Cannon Fodder NPCs Don't Meet the Child of the Version

Huodian City.

The top floor of the Fire God Tower.

This was the center of the entire Huodian City and the most core location of the Fire God Cult. Ordinary outer members were only stationed in the grand cathedral below, and only those who reached the professional level were allowed into the tower.

It should have been a solemn and quiet place, but at this moment, it was filled with the sound of arguments.

"Get out of the way! I have urgent matters and need to see my mentor, now, immediately!" A young man with black hair, dressed in mage robes, was angrily shouting at the guards in front of him.

However, the guards blocked the young man's path with their weapons, preventing him from entering.

"Damiir, Archbishop Maggie is in seclusion. The Archbishop ordered that no one is allowed to disturb her unless she emerges on her own."

"Even if you are her disciple, we cannot let you—"

Before the guard could finish speaking, the black-haired youth on the opposite side angrily grabbed the guard by the collar.

Although his small frame as a spellcaster might not have been a match for the tall guard in front of him.

"I'll say it again, let me in!"

"You don't understand! I sensed an extremely evil power in the northern Claw Forest, and Teacher Maggie must be informed of this matter immediately!"

Just as the situation was about to spiral out of control, fortunately, the sound of leather boots echoed from the spiral staircase of the Fire God Tower.

Following that was a magnetic voice unique to middle-aged men.

"Shh! Damiir, don't get agitated."

"Although it's not my intention to dampen your spirits, at this distance, your magic won't protect you. These elite guards can easily take you down."

"So, it's best to talk things out properly."

The owner of the voice walked up and pushed back Damiir's hand that was grabbing the guard.

Upon seeing the strong and burly middle-aged man approaching, the guards immediately showed expressions far more respectful than they had shown to Damiir earlier.

"Commander Harvey!"

Harvey waved his hand, signaling the guards not to salute.

Then, he slung an arm around Damiir's neck, like a close friend, and quickly led him away from the top floor where the Archbishop was in seclusion.

"Let go, let go of me, Harvey!" Damiir struggled all the way, but how could his physique as a mere mage compare to that of a battle-hardened Knight Commander?

It wasn't until the two arrived at an empty corner that Harvey finally released Damiir.

"Alright, alright. You know as well as I do that ever since Maggie announced her seclusion for advancement a few years ago, she hasn't really shown herself much."

"Even the old City Lord has trouble meeting her, let alone you."

Harvey patted the young man in front of him, who could be described as the most potential-filled and talented young mage in all of Huodian City.

A third-tier professional, a spellcaster, an Elemental Archmage—Damiir.

He was also, in terms of strength, at the very top of Huodian City's power hierarchy, and the sole disciple of the Fire God Cult's Archbishop, Maggie.

"Harvey, listen to me. You have to help me this time." After being forcibly removed from the top floor, Damiir had calmed down a bit.

"Help you with what? Speaking of which... you kept yelling about evil power to the guards just now, what happened?"

Seeing that Damiir wasn't joking, Harvey's expression finally became a little more serious.

"Something happened in the Claw Forest!" Damiir stated concisely.

"The Claw Forest?"

"Yes, that monster-infested forest. Just now, while I was meditating, I sensed a terrifying fluctuation of energy from the direction of the Claw Forest. Although it was very subtle, almost instantaneous, I still managed to capture it."

"And I'm sure that power..." At this point, the young genius mage of Huodian City paused, seemingly finding it difficult to articulate.

But in the end, he said resolutely:

"That power is definitely not among the Nine Elemental Forces!"

Knight Commander Harvey frowned at Damiir's words, his face etched with weariness.

"Is that why you call it evil?"

"Yes, you're not a spellcaster, so you don't understand. All power in the world should originate from the Nine Elements, but this power is very strange! It has no elemental fluctuations, but rather it's more like... more like..."

"The abyss." After struggling to find the right word, Damiir finally settled on a fitting description from his mind.

"You know, it's like looking into something bottomless, making you feel enveloped by darkness and cold, and an urge to fall..."

"Stop!"

Seeing that Damiir was about to continue, Harvey quickly raised his hand to stop him.

This important figure among the knights began to size up the agitated young mage before him, then Harvey covered his stomach and burst into laughter.

"Damiir, is it possible... you've been reading too many novels lately and are hallucinating?"

"You!"

"Stop, stop, stop! Fine, even if everything you say is true, then let me ask you, if such a major event really occurred, why hasn't the Fire God Statue reacted at all?"

The real reason Harvey didn't believe him was actually here.

The Fire God Statue.

It had existed since the founding of Huodian City, a symbol of the Fire God's will, protecting the people of the Flame Domain for generations. Whenever a great disaster loomed, the Fire God Statue was always the first to issue a warning.

