Chapter 230: Gargoyle

"Luo Qi." Guan Xinyue called his name, wanting to say something but stopping herself.

Luo Qi felt a bit awkward. "Can we stop talking about my dad? I already know his relationship with Fan Shi is extraordinary; let's just treat him as an ordinary Mind Mage loyal to Fan Shi." "Luo Qi!" Guan Xinyue's voice suddenly turned sharper. "That's not what I meant. Is there someone standing behind you?"

Several people were stunned. Luo Qi turned his head abruptly. His vision blurred as Du Zhengyi suddenly threw a Fireball. His eyes adjusted for a few seconds; as the flames rose, a human-shaped black shadow streaked through the firelight. Its movements were shockingly fast; Luo Qi's eyes were so dazzled he couldn't see clearly, and even a Mage could not match that speed.

Just in that fleeting moment, everyone heard the sound of flapping wings.

Luo Qi's heart sank; the Seal Beast might have already arrived.

"Yo-ho," Majiang smiled, the mist not yet having spread over. "Is this the vanguard?"

"Where is that thing?" Guan Xinyue asked nervously, shrinking behind Majiang and instinctively looking toward Du Zhengyi, hoping Du Zhengyi could settle the situation in one stroke.

Du Zhengyi looked at the darkness under the eaves of the second floor of the small building to the south. "It is indeed possible that this is inventory from the Qionglin."

"Even Ruiqi is?" Luo Qi reached out to stroke his kitten. The little black cat had become very agitated; the tense atmosphere between the two Thought Beasts filled the void with surging Mind Force, which had a huge impact on a telepathic animal like Ruiqi.

"There have been cases of inside jobs before." Du Zhengyi seemed to be calculating something and was somewhat distracted by Luo Qi's question. "Perhaps they sold Ruiqi to raise funds."

Luo Qi was greatly shocked, feeling a bit surprised.

Majiang saw his surprise and explained, "I say you're smart, but you're actually a bit foolish. Looking at this matter now, it really does look like something those old fogies in the Qionglin would do. Mages mainly trade using credit points; the withdrawal and use of credit points must be calculated by Calculators, and any large-scale use of credit points can be discovered by them. Therefore, to corner the market on High-energy Crystals in the Six Great Black Markets, such a large move would inevitably attract attention from many sides, so they couldn't use traceable money. Provoking the attention of Calculators is much more troublesome than stealing from their own warehouse. At least no matter how secret the warehouse is, it is still within their own jurisdiction, whereas Calculators are much harder to deal with."

Luo Qi was speechless. "Wen Lin is not by Fan Shi's side at this time; she might just happen to be unaware of this matter and is still sending more people to investigate the purchase of High-energy Crystals in the Black Market."

Du Zhengyi did not speak. Luo Qi felt energy gathering around him in an instant. He turned his head to see Du Zhengyi release a Lightning Technique; the voltage accumulated in his hands, and Luo Qi felt the intense Energy Field making his own hair float backward. Du Zhengyi pointed the discharge from his hands toward the eaves of the southern building, and the lightning appeared before everyone's eyes, striking directly at the eaves of the front courtyard.

Guan Xinyue rarely saw such a scene and cried out in astonishment, "Is this sending a fellow Daoist off to undergo their tribulation?"

Luo Qi did not speak, nervously observing the fellow Daoist under the eaves. It seemed this fellow Daoist had indeed failed the tribulation; Luo Qi felt a silent scream.

This was a strange feeling; even the ears of Luo Qi the Mage could not hear an actual scream, but his body and Yajian vaguely sensed the existence of the scream.

Majiang seemed to have the same feeling; his body tensed the moment the lightning struck the eaves. "Ouch, ultrasound."

"What do you mean?" Guan Xinyue asked in surprise.

"Bat," Du Zhengyi said concisely.

Luo Qi stared fixedly at the eaves and saw with his own eyes a monster at least as tall as a person fall from the corner of the roof. Its furry form made him feel nauseous. The thing was not completely dead; it struggled to stand up as soon as it hit the ground.

Guan Xinyue let out a scream and grabbed Majiang tightly. Majiang was somewhat startled himself and mechanically comforted Guan Xinyue.

Luo Qi watched in surprise as the thing stood up from the ground. It was covered in brown fur, its frame as thin as a wolf's, and its triangular face had a pair of blood-red round eyes that glared over thirstily. Behind it dragged folded leathery wings; Luo Qi estimated that based on its body proportions, that thing should be several meters across when unfolded—just thinking about it was terrifying.

The giant bat-like monster suddenly roared at Du Zhengyi, revealing sharp fangs in its mouth.

"Everyone be careful!" Luo Qi shouted in a mock-serious manner. "It might have rabies."

Du Zhengyi was amused by him and failed to maintain his cold, battlefield demeanor.

Guan Xinyue looked at Luo Qi in disbelief. "You're worried about a virus that might break out in twenty years? I don't think I'll even live for another half hour!"

Majiang also couldn't help but curse indignantly, "Damn it, I also feel like our ancestors were simply sick! Why would such Magic exist?"

Du Zhengyi raised his hand, intending to finish off this monster once and for all. Luo Qi suddenly reached out and grabbed Du Zhengyi's arm, pulling him back.

Du Zhengyi looked at Luo Qi with some surprise. Luo Qi's expression appeared somewhat strange again; he thought about how when Luo Qi was telling jokes just now, his face didn't have that usual joyful radiance. "What's wrong?"

"Let me," Luo Qi said in a low voice, then cracked another joke. "All the spirits of the Ancient Town are with me now."

Du Zhengyi didn't really like this way of speaking from Luo Qi, but he nodded and agreed to Luo Qi's proposal; there was indeed logic in doing so. This Ancient Town was effectively a Magic Array for Mind Mages. Luo Qi had now obtained the usage rights to this Magic Array, and his energy was unimaginably abundant.

Luo Qi walked forward a few steps and examined the monster carefully; he did this entirely to satisfy his own curiosity. "This thing looks like a gargoyle on a European castle; don't tell me they've never seen this thing before."

His behavior provoked the giant bat. Its eyes turned toward Luo Qi. Luo Qi's cat jumped onto Luo Qi's shoulder in excitement, arching its back, its black fur standing on end.

"Be careful, Luo Qi, its speed is faster than you think. Don't let it snap your neck before you even make a move!" Du Zhengyi said with dissatisfaction; all mature warriors couldn't stand the nonsense of brats.

Luo Qi, however, turned his head in front of the monster, made a face at Du Zhengyi, and stuck out his tongue.

The moment his gaze shifted away, the giant bat's beastly nature allowed it to determine the moment to attack. Du Zhengyi watched in horror as the monster's muscles showed signs of exerting force in an instant. He was terrified; one hand went to pull Luo Qi, while the other was already prepared to release energy.

Who would have thought that the giant bat would freeze at this moment. Its muscles were tensed, the attack ready to be unleashed, but then its muscles went rigid. The bat seemed to be sluggish for a moment, and then it fell down without warning and breathed its last.

Luo Qi was unhurried, still making his face, which earned him a flick on the forehead from Du Zhengyi. "If I just blasted you to death first, everyone could save themselves the trouble."