Bab 26: Chapter 25 Elf

After the jungle natives were driven away, various families from Nasir Town attempted to organize manpower to develop the jungle but paused due to the overwhelming difficulties encountered.

The members of the Fischer family were both surprised and delighted upon learning about the presence of mysterious creatures in the jungle.

Mysterious creatures refer to those non-civilized species possessing extraordinary powers.

While their existence differs from that of magic beasts, though magic beasts are also considered mysterious creatures, dragons, offspring of Curses, God's descendants, and other such entities also fall under the larger category of mysterious creatures.

The difference between mysterious creatures and mysterious existences lies in the fact that the former mostly have physical bodies and complete tribes, whereas the latter are often conceptual entities without physical forms.

What they have in common is that both mysterious creatures and existences can produce extraordinary materials.

According to certain heretical teachings, the so-called numerous deities of the world also fall under "mysterious existences."

Every believer of the True Gods Church would become infuriated upon hearing such claims.

"Everyone, be cautious. Even though those filthy natives have left, the dangers within the jungle have never diminished," someone cautioned.

Lucius led the way with Byrne following closely behind, both on high alert as they entered the jungle, accompanied by ten Fischer family guards.

The experienced mercenary Lucius had prepared everything the expedition team would need to survive in the wild in advance: insect repellent, food, water, tents, sources of fire, medical supplies, and, most importantly, weapons.

As humans and various foreign races developed on the Ouden Continent, the number of mysterious creatures across the continent has increasingly dwindled.

The nearby presence of a mysterious creature was indeed an extremely rare opportunity not to be missed by the Fischer family, which couldn't afford to miss the chance to harvest extraordinary materials.

With Lucius at the forefront, sword in hand to clear the way, he calmly surveyed the surroundings and inquired,

"Byrne, did you get all that?"

Byrne calmly observed his surroundings, adjusted his glasses, and using his extraordinary trait of "Profound Memory," memorized the jungle paths with exceptional memory.

His role was critical outdoors, akin to a human map, his excellent memory virtually guaranteed that the team would not get lost.

"I've got it. So far, all paths in the jungle are etched in my mind," Byrne responded.

Lucius gave a slight nod and said, "Good, that mysterious creature is said to have white fur. Everyone must be alert to any unexpected white colors that might appear in the jungle."

Despite searching the jungle for the mysterious creature until noon and finding nothing, Lucius wasn't the least bit discouraged; instead, he remained quite composed.

They found a relatively safe place to rest for an adequate amount of time, with the guards taking turns maintaining vigilance for any dangers.

While resting, Byrne couldn't help but ask a question.

"Father, do you think the Rhea from the north will attack us?" he inquired.

Lucius shook his head, answering indifferently, "I don't know. Maybe they will, maybe they won't. Do you understand the dispute between Rhea and our Cyart people?"

Byrne nodded and said, "I've read that the meaning of 'Cyart' is 'the exiled,' and both we and the Rhea were originally from central countries on the continent a hundred years ago."

"Later, both nations were expelled by the Empire and migrated collectively to the east of the continent."

Byrne paused there, as history books were filled with tales of survival of the fittest, a common fate shared amongst almost all beings, from which no one could escape.

Were the previous Cyart people as helpless as the jungle natives before the citizens of the Empire?

Lucius remained silent, clearly waiting for Byrne to continue.

"Eighty years ago, the Rhea seized the northern lands of the Cyart, after which the Cyart people continuously learned everything from the Empire, gradually forming the concept of a national state, and their national strength began to grow."

"Fifty years ago, the Cyart people, who had grown in power with the help of the Tempest Church and the Salvation Church, reclaimed the north."

"Since then, there has always been conflict and warfare between the Cyart people and the Rhea until a 'Thirty-Year Peace Agreement' was signed under the Salvation Church's leadership twelve years ago, bringing things to a standstill. There are still eighteen years left until the peace agreement comes to an end," Byrne detailed.

After pondering for a moment, Byrne shook his head and said, "War shouldn't break out prematurely. The authority of the two great True Gods Churches is strong; divine punishment is not something mortals can withstand."

