Chapter 189: Conflict Erupts, a Fierce Battle, Guidance, and a Return to the Right Path...
Ray casually picked up a knife from the ground, and with a flick of his wrist, a golden-green light covered the blade from the hilt to the tip, enveloping it completely.
The wood-elemental magic was so intense it was as if an elemental fire had ignited on the blade; he made no attempt to conceal this aura.
Only the purest power can deter these ruthless robbers.
The fight just now was nothing compared to what's happening now.
"I'll let you off the hook today, but you just wait."
The robber said, bluffing.
Ray scoffed, "A bunch of cowards who bully the weak and fear the strong."
If he didn't know magic, if he couldn't borrow Ryan's power, it's easy to imagine what would happen to them.
"Fine, I'll return everything to you now."
The bone knife, pendant, bow and arrow, and other items that they had stolen were all neatly placed on the ground.
His words made it seem as if these things weren't originally Ray's or theirs, and Ray was the one who was robbing them.
He had no intention of letting the robbers go and continued to stare at them with cold eyes.
"What...what exactly do you mean?"
The leader stared nervously at Ray and the knife in his hand. His forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat.
He had a bad feeling that he and his brothers might be doomed today.
"Did you kill those five people a few days ago?"
"No, it wasn't us."
The eldest brother hurriedly denied it, even at this point, he was still lying and making excuses for himself.
"We only took their things; we didn't attack them directly. They were outmatched and were killed by the monsters in the forest. It has nothing to do with us!"
Upon hearing these words, Lei gave a cold laugh.
Neither of their two sets of stories or their two different approaches can be trusted.
Even if those five people weren't the ones who directly attacked him, their actions today were clearly aimed at his and Seya's lives.
Ruthless criminals are capable of anything for personal gain and money. Letting them go is tantamount to leaving a scourge upon the entire Eton Forest.
Seeing that Ray hadn't spoken for a long time, the robbers stared intently at his face.
Watching his expression change from cold to conflicted, and finally to resolute, I knew they might have bitten off more than they could chew this time, and were doomed.
They looked at each other, then at their brothers around them.
Their feigned pleas are nothing but a hypocritical mask; their inherent cruelty and disdain for life, no matter how persuasive their words, can still be discerned from their eyes.
After they killed the first person in the woods, they never thought they would return home alive.
The group exchanged glances, immediately understanding each other's thoughts, and their eyes instantly turned fierce.
Damn it, I'll risk it all!
Suddenly, something unexpected happened. They targeted Seya, who was holding the injured little monster, and launched a reckless attack.
Ray reacted immediately and used defensive magic to block the projectiles fired at Seya and Tata.
The third brother, wielding a steel knife infused with elemental stones, launched a surprise attack on Lei from behind.
The blade shone brightly; this strike was delivered with all one's might, with the determination to injure the opponent.
Ray turned around and retaliated, swinging his sword to meet Ray's blade.
This time, the two blades didn't even have a chance to make contact. The elemental flames on the Ray Blade directly severed the steel blade in the opponent's hand. The elemental stone at the end of that blade instantly lost all its energy, its luster vanished, and it shattered into several pieces, rendering it useless.
"You! You actually! Pfft—"
Before the third brother could finish speaking, he spat out a mouthful of blood, forming a small cloud of blood mist.
Ray raised his arm to block and quickly retreated, but he still couldn't dodge and was splattered with blood.
"Third brother!"
Seeing that their brother was dead, Dale and his men launched an even more reckless attack on Lai.
Ray was somewhat stunned; he hadn't meant to. He hadn't expected such a casual strike to have such power. When he tried to block Dale and the others' attacks again, he became hesitant and timid.
The situation reached a stalemate. They couldn't harm Lai and Seymour in the slightest, but no one else was accidentally killed by Lai.
"Ray, get out of the way!"
Lei instinctively obeyed Seyah's instructions and dodged to the side.
A long arrow, carrying a sharp momentum, passed right in front of him and pierced Dale's neck.
The man clutched his neck, struggling in agony, trying to say something, but only spitting out a mouthful of dark red blood. He collapsed to the ground, twitching a few times before losing all life.
Lei looked at Seyia, who was standing in front of the carriage.
Saya possessed a resolute aura he had never seen before, and his eyes were filled with anger and ruthlessness.
"Now is not the time to slip away, Tata is still waiting for your healing spell!"
"Um."
Ray nodded in response; this time, he had finally made up his mind.
The Great Forest of Eton has never been a place where all living beings are equal and live in harmony.
Big fish eat little fish, little fish eat shrimp; strength is king. Here, rules and morality are upheld only by a very few.
Without any powerful force or absolute ruler to constrain it, "survival of the fittest" is the truest description and only law here.
