Windfire Town

When Fate first stepped into Windfire Town, the scorching sun had already climbed to its zenith. He straightened his black magic robe, which had been shredded by thorns and branches, and gazed nervously at the small town, famous throughout the Yalan Continent. He lingered for a long while, not daring to enter.

Watching the motley crowd of people wandering through Windfire Town, Fate felt his heart pounding with anxiety, his body drenched in sweat, yet he still couldn't bring himself to step inside.

"I, a noble mage, a dignified Master Fate who passed the official Magic Guild examination, have actually fallen to this state!"

Fate's eyes grew moist.

Baron Hank, a low-ranking noble in Floro City on the western border of the Lans Empire, had extended an olive branch to Fate three years ago, right after he passed his Magic Guild exam. Fate was clever; he knew exactly how far he could go in the field of magic. Rather than following a Count or a Marquis only to be slowly slighted or eventually discarded, he figured it was better to follow a lower-ranking Baron, where at least his status and position wouldn't be undermined.

Just as he had anticipated, Baron Hank, having acted on a whim, was thrilled to have actually secured a young magic attendant. He treated Fate with more affection than his own son, eager to share everything he owned with him. However, the noble Baron soon regretted it; the "noble mage" in his eyes had made no progress in the field of magic for three years, still lingering at the primary level.

In truth, Fate hadn't been polite to Baron Hank. One night, after the Baron had gotten drunk and woken up in the middle of the night with a pressing need to relieve himself, he felt a certain organ stirring with intent. He suddenly remembered the young mistress he had bought half a year ago and hadn't touched yet. He rushed over in high spirits, only to discover his magic attendant in the mistress's bed, faithfully fulfilling the duties and responsibilities that Baron Hank himself had forgotten.

The hot-blooded Baron flew into a rage on the spot. He didn't want to execute a mage who had passed the Magic Guild examination, but he had the authority to expel his attendant. And so, Fate, tail between his legs, pulled up his pants and was driven out of the Baron's Mansion in the middle of the night.

As the first mage on the continent to be expelled—and by a low-ranking Baron at that—Fate had no face left to remain in the Lans Empire, so he decided to try his luck in Windfire Town.

Windfire Town's unique geographical location created its distinct character. To the north lay an endless desert, where gale-force winds and sandstorms howled year-round. The desert was inhabited by the notorious Geryon Giants and the eccentric Dwarves. Neither of these races was particularly friendly or hospitable toward humans, a fact evident from the human skulls occasionally found drifting out of the desert, used by the Geryon Giants as drinking vessels.

To the south lay the boundless Falling Moon Mountains. From the edges to the center, they hid countless Magic Beasts, incredibly perilous. Even the Golden Lion Knights of the Baolong Empire, touted as the strongest legion on the Yalan Continent, wouldn't dare claim they could venture deep into the Falling Moon Mountains. To the east and west of Windfire Town stood the two most powerful empires of the Yalan Continent, the Baolong Empire and the Lans Empire, firmly sandwiching this small town in the wilderness.

The area between the edge of the desert and the Falling Moon Mountains was known as the Windfire Plains, and Windfire Town was the only human settlement of any scale on these plains. The Falling Moon Mountains were rich in Magic Beasts, and the desert was dotted with numerous gold mines; these two factors were enough to attract human adventurers to Windfire Town in droves. Beyond that, the area was filled with indigenous tribes of all sizes, "non-normal" humans who refused to evolve and still lived primitive lives of drinking blood and eating raw meat, stubbornly believing this was the only way to gain greater strength.

It was this unique geographical location that allowed Windfire Town to drift between the spheres of influence of the two great empires without being governed by either. Coupled with the fact that the two empires hadn't waged war for over a hundred years, Windfire Town, bearing the brunt of the situation, had developed into a fairly large town.

Thieves, mercenaries, fugitives, adventurers, commoners, and merchants all gathered in this small Windfire Town. With no laws to constrain them and no officers or soldiers to govern them, Windfire Town had become the most complex region on the Yalan Continent.

