With the help of the Latreia family, Wood and his group quickly gathered a lot of information about the Fittoa region.
This teleportation disaster was massive, affecting nearly the entire Fittoa region.
Just as Wood had predicted, the disaster occurred too suddenly, and the Asura Kingdom had no idea what caused it.
As a result, to calm the people's anger, someone had to take the fall as a scapegoat to prevent a rebellion.
And the unlucky one chosen to be that scapegoat was none other than the former lord, Sauros Boreas—Eris' grandfather.
When Philip learned this news, he collapsed to the ground, unable to bear the blow.
His father, Sauros, was dead. The Fittoa region was essentially gone, and the Asura royal family had stripped the Boreas family of their noble status as a direct consequence of the disaster.
In other words, Philip and Hilda were no longer nobles of the Asura Kingdom. Worse yet, if they returned to the Fittoa region, they might even be executed due to their connection with Sauros.
As for Wood's father, Paul, with Clea's help, they were able to track down his whereabouts.
When the teleportation disaster occurred, Paul was transported to the southern part of the Asura Kingdom. With the help of a friend, he formed the "Fittoa Region Search Party," whose goal was to find the missing family members.
Upon learning Paul's location, Zenith immediately sent a letter to the Asura Kingdom, requesting that he come to the Holy Milis Kingdom to reunite with them.
Soon after locating Paul, Clea also used her countess status to search through the lists of displaced persons in the surrounding countries. This led them to find Lilia in the Kingdom of Shirone.
At this point, the only member of the Greyrat family whose whereabouts remained unknown was the eldest son, Rudeus. The rest were either on their way to reunite or had already been located.
Even though the Latreia family had mobilized significant resources and manpower, they still couldn't find Rudeus' whereabouts.
Just as Wood and the others were growing more and more worried, fearing that Rudeus might have been transported to a dangerous place like they were, unexpected news about Rudeus' whereabouts came to light.
This time, the information didn't come through the Latreia family's network but from an adventurer in the guild.
This adventurer had recently completed a mission in the Great Forest near the border of the Milis Continent. It was there that he encountered Rudeus, Eris, and a demon with a long spear.
When Wood had posted the request at the Adventurers' Guild, he had provided portraits of Rudeus and the others.
The adventurer, after returning to the Holy Milis Kingdom, saw the A-rank requests and realized he had encountered them in the Great Forest.
At that time, the Great Forest's beastfolk were in conflict with outsiders, and Rudeus and Eris were supporting the beastfolk. Even though they were young, the two displayed remarkable strength, leaving a deep impression on the adventurer.
The so-called "Great Forest" is the vast expanse of woodland between the Demon Continent and the Milis Continent.
Besides the beastfolk, the Long-Eared Tribe and Dwarves also inhabit this forest. The homeland of Ghislaine, whom Wood knew, is located here.
After learning the whereabouts of their family members, Wood and Zenith decided to split up to reunite with them as quickly as possible.
Lilia, who was imprisoned in the royal palace of the Kingdom of Shirone, wasn't in immediate danger, so Wood decided that once Paul arrived in the Holy Milis Kingdom, they would go to Shirone and bring Lilia back.
As for Rudeus and Eris in the Great Forest, the beastfolk are fierce warriors and highly distrustful of outsiders, so the danger level was higher. Wood chose to go there himself to help them.
From the adventurer's description, Wood also suspected that the demon traveling with Rudeus was likely from the infamous "Superd Tribe."
Wood had read enough books to know that the Superd Tribe was universally despised. Known as the "Green-Haired Demons," their fearsome reputation was enough to silence even the most unruly children.
The capital of the Holy Milis Kingdom wasn't far from the Great Forest. Though it would take several days by carriage, it would be no trouble for the Demon Wolf King.
So, the next day, after preparing his supplies, Wood set off at high speed on the Demon Wolf King, heading for the Great Forest.
Meanwhile, Rudeus and his companions were staying with the beastfolk tribe as guests. They had helped the beastfolk repel invading slave traders and protect the sacred beast, earning them a warm welcome.
Having set their sights on reaching the Central Continent, Rudeus and his group were also looking for clues about the whereabouts of their other family members as they traveled from the Demon Continent to the Great Forest.
However, the areas they traveled through, both the Demon Continent and the Great Forest, were home to various races, with very few humans. As a result, they gathered little information.
Stranded in an unfamiliar land and feeling lost, Rudeus one day fell into a deep sleep and found himself in a strange dream, where he encountered a mysterious figure dressed entirely in white, with no visible features.
The figure claimed to be the "Human God," omniscient and omnipotent.
At first, Rudeus was wary and skeptical of this "Human God."
Not only was the figure's origin unknown, but the fact that they could appear directly in his consciousness made Rudeus, whose mental acuity far surpassed that of an ordinary boy, deeply uneasy.
The "Human God" claimed to be all-knowing and all-powerful, but it seemed they could only appear in Rudeus' dreams. Despite his reservations, the information provided by the "Human God" was uncannily accurate.
In an effort to gain Rudeus' trust, the "Human God" gave Rudeus his first piece of advice, which led him to encounter Kishirika.
Following the "Human God's" guidance, Rudeus received the blessing of Kishirika, who gifted him the demon eye—specifically, the Eye of Foresight.
Thanks to this initial piece of advice, Rudeus began to trust the "Human God" more, and whenever he found himself in dire situations, the "Human God" would appear to offer advice.
Of course, Wood also sought the "Human God's" guidance regarding the whereabouts of his family.
However, after allowing Rudeus to benefit from free advice once, the "Human God" made it clear that he would not continue to offer his help for free.
To get more answers from the "Human God," Rudeus would have to agree to certain conditions or follow the "Human God's" instructions in future actions.
*******
P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 400+ at p@treon.com/Betek (@->a)