After making up his mind, Jeremy immediately began to prepare for his expedition to the Tower of Exile.
First, Jeremy took out all the weapons and items he possessed from his home.
This mission was fraught with peril, so Jeremy resolved to bring along all of his most powerful weapons. Additionally, some essential items were imperative to include as well.
"The Longsword of the Undying, the Dark Core, and the High-Dimensional Data Storage Device—these three are absolutely essential. Beyond that, I must also carry some provisions."
Jeremy promptly organized the items he intended to take with him.
However, having everything sorted did not mean he could commence his journey immediately.
For Jeremy was still confronted with another dilemma: should he bring a companion along for this venture?
Although Bonnie had not provided him with much assistance during the operation in the Land of Eternal Night.
She remained the only person he could truly trust in critical moments.
Without the intelligence that Bonnie had supplied him at pivotal times, Jeremy would not have been able to emerge unscathed from his venture in the Land of Eternal Night.
Thus, Jeremy felt it was prudent to select a companion for his journey into the Tower of Exile.
However, this time, he was unable to choose Bonnie once again.
On one hand, Bonnie was currently under the watchful eye of Benjamin.
On the other hand, Jeremy believed that he had a more suitable companion available.
The first person that came to Jeremy's mind as a potential partner was, of course, Ritchie.
Ritchie's relationship with Jeremy was exceptionally good.
Moreover, during their previous joint operations, whenever Jeremy found himself in peril, Ritchie would undoubtedly exert every effort to assist him.
When selecting a partner, trust was, of course, the most critical element to consider.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Jeremy swiftly made his choice for a companion.
"This time, I will team up with Ritchie! Furthermore, following our earlier experience in the Shadow Mine instance, Ritchie has significantly enhanced his abilities.
At the very least, his skill level in shadow manipulation has improved considerably compared to before. In the mission at the Tower of Exile, he can utilize shadows to help me gather more intelligence."
Having made his decision, Jeremy promptly arrived at Ritchie's doorstep.
Ritchie was somewhat surprised by Jeremy's visit.
To Ritchie's mind, Jeremy should have been occupied with assisting Claire and Emma in their class change. It seemed unlikely that Jeremy would have time to chat with him.
With a hint of confusion in his voice, Ritchie inquired of Jeremy.
"Have you come to me for something of great importance? Shouldn't you be assisting Claire and Emma with their class change right now?"
Jeremy did not respond to Ritchie's question, he simply entered Ritchie's home with his backpack in tow.
"We must ensure that there are no spies in your vicinity. Therefore, I will completely seal off your home. The upcoming conversation cannot be known to anyone else."
Ritchie stood up from the sofa and began pacing back and forth in his room.
"Isn't this risk a bit too great? As far as I know, every region within the Void Spirit World is exceedingly perilous. Additionally, the monsters and instances we currently face are all manifestations of the Void Spirit World.
The enemies we encounter in the Void Spirit World are bound to be far more powerful than we can possibly imagine. Are you truly prepared for this?"
After a moment of hesitation, Ritchie ultimately posed a crucial question to Jeremy.
In Ritchie's view, as long as Jeremy was adequately prepared, he would follow him into action without hesitation.
For Ritchie had always placed unwavering trust in Jeremy's judgment.
"I am fully prepared! All I need you to do is bring your weapon! I firmly believe that our mission will be a resounding success!"
Jeremy looked into Ritchie's eyes and spoke with unwavering conviction.
Upon hearing the response, Ritchie's anxious expression swiftly vanished.
With a smile on his face, Ritchie said,
"Then I will certainly join you in this endeavor! When do we leave?"
"We can depart immediately! However, we will not head directly to the Tower of Exile, first, we need to go to the Special Situations Bureau in the center of Moonlight City. There, we will be able to gather more information."
After delivering this statement, Jeremy led Ritchie to the Special Situations Bureau.
The state of the Special Situations Bureau remained largely unchanged from before, the director, Liam, had not informed anyone else about the anomalous map.
Upon seeing Jeremy and Ritchie again, Liam began to grasp Jeremy's plan.
"Have you genuinely decided to take him along instead of me?" Liam inquired, scrutinizing Ritchie from head to toe.
Although Liam had encountered Ritchie during the last operation, he hadn't paid much attention to him.
In Liam's eyes, Ritchie was merely a reasonably skilled player in the apocalypse game.
After hearing this, Ritchie's impression of Liam deteriorated even further.
Jeremy quickly interjected, "Ritchie and I have a remarkably seamless synergy. Thus, I believe it is best for me to partner with him during this perilous mission.
The only reason I came to see you was to request more information. If you have already shared everything you know with us, we will take immediate action."
Jeremy did not dwell on the issue of partnerships.
He also did not wish for Liam to fixate on the matter any longer.
Liam nodded, acknowledging, "The degree of synergy between partners is indeed of paramount importance. With the two of you working together as a team to enter the Tower of Exile, I am confident that you will be able to fulfill our plan.
I have no further intelligence to provide, but I will allow you to take the anomalous map with you. The Special Situations Bureau can no longer seal the anomalous map.
Perhaps by returning the anomalous map to the Tower of Exile, we can entirely eliminate the threat it poses to us."
As he spoke, Liam handed a briefcase to Jeremy.
"The anomalous map is contained within this briefcase! The seal on the briefcase can hold for approximately half a day! After that, the anomalous map will break free from the briefcase's confinement!"