From all the documents that he found thanks to Neil's assistant, all the information referenced a location with extreme heat, and the only location that he could even think of was the Fieros Girdle given that it's home to a number of volcanoes but the only problem was that he would surely pass out from the heat or fall into one of the random lava pitfalls. All the problems that he has accounted for were just simple things the actual problem was finding the stone and making it out intact or with minimal damage to him and whatever he has with him. Even with the gear that he gathered it might not have been enough given that he's never really had a reason to explore this area until today that was but then again with all the information that he was available to him from the locals the places is just rich with mana. Azure was decked out in a suit that would help him deal with the heat although it was proto-type he had faith it would hold just long enough he pulled out his notepad just to make sure that he was current on the location of the stone also which summon would be the most useful in this situation. "Okay, girl I need you to find a nice place that won't be too hot for you." A rather simple request given that he would need her ready to swoop in and get him if things took a turn. This expedition was fully planned out down to the last hair, seeing that this wasn't his normal field of work it had some holes in it naturally.  

Just standing outside the area, he could feel the heatwaves which was a sign that he would have to have relied on his summons more than he would like to for this mission. The landscape was just as pitch back as all the reports had stated with the only light coming from the magma that spewed out every so often. Okay, that's enough sight-eyeing time to get my prize, he told himself as he marches into the heat dome while simultaneously activating his cold suit. The suit was powered by three ice lacrimas and enchantment that would prevent his own body from frozen from the lacrimas which was thanks to Neil's new lover who was a skilled tailor and enchanter but more so the first one than the second. The exact time limit that he was given was about an hour or so much if he was getting close he could pump his own mana into the lacrimas for a certain time as to how long was up to him if anything.

The magma was flying everywhere each time he looked up so he wasn't about to waste any more time with his normal tactics. If the stone was a well of mana it would be best to follow the strongest flow of mana in the area, With his magic finding a large flow of mana would be no problem at all.

510/1400

Azure wasn't even at the center of the fiery hell but following mana wasn't something that was a skill that he practiced or anything like that and factoring in his time frame with the suit he had to work fast so he didn't cook himself alive. The volcanoes had started to pump out more and more magma as he ventured deeper into the volcanic zone, the suit was holding up rather well given it was the constant rise in the temperature and danger level but mostly the temperature as it seemed as though the whole place was trying to test his endurance and overall resolve to get this stone. "Oh, man who knew it be so hard to track mana eh?" A statement that was more true than he would have wanted it to be but then again what was he supposed to do when the mana in this location is just so frantic and massive at the same time doing something like that would require him to have been practicing this for more than a few seconds.

As he allowed the mana to guide him through the hellscape was becoming easier yet more of a challenge with other flows trying to distract him from the main he followed Maybe I should train this more? He asked himself, as it was a good skill to have in case something is behind hidden behind strong magic. Roughly an hour and a half had gone by scenes he made his way into this hell hole and he managed to lose and then find the strong flow of mana twice give or take getting turned around a few times, with the number of active volcanos growing more and more by the minute. Everything in Azure's body was telling him to turn back and but he knew that if he did then he would never get the payday that wanted from this fine. The suit was holding up much better than he thought it would have though a part of him still had its doubts about making it out with all his limbs still covered in flesh and well attached to him. By this point, he had found himself in front of a large volcano that was oddly enough not active which was more than weird given that all the others were trying to kill him at every step. The clear blue sky had now been replaced with dark storm-like clouds and black snow though this volcano was somehow sound asleep and that meant that this must have been where the stone was or at least housed given its odd situation.

Azure looked back on his notes regarding the stone and nothing in it ever mentioned it having any effect on the environment Oh I see now this is getting interesting, he thought to himself as he felt the suite start to lose its cool. It was now clear to him that the stone had to be somewhere deep within it

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With the stone now close at hand Azure just need to simply find it and make it out of this location in one piece even though he was running on borrowed time now he had to see this through to the end and make sure that he was getting his money's worth. As he made his way towards the sleeping death trap he started to running through his summons to see who would be able to help him look for this while also protecting him from anything that might be lurking within it. Okay, you got this it's a super-simple plan go in and get out with the stone, the childlike side of him was thrilled to about entering the dormant volcano while the other half was more focused on the dangers that came after making a away inside. The inside of the mountain was more or less empty no molten rock or any trace of it that he could see that is. Azure felt that finding the stone would take three days given just how massive the place was but then again the energy that flowed through this place was rather weird as he could see it around him in the smallest of quantities ever few feet. Closing his eyes helped with the tracking as it seemed as though the flow was being generated from a single point within this place, The flow of energy was coming from below him but once again had he been more skilled in this the exact location would have been included in his detection.

It was odd, he could feel his summons trying to inform him of something, but he couldn't really tell without them being next to him, which was new as normally he they would summon themselves if it was important. The child-like side of him found all this to be rather fun given it was like walking into a surprise while already knowing what the surprise is. Getting closer to the stone meant having to focus even harder to make sure the mana wasn't leading him away from it. After what seemed like days of walking the scholar finally made it to the prize room so to speak, Okay this is it I finally made it the core of all I have to do is grab it and go, he thought to himself as the adult part of didn't really account for anything that would happen after removing the stone. As he held the stone he could feel a rather faint trace of magic coming from it almost as though it had been disconnected from its power source, but he didn't have time to waste as the whole place seemed to spring alive after removing it. The informant rushed four of the now active volcano with stone in hand and called for his mount to save him from meeting a rather fiery fate.

400
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