Escort

Early the next morning,

Keane ran over to Garen and Linley, who were having breakfast together.

"Big brothers, could you teach me the swordsmanship and magic you used to defeat the bandits yesterday?"

After he finished speaking, he even demonstrated for them. He waved his little hand like Garen when he cast magic, then swung it forward like Linley when he killed the bandit leader.

Garen and Linley looked at the little boy before them and gently explained that cultivation wasn't something that could be accomplished overnight, but a process that required perseverance.

Just then, Jenny ran over and pulled her younger brother along, apologizing repeatedly.

"Forgive us, sirs. My little brother is too young and doesn't know any better. Please don't take offense."

"It's fine. And don't call us 'sirs.' I'm Garen, and he's Linley. You can just call us by our names from now on."

Garen spoke up. After all, everyone appreciated beauty, and he couldn't help liking Jenny.

"Big Brother Garen, Big Brother Linley, we won't bother you any longer."

With that, she led Keane away.

Outside the carriage not far away, their old servant, Lambert, had watched everything.

"These two young men are very strong, and they seem gentle, too. I wonder if they might..."

The old servant Lambert's thoughts raced.

After breakfast, Garen was trying to decide whether to leave the caravan. His three years in the Magical Beast Mountain Range had been very fruitful. He had gained two million experience points in comprehending the Wind Element, gotten a Mysteries Entry Card from killing monsters, and comprehended the entry-level mysteries of both speed and slowness in the wind element.

But now they were about to leave the Magical Beast Mountain Range and enter the O'Brien Empire. His cultivation speed had clearly slowed over the past few days. Should he go home first, or head to the ocean to hunt monsters? There should still be plenty of high-level magical beasts on the ocean floor.

Just then, a clear female voice sounded outside his carriage.

"Big Brother Garen, are you inside?"

"Jenny? Could she be looking for me..."

Garen had a rough idea what this was about, and promptly climbed down from the carriage.

"Jenny, what can I do for you?"

The moment Jenny saw Garen step down, her heart began to race. Nervously, she lowered her head and clasped her hands tightly together.

"Big Brother Garen, the truth is, I'm taking my younger brother to inherit the position of City Lord of Chier County City. We're afraid we might run into danger along the way, so we'd like to ask you to protect... protect my brother and me."

Garen had often chatted with the people in the caravan over the past few days, and his easygoing manner had made Jenny instinctively approach him first.

"Is that so?"

Garen hesitated. He had been planning to say goodbye to Linley and leave the caravan.

Seeing him hesitate, Jenny remembered what Lambert had told her and gathered her courage again.

"I can pay you a lot of money once it's done."

Garen didn't care about money at all. His Space Ring held heaps of eighth- and ninth-level Magic Crystal Cores, as well as several from Saint Realm magical beasts. He simply disliked trouble, and felt accepting this escort mission would bring plenty of it later.

So he called Linley over and passed the task to him. Linley seemed like the sort who enjoyed helping others.

After hearing what had happened,

"Someone came to you first. What would it mean for me to accept on your behalf? If you agree, I'll go with you. I'd be cultivating no matter where I went. If you don't, then I won't get involved."

Linley actually turned him down.

"Where did this go wrong?"

Unable to bear watching the unfortunate siblings meet their deaths, Garen reluctantly agreed to their request.

At dusk, the caravan left the outer reaches of the Magical Beast Mountain Range and arrived outside Blackstone City.

Garen, Linley, Jenny, and the others said goodbye to the mercenaries.

Garen didn't want to waste too much time escorting the siblings, so he planned to fly there directly on Xiao Pa.

After asking Linley what he thought,

Linley said he had no objections. He only wanted to find somewhere quiet to cultivate in seclusion and comprehend the Laws and Mysteries. Once he had made progress, he would go find his younger brother Wharton.

As Jenny, Keane, and the old servant Lambert watched in stunned silence, the Golden Sun Eagle, which had been barely half a meter long, suddenly grew into a colossal beast dozens of meters in length, with a wingspan of a hundred meters.

At Blackstone City's gates, the mercenaries who hadn't gone far, along with passersby and the city guards, first fell into a terrified panic. But when they saw Garen, Linley, and the others climb onto the Golden Sun Eagle's back, they calmed down.

Of course, Garen used wind magic to lift Jenny and Keane aboard.

Ignoring the envious looks of everyone else, the Golden Sun Eagle spread its wings and soared into the sky.

Sitting on the Golden Sun Eagle's back, Keane and Jenny felt as if they were riding a roller coaster. At first, they were so frightened that their faces turned pale, and anxiety gripped them from head to toe. But under the protection of Garen's Wind Barrier, they realized they were perfectly safe, and their anxiety gradually faded. It took them a while to calm down. Then excitement spread through them like ripples, and they happily savored the wondrous experience.

"Wow, Big Brother Garen, is your magical beast a Saint Realm magical beast? It suddenly got so big! That's incredible!"

Keane's face was flushed with excitement.

"Mm. Lambert, point us toward Chier County City. Xiao Pa is very fast, so we should get there soon."

Lambert was feeling conflicted. He was both nervous and excited. He had never imagined that casually urging his young lady to ask someone for protection would lead to the good fortune of encountering a Saint Realm powerhouse. It all felt unreal.

Still, he reacted quickly. After studying the terrain carefully, he pointed in one direction.

At that moment, two Black-robed Men hiding on the roof of a house not far from Blackstone City's gates were feeling conflicted.

They had waited there for half a month and had finally found their target. Just as they were about to make their move, they had watched the target fly away on a Saint Realm magical beast. And the key point was, it was a Saint Realm magical beast.

They wouldn't fare well if they returned without completing the mission. But if they had attacked just now, they probably would have been killed outright. They didn't know whether to feel relieved or unlucky.

"Quick, go tell the captain. There's basically no way we can complete this mission now."

The two of them ran off in the same direction without a word.

An hour and a half later, the Golden Sun Eagle reached the skies above a medium-sized city: their destination, Chier County City.

Garen ordered Xiao Pa to fly straight above the City Lord's Mansion.

Soon, most of the people in the city noticed the Golden Sun Eagle.

A magical beast of that size had to be at least a Level Nine Magical Beast, and only Saint Realm powerhouses could usually tame a Level Nine flying magical beast. It was extremely rare to see one in a medium-sized city like this.

It didn't take long for the sight to reach Lady Wade, the person who truly controlled the city at present.

When she walked up to the city wall, the people on the giant eagle flew over as well.

Lady Wade was wondering which Saint Realm powerhouse had come to her Chier County City. But when she saw the people on the giant eagle, she was dumbfounded.

"H-How is this possible? How could a pair of siblings from the countryside be traveling with such important figures?"

By then, the Golden Sun Eagle had already flown to within a few dozen meters of the city wall.

Garen used wind magic again to lower Keane and Jenny down. Lambert was a sixth-level warrior, so he jumped down on his own. Linley and Haeru needed no explanation; this height was nothing to them. As for Bebe, he had been tucked against Linley's chest, and was probably still asleep.

(End of Chapter)