The Boy, the Girl, and the Wolf

At dusk.

The Sea of Trees reflected the sunset. Wisps of cloud on the horizon glowed gold as if they were on fire, painting the world orange-red. The eastern sky was like a gradient curtain, shifting from pale cyan to deep blue, then dark violet, where specks of starlight began to gleam. A blue moon rose from the direction of the forest sea. High above, a dazzling river of stars adorned the deep vault of the heavens.

Quilod sat alone on a rotten log, taking small sips of wine as he quietly watched the sun sink behind the hills. Layer by layer, the sunset faded, and the forest grew dim. Strange luminous plants began to emerge in scattered patches. Beneath the curled Trumpet Ferns in the distance sat several shy little creatures—Forest Sprites—watching the humans from afar with curiosity. The huge chalk-white rock below was actually a Rock Giant. Every so often, it shifted its body to keep the annoying Winged Lizard on its back from trying to crawl into its gill slits.

When Quilod saw Scarpe emerge from her tent, he hurriedly put away his flask and stretched, preparing to stand. The sprites in the distance cried out in alarm and scattered into motes of light, vanishing into the darkness. The Rock Giant was startled by them as well and shook its body. The Winged Lizard that had been struggling to climb upward lost its footing and fell.

The small commotion finally caught Fang Heng's attention, and he turned to take a look. It was only just past eight, but the camp had already entered a pre-battle state. Though the mission had not yet been formally issued, the leaders of each group had begun contacting their members, calling roll, and gathering them together. Everyone else was checking their weapons and equipment.

Fang Heng was also making his final preparations. Alchemists carried quite a lot of belongings, and his assorted supplies filled two enormous crates, so Scarpe had specifically assigned him a pack beast. The last Battle Gear he needed to inspect was placed beside the rolled-up tent at the top of the beast's saddlebag. Two large wicker crates hung nearby, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not get them down.

Unable to hold back his irritation, Fang Heng patted the Tessov Dragon Lizard Beast and gestured for it to crouch lower.

But burdened with so much weight, the Tessov Dragon Lizard Beast gave a heavy snort, clearly displeased with him. Fang Heng nearly laughed in exasperation. "Well, aren't you quite the temperamental one?"

He was just about to resort to his last measure when a pale, slender hand entered his vision. It lightly grasped the crate handles and, as if they weighed nothing at all, effortlessly lifted both crates before setting them on the ground.

Fang Heng froze.

At some point, the quiet girl had come to stand beside him. She turned and looked at him with a calm expression. She was almost as tall as Fang Heng. Her smooth, beautiful long hair was like a silver ribbon reflecting starlight, curling at the tips. A pair of alert canine ears stood upright atop her head, covered in soft, fine white fur.

Her skin carried the creamy hue of milk. Her lovely face resembled flower petals beneath the moon, glistening with crystal-clear dew. Beneath her slender brows lay a pair of cold, limpid springs, and her star-like eyes always seemed to recite an enduring poem.

The moment Fang Heng met that gentle, elegant gaze, his heart began pounding uncontrollably.

"...Mi-Miya?"

This mysterious girl was the temporary commander sent by Flor. She was also the liaison solely responsible for communicating with the other teams participating in this mission. Her Chosen lineage was that of the Forest Dwellers of Luotao in the Wilderness Kingdom—though Luotao practiced isolationism, the Chosen were evidently not bound by that restriction.

She was quiet and reserved, like an elegant and aloof she-wolf—but she was actually easy to get along with, merely not fond of speaking. She rarely interfered with the adventuring party's daily affairs, and she was a great beauty on top of that. Everyone in the party liked her, and almost no one had any objections to this commander who had descended from nowhere.

Except Miss Scarpe.

Miss Scarpe had always suspected that Miya had ulterior motives. Of course, Miss Scarpe trusted no one from any Major Guild, but Fang Heng had reason to believe she was especially hostile toward Miya because of a small measure of feminine jealousy.

Fang Heng only knew Miya's ID. She did not seem to be a member of the Jefflitte Redcoats, but the Descendants of Flor were originally an alliance of Chosen formed from more than a dozen guilds, so it was hardly strange for her to come from somewhere else.

Because he was responsible for maintaining Battle Gear, Fang Heng often got the chance to chat with her. This had once driven the party's lecherous men into howls of agony, all of them clamoring to switch to alchemy. But Miss Scarpe quickly suppressed that unhealthy trend.

"When will my Battle Blade be repaired?" Miya's voice was soft and unhurried, like a breeze passing through the forest.

"Ah, it's already repaired. The overload in the power framework was easy enough to fix, but the Swift Gear was too high-level for me. I came up with a temporary compensation plan. It won't affect the Battle Blade's normal use, but the Battle Gear's Swift Burst skill..."

"Was sealed?"

"Um, I'm very sorry." Fang Heng scratched his head awkwardly.

"It's fine. I know the state of my own Battle Gear best. You've already done well enough. Besides, conversations need an opening, don't they?"

Did she mean... she wanted to talk to me? Fang Heng's mind went blank.

