Chapter 62: Griffin Riding

Lei En, Miltun graduated from Breworz Academy, and like you, he is from a rare Wizard school; he is a Ten Thousand Spirits Wizard, you are a Combat Wizard, the two of you can have a proper exchange.

Bolok smiled as he introduced them.

Miltun wore a humble expression and said, "I'm almost thirty, only a Level Two Wizard, my strength is average, I don't dare compare with Lei En."

"That's still better than me; actually I don't know any spells, haha…" Lei En said jokingly, stating the truth.

Everyone laughed heartily; no one believed Lei En's words.

As expected, sometimes telling the truth makes no one believe it.

Lei En muttered to himself, and at the same time grew a bit suspicious of Miltun.

Miltun was clearly a Level Three Wizard, yet told his teammates he was Level Two, and when he mentioned his rank, his soul color flickered quickly, his emotions fluctuated strongly, clearly indicating a lie and that he was concealing much.

Although Miltun showed no hostility, his inner tension was oddly abnormal.

The other teammates' emotions were normal; why was he the exception?

Unless he felt guilty.

Lei En's face remained impassive as he asked curiously, "Miltun, Breworz is quite far from our Longshande; how did you end up in Longshande joining the Demon Extermination Squad?"

Breworz is both a great city and the Empire's most renowned Transcendent Academy, perhaps unrivaled.

The academy lies in the capital of the Empire's eastern province East, its history is extremely long, tracing back to the early era, even older than the Empire. The current director, though not a Holy Soul Wizard, is a powerful high‑rank Legendary Wizard, widely respected, with students worldwide, hailed as the foremost under the Holy Soul, and could ascend at any moment.

Graduates of Breworz usually stay in East, head north to the Empire's capital Nuosiruier, or travel south to the bustling Mo Du; they are rarely found in Longshande.

Miltun looked at Albeina beside him, his eyes full of affection; Albeina shyly returned his gaze, her expression very sweet.

Lei En immediately guessed the reason—a clichéd love story.

Bolok replied for Miltun, "Miltun graduated from the academy, intended to travel the Empire to broaden his horizons; last year he passed through Longshande, met Albeina, was captured by our beautiful Albeina, so he stayed, hahaha…"

Miltun smiled and nodded, leaning tightly against Albeina.

"Hey, stop showing off in front of us, hurry and get a room!"

"Exactly, I can't take it any longer…"

The teammates began to tease, ribbing the couple.

Lei En joined the banter for a couple of lines, but his mind grew even more puzzled.

It was indeed a deeply attached couple; judging by soul colors, Albeina loved Miltun greatly, but Miltun did not reciprocate equally.

His soul color was only light green, indicating a certain degree of liking, on the edge of love, but not profound.

At least Miltun didn't love his partner as much as he seemed.

Concealing strength, feigning feelings—what is this Ten Thousand Spirits Wizard's purpose?

Lei En speculated silently; lacking information, he could only note it, keep a watchful eye, and be more cautious when dealing with Miltun later.

After that, as everyone ate and chatted, Lei En grew familiar with his teammates.

Hagrofu, who originally held some prejudice against Lei En, after a few drinks forced an arm‑wrestling match with Lei En.

Lei En deliberately held back; the two traded wins and losses, which left Hagrofu both surprised and pleased, immediately calling Lei En a brother, almost treating him as a confidant.

The welcome banquet was a complete success.

Lei En covertly used his Soul Eye, roughly discerning his teammates' personalities.

The captain Bolok needs no introduction,

having interacted several times, is a very enthusiastic good‑natured person.

Hagrofu is a typical berserker, a simple‑minded brute; Furida, being a Holy Sword Knight who worships the god of justice, has a somewhat rigid personality, speaks cautiously, yet retains the vigor of a young woman, and as long as she isn't witnessed breaking doctrine or law, she is easy to get along with.

Shadow Warrior Ilai is a common young man, loves to play and make mischief, lively and cheerful.

However, Lei En noticed that he harbors a secret crush on Albeina; each time his gaze passes Albeina and Miltun's affectionate exchanges, his mood dims.

Ilai hides it well; without Lei En's Soul Eye, the secret would go unnoticed.

Albeina looks exactly like a woman in the throes of love, rather shy, her attention almost entirely on Miltun, speaking rarely.

The most inscrutable to Lei En remains Miltun, a deeply scheming person, two‑faced.

Yet on the surface, Miltun appears steady and witty, erudite, with his own views on many matters, often speaking eloquently, fitting the Wizard role perfectly.

In comparison, Lei En seems somewhat inferior.

Perhaps aside from being handsome and strong, in other aspects Miltun is a step ahead.

The banquet lasted late into the night; at its end, Lei En insisted on paying the bill himself, claiming he had just received a reward.

The cost was modest, less than a Gold Shield, yet the gesture earned him greater favor among his teammates.

The next morning, after meditation, Lei En arrived at the Demon Extermination Squad.

He had arranged with captain Bolok the night before to study Griffin Riding today.