"The statue... it..." Harvey's questioning choked off Damir.

Because while a person might make a mistake, there was absolutely no possibility of a god doing so.

Centuries had passed, and the Fire God Statue had never once made a false judgment.

If the statue did not issue a divine oracle warning, it meant that even if something unusual occurred, it would be nothing more than a minor disturbance, not enough to threaten Huodian City, let alone a small village.

"Alright, Damir, if you ask me, your teacher has been in seclusion for so long that you've gotten way too lonely these past few years. Look at you now, you look completely pent up!"

"As your good friend and uncle, I'd say you should stop fiddling with that headache-inducing, sleep-inducing magic knowledge all day."

"At your age, young man, you should be lying on a woman's belly! Not buried in those pungent-smelling parchment books!"

"How about it, do you need me to introduce you to a bar? I guarantee it's not the respectable kind! One visit and you'll feel refreshed and no longer lonely."

"Hey, hey! Come back, don't go! It's fine if you don't want to go to a bar, or maybe I can introduce you to someone? I think that noble lady from the Sissl family is quite good. She's just reached the age to attend the Royal Academy. Why don't you give it a try? Hey! I'm talking to you! Why are you leaving!"

Watching Damir flee in embarrassment, his face flushed red from his words, Harvey's deliberately playful smile quickly vanished.

He walked to the window of the Fire God Tower and gazed out at the city with complex emotions, at the towering and sacred Fire God Statue standing in front of the Fire God Cult's grand cathedral.

Logically, as a citizen of the Flame Domain and the commander of the Huodian City Knight Order, Harvey should have no reason not to believe and trust the Fire God Statue.

After all, the statue could not be wrong. Because if, and he stressed if, the statue had a problem, it would represent another, even more terrifying truth behind it.

The Fire God had a problem.

That was impossible!

Harvey didn't want to think about it, nor did he dare to.

But...

Looking at Huodian City, with its gates shut and in a state of semi-lockdown, Harvey couldn't help but harbor doubts.

Why had the Fire God Statue not issued any prior warning about the strange infectious disease that had, without anyone realizing when it started, spread throughout Huodian City?

Even though the entire city had entered a state of emergency, Harvey had heard that it wasn't just Huodian City; similar situations had appeared in other parts of the Flame Domain to varying degrees.

So, wasn't such a major anomaly enough to elicit a reaction from the statue?

"Ah, that damned woman, Maggie! At such a critical time, when Huodian City needs you the most, why are you still in seclusion?"

"Sigh..."

After Harvey sighed deeply once more, he turned and left the Fire God Tower, walking briskly towards the Knight Order's armory in the city.

"First Squad, pack your gear and horses. We're sneaking out of the city tonight for reconnaissance."

"Out of the city? Reconnaissance? Boss Harvey, where are we going at a time like this?"

Facing the questions from his subordinate soldiers, Harvey paused before continuing towards his office, leaving only one sentence behind.

"Claw Forest."

Could it be that I'm truly too lonely?

Walking on the street after leaving the Fire God Tower, Damir felt a faint waver in his heart from Harvey's words.

But soon, the young genius mage quickly shook his head.

How could that be!

How could women be more interesting than the profound and mysterious knowledge of magic?

Women only affect my casting speed!

Yes, that's right!

After firming his conviction, Damir began to reconsider the matter of Claw Forest.

He felt that this matter absolutely could not be left unresolved.

Damir had a nagging bad feeling, or perhaps it was a mage's intuition, a genius's peculiarity.

He felt that even if others didn't believe him, even if the Fire God Statue remained unresponsive, he had to personally go out and investigate Claw Forest alone.

This thought, once it arose, could not be stopped.

If Liao Zixuan were present at this moment, uh, who is Liao Zixuan?

Oh, he almost forgot about that person. Cough, cough, if Liao Zixuan were here, the little wolf cub would definitely exclaim, "As expected of the Child of the Version!"

Look at this sharpness, this decisiveness, this proactiveness! No wonder he became the protagonist NPC for the 1.0 version's "Raging Fire," and the biggest driver of the players' main storyline.

Completely different from someone who, despite being a protagonist, doesn't steal the spotlight at all!

Back to the main topic.

Damir acted as soon as he thought of it. He immediately walked towards the direction of Huodian City's gate. Although he seemed unprepared, his strength as a third-tier professional was undeniable. It was known that even the Bishops of the Fire God Cult had only barely reached the third-tier level.

But these bishops were nearing the end of their lives, while Damir was only twenty years old, full of vitality and passion. His own powerful strength made him fearless.

