The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 619: Volume 16: Mists and Illusions, - 12: Head-on Collision (2)

Chapter 619: Volume 16: Mists and Illusions, Chapter 12: Head-on Collision (2)

Ice Lake was located in the Central Region of the Greenland Forest. In fact, it was not too far from the path that stretched across the Greenland. This was also the main reason why there was always an eerie feeling along the Greenland Forest path; a constant stream of icy cold air spread out in all directions, keeping the great pathway in a chilly state even during the height of summer.

When Miss Shatima, very reluctantly, put her clothes back on and arrived at the shore of Ice Lake with Rebry and Mr. Fradkov, they realized that the lake was far from being as simple as they had imagined. The vast expanse of the lake emitted a faint, cold air and at its heart, a proud silver-white snow peak stood tall. Frost and ice sealed off the surrounding area for miles, and the thick ice layer could be felt even from the lakeshore. The presence of Magical Beasts and animals actively moving about on the ice left Shatima, Rebry, and Fradkov all speechless.

Snow Monkeys, Crackstone Snakes, Long-haired Yaks, and Scarlet Flame Tigers, Magical Beasts that were almost never seen on the Continent, were all surprisingly observable here. Even the Mountain-swallowing Blue Jiao, which had been extinct on the Continent, was frolicking in the lake. While this sight caused Shatima’s eyes to shine, Rebry couldn’t help but gulp. These Magical Beasts were treasures not easily found; their entire bodies contained materials indispensable for crafting Magic tools. Especially the Mountain-swallowing Blue Jiao, which was known as an earth-based and water dual-element Magical Beast. Its Magic Crystal was a natural treasure for enhancing a Mage’s magic power, and its skin was an excellent material for resisting earth-based and water magic attacks. If they could find a skilled Magic tool craftsman to meticulously craft it, the armor made from this Jiao’s skin would undoubtedly be the coveted protective gear that Paladins dreamed of.

Seeing Miss Shatima’s eagerness to try, Rebry knew that the human-shaped Dragon Lady with a dragon heart must have harbored thoughts of slaying. The Mountain-swallowing Blue Jiao shared some ancestral ties with the Dragon Clan, and if she could slay and consume its Magic Crystal, the crystal would undoubtedly greatly enhance the magic power of the beautiful Dragon Lady, and even help her regain her prime physical condition. However, the Mountain-swallowing Blue Jiao was no easy opponent. Although it did not dare to confront the pure-blooded Dragon Clan directly, its nest was here, where it had lived for a long time. To challenge it here without full preparation would certainly be a disaster. Moreover, with so many other Magical Beasts present, and their main mission being to locate the Gray Wolf Pack, pursuing the Mountain-swallowing Blue Jiao would undoubtedly disrupt the plan. Although Rebry didn’t think much of Komer’s ambush plan, he wasn’t in the habit of breaking his promises once he had given his word.

"Miss Shatima, we can’t act rashly; we need to find the Gray Wolves," said Rebry, noticing the flow of magic power throughout Shatima’s body, he felt compelled to remind and stop her from being impulsive. "That Mountain-swallowing Blue Jiao isn’t easy to deal with. Look, there are Crackstone Snakes and Snow Monkeys around it. If we provoke them, they will think we are invading their territory and are likely to attack us en masse."

"Mr. Rebry, are you afraid of a Mountain-swallowing Blue Jiao? As for the other little creatures, they will only tremble and succumb before me. I need the Magic Crystal of this Mountain-swallowing Blue Jiao. You and Mr. Fradkov can have everything else from its body. How about that? This deal is very profitable, hehehe!" Miss Shatima’s seductive laughter made Rebry and Fradkov’s skin crawl. Only the lord seemed to show interest in this wanton woman. The unsuspecting Fradkov even pitied Komer’s preferences and felt it was a shame that despite being surrounded by so many pure and lovely girls, he was unmoved, instead attracting such a harlot.

"Miss Shatima, what were Lord Komer’s initial instructions?" Rebry replied with a slight smile. "We came here with a mission. If we mess up Lord Komer’s big plan, it won’t be easy to explain when we return. The Gray Wolf Pack should be nearby. Once we attack the Mountain-swallowing Blue Jiao, we might scare off the wolves and spoil everything."

Shatima rolled her blue eyes somewhat unwillingly, grudgingly saying, "Without the Gray Wolf Pack, we can still deal with those poor wretches. Komer is too timid, overly cautious, and lacking the bearing of a lord. He will probably have a short life span."

While grumbling, Shatima also knew that without the help of Rebry and Fradkov, the Mountain-swallowing Blue Jiao would easily escape her hunting, especially since her physical strength had not fully recovered.

