Frost Creation

After about half a sandglass of time.

Reilo quickly chose his hired mercenaries and began his first journey of exploration in life.

"Uncle Luo Ji, please lead the way this time."

Reilo said politely to the older uncle.

He was a middle-aged Fighter with a bit of stubble. What was striking was that half of his face was disfigured for unknown reasons, as if licked by some terrifying magical beast. The sharp barbs on its tongue had easily scraped away the skin on half his face, giving him a hideous appearance.

"Mm."

Uncle Luo Ji didn't say much, giving a very steady impression, much like the sword at his waist. It was dark and heavy, and he simply led the way in silence.

For some reason, Reilo felt a sense of fatherhood and the aura of a jungle hunter from this uncle.

"Qiu Hei!"

On the other side.

At the clear call of the ponytail girl, a majestic black-furred dog poked its head out from a distant dirt slope and then ran over with astonishing speed. Its perfect physique displayed explosive power, and it leaped from seven or eight meters away, instantly pouncing beside the girl and incessantly licking her arm.

Seeing this, Reilo took a deep breath.

Hint: Juvenile Black Flame Wolf.

This was actually a Black Flame Wolf. Although it was only a juvenile, the power it possessed was by no means something an ordinary person could easily contend with!

He remembered that when he was choosing mercenaries at the entrance of the Mercenary Association just now, this sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl named Lulu had jumped out with the Black Flame Wolf. Reilo's eyes almost popped out.

This was an E-rank mercenary?

Although he didn't know the reason, Reilo immediately chose her as his hired mercenary.

"Hehehe, stop messing around, Qiu Hei, we're on a mission!"

Lulu and the black wolf laughed and played as they ran. The girl flipped and jumped onto the black wolf's back, quickly catching up to Reilo.

"Lulu, why are you an E-rank mercenary? Didn't the mercenary groups want you?"

Reilo couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

The girl stuck out her tongue and whispered, "I don't want to join other mercenary groups. I want to establish my own!"

"Huh?"

Reilo turned his head, looking at the girl in astonishment.

As he recalled past memories, Lulu's happy face, which used to have two dimples when she smiled, gradually showed a hint of loss.

"Ever since I was young, my grandfather and I cultivated martial arts on the snowy mountains. Later, my grandfather passed away and left me a sword named Frost Creation. It's a very important relic from my grandfather, but later... I lost it!"

With a wronged and sad expression, Lulu pouted.

"Later, I remembered that when my grandfather was alive, an organization called 'Curse' tried to snatch Frost Creation! So I came to Saint Grand Fort, hoping to form my own mercenary group, find the Curse organization, and get back my Frost Creation. But the receptionist at the Mercenary Association told me that establishing a D-rank mercenary group requires a deposit of ten gold coins..."

Frost Creation?

He didn't know what kind of sword it was.

Reilo listened to Lulu recount her experiences as if he were listening to a legendary novel, which even involved a mysterious organization.

"How much more money do you need?"

Lulu looked at Reilo with pleading eyes, saying aggrievedly, "I only have thirty-five silver coins."

"Cough, cough, cough, cough."

Reilo didn't know what to say. Wasn't this just himself two months ago when he was studying?

Suddenly, Lulu said, "Establishing a D-rank mercenary group requires at least four members. Brother Reilo, when I save enough gold coins, will you join my mercenary group? You can be our chief mage then!"

"Uh... Hehehehe."

Reilo responded with an awkward laugh.

Among the many Duchies of humanity, the six great Duchies were the most powerful.

And among the six great Duchies, Grand Duchy and Xilan Duchy were constantly vying for supremacy, with wars between the two countries almost never ceasing.

Because of this, the scholars of Grand Natural Academy and Xilan Natural Academy, while learning from each other in their academic pursuits, were also natural rivals. From the mutual hostility of the royal families, the animosity between the two countries even extended to the Mercenary Association, the gladiatorial arenas, merchant guilds, and all other aspects!