The two empires had always turned a blind eye to this place, largely because Windfire Town served as a trade hub connecting the Baolong and Lans Empires. Along the thousands of miles of desolate roads, even the most well-prepared merchant caravans had to stop in this small town to rest and replenish necessary supplies. The residents of Windfire Town clearly understood this, so they dared not harbor any ill intentions toward the large merchant caravans belonging to the upper echelons.

The unlucky ones were the small merchant groups, most of which would be robbed clean. The beggars wandering all over Windfire Town, disheveled or even stark naked, were basically these unfortunate merchants.

However, driven by profit, these small merchant groups continued to arrive one after another. Combined with the adventure teams hunting Magic Beasts, this fueled the prosperity of Windfire Town and kept the business of the town's major mercenary groups and guilds booming.

Of course, the living conditions here were far inferior to those of a proper city, so most people living here were forced by circumstance, and naturally, few powerhouses were willing to stay in such a small, backwater place.

After standing outside the town for a long time, peeking and prying, Fate was so hungry he felt dizzy. Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer and walked inside.

"Damn it, you're courting death."

Fate had just entered Windfire Town along the main road, which was wide enough for three carriages to travel side-by-side, when a roar erupted from the roadside. It startled him so much he jumped, and he hurriedly looked toward the source of the sound.

On the side of the road, a tall, burly man with a thick waist and broad shoulders stood with a face full of rage, clutching a heavily made-up woman. He was cursing at a thin, squint-eyed man beside him. With a flash of cold light from his hand, the thin man's arm was severed from his shoulder, and he collapsed to the ground with a shrill scream.

"Where did this thing come from? Tired of living, daring to steal from your grandfather's wallet!" The big man sheathed his blade and sneered. The woman in his arms giggled, tracing circles on his chest, the powder on her face falling in flurries, her eyes filled with excitement.

The big man put away his knife, looked majestically down the street, spat on the ground, and walked into the nearby tavern with the woman in his arms.

Watching the thief groaning on the ground with blood gushing from his wound, Fate felt a pang of sympathy. Just as he was hesitating whether to go over and take a look, a group of beggars crouching against the wall nearby swarmed over, surrounded the thief, and in the blink of an eye, ran back to the wall to lazily bask in the sun.

The thief lay where he was, stripped of every stitch of clothing; the beggars hadn't even left him his underwear.

Fate shuddered. He no longer dared to meddle in other people's business and lowered his head as he walked forward.

The bustling crowd was mostly composed of people with less-than-honest appearances, adding an air of baleful intent. Along both sides of the road were all sorts of shops: blacksmiths, pharmacies, taverns, brothels, and mercenary guilds of various sizes. There were also stalls along the roadside selling Magic Beast furs and bones, Vitality Pills, Magic Scent Potions, and more. Anything one might find in other cities, this place had, and perhaps even more.

As Fate slunk past the entrance of a small mercenary guild, he saw a notice hanging by the door: "Reward: Two gold coins to break one leg of Xiaoshan on West Street."

Many people passed by the entrance of the mercenary guild, but no one spared the notice a glance. Fate had originally wanted to ask for details, but after pondering for a long time, he sighed and walked away.

If those two gold coins were easy to earn, the notice wouldn't have been hanging there for so long; the paper had already turned yellow.

The scent of food and wine wafted from all corners of the town. Fate was so hungry his stomach was pressed against his spine. He felt his empty pockets and walked back and forth along the main street of Windfire Town seven or eight times, but he had no idea what to do.

"Dine and dash?"

As soon as this thought crossed Fate's mind, he immediately dismissed it.

In those seven or eight laps, he had already witnessed two brawls, three duels, and one murder. Among them were warriors of various ranks, and even a mid-level mage. Seeing the speed and power of the magic others cast, Fate wouldn't dare cause trouble here even if he were given two sets of guts.

Wandering aimlessly to the edge of town, Fate saw a group of children crouching under a giant tree by the roadside and subconsciously drifted toward them.

