry about. There are dozens of villages like this one. Even if one is exposed, it won’t trace back to the others. They’re completely isolated—structured as a cell organization,” Allen replied with a smile.0

“... Then this place isn’t where your high command is either, is it?”0

Allen understood what Idnik was trying to say and without speaking, he placed a hand on Idnik’s shoulder.0

At that moment…0

“It is here,” Allen said.0

It was a new space, deeper underground...0