Chapter 122: The Bold and Generous Buck

After a brief rest, the group decided to return to Masan at once. Including Vil, only five people had returned from the Mist Zone, yet now only two had decided to go back to Masan.

Nasa refused to return to Masan. Instead, he chose to recuperate along the border of the Savage Grasslands. As his companions and guards, Daken and Figo also decided to stay behind and accompany him.

Vil was puzzled by Nasa’s actions, but he did not ask any questions. He merely nodded, and after bidding farewell to Nasa and the others, set off for Masan together with Scanoli.

“Why didn’t you ask Nasa why he wanted to stay here?”

They had not gone far when Scanoli could no longer restrain himself from asking Vil. Ever since they had returned from the Demon Realm, the lecherous old man had noticed that Vil spoke far less than before. Vil was not dazed; he was simply silent, as though something weighed heavily on his mind. He kept thinking and reasoning, then, after reaching a conclusion, made up his mind.

Could he be preparing to do something, just like Nasa?

Scanoli wondered inwardly. His ability, once a source of pride, to peer into the hearts of others had completely failed when it came to Vil. Unable to discern Vil’s thoughts, he could only resort to the most primitive method of probing him with questions.

“Is there any need?”

Vil turned and glanced at Scanoli before answering indifferently, “You wouldn’t tell me anyway, would you?”

“Indeed!”

Scanoli’s brows rose, and he wore a faintly smug expression. He had thought his words would arouse Vil’s curiosity, but Vil’s next sentence nearly made him choke with fury.

“Then what would be the point? Old man, don’t you think you’ve been talking more and more nonsense lately?”

Vil gave Scanoli a cool glance, his faintly mocking tone making it sound as though he were speaking to an idiot.

“You insolent brat!”

Scanoli’s eyes widened until they were round as balls, and all the long hairs at the corners of his mouth stood on end. He cursed furiously inside his head, then swept an angry glance around him before fixing his eyes on a magical beast nearby.

There were far more magical beasts in the Savage Grasslands than in the Savage Forest. Aside from the grasslands’ unique terrain, the greatest reason for this was the existence of the Mist Zone within the Savage Forest.

“Brat, go bring that magical beast back. Don’t hurt it. We’ll have to rely on it to get back to Masan!”

Scanoli pointed toward the magical beast in the distance, a sly smile curling across his lips.

“Remember, you are not allowed to injure it. Understood?”

“A mid-grade magical beast?”

Vil raised his head and examined the creature. It appeared to belong to the giant marten family. Though it was enormous and extremely fast, its offensive power was pitifully weak. Its seemingly magnificent fur offered little defense, while its flesh was barely edible and difficult to swallow. In short, it possessed almost no practical value.

Although the beast posed little danger, Vil was confident he could kill it instantly. The problem was that Scanoli had not asked him to do that. He wanted Vil to capture it alive.

Damn that old man. He’s deliberately making things difficult for me! Does he think I’m Figo, that lunatic, who can knock out a magical beast with one punch and carry it back on his shoulders?

Vil cursed inwardly, but his expression did not change. He merely turned to Scanoli and said, “Old man, come with me. Surely you don’t expect me to drag it back and dump it in front of you?”

“Eh?”

Scanoli uttered a puzzled sound. Before he could understand what Vil meant, he saw Vil walking straight toward the magical beast.

He really intends to capture a mid-grade magical beast for me?

Scanoli wondered. He quickened his pace slightly and followed.

Fifty yards.

Forty yards.

Thirty yards.

Vil’s eyes remained fixed on the magical beast. One hand gripped his divine staff tightly, while the other gently and carefully unwound the strips of cloth wrapped around it, one layer after another. He had loosened only half of the wrappings, revealing the nearly perfect crescent of emerald green, when he stopped.

“That is…!”

This was the first time Scanoli had seen Vil reveal his divine staff. His eyes widened, and his mouth fell open in astonishment. With difficulty, he forced out a hoarse whisper.

“The Losyizigel Divine Staff! That brat actually obtained the Losyizigel Divine Staff!”

