The two talked for a while.
Perhaps because of Li Shaolin's kinship with Karnak, or perhaps for some other reason, Sulonna laid everything out without holding anything back—Defias power distributions in Westfall and Elwynn Forest, the experts they had, all of it. It turned out that seven squad leaders jointly governed Elwynn Forest: Frost Sulonna; Great Axe Erland, Sulonna's former lover, whom he had killed at Blackwell's Pumpkin Patch; Whisperer Morgan, the Receiver, whom he had also killed at Blackwell's Pumpkin Patch; Twin Blades Soros; Worm Jack; Cunning Mogani, the commander with the greatest sphere of influence in western Elwynn Forest; and the Defias Dock Supervisor, a Goblin.
After hearing this, Li Shaolin couldn't help clicking his tongue in disbelief. Six of the seven great squad leaders had died by his hand. Could fate truly not be defied? If VanCleef found out, he would probably skin him alive. Just thinking about it sent a chill down his spine.
"After this, Elwynn Forest will probably be in chaos for quite a while," Sulonna said with a smile. "How about coming with me to the Deadmines to meet VanCleef?"
"That probably wouldn't be a good idea." Though he answered aloud, Li Shaolin thought to himself, I'm already trying to hide from him. How could I dare go see him?
"Since you have nothing else to do, why not come with me to Fabron's Farm? Benny Blanco is in charge there now, one of Westfall's three great powers. He and Erland used to get along well, and the two of them had even planned to join forces to seize Sartin's Farm." At the mention of Erland, Sulonna looked somewhat sorrowful. They had been husband and wife, after all. There had been some affection between them.
"Fabron's Farm? All right, I'll go with you. I happen to need to retrieve something for a friend there." At the mention of Fabron's Farm, Li Shaolin recalled what Farmer Fabron had said: his Pocket Watch had been left behind there. He could take the chance to look for it at Fabron's home and see what timekeeping tools in this world looked like. Besides, he did feel somewhat guilty toward Sulonna. After all, he had killed her husband.
With their plans settled, the two headed for Fabron's Farm while it was still early. They certainly couldn't remain in this little house. The five vengeful spirits within the Pentagram had lost their supply of blood, and after transforming into Ghosts, who knew how strong they might become? It was better to leave quickly.
Before leaving, Li Shaolin went down to the basement and brought out the first-tier skeleton from the Bronze Coffin, returning it to the Book of the Dead. The spirit-gathering magic array truly was miraculous. In just one day, that first-tier Skeleton Warrior had advanced to the second tier, though its previously accumulated experience had surely helped.
After storing all three skeletons in the Book of the Dead, he kept only the Clay Golem by his side. After some thought, he also strapped the Gemmed Dagger taken from Mogani to his waist before leaving with Sulonna.
"Look at how you're dressed. It's such a mess," Sulonna said, covering her mouth as she laughed.
Li Shaolin rolled his eyes at her and couldn't be bothered to respond.
"Let's go this way. If we cut diagonally through here, we'll reach Fabron's Farm. No need to take the long way around on the Official Road." Sulonna pointed at the map in Li Shaolin's hand.
Yellow-orange dead grass grew everywhere, rising past their knees. Bare-trunked birch trees stood scattered among it, and beneath the blazing sun, the two figures walked slowly onward.
Although the Clay Golem led the way and cleared away most of the weeds, some thorny stalks still clung to their robes and snagged at their feet.
"This is really hard going." Li Shaolin wiped the sweat from his forehead. Looking at the increasingly fierce sun, he took out some water, handed a bottle to Sulonna, and began drinking deeply himself.
"Oh, please. You should know that everyone in Westfall lives like this. Other than the coast and the farms, every place is covered in weeds," Sulonna replied.
"Woooooo—" A long cry rang out.
"Careful!" Sulonna's expression changed as she drew her staff.
"What is it?" Li Shaolin had naturally heard the cry as well, but it didn't sound like a beast. It sounded more like some kind of bird.
With a whoosh, Sulonna cast the warlock shield skill, Demon Skin. At the same time, she warned him, "Watch the sky. That's the cry of Carrion Birds. These raptors often appear in large flocks and dare to attack any living creature. They're very dangerous."
As if to confirm her words, another cry rang out. Four creatures over a meter tall had landed atop a huge bare birch tree ahead. They had sharp, hooked beaks and brown feathers. Most striking were their bald reddish-brown heads and long necks as they glared viciously at the pair. The cry had come from one of the larger birds.
"Watch their claws and beaks. They can easily tear through cowhide," Sulonna warned.
"They're that strong?" Li Shaolin was genuinely surprised. These ugly, vulture-like creatures didn't look impressive at all, yet they possessed such strength? He didn't dare let down his guard, hurriedly summoned Bone Shield, and condensed two Bone Fangs.
Yet the four Carrion Birds merely stared at them without making any move to attack.
Li Shaolin found this strange and asked, "Isn't this a little odd? Did you notice?"
