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Although Eli loved being a mercenary and the life of adventure and uncertainty it gave him, he still carried a deep regret over not becoming a Paladin. To his surprise, the elf agreed with him. Elufiel thought over the Paladins' code and said to Eli with utmost sincerity, "You should be glad you didn't become one. Paladin is an incredibly grueling profession. They're practically no different from ascetics. Where's the joy in life? I can't see any at all."

Eli: "..." He had no idea how to respond. This high-ranking divine caster could practically be described as rebellious, yet she was damnably alluring.

Odovish smiled soundlessly. See? His elf was so different, bringing vivid life to this decaying world.

Having finished talking about Paladins, Elufiel began asking about other things that interested her, such as gryphons. In Azeroth, gryphons were exclusive mounts of the Alliance. Elufiel had never ridden one again after the Horde and Alliance were established, and for someone obsessed with mounts, that was simply unbearable. "Does Gryphon City really have gryphons? Can they be bought and sold?"

Eli was speechless once more. Divine casters truly had unusual hobbies. In his impression, those who liked fierce gryphons were warriors or knights, while most divine casters preferred gentle, elegant pegasi.

Odovish had seen the elf's forest wolves and Chocobos, and he already had a general understanding of her taste. If one day she used a dragon as a mount, he would not be surprised. At this point, the mage did not know that the elf truly had dragon-shaped mounts—more than one, at that.

Odovish said to Elufiel, "Gryphon City was named after the Golden-Winged Gryphon, the mount of the legendary mercenary Hubert. Hubert and Duke, the founding king of the Sith Duchy, were two great adventurers of the same era. The former simply spent his entire life adventuring, and the Mercenary Guild's growth was largely due to Hubert's existence."

"Gryphon City still offers gryphon services, but they can only be rented, not bought or sold. The gryphons in the city have been domesticated over generations and long since lost the ferocity of combat mounts. You definitely would not want a numb creature that only waits to be fed and obeys orders as transportation."

Elufiel was somewhat disappointed after hearing the mage's words. "Is there no other way to capture gryphons?"

Odovish glanced back at the elf. She propped her chin in both hands and blinked her bright eyes, making it hard to refuse her. "Wild gryphon flocks can be found in the Saint Lorenzo Mountains and the Glans Mountains. If you really want one, I can take you to have a look."

"That's too dangerous." Eli immediately objected after hearing Odovish. "The section of the Saint Lorenzo Mountains near the Sith Duchy is manageable. There are fairly complete maps, and many adventurers explore there. But the Transverse Mountains and Raven Hill are completely uninhabited regions. To this day, no one knows what lies within. The Glans Mountains are even more dangerous. Large numbers of surviving Arcane casters are hiding in the north. How can a noble divine caster be allowed to go somewhere so dangerous?"

"But I want to go." Elufiel said, "If we encounter danger, we can just run away. Do you think I lack the ability to escape?"

Eli opened his mouth. He wanted to say, That's not right. It doesn't work that way.

Elufiel did not give Eli a chance to speak and continued, "You think Arcane casters are dangerous? Have you ever seen them? What makes you think they are exceptionally dangerous? Aren't they made of flesh and blood too?"

"But the curses, and the power they stole from the gods," Eli muttered.

Elufiel looked at him as though she found him utterly incomprehensible. "You experienced a curse not long ago. Was my performance not enough to reassure you of my strength? As for power stolen from the gods—if Arcane casters use the gods' power, then what do the gods use? Arcane? I am not an irrational madwoman. No one can stop me from doing what I want."

Elufiel's words plunged Eli into thought. They were an affirmation of her own strength and contempt for the Holy See. It was strange. For a divine caster to scorn the Holy See was no different from betraying her faith, yet her divine arts were far more powerful than those of many divine casters Eli had seen. That contradicted the Holy See's claim that the firmer one's faith, the stronger one's divine arts.

As the ranger walked more and more slowly in thought, Odovish urged the carriage to pick up speed. He soon turned at a fork and took another road.

"Where are we going?" Elufiel asked.

"Gryphon City. Naturally, another city gate," Odovish said. "But this road takes a long detour. We'll be camping outdoors tonight."

"Oh." Elufiel nodded. "But why are we taking such a long detour? Do you have something else to do?"

Odovish fell silent.

After quite a while, Elufiel finally realized. "Ah, don't tell me you deliberately avoided the road because of Eli?"

"No." Odovish denied it quickly, but his red ears betrayed him.

Elufiel laughed so hard she collapsed against the carriage wall. "Young people sulking really are adorably awkward."

As night gradually fell, Odovish pulled the carriage over by the roadside. Elufiel asked whether they might encounter bandits, earning a helpless look from the mage.

Odovish casually snapped his fingers, and a small flame landed on the gathered branches, creating a simple campfire. Elufiel secretly swallowed, troubled as she thought, It seems my magic addiction is acting up again.

"What is it?" Odovish keenly sensed the change in the elf and asked.

Elufiel took a deep breath. "I think I need to replenish some magic power."

Odovish froze. "...Like last time?" After asking awkwardly, the mage immediately felt anger rise within him. Had anyone else ever shared such intimate contact with the elf before?