Vil paid no attention to Scanoli behind him. He continued forward until he stood a little over twenty yards from the magical beast, then stopped.

By now, the creature had noticed him. The long white fur covering its body immediately bristled. It bared its teeth, its eyes locked fiercely upon Vil.

Vil gently waved the divine staff in his hand. A green radiance of breathtaking beauty instantly flowed from the graceful crescent. The fist-sized crimson magic crystal embedded in it suddenly gave off a faint glow. At once, the fire-element crystal within the sea of Vil’s consciousness responded. Streams of pure fire magic began circulating, gathering continuously within the crescent at the top of the staff.

“Fire Repulsion.”

Vil spoke the words softly and swung the divine staff. A point of crimson light flew from the crescent. Its motion was slow and gentle, like a falling scarlet blossom.

But the instant that crimson spark touched the ground, an unbearably scorching wave of heat erupted. Before the magical beast could react, the spark burst into searing red flames. Stranger still, the flames seemed to possess a will of their own. They immediately coiled around the creature.

The blazing flames maintained an astonishingly precise distance from the beast. They did not harm it in the slightest, yet their searing heat made it keenly aware of the danger. It did not dare make the slightest unnecessary movement for fear of breaking through the ring of fire.

The magical beast let out an angry hiss, but it had no way to escape the scorching flames imprisoning it. Vil’s spell was not especially powerful, but against a creature with such poor defenses, it was more than sufficient.

“There. It’s yours.”

Vil glanced at Scanoli, then calmly began wrapping the divine staff in cloth once more, layer by layer.

Watching him, Scanoli’s brows lifted slightly.

That brat’s control over magic is becoming finer and finer. At this rate, it probably won’t be long before he catches up with that woman, Prosis.

What an astonishing boy.

For some reason, Scanoli sighed inwardly. Then he drew a deep breath, focused his mind, and hummed a bizarre sequence of sound waves toward the magical beast trapped within the flames.

In only a moment, the creature, which had still been struggling violently, gradually quieted beneath Scanoli’s strange resonance.

“Brat, withdraw your flames!”

Scanoli turned and called to Vil. Vil nodded and gave the divine staff a light wave. The flames encircling the magical beast vanished instantly, leaving not even a spark behind.

“Let’s go!”

Scanoli glanced at Vil and gave two short snorts. The subdued magical beast obediently lowered itself to the ground, allowing Scanoli and Vil to climb onto its back.

* * *

Two days later, in Ahank City, one of the Four Spirit Cities—

Liz had been waiting at the city gates since early morning. His face was filled with anxiety and excitement as he paced back and forth. Every so often, he gazed into the distance, muttering incessantly, “Why haven’t they arrived yet?”

“Hey, Liz! Look at you, acting so pathetic. If that human doesn’t come back today, it’s no great loss. Stop blocking the road for no reason!”

One of the guards responsible for watching the city gate shouted at him. In truth, Liz had been standing there for three consecutive days, spending most of each day waiting.

“Get lost, Mofeo! Don’t you dare howl at me! I’m waiting for my people. You just stand there and do your job as a guard. What’s it to you? Or is your skin itching again? Do you want to spar with me?”

Liz shouted at the orc guard named Mofeo. He clenched his fists, producing a rapid series of sharp cracks. The savage look in his eyes made it obvious that he truly intended to fight, hoping to vent all the anger he had accumulated over the past three days.

“Forget it. I don’t have as much free time as you do!”

As Liz advanced step by step, Mofeo’s expression suddenly became strained. He put on a bold front, but he knew perfectly well that if they truly fought, he would never be Liz’s match.

“Come on, Mofeo. Let me see how much you’ve improved lately. You’ve even grown bold enough to argue with me!”

Liz gritted his teeth. Standing nearly nine and a half feet tall, he was half a head taller than Mofeo. He looked down at the guard from above, then suddenly thrust out one thick arm and lifted Mofeo clean off the ground.

“Liz!”