His father, however, shook his head and dismissively stated, "Heh, you are as naive as ever."

A seriousness previously unseen crossed Lucius's face, his gaze seemingly drifting back to the wars from over a decade ago.

"The reason the civil war erupted in Rhea was that part of their nobility wanted to tear up the peace agreement, which inevitably represents some people's deep-seated desires. You haven't experienced real war, so you don't understand that some people are just madmen; rational thinking does not exist for them," he explained.

Madmen without rational thinking?

Byrne was astonished. Whenever he encountered something, he would always think it over repeatedly and subconsciously weigh the pros and cons, and he also felt that his father and Irene would do the same.

But there are those who simply don't care about pros and cons or rationality at all, huh, they really do exist, like the drunkards and gamblers he had seen somewhere before.

Those people would kill for the most trivial impulses and unimaginable reasons.

But would the nobles of the upper class really act like this?

Deep down, he couldn't imagine a war waged on whims, always feeling that the nobles of the upper class were more rational, wise, and clever, incapable of acting without logic.

After the lunch break ended, everyone continued searching for a while before declaring a halt to the search as night fell.

Byrne awoke groggily from his dreams, glanced at the family guard responsible for the vigilance, and hazily sensed a white figure in the nearby woods.

What's that, a mysterious creature?

He was startled and instinctively stood up to wake the people around him but then realized that it wasn't any mysterious creature at all; it was an elf.

An elf!

Although Byrne had seen illustrations and descriptions of elves in books, he had never actually seen one.

On the Ouden Continent, it's difficult to encounter members of a foreign race in the Eastern regions, be it elves, dwarves, or orcs, as they mostly reside in the west of the continent.

He got up instinctively and walked slowly, looking towards the other with extreme curiosity and fascination.

It really was an elf!

She was staring back at the approaching human, her eyes filled with wariness.

The elven girl had a slender figure, her light green hair flowing like a waterfall, her unusually bright eyes revealing wisdom and mystery, her skin a pure, pale color.

Her facial features were delicate and soft, giving an eerily transcendent and strange sense of beauty with her indifferent expression.

So beautiful.

"Byrne!"

Suddenly, a loud shout came, jolting Byrne out of his reverie. The white figure not far in front of him had vanished in an instant.

"What are you doing!"

Lucius ran over with a severe look on his face, ready to fight at a moment's notice, with the guards also very vigilant.

Byrne was dazed for a while, then shook his head and murmured, "Nothing, I just, I think I saw an elf."

"An elf?"

Lucius frowned deeply and immediately organized everyone to huddle and start searching the area. After more than two hours, they hadn't found any trace of an outsider; there simply was no such thing as an elf here.

"Did you see that white mysterious creature and mistake it for an elf?"

Lucius looked at his son, puzzled, and continued:

"Even though the large-scale slave trade was officially abolished decades ago, every other country in the west of the continent still allows the trade of foreign races in secret. The legendary elves are like walking gold, and due to the distance, the Eastern Four Kingdoms very rarely see elves."

Byrne shook his head and said:

"I'm not mistaken, absolutely not, you know my Extraordinary trait."

Lucius's frown deepened as he fell into deep thought, while Byrne recalled the scene he had just witnessed.

His "Profound Memory" Extraordinary trait made that scene he had just seen incredibly clear and real, capable of being replayed in his mind at any time.

Even if he wanted to forget, it was simply impossible. Byrne couldn't help but recall every detail of that figure in his mind meticulously.

Such a beautiful life.

That elven girl was like the most moving song of nature, the babbling brook flowing through the green mountains, full of tender breaths of life.

He suddenly felt afraid, knowing that he would never be able to forget that beautiful figure.

But would I ever have the chance to see her again?

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KIRIM HADIAH

Bab 27: Chapter 26: Accidental Gains! (Please Follow)

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For three full days, the members of the Fischer family had not been able to find any trace of the mysterious creature, and the guards were feeling weary, yet due to Lucius's authority, no one dared to voice their desire to return.

