Wolves

Cold moonlight spilled across the sand, casting everything in silver. Yet on this desolate night, several figures were racing northeast at high speed, as though some flood or ferocious beast were chasing them.

"I say, Uncle Luo Luoji, why are we running with them? What if we get dragged into this mess?"

Xuan Ye was running alongside the group, barely keeping up as he forced his legs forward and spoke somewhat breathlessly.

He had swallowed a few grains of sand the moment he opened his mouth. Fortunately, the Mage Apprentice riding the Small Carpet had limited speed; otherwise, Xuan Ye and the other Senior Knight Attendants definitely would not have been able to keep up with the group.

The reason they were in such a state was that Luo Luoji had thrown away quite a few materials that pained him to lose. Well, staying alive was more important. Besides, the most valuable Magic Cores could still be carried with them.

"You've got to be kidding. If the Professional Rank Expert has really discovered us, then whether we run or not is meaningless. What we need to do now is return to Stanrosai City and report the information before he realizes something is wrong. With the power of the City Lord's Mansion, the Temple, and the Mage Tower, even a Professional Rank Expert wouldn't dare attack us lightly."

Luo Luoji's answer seemed completely unrelated, leaving Xuan Ye confused. What did that have to do with them running alongside these people?

"Idiot, didn't you see that sickly fellow constantly chanting? It's a spell that disrupts our aura. Do you want to split up and take the blame for them?"

Seeing that Xuan Ye had not quite understood, Luo Luoji immediately lowered his voice. The apprentice Potion Bitch he had respected earlier had instantly become a sickly fellow in his mouth. Xuan Ye was rendered speechless. Damn, why was everyone so calculating? Couldn't they just get along happily? Of all these people, only Axe Man seemed somewhat agreeable. He was a fool, but when dealing with fools, there was no need to worry about being sold and then thanking the seller. Well, even if he might be sold in another form, it wouldn't matter.

But running was exhausting. Keeping up with them was even more exhausting.

Looking at Dean, who sat on the Small Carpet and kept chanting under his breath while occasionally scattering some powder, a trace of envy flashed through Xuan Ye's eyes. What a stylish mount. It was slower than running at full speed, but it took no effort. For long-distance travel, it was far superior to him.

An apprentice who had not yet entered a rank, and whose theoretical level should have been about the same as his, possessed such a fine item. This alone showed how capable mages were.

With that thought, Xuan Ye forced his already-tired body to speed up again until he reached the edge of Dean's carpet. In a familiar, ingratiating tone, he said,

"Impressive! You can even fool a Professional Rank mage. You're amazing!"

His clumsy, exaggerated acting and nauseating flattery nearly made Dean interrupt his chanting. He persevered until he completed the chant and scattered something resembling exorcism powder, then said irritably to Xuan Ye,

"He's a Professional Rank expert. Clearly, that ordinary Wraith isn't his core contracted spirit. He might not even have signed a contract with it. He's probably only temporarily influencing it through Control Undead. Once he realizes what happened, he'll have plenty of time. My Disruption Spell merely lengthens that time."

After speaking, Dean steadied himself and seemed ready to begin the next Disruption Spell. Xuan Ye put on an exaggerated expression of having been enlightened and spoke with affected admiration.

"Wow, you know so much! Come, come, let's sit down and have a heart-to-heart."

Without waiting for Dean's response, he threw himself straight at the Small Carpet. Tsk, if there's a free ride, why would I keep running on my own legs? As for having a heart-to-heart, he had no idea what to say. He could just make conversation.

But...

"Thud!"

A muffled sound rang out. The Small Carpet, which had been floating about half a meter above the ground, was knocked straight down onto the sand by Xuan Ye's leap. Dean and Xuan Ye both landed on their backs.

Sand covered their bodies. Xuan Ye was fine; after running wildly for so long, he had already lost any semblance of dignity. Dean, however, had turned his previously neat mage's robe into a wrinkled mess.

Looking at the Small Carpet beneath him, which kept struggling but could not take flight, Xuan Ye felt sweat break out on his forehead. He had thought it was a bus, but it turned out to be a bicycle—and a single-person one at that.

This thing is way too useless...

Seeing Dean glaring at him with eyes that seemed to spit fire, apparently preparing some vicious curse, Xuan Ye could only say guiltily,

"An accident. It was an accident."

"A flying alchemical device made specifically for mages must communicate with Spiritual Power and become one with its user before it can be operated. It's a vehicle for the mage himself, and most of them cannot carry passengers."

