Chapter 47: Arrival

“Great-grandma tightly clutched the food, lowered her head, and quickly ran through the crowd toward the Mage’s house. Even if someone bumped into her, she dared not interact too much with Humans, pulling her Hood down firmly.

But just then, Great-grandma saw that Forest Elf—the Elf she had waited for decades—right in the middle of a group of Humans.

The Humans surrounding him all wore silver armor, each holding a long spear and a large shield. At the front were eight Humans riding warhorses, and even those horses were clad in airtight armor.

The horses were several times larger than an average person. As they led the procession, an overwhelming Divine Pressure naturally split the crowd in two, making way for the group.

Great-grandma joyfully looked closely in the direction of the Forest Elf, about to rush over, but then she saw something on the Forest Elf that she was all too familiar with—something that filled her with immense fear.

A massive collar around his neck, chains on his hands, and three enormous iron balls dragging behind him. The combined size of these three iron balls was even larger than his own body.

He was confined in a very narrow cage, dragged through the streets by two warhorses. The iron cage scraped against the ground, producing a harsh, grating sound.

At that moment, Great-grandma was terrified and didn’t know what to do. That seemingly noble Forest Elf was locked in that small cage, disheveled and dirty. She recalled the days when she herself had been locked up and whipped by Humans.

Faintly, she overheard the surrounding Humans discussing among themselves.

‘That S-rank Adventurer Lianlin suddenly went mad, killing anyone he saw, no different from a demon.’

‘Wasn’t he a very kind Forest Elf? He cured my son’s illness in no time before.’

‘He’s gone insane. He destroyed the eastern city wall. So many people were wailing in agony—it was terrifying.’

It was then that Great-grandma learned his name was Lianlin.”

Qiqi stopped here abruptly. Zhai Guangyi and Xiong Er stared at her, full of curiosity, but Qiqi didn’t continue.

“What happened next?”

“The rest is too long. I’ve already told you how they met. It’s too late now, and we need to wake up early tomorrow to continue our journey. Let’s rest first.”

Qiqi stood up, stretched, and leaped onto a tree, leaning against the trunk to rest, completely ignoring Zhai Guangyi and the others.

“She’s angry. Zhai Guangyi, you’re not very useful.”

“Hey, it’s all because someone was being insensitive and suddenly interrupted. I’m going to sleep too. We still have to wake up early tomorrow!”

Zhai Guangyi also waved at Xiong Er, using Spirit Magic to quickly build a simple earthen hut, then using Wind Control to spread a thick layer of leaves on the ground.

This way, it wouldn’t be as cold. Although still uncomfortable, at least his frail body wouldn’t lose its warmth. Nights were bitterly cold, and he didn’t want to have to use a healing Magic on himself when he woke up tomorrow.

Although Xiong Er was a girl, her personality was more like a boy’s. She simply found a comfortable rock and sprawled out in an ungraceful starfish position, lying on it without a care.

Xiong Batian was responsible for the first half of the night watch, while the other Demon Humans took turns on guard duty. Almost everyone had a shift, with Zhai Guangyi taking the morning shift after waking up, allowing him to sleep soundly first.

As natives of the Forest, Xiong Batian and the others were skilled at concealing their scent and traces. The night passed peacefully, and when Zhai Guangyi woke up, the Fire Spirits above gave no warnings.

Early the next morning, everyone mounted the Storm Holy Wolves again and set off in a hurry. It would take about a full day to reach the Black Bear Clan. At full speed, the Storm Holy Wolves could get them there in two days.

As for the situation on Sylph’s side, while Little Husky Two was keeping watch on the east side of the river, he discovered that the Goblins had already begun assembling their army. Just as Zhai Guangyi had guessed, it seemed the forces behind Shabi were starting to move, preparing to take action against him.

The large number of Giant Goblins from before seemed insignificant now. Across the river, the Giant Goblins had gathered in the thousands—a terrifyingly large force.

With such numbers, they could likely chase the Demon Leopard Clan around hundreds of times over. Zhai Guangyi never expected they would gather so many just to deal with him.

Even if someone said they were preparing to march north to the Northern Mountain Range to slay a Giant Dragon, Zhai Guangyi would believe it. It seemed the forces behind Shabi took him very seriously. If it was just the Primordial Spirit they valued, that was one thing, but if they discovered the existence of the ‘World,’ Zhai Guangyi would be doomed.

The Unique Skill was likely something coveted by all the powerful beings in this World. Unfortunately, the Elven Body couldn’t withstand this Skill yet; otherwise, he would have taken Xiong Batian and the others and migrated. If they couldn’t win, they could at least run.

If things really came to the worst, he could have Sylph fight them head-on. With her thick health bar, long mana pool, and the ‘World’ System as support, it wouldn’t be a problem for Xiong Er and the others to escape with their Elven Bodies.

Whether Sylph survived or Zhai Guangyi survived, it still counted as survival. Sometimes, you had to let go of things you couldn’t hold onto to keep moving forward.

He ordered Little Husky Two and the others to increase patrols with Magical Beasts and report back immediately if anything happened. They were not to engage the Goblins lightly. If the Goblins attacked before Zhai Guangyi and the others returned with allies, they would abandon Sylph, abandon the ‘World,’ and have Little Husky Two and the others flee with Zhai Guangyi’s group.

Under Xiong Batian’s leadership, Zhai Guangyi and the others traveled safely for two days. Occasionally, they encountered some reckless Magical Beasts, but Xiong Batian, with her over ten thousand attack points, quickly taught them how to behave as proper Magical Beasts.

“This is the territory of the Black Bear Clan. It’s been a long time since I’ve been back.”

For Xiong Batian, this was also her hometown.

“Xiong Er, did you used to live here?”

“No memory of it.”

During the journey, Xiong Er had been very curious about the story of Qiqi’s great-grandmother, but Qiqi was somewhat sulky and refused to tell her. Since Zhai Guangyi often sided with Xiong Er, Qiqi wouldn’t tell him either. Zhai Guangyi could only shake his head helplessly.

“The Forest all looks pretty much the same. Except for the many bear claw marks on the trees here, there’s basically no difference.”

Xiong Er waved her hand dismissively, acting as if she no longer cared.

But at that moment, the Storm Holy Wolf beneath Zhai Guangyi began to growl with bared teeth, alerting everyone. They all turned simultaneously to stare into the pitch-black forest. Xiong Batian drew the Spiked Club from her side and held it horizontally in the center of everyone’s line of sight.