Furnace Mountains, which should have been a sacred place for novice students from both countries to collect natural specimens, had also been shrouded in a shadow for hundreds of years due to the hostile relationship between the two countries, as if some terrifying monster that devoured people was lurking in the dark.

Night fell.

With Uncle Luo Ji, an elderly mercenary, along with Lulu and Qiu Hei, the night passed very peacefully.

It wasn't until noon the next day that the three finally arrived at the edge of Furnace Mountains.

What met their eyes was the snow-capped peaks stretching as far as they could see!

Further away, a volcano was spewing thick smoke, emitting a low "rumbling" sound, as if it could erupt at any moment and bring a devastating disaster. This state had persisted for decades.

Admittedly, climbing a mountain was a physically demanding task.

In a short while, Reilo was panting, his face covered in sweat, each step incredibly difficult.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Reilo rested for a moment.

He glanced at Uncle Luo Ji, who was steadily moving forward, then at Lulu, who was playing and skipping along with Qiu Hei. Seeing their energetic appearances, Reilo couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion.

Not all scholars possessed such weak physiques as Reilo did at the moment.

On one hand, Reilo's constitution was naturally poor compared to others his age. On the other hand, many scholars who studied the profound meaning of evolution and the mysteries of the human body were even stronger than Fighters of the same level. It was precisely because of this that these scholars could easily defeat Fighters with rich combat experience and Dou Qi enhancements through their sheer, overwhelming strength.

"Rest if you're tired."

Uncle Luo Ji noticed the state of his mage employer behind him, stopped, and said calmly.

"En."

Reilo responded.

Looking at Reilo's young face, Uncle Luo Ji, who usually spoke little, suddenly sighed.

"Alas, the biggest drawback for Fighters is that if they don't break through during their peak, their strength will gradually decline with age, and they'll never have another chance. Unlike you mages, the older a mage gets, the stronger they become."

"Huh?"

While idly listening to Uncle Luo Ji's lament and resting, Reilo casually glanced at a tender green sprout beneath a rock crevice not far away. Suddenly, a prompt from the Star Core appeared in his eyes!

Prompt: Discovered Peiying Plant.

"Peiying Plant?"

In Basic Apothecary, it was an ingredient for concocting 'Infant's Cry'. This was a hallucinogen that caused auditory hallucinations of infant crying when poisoned. While not a potent toxin, it was colorless and odorless, making it extremely easy to be poisoned without realizing it.

An unexpected surprise! Reilo, forgetting his fatigue, took out a special shovel for excavating plant specimens from his spatial pouch and began digging around the seedling in the rock crevice.

"What are you doing?"

Lulu, who had caught up while playing and running, looked at Reilo curiously. This was her first time getting close to a real mage, and she was quite intrigued.

Uncle Luo Ji also couldn't help but frown. He couldn't see anything special about this ordinary-looking grass, and could only sigh inwardly, marveling at how mysterious mages truly were.

After a while.

Woof woof woof!

After Reilo dug up the Peiying Plant, Lulu suddenly exclaimed. Even Qiu Hei, who was beside her, barked uneasily, wagging its tail and backing away, keeping a distance from Reilo.

The root tendrils of the plant in Reilo's hand were wriggling like countless tiny worms, instinctively wrapping around Reilo's palm. The scene was truly horrifying!

Reilo, however, remained unfazed. He smiled contentedly, gently pushed aside the root tendrils that had wrapped around his palm, and put the plant into a specially made wooden box.

Lulu's eyes widened.

"What the heck is that thing?"

Reilo patted his hands and said contentedly, "Good luck. It's a magic plant, and it should sell for some silver coins."

Rumble rumble rumble!

Just as Reilo finished explaining, the distant volcano suddenly erupted with violent tremors. The loud humming sound made the three, who had already climbed halfway up the mountain, look towards it. They saw that the smoke plume from the Furnace Volcano had thickened slightly.

Having long been prepared for such phenomena, knowing that the volcano had been like this for decades, they paid it no mind and continued their climb.