The campfire burned out, and darkness concealed the blood scattered on the ground.
The soft, golden-green light illuminated Lai and Tata's faces.
The knife wound on the little monster's right leg healed at a visible speed, eventually leaving only a thin white mark.
Does it hurt?
Lai asked Tata.
"It hurt a moment ago, but it doesn't hurt anymore."
"sorry."
I failed to take good care of you, and you got hurt.
"It really doesn't hurt anymore!"
The little monster stretched its neck, trying to get its face close to Laiyi's, but Laiyi stepped back to avoid it.
"There's blood, and it's dirty."
Lai couldn't dodge it after all. Tata pounced into his arms and rubbed her face against his without a care. As expected, the little monster ended up with a big mess on her face.
"Ray, aren't you going to get your shoulder injury treated?"
The night was dark, and the hazy moonlight fell on everyone's shoulders. Lai didn't turn on the glass lamp, and he and Seya talked in the darkness.
"It's nothing serious. Pack your things and let's leave now."
"good."
The robbers probably wanted the two horses, so they weren't injured.
After securing the carriage and clearing away the obstacles on the road, Lai and Seya immediately drove off. They drove quite a distance before a flickering, warm light finally illuminated the carriage.
The two sat on either side of each other in the front as they traveled, while Tata, who had lost too much blood, was the only one in the carriage.
Seyah didn't speak, nor did she ask about the black markings on Lai's face and body.
Everyone has their own secrets, and he also had things he didn't tell Lai.
The evening wind howled in gusts, carrying the stench of blood far and wide.
A dozen pairs of eyes glowing green raced through the forest. After killing two two-legged creatures along the way, they finally found the source of the scent. They would be able to have a good meal in the next few days.
Those who harm others will ultimately suffer the same fate as those who are harmed.
From the twinkling stars to the first light of dawn in the east, and then to the point where one could see vaguely without a glass lamp, the two took turns driving the carriage, which never stopped.
The markings on Lai's body had faded away at some point. In the dawn light, Seyah looked at Lai, who was covered in blood—some from the robbers, some from Tata, and some from himself.
In contrast, Saiya only had bloodstains left on her body from stopping the little monster's bleeding.
"We'll stop when we come across a river and wash ourselves off."
"good."
Following the map, Ray found a shallow area; they had already strayed quite a distance from their planned route.
After a day and a night of running around, and the battle last night, both the people and the horses were exhausted.
Lei decided to rest on the shallows for half a day before continuing his journey in the afternoon.
A campfire was quickly lit, and two iron pots were filled with hot water. They all needed to wash off the grime.
There were only two wooden tubs. Since Seya could still bear it for the time being, he let Lai and Tata wash first, while he stayed to feed the horses and keep watch over the surroundings.
He mixed half a basin of boiling water with cold water, and first washed away most of the congealed bloodstains on Tata's body before immersing him completely in the basin.
As soon as Tata put it in the basin, the water immediately turned into a transparent light red, but it was quickly replaced by a muddy gray.
Lei raised an eyebrow.
The little monster is indeed quite dirty and needs a good wash.
He first scrubbed Tata clean, then changed the water and soaked him in hot water.
"Would you like to soak a little longer, or come out now?"
"Let's soak a little longer."
"good."
After settling Tata in, Lei began to tidy himself up.
His clothes were covered in blood, and his shirt had a large tear from the shoulder to the chest. There was no need to wash or mend it anymore. After taking it off, Lai threw it directly into the fire.
Dark hair tends to trap dirt, and his hair had grown quite long since he hadn't cut it in two months.
During last night's fight, although he used his arm to cover his face, he still got sprayed on his head. He had to wash his hair thoroughly three times before he finally let it go.
Tata's bathwater was a bit cold, so Lei took him out, dried him off, wrapped him in a thick blanket, and then continued washing his own body.
After Lai finished washing up, the fresh water had just boiled, so it was Saiya's turn to wash up. He quickly made a pot of hot noodle soup, which Saiya could eat right after he finished washing up.
They had been traveling all night without eating, and they were very hungry; Tata's little belly had shrunk considerably.
The morning was spent cleaning and sleeping.
The temperature is rising and the sun is shining brightly.
Tata lay outside the carriage sunbathing, while also keeping an eye on its surroundings.
Lai and Seyia lay back to back in the carriage, catching up on sleep. Neither of them had slept all night, their eyes bloodshot. They needed to rest to ensure they could depart on time that afternoon.
The afternoon sun was warm, making Tata feel lazy.
The little monster was glowing white after being washed, but it was recently going through its molting period, and its fur was patchy and not very aesthetically pleasing.
With fewer people watching, Tata felt comfortable sunbathing. She rolled over, belly up, to bask in the sun and show off her belly fur, her beautiful tail swaying back and forth on the wooden board.