Lucius also knew not to expect too much in terms of the guards' obedience and couldn't help but question the reliability of the information.

In theory, Grandma Narda wouldn't betray them, but some information might be considered true by the informant, yet could still be a false report in reality.

Just then, Byrne's expression changed slightly, and in a respectful tone he said, "I sense Its will... Father, it's over there."

After speaking, he extended his finger and pointed in the direction of a jungle.

Lucius quickly understood that what his son referred to must be a hint from the Lord of the Lost and nodded immediately.

"Alright, everyone heighten your alertness!"

The people of the Fischer family walked in that direction for another thirty minutes, but still found nothing.

Suddenly, Lucius was shocked to find that the speed of the surrounding guards had slowed down, a slowness that was starkly apparent, including Byrne, everyone moved at a near standstill pace.

He immediately realized that the Extraordinary trait "Quickdraw" had been activated!

A second's duration slowed down to twenty or thirty excruciating seconds, Lucius slowly moved his hand, attempting to draw his sword, all the while keenly observing his surroundings and soon pinpointing the source of hostility.

A bear with white fur was hidden within the dense jungle dozens of meters away, its limbs as sturdy and powerful as steel, and its eyes carried a ferocious and murderous intent akin to that found in human eyes.

It was very cautious and extremely careful, and if not for his own Extraordinary trait, it would have been very difficult to discover the presence of this bear.

There were too many mysterious creatures in the world, and Lucius had no idea what kind of magic beast it was, but he could feel that its strength was formidable.

It seemed to possess strength close to that of a low-level Transmutation, and with his own power, it would be impossible to be its opponent in a one-on-one fight!

The gaze shifted!

In the brief moment of staring, Lucius suddenly noticed the Moonshadow White Bear's gaze shift and collide with his own! A confrontation!

It realized it had been spotted!

Although his reaction speed increased by tens of times, his body still moved at normal speed, Lucius used all the strength in his body to draw his sword, yelling, "Dodge!"

At the same moment, the bear's massive body moved slightly, crouching down, its limbs touching the ground as it began to run, then, it charged towards the people of the Fischer family at a speed that was only slightly slower than a normal person's, "slowly" coming at them.

Lucius felt his scalp tingle, utterly horrified!

Could it be that this speed, theoretically slowed down tens of times, was the creature's actual sprinting pace?

In the final slow moments, he dodged to the side, while a few guards behind him looked around nonchalantly before turning their heads vaguely in his direction.

Those guards had no time to evade, fortunately, Byrne wasn't on its path!

If, if Byrne had been right behind him, what would he have done?

The thought suddenly occurred to Lucius, and the next moment he felt ashamed of the ignoble doubt that had sprung from deep within him – as a father, he should never have such disgraceful hesitations.

The second of slow motion brought by "Quickdraw" finally came to an end.

"Move quickly!"

"Arr!"

Lucius yelled fiercely, drawing his sword and dodging to the side, only to see a terrifying sight!

Three guards who had been right behind him screamed as they were knocked into the air, after rising several dozen meters, their bodies fell to the ground like noodles, twisting, contorting, and even shattering in a horribly casual manner.

"Moonshadow Demon Bear!"

Byrne only saw a white blur charging at them, and after finally getting a clear look, he shouted out in shock and anger.

His swordsmanship was already quite good, and he retreated immediately, then decisively pulled out an alchemical flintlock and aimed at the white bear to shoot.

"Bang!"

Lucius was surprised to find that the bullet had hit the Moonshadow Bear squarely in the abdomen, the bear with blindingly fast speed had not dodged it!

That's it!

It must have used some "Extraordinary trait" or perhaps only "straight-line charge" to attain the speed it did just now!

Under normal circumstances, the creature's movement speed would definitely not be so exaggerated.

"Arr!"

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The Moonshadow White Bear, struck in the abdomen, howled in pain, its agony infused with even stronger rage. It then attempted to crouch down to launch another charge!

"Ha!"