In the large horse stable beside the training ground, someone was already waiting: his hair was gray‑white, his forehead covered in wrinkles, drooping at the corners of his eyes, appearing over fifty, clad in leather armor, carrying a big bucket of fresh meat.

"You are Lei En?" the old man asked.

"Yes, Mr. Martin," Lei En replied respectfully.

He learned from Bolok that the squad's griffins are all tamed by this old Martin, and anyone wishing to learn the riding must consult him.

Lei En used his Soul Eye to glance and found the old Martin also a Transcendent, his profession a Ranger, but only Level Two, his soul condition poor, worse than the just‑Soul‑Transformed Transcendent.

Transcendents also age, their power wanes, and their souls decay.

Nonetheless, old Martin's spirit seemed fine, far better than an ordinary elder.

Due to the torment of the Blood Soul Curse, ordinary people over fifty experience rapid physical and mental decline, losing most labor ability by sixty and rarely living past seventy.

Old Martin also sized up Lei En; his gaze remained clear, not clouded like most elders, and he nodded, "Follow me."

Lei En followed him into the large stable.

Roars rose in waves, different from ordinary beasts; hearing them evoked an inexplicable dread, as if the cries themselves restrained the heart.

Following the sound, Lei En saw the stable divided into individual sections, extending in a straight row, each about a dozen square meters—very spacious.

In the separate enclosure, a strange gigantic beast lives.

Lei En has seen it in the academy's textbooks and the Book of a Thousand Souls; it is a griffin.

They are a combination of eagle and male lion: the upper half has an eagle's head and wings, the lower half a lion's body and sharp claws; the main torso is nearly three meters long, and with the lion's tail exceeds four meters. The hindquarters are muscular, the front half covered with brown feathers, majestic and imposing, exuding a dangerous aura.

There are twelve griffins in the stables; some lie on the ground resting, others pace back and forth in the separate enclosures, seeming very excited.

Four workers are cleaning the griffins' bodies.

A griffin weighs over a thousand pounds, and to people it is a colossal creature.

The workers have cotton stuffed in their ears to avoid being startled by the griffins' roars; they handle them gingerly, as if tending the most prized horses, meticulously caring for every feather and every inch of skin.

Lei En observes the griffins with his Soul Eye and finds they are all low‑grade magical beasts.

In a griffin's soul there is only one Element, called "Spiritual Shriek," which is why its roar has a stunning effect and serves as its method of hunting prey.

Lei En feels excited; he has never ridden a horse in his two lifetimes, let alone a griffin.

Old Martin walks into a separate enclosure, and the griffin inside sees him, immediately lowering its head to nuzzle against him.

"You came in too; don't be afraid."

Old Martin strokes the griffin's body; a look of contentment appears in its eyes, and it soon emits a purring sound, docile as a pet cat.

Lei En isn't really afraid of the griffin; a low‑grade magical beast poses little threat to him, and even a bite wouldn't tear off a piece of flesh.

He moves closer, and at Old Martin's cue places his hand on the griffin's body.

The griffin reacts instantly, turning its head toward Lei En, its eyes a bit wary; the massive eagle head sniffs in front of Lei En, but under Old Martin's soothing it gradually relaxes.

"Feed it some horse meat."

Old Martin instructs, "I deliberately didn't feed this griffin this morning—so you can feed it and get close to it."

Lei En knows griffins love horse meat, so he lifts the large barrel on the ground, uses iron tongs to grab a big fresh piece of horse meat and brings it to the griffin's mouth.

It hesitates briefly, but ultimately cannot resist the food's temptation and gulps it down in large bites.

"Keep feeding," Old Martin orders.

Lei En complies; a griffin's appetite is huge—this barrel of horse meat weighs over thirty pounds, and within minutes it devours it all, still looking at Lei En with eager anticipation.

"That's enough; don't overfeed it, keep petting it."

Old Martin, who knows the griffin's temperament well, takes a set of leather restraints resembling a safety rope from the wall beside him and puts it on Lei En. The rope's end has a metal clasp that can be fastened to the griffin's saddle strap, preventing accidents such as falling from the sky.

"Novices must wear a safety rope; once you become proficient, you won't need this hassle."

Old Martin lets Lei En climb onto the griffin's back, secures the rope, then explains how to control the griffin's flight.

Because flying in the sky is steadier than a horse galloping on the ground, griffin riding is somewhat easier than horseback riding.

These griffins have been trained long-term; by striking their flanks with both feet, one issues flight commands. For example, a left‑foot kick signals a left turn, a right‑foot kick a right turn, and clamping both legs together commands a dive, and so on.

If one is sufficiently familiar with a griffin, verbal commands alone can also direct it.

Lei En practices on the ground a few times and quickly masters these commands, cooperating well with the griffin.

With Old Martin's help, Lei En rides the griffin out of the stables, takes a deep breath, calms himself, then pats its back.

The griffin instantly accelerates, flaps its wings powerfully, and soars into the sky.