This time, the destination didn't require a long journey across mountains and seas.

Ronald and the other two set out at night, already close to the journey's end; with their speed, they spotted a city built on the mountain's side before dawn.

Without a doubt, this should be the territory ruled by the [Nine Commandments Secret Meeting].

And as the city's furthest point on the border, it likely has the most stringent external defenses.

Ronald and his group have countermeasures for such foreseeable circumstances.

Catherine's Perception Confusion Spell is the best choice; the three prepared and began their descent.

The closer they got to the city, Ronald even started to see the guards standing at the city gate. Even at dawn, the guards vigilantly defended the city.

Then, the scene in front of Ronald suddenly changed.

About a kilometer from the city, the three's position suddenly shifted, from nearby to over three kilometers away. Things still clear just moments ago regained their blur.

"Space interference? How is this possible?"

Among the three, Ronald was the most puzzled by such a phenomenon.

The change implied space-related interference.

But as the holder of Bradshaw's Railway Guide, theoretically, Ronald can negate any time and space spell interference when unwilling.

So, how was he thrown here?

Could there be something in this city below that could deceive the artifact's judgment on his intent, achieving such an effect?

Catherine was intrigued by Ronald's surprise:

"Surprised? It's just being thrown back, isn't it?"

Ronald promptly explained:

"Being thrown back is one thing, but Catherine, I possess a time-space interference defense artifact, this phenomenon is abnormal!"

Upon hearing this, Catherine raised an eyebrow.

A thought already formed in her mind, but she's not rushing a conclusion:

"In that case, an experiment needs doing first. Ronald, you hold the rear here; I'll go try something."

Without waiting for Ronald's response, Catherine acted.

She ensured a certain distance from the city, landed on the ground, picked up some clumps and shards, tossing them at the border she was thrown back from. After a while, she used animals and insects for the same test.

During this operation, no reaction occurred; everything was smoothly thrown in.

Catherine stood in place thinking for a moment.

Then she caught a rabbit, chanted a spell to transform it into a mechanical lifeform under her control, and tossed it over.

This time, there was a significant result.

The altered rabbit's fate mirrored Ronald's; crossing the boundary instantaneously made the mechanical rabbit disappear, reappearing far from the city.

This discovery highly encouraged Catherine.

She immediately retrieved the mechanical rabbit, repeating the process several times, with identical outcomes each round.

For mere condition assessment, the experiment suffices.

But Katrina isn't satisfied yet.

So once more, she seized the mechanical rabbit.

This time, instead of letting it advance, she found a rock, fastened it to the mechanical leg, and instructed the mechanical creature to throw the stone out.

"…"

The air before Katrina was silent.

The rock tossed by the mechanical rabbit contradicted previous results; it too was repelled by the city's spell, appearing at a distant location!

Facing this outcome, Katrina's expression turned grave.

She herself picked up a few stones, tossing them again, the result replicating the repulsion.

"Is it really so…"

Whispering to herself, Katrina placed the mechanical rabbit on the ground.

Then a magic fluctuation flashed and vanished across her body, and this time, both she and the rabbit moved forward.

The result—Katrina was naturally thrown out.

Strangely, though, the mechanical rabbit wasn't thrown; just like things she'd left unaltered before, it smoothly went inside!

"This is truly troublesome!"

Standing three kilometers afar, Katrina exhaled deeply, completed her experiment, and flew back to Ronald's side in the air: 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"Ronald, did you notice anything strange from above?"

Ronald described everything he witnessed in detail.

"The experiment just now posed no issues; you maintained awareness throughout; here's how it went…"

Attentively, Katrina listened.

After Ronald's recount halted, she pondered for minutes before asserting her most prudent judgment:

"The situation now is somewhat troublesome."

"Ronald, it's indeed not a space-interference spell, which explains why your artifact's defense didn't activate."

Ronald cast doubt on this conclusion:

"But whether us or the experiments you just conducted, the change in spatial position is tangible—this defies common sense!"

"Because it's a cause-and-effect ability," Katrina declared the conclusion directly, "controlling one's position isn't exclusive to space-time spells and can also be achieved by cause-and-effect magic."

"Externally, records might be scant, but at Barrier Mountain, it's quite a high-level spell research goal."

As the explanation deepened, Katrina's expression grew more severe:

"Recall my previous experiments?"

"Whether rock or rabbit, or the ones I transformed, they were subject to either influence or exemption. The trigger for this reaction genuinely resides within cause-and-effect constraint."

Explaining up to this point, Ronald understood the situation; with faint hope, he continued to inquire:

"What's the restriction for spell influence?"

Katrina pointed at her head, then at the rabbit, already within the range yet not transmitted:

"Hostile intent. Those with hostility trigger the mechanism, whereas without it, they don't. For instance, the rabbit I created; once I relinquished control, it managed to venture inside independently."

Assuming this state, Katrina transformed, akin to a scholar immersed in research, continuing with her other judgments:

"Besides, Ronald, this is atypical!"

"Standard cause-and-effect magic triggers based on actions, not the intruders' thoughts as the starting point."

"Hence, what we encountered wasn't purely cause-and-effect magic; it mingled with rule-defined constraints, crafting its present form!"