Mo City in the Northwest

After entering Wu Si City, the chaos finally subsided now that the battle was over. Yet black smoke still rose from many places. It had not been caused by the Amethyst Winged Lion King, but by people.

Sometimes, the human heart was far more terrifying than Magical Beasts...

I shook my head, filled with emotion. Once I reached the City Lord's Mansion, I no longer feared Mo Wang and stayed there for three days. During that time, I paid a visit to Yun Yun, who was also staying at the City Lord's Mansion. Her injuries were not serious, and after three days of recuperation, she was nearly recovered.

The Shop Manager of the Nalan Family's store in Wu Si City also came to the City Lord's Mansion to pay me a visit and invited me to stay at the store. Naturally, I refused. I merely wrote a letter detailing what I had promised the Rui Er Family and had him deliver it to my father before sending him away.

That morning, I was cultivating in my room when a set of footsteps sounded outside. I quietly opened my eyes.

The door was pushed open, revealing a burly figure with a resolute face. It was none other than Wu Si City's lord—Mo Wang!

I raised my brows and examined him closely. He was not wearing armor today, only casual clothes. The expression on his face was difficult to describe, exceedingly complicated.

I could not help but chuckle softly. His expression did not matter, nor did what he thought in his heart. What mattered was his actions—since he had come, he had naturally agreed.

Mo Wang held an exquisite wooden box and a Ring of Holding. He walked steadily up to me, set the items down, and only then said, "The Ring of Holding was given by the Rui Er Family."

I realized something, and my gaze locked onto the small box.

I licked my lips and picked up the wooden box with slightly trembling hands. Opening it, I saw a purple-red crystal lying quietly inside, shining brilliantly and dazzlingly. It was even more eye-catching than all the jewels in my mother's jewelry box.

A Sixth-Order Magic Core. Th-this was a Sixth-Order Magic Core? A treasure that countless people could go their entire lives without ever laying eyes on!

I swallowed helplessly and stared at it foolishly for a long while. What a pity, what a pity. I could not swallow this Magic Core—it had to be given to Yun Yun...

Painfully, I closed the box and sighed. Fortunately, there was still a Ring of Holding. Though a Magical Beast's body was not as precious as its Magic Core, it was still worth a great deal.

I picked up the Ring of Holding and sent my awareness into it. There, I "saw" the Amethyst Winged Lion King's corpse already neatly divided up—its wings, hide, tendons, horns, meat, bones, and more, all carefully arranged within the ring.

I felt somewhat excited, but also sorrowful and afraid. Perhaps it was the grief of one creature seeing another meet its end. Back then, the Amethyst Winged Lion King had been so mighty, soaring through the blue skies and defeating Yun Yun twice, forcing her to flee in panic.

Yet it had still died. And after death, it was no different from a pig or dog, carved up so neatly by people...

I withdrew my awareness and fell silent for a time. Stroking the Ring of Holding and the little box, I realized that I was not actually very happy.

So obtaining treasure could not make someone happy?

But when I found treasure in that cliff cave in the Monster Mountain Range last time, I had been very happy. I frowned and pondered for a long while before suddenly realizing why. Little Fairy Doctor had been by my side then, while this time—I was all alone.

So sharing brought me more happiness than gaining something? I understood a little and sighed. I wondered who would be able to stay by my side the next time I found treasure.

I gathered my thoughts and looked up at Mo Wang. After a pause, I asked, "City Lord Mo, about that matter..."

Mo Wang said nothing more. He simply knelt on one knee before me and said, "My lord."

This fellow was straightforward. Once he had made up his mind, he did not hesitate in the slightest. Perhaps it was precisely this temperament that had made him such an outstanding general.

My expression turned solemn. Rising to my feet, I walked in front of Mo Wang, drew my sword from the Ring of Holding, and laid it across his right shoulder. In a deep voice, I said, "Mo Wang, are you willing to become my follower?"

Mo Wang lowered his head, so I could not see his expression. He remained silent, his body beginning to tremble faintly. Only after a long time did he say, "I am willing."

It seemed he was still somewhat unwilling, but so what? I looked down at Mo Wang and said solemnly, "Very well, Mo Wang. From now on, you are the follower of me—Nalan Ye."

"From this day onward, you shall share in the glory of the Nalan Family with me, and fight alongside me to protect the Nalan Family's glory!"

Another three days passed, and Wu Si City had completely settled down. But that was only on the surface. Several hundred had been killed or wounded in this conflict, and the pain in the hearts of those who had lost loved ones would still need time to heal.

Faced with the rising Rui Er Family, the other Three Great Families had already formed an alliance. Would the Rui Er Family rise up and dominate Wu Si City alone, or would the alliance of the three families achieve the final victory? That too would require time.

Of course, there was also my illustrious reputation. At my instruction, both the City Lord's Mansion of Wu Si City and the Four Great Families announced to the public that I had commanded the battle six days ago.

Leading seventeen hundred soldiers, fighting shoulder to shoulder with the Yun Lan Sect Master, and killing a Rank 6 Magical Beast—how imposing was that? As time passed, my reputation would spread throughout the entire Gamma Empire!

Compared to that, Mo Wang resigning as City Lord and leaving with me was probably the least noticeable matter. After all, once one City Lord left, the imperial court would simply send another to take office.

On the back of the Flying Magical Beast leaving Wu Si City, I handed an exquisite little box to Yun Yun and said with a smile, "Senior, this is the Amethyst Winged Lion King's Magic Core. Please keep it safe."

Yun Yun did not stand on ceremony and waved it into her Ring of Holding. She had completely recovered, her complexion rosy. Standing atop the Flying Magical Beast, her moon-white dress fluttered in the wind, her long black hair streaming behind her. She looked like an immortal.

After a moment of silence, she gazed into the distance and asked softly, "What do you want me to do on this journey?"

I had helped Yun Yun once in the Monster Mountain Range, and by her own account, she owed me a favor. This trip—I intended to have her repay it.

I glanced up at the sky and shook my head. "Senior, I cannot speak of it yet. But I promise it will not put you in a difficult position."

She did not ask further. After a brief silence, she turned and returned to the tent. I shook my head, somewhat dispirited, then returned to my own tent and began cultivating cross-legged.

More than ten days passed without a word. The Flying Magical Beast had reached the Northwest Territory of the empire, where the boundless Tagor Desert lay, as well as the Snake-People Queen who stirred limitless fantasies in men...

We dismounted the Flying Magical Beast in a city near the desert. This city's style was vastly different from Gama City, though it somewhat resembled cities like Wu Si City and Wutan City near the Monster Mountain Range—rugged and bold, yet still distinctly different.

The most obvious difference was the way people dressed. Most of the men here wore only loose shorts, their dark, sturdy upper bodies bare.

The women dressed just as lightly. They wore only two narrow strips of cloth, one wrapped around their upper bodies and one around their lower bodies, exposing large swaths of skin. It was completely unlike the conservative fashion within the empire, where people seemed eager to cover even their necks.

Mo Wang looked around curiously, though there was more scrutiny than curiosity in his eyes. He said in a deep voice, "...My lord, what have we come to Mo City for?"

I too curiously surveyed this city in the empire's northwest. Hearing that, I laughed heartily. "Mo City has not only fiery little beauties, but also an old man who sells maps. He is quite interesting too!"