Tata was still shaken by what had happened last night. Slowly, her tail stopped wagging.
Ray had told him that if they encountered danger in the woods, he should run first.
Tata was very obedient and ran out first so as not to distract Lai and the others. Later, that bad guy Dale followed.
Trusting Dale, Tata approached him, intending to lead him to a secluded corner to hide. However, Dale caught him and gave him a severe scare.
However, Dale didn't get away with it either; he bit Dale in the struggle.
If it weren't for Ray, if it weren't for him, I would have been put back in that iron cage.
Tata thought to herself.
They were already in the Great Forest of Eton, the road home within reach. With each day's journey, they got a little closer to home.
Do Father and Mother still remember them? Have they already had new cubs?
Tata the Little Monster is small in stature and small in mind; his world can only hold those who are kind to him.
Two hours of sleep was enough to restore his energy. As soon as Lai woke up, he got up. Although he tried to move quietly, his movements still woke up the still groggy Seya.
When Seyya opened his eyes and remembered where they were, he immediately woke up and sat up.
"I'll catch the train this afternoon. You continue to rest. Elves don't sleep much, and I'll be back to my senses soon."
"Okay, thank you for your help."
"It's alright, we're in the same carriage now, no need to be so polite."
Saiya smiled, radiating youthful energy unique to young people.
If it weren't for the freckles on his face being so prominent, you could tell he had a very cute face.
Ray knew that the freckles were all a disguise for Seya, but he didn't mind at all that Seya always had that "freckled face." After looking at it for a while, he had even gotten used to it.
After going around in circles, they finally got back on the right track.
However, after this experience, they will no longer trust others so easily.
Having experienced this lesson just a few days after entering the Eton Forest is actually a good thing, but it doesn't stop them from feeling frustrated.
Ultimately, both Lei and Sai were at fault in this matter; one made the decision on the spot, and the other made the mistake of offering unsolicited good intentions.
It was just a pity that Tata had suffered all this for nothing. The two of them felt guilty looking at the weak little monster.
Lei and Seyah tacitly agreed not to bring it up again, but Lei still harbored a grudge.
He had already realized that he was becoming somewhat dependent on Ryan's power.
This is because Ryan is still with them and hasn't mentioned leaving. But if Ryan had never been there, how would they have saved themselves in the face of Tata's kidnapping?
He is still too weak. He should make himself stronger so that he can protect what he wants to protect.
Whether it's Neil, Tata, or their home in the small mountain village.
Ray looked at his right hand and slowly clenched his fist.
Thank you, Ryan.
"That's what I thought to myself."
I have merely lent you my power; how well it works is up to you.
After saying something cryptic, Ryan fell silent.
Elements are comforting human emotions in their own way.
Regarding this action, Lei talked to Seya again.
Saiah was more resilient than he appeared.
The mental fortitude of the native inhabitants of the Casa continent is indeed unmatched by someone like Lai, who was forced to grow up after experiencing a disaster.
Their principle is that if the rules cannot cover everything, then force will be used to determine responsibility.
If you accidentally lose your life in the process, I'm sorry, it only means that you or the other party were not strong enough, and it was an unavoidable thing.
He was more open-minded than Ray, and when he took action, he was more decisive and had no psychological burden.
After chatting for a while, it turned out that Lai was the one who was being comforted.
Like Lai, Seya was also worried about the psychological pressure this crisis would put on Lai, an ordinary person living in a small mountain village who made a living by farming and selling vegetables, after he committed murder.
Three days later, they finally got back on the right road and rode at full speed. It wouldn't be long before they arrived at the elven village.
This is great news.
The faster they arrive in the Elven Kingdom, the faster Lai can get to the Royal City.
Saiya said that the Elven Kingdom has a teleportation array that can send him directly to the royal city, saving him a lot of trouble.
----------------
The scent had faded considerably, but the monster, already on the verge of despair, still recognized that familiar smell from the soil.
It's filthy here; there's hair and bones on the ground, and the stench of wolves.
He sniffed the ground and searched the surrounding area thoroughly, but apart from a faint scent from the spot he had just been, he found no other traces, which drove the monster into a near-mad state.
His spouse has passed away, and his only remaining thought here is the little cub that was abducted by humans.
With the boundary markers destroyed, the monsters finally had a chance to pass through these invisible barriers.
How could he not be excited and thrilled to discover the scent of the cubs again?
In such a long time, his cub must have grown up by now. He was so small when he was taken away; does he even remember himself?
Warcraft forcibly suppressed the violent emotions within him and ran in the direction of the most likely tire tracks.
-----------------------
Author's Note: The desperate old father came smelling the scent.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