Mofeo was seized by the throat, his entire face turning crimson. He desperately pounded at Liz’s body with all four limbs, but his attacks were utterly ineffective against Liz’s massive frame. Liz snorted coldly and tightened his grip slightly.

Mofeo choked so violently that he nearly lost consciousness.

“Liz… I’m… a city guard of Ahank City… while you’re only… a squad leader… You’re not… much higher-ranking than me…”

Mofeo struggled with his limbs as he forced the words out. But when Liz heard him, his grip did not loosen. Instead, it tightened further.

“Heh heh. Mofeo, I regret to inform you of one thing. I’m no longer a squad leader. I’m a company commander now. Understand?”

As he spoke, a murderous glint flashed through Liz’s eyes. He was already preparing to crush Mofeo’s throat when a guard who had been standing nearby without reacting suddenly shouted, “A large group is approaching!”

“What?”

The corner of Liz’s eye twitched. He flung Mofeo aside and turned to look.

Far on the horizon, a long black line was steadily approaching Ahank City. Liz had excellent eyesight, and at a glance he recognized the man at the head of the procession.

“Hahaha! It’s Buck! That bastard finally made it!”

Liz burst into laughter and shoved aside the guard next to him.

“Move, move! They’re with us!”

“Yes!”

The guards at the gate immediately split apart and stood neatly on either side of the entrance. Unlike the fool Mofeo, they had heard long ago that Liz had been promoted to company commander. That was why they had not lifted a finger to help Mofeo from the beginning.

Contrary to the foolish image commonly associated with the beastfolk, intrigue and covert rivalry among the orcs were perfectly ordinary. In that regard, they were hardly any less complicated than humans.

Before long, the thirty-odd wagons led by Buck slowly entered Ahank City. After calling a few words to the mercenaries behind him, Buck jumped down from the wagon and forced a smile onto his face before embracing Liz in a bear hug.

With a sharp crack, Buck knew that Liz had dislocated his arm yet again. If he remembered correctly, this was the fourth time Liz had crushed his arm out of its socket. Had he not prepared in advance and rubbed some anesthetic over the limb, he would probably have screamed himself unconscious by now.

“Hey, Buck! Your body is still as frail as ever! Though you’re better than last time—you haven’t passed out. Not bad, not bad. Now that’s what I call a man!”

Liz grinned broadly. He seized Buck’s arm with one hand and, with another sharp crack, shoved it back into place.

Seeing how brutally Liz handled it, Buck’s heart clenched. Cold sweat immediately broke out across his body.

“Cough, cough… I’m fine, I’m fine…”

Buck hurriedly wiped the cold sweat from his face with his other hand. He forced a smile onto his pallid features. Although he knew Liz had not meant to do it, he still cursed Liz’s entire ancestry in his heart.

“Heh heh, Buck, do you remember Mofeo from last time?”

Liz patted Buck on the shoulder and pointed toward Mofeo, who had just crawled up from the ground. A sly smile appeared on his face.

“I remember that bastard beating you up last time. How about I kill him for you?”

“Oh?”

The moment he heard Mofeo’s name, Buck immediately became interested. He turned to look at the battered guard and gave an involuntary snort.

“Forget it. There’s no need to get involved with trash like him. Besides, you wouldn’t be offering out of pure kindness, would you?”

Buck’s expression clearly said that he understood Liz’s intentions. Liz could not help looking slightly embarrassed. Buck paid no attention to it, merely pointing toward the lead wagon behind him.

“I prepared something for you. Twenty jars of fine liquor. Is that enough?”

“Haha! I knew you were the most generous fellow around! It seems I certainly didn’t befriend you for nothing!”

Liz nodded excitedly. He had not even tasted the liquor yet, but the drink-loving creature in his belly was already stirring restlessly.

Seeing his expression, Buck chuckled inwardly.

Generous? The twenty jars of liquor together cost less than a single silver coin. Most of it is ordinary hard liquor, too. But the beastfolk’s brewing techniques are nowhere near as advanced as those of humans. For the orcs, the ordinary liquor I brought really does count as fine wine.