Lucius charged forward with great valor, instantly activating "sword brandishing" and repeatedly slashing at the bear several times. The blade rolled up flesh and blood, and the howling bear instinctively retreated, failing to complete its charging stance.

Although it was a bear-type magic beast, Lucius noticed that, contrary to common sense, its defensive capabilities were not strong, and an ordinary person wielding a weapon could wound it.

"Charge now!" Lucius immediately roared.

The recent scene had been devastating to morale, and the seven surviving family guards, pale-faced, still managed to raise their three-meter-long spears and surround the bear from all sides with extreme caution.

Still not good enough, Lucius thought. Even though he had trained these guards for years, their quality was still not up to par.

If they coordinated with him and rushed in together, they could further damage the bear before them!

Despite knowing he wasn't an outstanding instructor, Lucius was extremely disappointed.

"Roar!"

The bear swung its paws fiercely, its monstrous strength effortlessly sending several spears flying from the guards' hands, while the remaining trembling guards immediately took several steps back.

As soon as the encirclement broke, it glared menacingly at Lucius, the male human who was clearly the most threatening presence.

Byrne had already pulled out his pen and paper, his head covered in sweat as he sketched, not even needing to look at the bear anymore, simply drawing accurately from memory.

It's coming!

Lucius tensed up, and then the bear lunged at him again, its speed significantly slower than its initial charge.

He was already prepared to block, but his whole body shook violently from the impact, uncontrollably thrown into the air, flying several steps before barely managing to stabilize his stance.

Such tremendous strength!

It must be in a straight line, its charge can only be straight!

No sooner had Lucius landed than he rolled on the ground, and sure enough, the bear, already in a four-limb stance, charged at him like a moonshadow—too fast!

Impossible to block the charge; the best strategy was to try to avoid it completely, thought Lucius, dripping with sweat as he struggled to his feet, gasping for air.

Just one hit would be the end of him!

But he soon saw a glimmer of hope, noticing that the bear, having charged past at high speed, seemed unable to stop.

"Ow!"

The bear crashed into a large tree in the jungle, halting only with great difficulty. It had just turned around when it noticed two black alchemical explosives rolling at its feet.

"Boom!"

The violent explosion tore one of the bear's arms to shreds, but it was unfortunate that the alchemical explosives Lucius had predicted to throw were a bit too far, failing to kill it.

"Woo woo woo ow!"

It started to howl miserably, not immediately engaging in battle again, giving the humans time to catch their breath.

The bear, having lost an arm, lost its will to fight and turned in fear to run away. Lucius did not choose to pursue it, only then did Byrne finish his drawing, rendering the bear "fragile."

"I couldn't draw any faster, I'm sorry," Byrne said, looking down awkwardly.

Lucius laughed heartily, saying nonchalantly, "It's absolutely fine, we've already won. We'll clean up the corpse when we return. Now we need to follow the blood trail from afar."

He didn't lead everyone to chase after and kill the Moonshadow White Bear; instead, they followed the blood trail from a hundred meters away. After tracking it for a day and a night, the magic beast finally collapsed from excessive blood loss and didn't move anymore.

The group waited for another half an hour without getting closer. Then Lucius picked up a spear and threw it with sharp precision, piercing the bear and causing blood to burst forth.

"Ow ow ow ow ow!"

The Moonshadow White Bear suddenly opened its eyes, rising furiously, its expression wild, trying to charge at the humans. But after a few staggering steps, its massive body finally fell backward.

A joyful smile spread across Lucius's face as he lazily said with narrowed eyes, "Tsk tsk, now it's thoroughly dead, unable to get back up ever again."

Only then did Byrne breathe a sigh of relief, revealing a thoughtful expression as he said:

"There are two problems, the first is that extracting extraordinary materials requires a specialized spellcaster. In Nasir's town, only the elder of the silver descendants clan has this skill."

"Also, the extraordinary materials on the Moonshadow Demon Bear are Class 3. You haven't digested the current Magic Potion yet, so we can't use them directly."

Class 3 Extraordinary Materials? Lucius was taken aback.

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KIRIM HADIAH