Axe Man Ye Man, whom Xuan Ye considered barely capable of having fun with, stood nearby and mercilessly twisted the knife. Even this fellow whom Xuan Ye regarded as a husky knew that, yet he had made such a mistake. His smooth, bare forehead turned slightly red with embarrassment.

"Hehe, I've done the same thing before."

However, Ye Man's foolish grin immediately proved once again that he was still a good teammate.

"Hmph! Are you sure you aren't a spy sent by the enemy?"

Blue-haired Aide sneered coldly.

Since this had been his fault, Xuan Ye did not argue with the taunt at all. He could only apologize sheepishly to Dean.

"Fine, fine. I'm a little tired too after running all the way here. Let's rest for a while. If they really wanted to chase us, they would have caught up already."

Fortunately, Ye Man spoke up to smooth things over, earning Xuan Ye's deep gratitude. I really didn't misjudge him.

The Paladin girl leading the group said nothing either. She turned around and resumed her dazed state. Come to think of it, Xuan Ye had not heard this girl speak even once. Could she be a little mute?

What a pity about that face. Her personality seems pretty good too, and she's kindhearted. Although her figure...

"Were you thinking something rude?"

Just as Xuan Ye began looking Aitiya up and down in secret regret because he felt a little stifled, a crisp, ethereal yet cold and indifferent voice rang beside his ear. He looked up and met a pair of clear eyes resembling red gemstones.

There was not the slightest trace of anger in her voice, but for some inexplicable reason, Xuan Ye felt a chill over his head. Good grief, how did I forget that this girl has condensed her third core inside the Perception Inner Mansion? Her Perception is far stronger than mine. Why was I looking at her?

But I didn't say anything this time. I only thought about it. Isn't she being too sensitive? Could she have been watching me the whole time?

So she isn't mute. Her voice is quite pleasant too. What a pity~

Xuan Ye hurriedly withdrew his gaze from the slight curve of her body and had no intention of continuing to provoke her. Although she was somewhat cold and was fierce when she acted, Xuan Ye's overall impression of this Paladin Young Lady was still fairly good. He was only subconsciously afraid because of the psychological shadow caused by the Potion Bitch. Still, the other party's impression of him was probably terrible.

Alas, I've already offended three of the four people in this group. With my lack of experience communicating with others, it really is easy for me to offend people.

With the words "Professional Rank" hanging over everyone's heads like a sword, even during their brief rest, they remained fully alert. Aside from drinking a little water, they did not even replenish their food, afraid that it would affect their ability to move.

However, after they had taken a short break and Dean had cleaned his Small Carpet and was preparing to set off again, Aitiya, who had just given Xuan Ye a neat haircut, raised her hand and made a gesture for them to stop.

As a Professional Rank Expert who had opened her Perception Inner Mansion, there was no doubt that her warning drew the entire team's attention and vigilance.

"Did you discover something?"

Dean floated over on the Small Carpet again and spoke with slight nervousness. Although he had been casting Disruption Spells throughout the journey, he was ultimately only an apprentice-level Spellcaster. If that Arch-Lich was nearby, he truly had no confidence that he could fool him.

"It's a pack of wolves."

Aitiya spoke in her distinctive ethereal voice, without the slightest hesitation.

Although everyone first breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that it was not the Undead, they soon became alert again. There were two kinds of wolves living in the Desert of the Dead: Sand Wolves and Azure Wolves. Relatively speaking, Azure Wolves were much harder to deal with. Even the weakest ones that came out to hunt possessed Predator Rank strength at the One-Star Professional Rank level.

However, the desert was not the Azure Wolves' primary territory. There were few of them here, making it difficult for them to form a pack. Since Aitiya had said it was a wolf pack...

"They're Azure Wolves. Twelve of them."

Aitiya's next words immediately made their expressions solemn. They had actually run into an Azure Wolf pack? What kind of absurd luck was that?

They had been running toward Stanrose the entire time. If there really were Azure Wolves nearby, Luo Luoji's Scavenger Squad, which often wandered around this area, would have been wiped out long ago!

A pack of twelve wolves could only be considered a small pack. But if every wolf in it was an Azure Wolf comparable to a Professional Rank expert, then even the three largest forces in Stanrose City would have to rely on their own High-level Professionals and attack cautiously to deal with them!

The Azure Wolves' main territory was the Riftwind Plains farther north of Stanrose City. They only occasionally passed through and ventured into the desert to hunt. Most of the time, they were lone Azure Wolves driven out of their packs. What was happening here?

If this was merely a coincidence, it would be insulting everyone's intelligence. They had just sensed the covert actions of a Professional Rank bigshot, and then immediately encountered such a troublesome interception. Even a husky could connect the dots.