Up to this point, it could be said that the worldline was still very normal.

Until

This young, prodigious mage stopped in his tracks at the city gates, staring blankly at the chaotic, unbearable inspection checkpoint.

The city guards, who were supposed to be on duty, were now sprawled everywhere. Some clutched their stomachs, others their legs and feet, groaning and writhing on the ground.

The worst off was the original inspector. He had clearly taken the most brutal beating, his face bruised and swollen. Moreover, his chest bore several footprints, as if someone had vented their anger upon him.

This...

What in the world happened here?

Bandits? Invaders? A mob?

Who dared to attack the guards of Huodian City in broad daylight!?

Before Damir's mind could even process the situation, another agonizing groan quickly drew his attention.

It was a voice Damir knew well.

Yoseph, a Tier 2 professional, an Elemental Mage, and a deacon of the Fire God Cult!

But at this moment, this esteemed Tier 2 mage, this deacon, was foaming at the mouth, his face swollen like a pig's head. If Damir hadn't looked closely, he might not have recognized him at all.

And if he looked further down...

Alright, Damir retracted his earlier thought that the inspector was the most pitiable.

So...

Who was it!

Damir quietly circulated his magic within his body, and a faint blue light began to emanate from his hands, the prelude to casting a spell.

Soon, a semi-transparent Magic Shield enveloped him.

If even a Fire God Cult deacon could be so easily overwhelmed, Damir could tell at a glance that Yoseph had been subdued with almost no chance to fight back. An enemy like that could only be...

Tier 3!

And likely a Tier 3 Warrior or Assassin!

Only someone of that caliber would possess such formidable close-combat abilities, rendering an entire checkpoint of guards and a Tier 2 mage incapable of resistance.

His breathing quickened.

His forehead was lightly slicked with sweat.

Damir had never imagined that before he could even leave the city for Claw Forest, he would encounter the most challenging battle of his life.

"True Sight!"

"Keen Perception!"

"Mana Amplification!"

As expected of a prodigious mage, he cast three buffs on himself right off the bat. Once prepared, he took a deep breath.

Damir stepped forward, extremely cautiously, his hands ready with several Magic Missiles, moving towards the innermost door of the checkpoint.

Then...

Creeeak...

The door to the "Registration Office" at the very back was pushed open.

But upon seeing the scene inside, Damir froze again.

For inside this small room sat a young girl. The maiden's expression seemed a bit vacant, and she turned her head to look at Damir as he pushed the door open.

Pauper, frail physique, no external magic fluctuations.

Not an enemy.

Likely just someone who came to the checkpoint to enter the city!

After quickly assessing Vivian in his mind, Damir immediately shouted at her, still seated on the wooden chair.

"Come here quickly! It's dangerous over there!"

"Oh, okay, okay!"

Vivian saw that someone else had finally arrived, and they seemed to be a more powerful individual. She glanced left and right, seeing no one else standing around her, so the person must be talking to her.

Confirming this, the little girl obediently scurried over.

Protecting himself and the pauper girl with the Magic Shield, Damir breathed a sigh of relief.

While continuing to remain vigilant for any unknown enemies who might have left or were still hidden in the shadows, he urgently asked Vivian beside him:

"Miss, when did you get here? Did you see what happened here?"

Then...

Vivian nodded obediently.

"I know."

"What happened!?" Damir, too tense about the hypothetical enemy, didn't immediately grasp the oddity in the conversation. He was even eager and excited, having found a clue.

"I have important matters that require me to enter the city, but they wouldn't let me. Someone even tried to snatch my Fire God Token," Vivian said, her initial tone full of grievance.

"So..."

The young girl's tone gradually softened, and her head drooped.

And when she raised it again.

"I..."

"Hehehe, I made them all fall down~"

Here's a joke: the protagonist of this book is Liao Zixuan.

Ahem, everyone, don't worry. The protagonist's scenes will increase significantly later on, though they might be fewer in the early stages.

Because in the author's conception, the protagonist in the early stages is just a Wolf Cub, capable only of communicating telepathically with Vivian. Therefore, many plot points cannot be written out.

Once the protagonist reaches their growth phase and can transform into human form, they will naturally cause trouble every day, definitely reclaiming their status as the protagonist!

As for why many of you say it's dragging, it might be because you haven't seen the protagonist. It's really not dragging. Aside from a few specific chapters, the rest are semi-daily life scenes focused on character development and foreshadowing. This novel was intended to be a lighthearted read from the start.

If you still feel it's dragging, why not try imagining Vivian as the protagonist? Sniffle, this is a new author's new book, my first attempt, so please, esteemed readers, be understanding!