Chapter 18: The Return of the Outsider

Got carried away.

Luo De wanted to dump all the remaining [Growth Spirit] over.

But the newly spawned [Timidity] and [Ravenous Appetite] immediately scared him off.

It seemed the [Centaur Bloodline] had already drained all his luck dry.

Adhering to the principle of “never push past three.”

He invested his last bit of [Growth Spirit] into the [Guardian Curtain].

[[Growth Spirit] used successfully, Guardian Curtain grown successfully]

[Comprehensive performance increased]

[Triggered additional effect: Night Vision]

[Details: When equipped with the Guardian Curtain, gain the ability to see in darkness]

[Remaining Growth Spirit: 0]

Edge of Bai Yu District.

The outskirts between Windwall Forest and Shi Ying Town.

In the night, two furtive silhouettes emerged on the hillside.

They scanned the charred area over there.

“Big Brother Wo Li, the residual spirit here.”

“I don’t need you to tell me—I’m not blind. Can’t I see these obvious battle traces?”

Wo Li’s jowls twitched: “Is this Ali’s?”

A dog-head with black-and-white fur poked out.

Its nose kept sniffing.

Then it quickly pulled back in.

“Can’t tell.”

Wo Li slapped the dog-man hard.

“I told you not to eat the ogre’s food—why’d you have to? Was that even edible? If not for you, we wouldn’t have taken half a month to get here!?”

The dog-man took the slap without protest, neck stiff, staring at the sky.

Wo Li rubbed his head.

“Good thing we were just fine—why’d you have to join the Igoh Cult? Look where it got you: no corpse even left to find.”

“Is Ali dead?”

“What do you think? The whole town’s talking about it—the forest warden killed a halfling.”

“Are we going to avenge him?”

The dog-man shrank his neck.

Among dog-men, many clans exist—some famed for bravery, others for sheer stupidity.

This one with black-and-white fur? Definitely the latter.

Wo Li fell silent for a moment.

“First, recover Ali’s body. Halflings have a custom of burying their dead at home.”

Wo Li and Ali weren’t close, but the Brotherhood had issued a mission—he had to bring back at least something.

“I heard the warden keeps a succubus.”

The dog-man’s groin twitched in midair.

“Succubi can’t turn into dog-men—they won’t bother with lowly forms,” Wo Li shot back.

He knew this brotherhood had been cuckolded by their homeland’s goddess; he always felt a little bitter about it.

The dog-man immediately slumped.

“Boring. Humans look ugly—no fur at all.”

The two opened the vial.

Purple smoke enveloped them, rendering their forms semi-transparent.

“Damn dwarves—what terrible quality!”

Wo Li cursed under his breath and led his subordinate into the forest.

Moments later, the dog-man gasped.

“I smell Ali’s scent!”

He pointed toward the tree.

Wo Li looked—saw nothing.

“Blood?”

“More than blood. A deeper odor.”

“Buried in the soil?”

“No—I can’t smell anything from the earth.”

He frowned.

“There’s some here! There’s some there! Oh, even up above!”

The dog-man kept exclaiming: “Ali is everywhere!”

Wo Li turned pale.

“Could it be…”

A butcher-clad forest warden flashed in his mind.

“When did kingdom officials become this cruel!?”

The dog-man suddenly gasped again.

He pointed to a distant forest warden’s cabin.

“Look, Big Brother Wo Li—there’s a wooden cabin.”

They were far away, but could see light flickering inside, blocked by curtains.

Faintly, Wo Li saw two figures struggling.

He immediately activated a spirit technique to enhance his hearing.

Then came low curses and pleading whimpers, soon turning into stubborn, pained moans.

Immediately after, he saw a spray of liquid splatter against the curtain.

“Blood!”

Wo Li was shaken to his core.

No wonder the Aetheron Kingdom’s forest wardens were such ruthless types.

“Don’t go near!”

Seeing the dog-man still moving forward, he barked a warning.

“Go! Now!”

Wo Li twisted the dog-man’s nape and retreated at full speed.

Ignoring spirit depletion, he fled at full strength until he was completely out of the forest.

Only then did the dog-man finally speak up.

“Big Brother Wo Li, what did you notice?”

Wo Li told him his suspicions.

The dog-man nearly fainted from fright.

“No wonder Ali’s everywhere—he was cut up by the warden.”

“Someone who can kill Ali isn’t ordinary,” Wo Li silently shook his head. “We might not be able to handle him—but we can shift focus to gathering intel. That’ll satisfy the Brotherhood’s mission.”

“I fully agree.”

The two moved away from the woods.

Slowly vanished into the night.

At the edge of Bai Yu District, a cute half-deer girl hid behind a tree, timidly watching the direction the two had left.

Moments later.

Luo De sat in the cabin, breathing fresh air.

Tally had lately enjoyed roleplaying different races.

Tonight, she was a fierce, chaste elf maiden.

Suddenly, Vivian stepped out from a thick tree.

“Vivian, good evening.”

Vivian nodded, stammering out what the half-deer girl Xiao Ke had seen.

“They mentioned the Brotherhood? What’s that?”

Luo De looked up at the star-strewn sky.

In truth, having lived in the forest so long, he knew little of new organizations on the continent.

“I’ll ask David tomorrow when we enter town.”

Also, these people truly move freely through the forest.

Especially the cabin’s location.

Perhaps I should also set up some defensive measures.

Vivian handed over two portrait drawings.

One dog-man, one human.

The brushwork was exquisite, lifelike and vivid.

“Did you draw these?”

“Xiao Ke,” Vivian shook her head.

Luo De then remembered that half-deer folk were natural artists, with great skill in music and painting.

The next day, Shi Ying Town.

Inside the town hall.

“Leave it to me, my lord. He takes this matter very seriously—everyone connected will be closely watched.”

David took the two portraits.

“As for the Brotherhood, if I’m not mistaken, it’s the Ruins Brotherhood.”

“Ruins Brotherhood?”

“An organization made up of outcasts and exiles who survive by taking shared contracts. You know how these people band together—they’re easily manipulated.”

Luo De nodded.

These people clearly craved recognition above all else.

Especially certain exiled races—they value honor more than anything, and they still live only to return to their clans.

“By the way, Pete came. He said he found what you asked for.”

Pete.

A merchant who often passed through Shi Ying Town.

Luo De had previously commissioned him to procure some items.

“Thank you. I’ll go find him.”

(End of Chapter)