But then his heart blossomed with joy. Like every teenage boy full of confidence and wild fantasies, he overanalyzed and misunderstood every word from a beautiful girl.

Miya looked up at the supplies on the Tessov Dragon Lizard Beast's back. "Let me help you."

"Ah, no need..."

Miya glanced at him and shook her head. "You can't. Alchemists are too weak."

How could a man admit that he could not do it? But after Fang Heng watched her casually pull down the rolled tent as easily as drawing out a sheet of paper, he could only twitch his lips in silence.

It was simply the way this world worked. The attributes of Life Professions were not much different from those of ordinary people in reality, while combat classes often received high attribute bonuses. Of course, people like Quilod and Miya, who could make light work of heavy loads, were usually rather formidable.

But this world had never been deliberately designed this way. Humanity had never grasped the laws governing its operation. In fact, it had already been like this when the first Chosen arrived.

No one knew whether the New World had formed naturally or belonged to someone. Whether it was a game created by a higher-dimensional civilization, or a natural universe existing on a higher plane.

Everything was a mystery.

As if she could sense his gaze from behind, Miya lowered her head and said, "You should take this opportunity to repair your Clockwork Sprite."

"Ah, all right."

The Clockwork Sprite had merely run out of magic during the day. It only needed to be recharged. Fang Heng opened its casing, removed the Pillar Crystal inside, inserted it into the slot on the Magic Furnace behind him, then looked up and saw Miya helping him set up his alchemical tools.

Half-crouching on the ground, she carefully inspected the tools as she continued, "You control your Clockwork Sprite very well. Even some professional alchemists might not be at your level."

"...It actually took me a long time to learn. About three months, I think?"

A Clockwork Sprite was a special Artificer Tool that only alchemists could operate. It had a spherical body made of upper and lower brass shells. It was powered by an Attribute-less Crystal pillar inserted into its core, and flew by rapidly vibrating two pairs of artificial cicada wings attached by hinges. The Remote Sensing Stone embedded in its shell could also establish a certain degree of visual connection, making it extremely convenient for scouting.

But controlling a Clockwork Sprite was a highly complex task. Fang Heng had spent a long time learning to operate one proficiently. His progress was not slow, but it was certainly not fast either. It was said that professional Chosen could get the hang of it in just half a month, and that was merely average.

Miya paused and turned her head slightly. Fang Heng could see her nearly flawless profile, her crystal-clear skin carrying the luster of jade. She asked, "Is that so? I heard you don't possess Magic Adaptability?"

"...That's right."

"Actually, many Chosen don't possess Magic Adaptability. Glowstone attunement also differs from person to person. Some people have exceptional attunement, while others can barely attune at all. Besides, do you know what Magic Adaptability does?"

"Ah, I do know that. Since most of the New World's special powers come from alchemy inherited from ancient times, whether it's Magic Devices commonly used as tools, Battle Gear used as weapons, or those massive Warfare-Class Weapons, their cores are driven by formulas that convert the magic stored within crystals of different elemental attributes. Therefore, people need the corresponding elemental Magic Adaptability to use these tools, otherwise they will suffer irreversible bodily harm."

"I've also heard that fire-element Magic Adaptability is better suited for close-combat Battle Gear because of its explosive power and aggression, so most people with fire-element Magic Adaptability are warriors, like Mr. Quilod. Those with lightning-element Magic Adaptability have quick reactions and are generally archers or Gunslingers, like Miss Scarpe. There are also water-element Magic Adaptability users with strong restorative power, and earth-element Magic Adaptability users with great endurance."

"Lastly, most Magic Devices used as operational tools are powered by Attribute-less Crystals, so ordinary people without Magic Adaptability can use them as well, provided they possess the relevant professional knowledge."

Miya silently watched Fang Heng rattle off all that "common knowledge." Only after he finished in one breath did she quietly ask, "That is more or less correct. But since you know your own strengths, why not stay in a safe zone and become a Life Profession user? There are many outstanding Chosen among the Life Professions as well."

"That's because I want to adventure." Fang Heng smiled carelessly. "I've been like this since I was little. Someone like me can't sit still. Even without Magic Adaptability, I can choose to become an alchemist who travels with an adventuring party."

Miya neither agreed nor disagreed. Calmly, she removed the last heavy item and placed it on the ground, then took out a Star Dagger. "Please repair this dagger as well."

"Ah, now? There might not be enough time."

"It's fine. Repair as much as you can."

"This dagger..." Only then did Fang Heng take a proper look at the dagger Miya handed him, and he was left speechless. It was covered in crisscrossing scars. He could not imagine what one would have to do to turn such sturdy Battle Gear into this state.

"Miya, your Battle Gear is...?"

Miya said nothing. For a moment, Fang Heng was not sure whether he had seen wrong, but Miya seemed to look faintly embarrassed—a rare expression for her. After a while, she explained, "Because of my profession, my fighting style may be somewhat aggressive."

Only then did Fang Heng remember that her Battle Blade had been in roughly the same condition a week ago. He secretly looked at her, finding it hard to imagine how someone so quiet and refined could fight "aggressively."