"I'm not sure. They're too disgusting-looking. I rarely fought them before." Women were naturally inclined that way; Sulonna didn't much like dealing with ugly things.
"Awoo!!" A fierce howl followed.
"Damn, Gnolls! So these creatures were planning to wait for the Gnolls to fight us first." Sulonna's expression shifted slightly as she looked to one side.
Sure enough, behind the large tree was a small campfire. Three Gnolls sat around it, while one sentry had already spotted them and was howling away excitedly.
Li Shaolin immediately took out the Book of the Dead and released three skeletons amid black light. This was no time to joke around. Staying alive came first.
At the sentry's cries, the other Gnolls also noticed them. A burst of howls rose up as they rushed over to surround them, while the scout who had spotted them first charged at the front, as though they were a tasty meal already in its grasp.
Sizzle! Frostbolt! Sulonna, who had prepared in advance, fired the spell. Immediately afterward, two Bone Fangs shot through the air and pierced the Gnoll scout's chest.
"Awoo!!" The Gnoll scout let out a shrill cry. It was badly wounded, and before it could take another step, the Clay Golem met it head-on. Slow activated, and under the effects of Frostbolt's slowing and the slow aura, the creature's movements instantly became snail-like. The golem punched it squarely in the chest, smashing it to the ground. It could only whimper and was unable to get back up.
One exchange had brought down a Gnoll, startling the others behind it. Before they could react, Li Shaolin raised his finger again and cast Lesser Blindness. The Gnoll in the middle suddenly saw darkness and spun in place, losing all sense of direction. At the same time, a black skull lit up above the head of the Gnoll on the left—Sulonna had cast Fear Spell. Its legs kept moving as it ran wildly across the flat wasteland, forced off to one side. In the blink of an eye, two of the three charging Gnolls had been controlled, leaving only the one on the right to charge in foolishly.
Li Shaolin and Sulonna exchanged a smile. They truly were in perfect sync.
Before the Gnoll on the right could arrive, the Bronze Skeleton moved and met it head-on. Its massive bronze shield blocked the Gnoll's Sharp Claw, and a harsh scrape rang out as claws scratched across the shield. Then the Bronze Blade slashed down at an angle, leaving a bloody gash in its shoulder.
The Gnoll howled in pain. Before it could react, the bronze shield swept out again, knocking it stumbling to the ground. Another blade thrust followed, piercing its heart.
The Gnoll affected by Li Shaolin's Lesser Blindness had only just recovered when two black curved blades flashed out behind it. They slid across its neck in a single pull and cut, and it fell soundlessly to the ground. An instant kill!
Sulonna watched with a shiver of alarm. The Scourge skeletons this boy summoned were incredibly formidable. During the fight in the room, she had been exhausted and wounded by Twin Blades Soros, lingering in a half-conscious state. She had not witnessed the skeletons fight. Now, it seemed perfectly reasonable that Elwynn's six great squad leaders had died at his hands.
Seeing its companions slain, the Gnoll affected by Fear Spell let out a howl and hurriedly fled for its life.
"Forget it. Don't chase it." Sulonna stopped Li Shaolin from ordering the Bronze Skeleton to pursue.
"Caw!" The four Carrion Birds pounced on the Gnoll corpses and tore into them greedily. As far as they were concerned, as long as there were corpses to eat, it didn't matter who they belonged to.
"Let's go." Seeing the Carrion Birds disgustingly tear at flesh and blood, Sulonna didn't want to watch any longer. She immediately turned away and pulled Li Shaolin along.
But she moved too quickly and startled one nearby Carrion Bird. With two flaps of its wings, it flew up and actually pecked at them!
Truly a savage bird of prey!
As it swooped down, Sulonna shifted and sprang aside. With a crackle, a ring of frost erupted and froze the Carrion Bird in place. It was Frost Nova!
"Nicely done!" Li Shaolin couldn't help praising her. This woman truly deserved to be called Frost Sulonna of Elwynn Forest. She wielded both frost and shadow magic, and was exceptionally powerful.
Frozen in place, the Carrion Bird couldn't even struggle its wings free. It cawed from its mouth, but the Bronze Skeleton rushed up behind it and struck with a single slash, sending blood and feathers flying. At the same time, bang! Its beak struck the bronze shield. The Clay Golem stepped in from the side and threw another punch, scattering its feathers, while the newly advanced second-tier skeleton refused to be outdone and followed with its Bone Blade.
Thus, after a round of savage chopping, the unlucky Carrion Bird was hacked to the ground.
The remaining three Carrion Birds only cared about tearing apart the Gnoll corpses on the ground. There were exactly three corpses, so they neither fought nor competed, and paid no attention to Li Shaolin or Sulonna. Such was the mentality of beasts.
After another half hour of trudging through the weeds, they saw a golden Pumpkin Field in the distance. Fabron's Farm lay right before them.
Before you continue