"Lisa saw the Xenomorph chasing her and was so scared she hurriedly fled along a passage formed by the ribs of a massive Magic Beast skeleton, with the Xenomorph close behind. Suddenly, a bottomless abyss appeared in front of her. With nowhere to run, Lisa desperately dove under a huge iron object at the edge of the cliff. That iron object was huge, weighing tens of thousands of pounds! Just then, the Xenomorph caught up. It tried to bite Lisa with its mouth and iron tail, but it couldn't reach her. The Xenomorph flew into a frenzy, slamming its body against the object while extending its powerful front claws, trying to push away the iron that was blocking it. The Xenomorph was so powerful, so strong—in just a few moments, it was about to push the huge iron object over, and Lisa was doomed!"

"Ehh..."

The group of children opened their eyes wide and gasped in unison, the timid ones turning pale.

Fate looked over with curiosity and saw a boy of about thirteen or fourteen sitting in the middle. He was quite handsome, with exceptionally lively eyes, and he was currently telling the story with a mysterious and profound expression.

"Just then, the Yautja appeared! He jumped over ten meters high, turned nimbly in mid-air, and the spear in his hand violently pierced the Xenomorph's skull. The Xenomorph let out a shrill cry of pain and jumped to the side. Lisa was finally out of danger."

"Long live the Yautja!"

The dozen or so children listening to the story cheered in unison, their little faces filled with joy.

"Don't be happy too soon." The black-haired, black-eyed boy said mysteriously, continuing the tale: "How could the Xenomorph die so easily? It used its sharp claws to snap the spear in its head and struggled to charge again. Lisa's wit came into play then. She saw the huge iron object creaking and about to fall into the abyss, and on a sudden impulse, she looped the thick iron chain on the Xenomorph's body over the iron object. She didn't have the strength to pull the Xenomorph, but the Yautja understood her intention and hurried to help. The two of them worked together and finally managed to hook the chain onto the iron object. As the huge iron object was about to drag the Xenomorph into the abyss, Lisa finally felt relieved. Suddenly, she saw the Xenomorph's sharp tail bone pierce through the Yautja's chest..."

"Ah..." the children listening to the story gasped.

The storytelling boy continued: "The Xenomorph didn't stop after piercing the Yautja; it opened its blood-red maw, leaned in front of the Yautja's head, and tried to pierce the Yautja's skull with its powerful tongue. Lisa was terrified and anxious; she grabbed a shovel and pried at the pillar supporting the iron object. Before the Xenomorph's tongue could strike, it was dragged into the abyss by the huge iron object as the pillar collapsed. When Lisa went to check on the Yautja, he died without saying a word."

"How could the Yautja not dodge it? He knows magic, right?"

"Yeah, he had so many powerful weapons and killed so many Xenomorphs, how could he die in the end?"

"Dummy, didn't you hear Brother Shan? This isn't just any Xenomorph; it's a Queen."

"What a pity, the Yautja died."

The group of children debated heatedly, a mix of excitement and regret in their voices.

"Xiaoshan, get back here and get to work!"

A voice like a thunderclap erupted from the roadside tavern, and a woman with a build comparable to a Violent Bear stomped out, shouting, "You little brats, get home already!"

The children were clearly terrified of the stout woman, scattering in an instant with a buzz of activity.

The boy who had been telling the story stood up, looked at Fate with curiosity, and asked, "How come I've never seen you before? Are you new here?"

Fate was still pondering what kind of Magic Beast this "Xenomorph" might be, and what this magic-wielding "Yautja" was supposed to be. Hearing the boy's question, he didn't dare be negligent, pulling himself together to say, "Yes, I just arrived in Windfire Town. You may address me as the honorable Mage Fate."

"A mage?" The boy raised an eyebrow, his lively eyes scanning Fate before he chuckled, "I don't see the 'honorable' part."

There were no simple folk in Windfire Town. Even though the other party was just a child, Fate felt annoyed but dared not lose his temper, so he could only offer an awkward laugh and shrink his neck as he prepared to walk away.

"Follow me, honorable Mr. Mage. I'll treat you to a meal, and you can answer a few questions for me."

Upon hearing this, Fate's spirits instantly lifted. He turned and followed the boy toward the tavern, which was wafting with the scent of rich, savory food.