Koum Beast

After Jia Ruo and Neeko finished tidying up, they headed straight for the north gate of Placidium.

As the sky began to lighten, they crossed the sparsely populated main road and arrived at the north gate.

Passing through the majestic drawbridge, they saw a giant beast about four to five meters tall, and twenty meters long including its tail.

Master Percy was standing on the beast's head, and several designated marshals were already seated on its back.

"You're here, come on up."

Master Percy waved.

As Jia Ruo approached the beast, he felt it resembled a giant turtle without a shell. A layer of light green vegetation, whether grass or moss he couldn't tell, grew on its broad back.

Jia Ruo put his arm around Neeko's slender waist and leaped onto the beast in a single bound.

As soon as he was steady, he saw a familiar face sitting in the middle.

"Brother Laleno, you're already here."

Jia Ruo said, and then greeted the other marshals, considering them seniors whether he knew them or not.

Laleno leaned casually against the beast's spine and gestured for Jia Ruo to sit beside him.

"You're lucky, kid. The Azure Carved Golem has only appeared twice in Ionia since the Hall of Tranquility was established. Once was two years ago, and this time you've run into it."

Jia Ruo imitated Laleno's posture and sat down beside him, chuckling.

"Brother, what kind of beast are we sitting on?"

"These giant beasts are creatures from the Southern Plains called Koum. Some nomadic tribes build their homes on their backs, and it's said the Koum lead them to places with abundant water and grass. Placidium has dozens of them raised at the outpost outside the city, used by the council for transporting supplies or dealing with situations like this."

Laleno patted the vegetation beneath him. "It's said that these Koum beasts can survive for ten to fifteen days just by drinking water and basking in the sun."

Is it a plant or an animal? Jia Ruo marveled inwardly. Ionia truly had an abundance of strange creatures.

"Brother Laleno, I thought you were with the Guard Group?"

"That's right. I'm not on duty this month. Our Guard Group is actually quite similar to your Investigator Group, except our mission isn't to hunt down mortals. We patrol Placidium for a month every other month. The rest of the time, we can take on other tasks. The more you work, the more you earn. The Hall of Tranquility's monthly minimum of Twelve Gold Coins is uncapped; it all depends on your abilities."

"May I ask, how much do you get for guarding Placidium for a month?"

"It depends on your strength. For someone like me, it's three hundred and fifty gold a month."

Wow, if I had known, I would have chosen the Guard Group too. Placidium has such good security, with hardly any trouble. Although you have to patrol all day, getting three hundred and fifty gold with no risk is truly comfortable.

The emergency involving Lady Lesthara last time was only awarded seventy gold after the Hall of Tranquility's logistics department assessed it. Sigh, when will I be able to save enough money to buy this Sorcery Potion?

Jia Ruo hadn't even seen the Azure Carved Golem yet, but he was already calculating its inheritance.

"I heard from Lyle that if we follow Master Percy to kill the Azure Carved Golem this time, we'll get the right to buy a bottle of Sorcery Potion at half price."

"That's how it was last time anyway, it's worth it. The Azure Carved Golem is indeed very dangerous, with risks and rewards. Even though Master Percy is leading the team personally, we'll still have to contribute."

A reward worth at least five thousand gold. Jia Ruo already had a good idea of the mission's danger level.

"Everyone's here. Without further ado, let's set off now."

Master Percy walked down from the head of the Koum Beast with his hands behind his back and addressed the crowd.

A large leather bag was slung at his waist; it must have contained his weapon.

As Master Percy's words fell, a young girl standing on the Koum Beast's neck leaned towards its head.

She let out a whistle, and the Koum Beast moved its four limbs.

"Please gather around, we need to discuss our strategy."

The twelve Marshals gathered around Master Percy.

"Azure Carved Golems are generally huge in size, but not slow in movement. Their entire bodies are made of stone and difficult to damage, so the quickest solution is to destroy the Crown of Insight on its head."

Master Percy scanned the crowd, ensuring they understood his meaning.

"My plan is for you all to harass and tie down the Azure Carved Golem while I seize the opportunity to extract the Crown of Insight using Secret Arts."

Is that it? Jia Ruo didn't dare to interject, but wasn't this battle plan a bit too brief?

"Although it sounds simple, tying down the Azure Carved Golem is no easy task. Last time, we lost two Marshals. I don't want to see that happen this time. You must put your own lives first."

The atmosphere turned somber.

After a long pause, Master Percy spoke again, "When dealing with the Azure Carved Golem, having more people isn't necessarily an advantage. You are all Transcendent from the hall, and your skills are more agile than ordinary people. But remember, absolutely do not attract too much attention from the Azure Carved Golem by yourself. You only need to keep it occupied, and dodging all its attacks will be considered a complete success."

Master Percy's tone became much heavier.

"Does everyone understand? We should arrive around dawn tomorrow, so you should rest and recuperate now."

"Yes, Master Percy."

Everyone nodded and, in groups of two or three, began to rest or meditate on the Koum Beast's back.