Chapter 37: Reward and Advance

"Can you remove the mark on my storage bag?" Luge said.

Ba'angte shook his head: "No wizard apprentice can do that."

"If possible, I want to claim my reward now," he said tentatively.

Actually, he was far from calm as he appeared, both expectant and anxious, longing for spell knowledge and equally longing to leave these people immediately.

"Are you sure?" Ba'angte looked at his wobbly appearance.

Luge nodded again to confirm. He held the idea of securing gains early; since he could claim it now, there was no need to delay. Once he had the items in hand, he could more actively seek opportunities to leave. The world changed every moment; no matter what happened, he firmly believed that being a kobold who hid away to meditate and improve himself would never be the worst option.

Ba'angte took out several books and scrolls.

"I don't have time to teach you what I know now, so you can only choose here. These are all spoils of war from this period; you can choose one to take away," Ba'angte said.

"Can I ask a question first?" he said.

"Of course."

Ba'angte readily agreed.

"However, among fifth-rank wizard apprentices, I am not an Erudite. I only focus on my area of expertise, plus some basic common knowledge from various fields. I hope I won't embarrass myself."

Ba'angte sized up his small frame, seemingly guessing what he could ask.

"I want to contract a companion magic pet, but I have some concerns..."

Luge had barely spoken halfway when Ba'angte showed an understanding expression, as if this was a very common matter that didn't need further explanation.

Ba'angte showed a thoughtful expression, then began rummaging, while Luge waited eagerly beside him.

"This should be a good one. The simplest way to eliminate hidden dangers is not to contract a companion magic pet. Beast King Wizards truly eliminate hidden dangers only after becoming Official Wizards, so this exists: the Contract Stone, to satisfy people like you and some apprentices who have just embarked on the path of Beast King Wizard."

Ba'angte took out a diamond-shaped small stone.

"This magic pet contract stone should be considered decent. It's also spoils of war from this period. I don't understand it well; I only know it can probably block five or six times, after which it will shatter. If a caster of Official Wizard or above uses a magic pet against you, it can only block once. Add it during the normal steps of contracting a magic pet. Afterward, you can put it into your storage bag, or choose to feed it to the magic pet to swallow. When you sense it has shattered, feed a new piece. Here are two pieces, both for you."

Ba'angte took out another diamond-shaped stone, casually threw both pieces to Luge, as if he looked down on these things, probably thinking they were just picked up to be exchanged for magic stones.

"After such things are born, probably few people will use that kind of method again," Ba'angte said.

He happily received them. The two diamond-shaped stones were overall black-gray, dull and lusterless without any crystalline transparency.

"Choose a spell, so we can leave here."

Ba'angte spread several books and scrolls before him, urging him on. The shrunken body of Hui Chang Jing Sheng Zhu bent over to become a temporary table.

Luge relaxed his mind, flipping through them one by one while greedily trying to feel that spiritual guidance again.

At the same time, he thought about the origin of these things: a so-called commission from Wizard Niteli, sending a group of wizard apprentices, some in pairs and some alone, to this inconspicuous corner. The discord among wizard apprentices in private exceeded his imagination. Presumably, when this commission event fermented toward its conclusion, there would be more interesting things and conflicts.

Just as Luge was about to give up hope and Ba'angte was about to become impatient, the tardy spirituality finally knocked on his door again.

Spirituality still favored him. He sighed while picking up that book, confirming the name on the cover again. The cover read "Zero-Circle Spell: Demon Body."

"That is a small spell transformed from demonized flesh and blood. It can increase the caster's resistance to most toxins, make a person grow taller, and become stronger in a short time. Casting requires a catalyst: spell materials with demon aura. Overall, it's not a mature or excellent spell; it's one tier below Bull Strength. My evaluation: I don't recommend you choose it. However, you've already saved the trouble of finding spell materials. Your Magic Skin Technique has demon aura."

Ba'angte said, seeing Luge still hadn't put down the book, so he neatly collected the rest of the books and inheritance scrolls.

From this burly man's looking-down perspective, he didn't notice that when it was mentioned that using spells could make one tall, Luge's pair of kobold eyes had already lit up.

"Thank you, sir. I think this is exactly what I need."

Luge solemnly put away the book. A suitable spell wasn't easy to encounter; he wasn't just doing this for the boring sake of growing taller.

Ba'angte's big hand suddenly grabbed him and lifted him up without Luge's agreement.

Then came the inhuman explosion from stomping the ground. Surrounding scenery rapidly retreated amid astonishing sounds. The sudden rapid movement made him feel his bones were about to scatter. Moreover, he hadn't found his favorite long stick yet. Fortunately, when collecting his clothes, he had already put away two short spears that were quite handy.

It seemed Ba'angte really was in a hurry. Luge began to wander in thought along the way. This burly man had finally caught the snake and must be eager for the next step. He also wanted to inquire what the final fate of that cunning snake Hui Chang Jing Sheng Zhu would be, but unfortunately never had the chance to speak.

After traveling like wind and lightning all the way, he began to see some places whose roads he could recognize.

His heart felt slightly stable.

Ba'angte suddenly stopped. Luge felt his blood surge all over his body. Before he could recover, he was put down on the ground. He sat down accordingly. A solid, unmoving ground was truly a good thing.

"I'm leaving for a few days. Convey my greetings to that cook," Ba'angte said.

Luge wiped his saliva and raised his head. There was no one's shadow in front anymore.

Given their tacit understanding, they probably didn't need a kobold messenger at all. So he would just go his own way.

He immediately cast Spiritual Boiling on himself, and took out a short spear to hold in his hand. The enhancement of Bull Strength hadn't faded yet. Recalling the map in his mind, he chose a direction and began to hurry.

Outside was too dangerous; he was still too weak. That was what he thought at this moment.

No matter what kind of roast meat, it wasn't as tempting as returning to meditate in peace of mind.

He walked and stopped along the way, avoiding some obviously dangerous places. He drilled out of the cave entrance of an inconspicuous Small Cave Area, gazed into the distance, and saw the tall Spindle Mushrooms again.

He finally returned to the kobolds' Hunting Ground.

He wondered if the Lizardmen had continued to invade the kobolds' Settlement.

After a brief rest, seeing that he had arrived here, he raised his head and drank the other bottle of Dasha's blood. With the Green Potion Ba'angte gave as a final Shield, he could be a bit luxurious to facilitate the journey ahead.

He tried to speed up his steps all the way, but it was still obviously much slower than when he came.

He walked while eating cooked Meat Worms, planning whether he should go see Half-Man first when he returned. Between wizards, giving must be met with seeking. Since the other party had a request, he probably wouldn't mind giving a bit more, such as extending a magical little hand to let his tormenting injuries recover a bit faster.

(End of chapter)