"The dagger won't be maintained anytime soon, but you'll be leaving our adventuring party after this mission, right?"

Miya answered, "There's no rush."

"No rush?"

"Yes. Leave it with you for now. It's fine." Miya looked at the organized supplies and nodded. "The others should be nearly ready. We'll meet at camp."

Fang Heng hurriedly called after her. "Wait, Miya."

Miya stopped, turned, and looked at him.

Fang Heng had just been about to say something when the night sky above suddenly brightened, cutting him off. He looked up and saw a golden streak slash across the black heavens. Its brilliant light reflected in his dark pupils as it fell northward.

"That is..." Fang Heng stared.

"...Warfare-Class. It was deployed from the Holy Serpent. It looks like the battle has already begun."

Light reflected in the girl's eyes as she looked upward. Then she lowered her gaze and quietly looked at Fang Heng, as if waiting for him to continue.

"Um, I..." The sudden development left Fang Heng flustered. "It's nothing, really. I just wanted to say... be... be careful." The instant the words left his mouth, he wanted to slap himself. Why had he said something so inexplicably stupid?

She looked at him without a word. The bright light happened to outline their expressions amid the interwoven shadows, and Fang Heng lowered his head in embarrassment.

"You too." She turned away, leaving behind a faint remark before she departed. "Ed, this industry worships geniuses. Without talent, there will ultimately be no future in this field..."

The girl's figure gradually vanished into the soft moonlight.

It was quite a while before Fang Heng snapped out of his daze. In the direction Miya had gone, moonlight filtered through the trunks and drooping branches, mysterious and cold. Green moss covered every protruding stone and rotting log.

Just like the sight he had seen during the day.

Rainbow Alliance, Silverwood Spear main camp.

"Commander, the Holy Serpent is still patrolling back and forth between sectors A430275 and A430289."

"Report: two regiments of the Jefflitte Redcoats have advanced into the area along the southern bank of the Gorgon River."

Inside the cramped marching tent, the hanging lamp on the ceiling swayed with the tremors beneath the ground. The attendants of Silverwood Spear had to protect the heaps of paper documents and maps on the table. Messengers kept pushing open the flap and brushing past colleagues who were leaving.

KUN raised his head.

"Don't move. It's out of focus again." Not far from KUN, Hongcha pushed up her glasses, irritation visible in her tea-colored eyes. She raised both hands and aimed an invisible window at him. "You're twenty-seven or twenty-eight already. Why are you still as restless as a child?"

KUN frowned.

"Don't frown either. It looks awful."

KUN inhaled sharply. "Hongcha, stop filming for now. This is the important matter."

Hongcha casually fiddled with the air—though to everyone else, there were only crisscrossing rays of colored light there. "That won't do. It was decided by the club higher-ups. Of course, you can try persuading the investors. As the guild's star player, they might give you some face."

"They only give face to money."

"At least you know."

"But they aren't here right now!"

"That doesn't mean I won't fulfill my duties," Hongcha replied. "I have professional ethics."

"But why do I feel like you're enjoying this?" KUN glared at her darkly.

Hongcha's brows curved slightly as she tried hard not to laugh. She did not want him to fly into a rage from embarrassment. "Nothing of the sort. It's merely routine work. All right, you can continue worrying about your own matters, but remember not to show any unnecessary expressions."

KUN kept a stiff face.

The people around them lowered their heads, quietly snickering.

At that moment, a messenger hurried in. "Commander, the Wind Element Detector just detected a change in the target at bearing A430275. It split from one into two, and one of them is smaller. Preliminary estimates suggest that something separated from the Holy Serpent."

The tent immediately fell silent.

"Gliding Boat!"

KUN and Hongcha exchanged a glance.

Hongcha realized the gravity of the situation as well and lowered her "camera." "Should we notify headquarters?"

KUN shook his head. "Not yet. Have you calculated the deployment location?"

The messenger nodded. "The landing point should be in the southeastern area of the ruins."

"Wait, the ruins?" Hongcha looked surprised. "Inside the ruins, isn't that..."

"Do we have details on the troop deployment over there?" KUN interrupted her.

Hongcha thought for a moment. "There's half a regiment there. They only entered that area not long ago. The scouts sent word back this afternoon."

"Around forty people," KUN repeated. "Interesting. That isn't the main force of the Jefflitte Redcoats. Mercenaries?"

Hongcha nodded.

"Interesting." KUN walked to the table and smoothed the curled edge of the parchment map with his hand. He muttered to himself, "The Descendants of Flor should know perfectly well that I'm here. Is this a smokescreen... or do they have another intention?"

His finger traced across the rough map before he looked up. "Prepare the men."

"Wait." Hongcha stopped him. "KUN, the two regiments of the Jefflitte Redcoats are still on the southern bank of the Gorgon River, and that thing inside the ruins...?"

"That's why it's an open scheme," KUN replied. "It's fine. Just pass down the orders. If anything goes wrong, I'll take responsibility."

Hongcha froze for a moment, then nodded.