"Hmm, I think so too, why don’t you go ahead and take care of him?" Rebry casually said. "That way, we could avoid a lot of trouble."

Hearing Rebry say this, Shatima, ignorant though she may be of worldly affairs, knew he was deliberately belittling her. Glancing at him resentfully, she replied, "Mr. Rebry, don’t provoke me. If one day you truly irritate me, I would very much like to see how capable you human Mages really are."

"Well then, both Lord Komer and I await your guidance, but before that, we must act as per Lord Komer’s request, right?" Rebry replied with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. The man finally started to let something slip. This human mage was clearly speaking in the tone of another race. Fortunately, Fradkov’s attention wasn’t on the man’s speech, or he might have noticed something amiss.

"Where the hell did those damn Gray Wolves go? I’m going to catch every single one of them and skin them alive!" Unable to find a vent for her frustration, Shatima angrily swung her dragon spear, creating a fierce gust of wind. An ice-blue Fighting Qi burst forth from the tip of the spear, and three fir trees, thick enough to be embraced by several people, shook slightly before crashing down as if felled by a giant axe.

Surprised by the Dragon Lady’s formidable strength, Fradkov cast a glance at her but remained silent. Instead, Rebry shrugged and said, "Miss Shatima, if you truly have excess energy, why not circle around the lake to see where the Gray Wolf Pack might be hiding? That would make it easier for us to formulate a plan to encircle them."

"Circle the lake? Mr. Rebry, you make it sound so easy. Circling the lake would cover at least a hundred miles, and it would be hard to find Gray Wolves hiding in the lakeside bushes; it would be futile." Shatima snorted. "You ought to have some method of searching; this aimless seeking is not the way."

Rebry laughed, appreciating that the Dragon Lady’s intelligence was not low. Although she was somewhat unsophisticated in human relationships, she recognized that searching this way was ineffective. Just as he was about to respond, he heard Fradkov utter a cautious "eh?"

Following Fradkov’s wary gaze, Rebry quickly spotted several blurry figures appearing by the side of the Ice Lake, several miles away. Shatima, too, became excited at once—several figures unexpectedly appearing in this rarely visited area were definitely suspicious. These past few days had been uneventful, and Rebry had been indifferent to her provocations while Fradkov mostly ignored her, making it difficult for her to vent on anyone. Now, finally, something seemed to be afoot.

"Hehe, Mr. Rebry, I smell the scent of magic. Seems like those fellows are mages just like you. What are they doing? Hunting?" Shatima was so excited she almost jumped up, her dragon spear moving so fiercely it nearly darted towards them.

"Wait a minute, Miss Shatima, something doesn’t seem right. Let’s observe and see where they come from and what they’re doing here," said Rebry, the experienced one, immediately realizing something was off. The Greenland Forest was not off-limits, but places like the Ice Lake were virtually uninhabited by humans. Mages did need to hunt for Magic tools materials, but it wasn’t likely that they would personally come to these primordial forests for such materials. They mostly replenished their supplies through Material Merchants or by buying from Adventurers; obtaining magic materials through adventure and hunting was the livelihood of Adventurers and exploration teams, and some Mercenaries might take on temporary roles for Money, but mages usually wouldn’t employ this method. It was rare for several mages to appear at the same time.

"Hmm, five, six, seven, eight, wow, Mr. Rebry, in my line of sight there are already eight mages or magicians wearing mages’ robes—quite the anomaly. It’s unusual for so many mages to gather in one place. Hmm, there are two more over there; they look like mages too. Let me count those dressed in knights’ attire... hmm, seven, yes, seven knights, all wearing Knight’s Leather Armor and cloaks, appearing to be knights devoted to the Church of Light. Eh, that fellow seems to be wielding a Holy Light Spear blessed by the Church of Light; such a strong aura of Holy Light, I can feel it even at this distance. He’s quite arrogant, using his Fighting Qi to force out the Holy Power of the Holy Light Spear to show off. Isn’t that a bit too much?"

Fradkov squinted, hiding in the bushes to observe, quietly reporting to Rebry who was crouched beside him what he saw. Rebry had quickly cast two earth-based and wood-based concealment and camouflage spells in the first moments; these spells allowed them to blend their bodily auras with the surrounding environment in a unique way to avoid detection from enemy mages’ special search spells and plain sight, particularly effective in forests and mountains.

"Who are these people, and what are they doing here?" Fradkov muttered, unable to help himself. "How odd that we’re here, and they’re also here?"

To be continued. For further developments, please log on to WWW.CMFU.COM. More Chapters are available, support the author, support authorized reading!