Slaying the Wolf King

"Enemy attack!"

At night, the Nino Caravan's formation descended into chaos as wolf-type soul beasts charged the caravan under cover of darkness.

"Damn it, the Wolf King actually had such intentions—he's looting caravans!" The woman in blue slammed the table. "Everyone, prepare your defenses! Stay calm! The Wolf King is only a Soul Elder, and so am I. Deal with this carefully. Don't fall into disarray!"

"Lady Nino, we can't find the Wolf King's location." A subordinate reported in panic. "What should we do?"

"Where's Ma Sheng? Tell him to have the Hornscale Horses defend against the enemy!" This woman in blue was Nino, the leader of the Nino Caravan.

"Lady Nino, those are Hornscale Horses! They aren't strong in battle, and they're expensive! We'll lose everything this way!"

"What use is money if we're dead?!" Nino gritted her teeth. A single Hornscale Horse could sell for over a hundred Gold Soul Coins. That was no small sum!

The currency of this world differed greatly from that of the original work. First was the exchange rate: it took roughly a thousand Copper Soul Coins to exchange for one Silver Soul Coin. Copper Soul Coins were also the only currency used in the daily lives of ordinary people. Wages, shopping, and transactions were almost entirely conducted with copper coins. Ordinary people rarely came into contact with silver coins. An adult male farmer or town laborer had an annual net income of around 10,000 Copper Soul Coins, or thirty coins a day.

Then came Silver Soul Coins. This was essentially the currency of the ordinary wealthy class, mainly used for large transactions among commoners. One Silver Soul Coin was worth over a month's net income for an ordinary laborer, enough to cover two to three months of decent living expenses for a typical family of three. In some small cities, it might even be enough to rent a small shop for an entire season.

Gold Soul Coins, meanwhile, required a hundred Silver Soul Coins to exchange for one. They were mainly used for large-scale trade, and only nobles and descendants of great clans carried them around. One Gold Soul Coin could buy a decent residence in a small town along with dozens of acres of land. This was also the exclusive currency used in transactions among soul masters.

There were no banknotes on the Douluo Continent. Once, a soul master clan on the Douluo Continent found Gold Soul Coins inconvenient to use and wanted to print certificates to replace them. At first, these certificates only circulated within that clan's territory. But when the royal families saw how convenient these Soul Coin Certificates were, they even established specialized institutions and began promoting them nationwide.

Then something interesting happened. The nobles of the Douluo Continent had no financial knowledge whatsoever. Seeing that paper could be used as money, they printed batches whenever they ran short of funds. Inflation followed, and the Soul Coin Certificates instantly became worthless scraps of paper.

However, the Soul Coin Certificates issued by that original soul master clan remained in use. That clan was the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, famed for wealth rivaling that of a nation. Only they had enough money to come up with something like Soul Coin Certificates.

Back to the matter at hand. After Nino gave the order, the caravan's defenses improved somewhat. With the Hornscale Horses joining the battle, casualties gradually decreased, and the situation seemed to stabilize.

"You think you've held them off like this?" The wolfman in the shadows chuckled. His first and third Soul Rings lit up. With a Wolf Howl, the wolf pack went mad, becoming stronger and faster. Then smoke spread across the battlefield, healing the injured wolves within the pack.

"Go, my people. It's time to feast again!"

First Soul Skill, Wolf Howl!

Third Soul Skill, Wolf Smoke!

"Oh no!" The moment Nino heard the Wolf Howl, she sensed something was wrong. Sure enough, the wolves' offensive became fiercer. "But... this has exposed your location."

Nino released her Soul Rings and charged toward the source of the Wolf Howl. Her martial soul was a crocodile, making her half assault-type and half control-type. She was confident she could defeat the Wolf King!

"It ends here!"

A Judgment Hall suddenly appeared on the battlefield. The chief judge sat upon the dais, dressed in gray robes and holding a Clear Sky Hammer as a gavel.

Clang!

The wolf-type soul beasts across the field began to lose their footing. Their earlier momentum vanished completely, while golden light appeared in the shadows before Nino.

"Found you."

A golden spear flew out with a wolfman impaled upon it, pinning him dead to the ground.

The Wolf King!

Nino stared in shock. That was a three-ringed Soul Elder. He had been killed by a single spear thrust just like that?

Then a black roc swept in, clearing away the scattered wolf pack. Looking closely, a chestnut-haired girl sat atop the roc.

As the wolf pack was cleared away, the enormous Judgment Hall vanished as well, revealing a young man and a young woman. The young man looked gentle and quiet, while the girl had pinkish-blue hair and eyes, her beauty utterly breathtaking.

"Hurry up and treat the wounded!"

The young man shouted. Those who had yet to react quickly began moving, searching for injured caravan members.

"We still came too late. That bastard!" The young man was Huo Yuhao. The Wolf King had slaughtered the two caravans traveling with him, and the traces they left behind had led Huo Yuhao's group here. They had rushed over, but the Wolf King had still killed many people.

"Who's the caravan leader?" Huo Yuhao asked again.

"Me, me!" Nino snapped out of her daze. She had just answered Huo Yuhao's call to save people and run off to check on the wounded.

Huo Yuhao frowned. "Hurry up and take charge. Restore order so more people can be saved. Don't waste any more time. Leave the rescuing to the others."

With that, Huo Yuhao also threw himself into the rescue effort.

"O-Okay."

"I can substitute for a healing soul master too. Bring the wounded to me." Huo Yuhao used Imprint soul skills to treat the injured. Nino was still capable as a leader, and under her guidance, the caravan quickly regained order.

The caravan's chief healing soul master had an extremely peculiar martial soul called the Moonlight Jellyfish. When she released it, a jellyfish-like cap appeared atop her head, and her hair turned into jellyfish tentacles. Her soul skills strengthened beneath moonlight, and her Soul Power would replenish as well. With the moon shining brightly, Huo Yuhao directly Imprinted her soul skill. Empowered by fused Soul Power, he treated several people at once.

"Are there any more?"

Half an hour later, Huo Yuhao finally completed the last treatment. Because of the soul skill, his hair had nearly grown to his ankles. Seeing no one respond, he breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed there were no more injured people.

"Thank you."

Nino thanked Huo Yuhao and the others. Huo Yuhao sat on the ground, not because he was putting on airs, but because he had consumed too much Soul Power. The Moonlight Jellyfish martial soul could use moonlight to replenish its expenditure, but he could not. His level-twenty Soul Power had quickly been exhausted, and toward the end, he had basically relied on Qiu'er and Dong'er's martial souls to hold on.

"What are you thanking us for? It was what we should have done." Huo Yuhao slumped on the ground, his smooth long hair spread messily around him.

"I think everyone is exhausted. Find somewhere to set up camp quickly. Whatever needs discussing can wait until tomorrow."