Chapter Twelve
The fire-wielding man was startled; his crimson eyes lit up as he stared in astonishment at Chrison within the flames.
It simply covered itself with a layer of spider web, its entire body covered in white silk. But it seemed to have avoided the dangerous energy very well, without suffering any damage to its body.
"Why would someone like you rely on humans?" the fire-wielding creature said softly. "With your magical power, you could live well anywhere."
He roughly realized that this little spider wasn't like the insect, a creature devoid of power. Within its withered little body seemed to lie an astonishingly large amount of magical energy. Such a reserve of magical energy shouldn't exist in the body of such a thin monster. It was quite strange.
Its ability to move freely through the flames made the fire-wielding monsters sense danger.
This place is dangerous because people live all around, making it easy for guards to spot us. Originally, we planned to act and leave, just leaving a scorched patch of ground to let them know something big had arrived. But now, if this thing starts fighting us, it'll be difficult to avoid making a scene.
“I was just taken in, that’s all. I’ve found a home that will take me in.” When Chris’s voice rang out again, it was already behind him. It walked past the area where the last giant worm had been burned, picked something up from the ground, and waved at the creature, as if saying goodbye.
When the fire-wielding monster turned around, it had already left the barrier. It tore a gap in the barrier open, then quickly sealed it with a net, knowing that burning there would cause serious problems. It didn't want the monster to run into trouble.
Since Chrison had already said all that, the monster realized it shouldn't cause any more trouble. It burst into flames, and when the fire died down, only the scorched ground remained.
The little spider then disappeared once again into the moonlight.
A blizzard is raging outside, making it very conspicuous as it moves through the blood-soaked land. Therefore, it must speed up its escape and minimize any trouble it might cause.
It seemed that neither of them had ever met before; they had simply bumped into each other here. Now they were parting ways, each going to their own destination.
It was very late at night when Christen returned to the carriage; only Ark was still awake.
"Welcome back." Yak poured it a cup of hot water from the stove beside him. "You're a little too late."
Hot water is something that can make people feel happy in cold weather. The little spider looks pretty cold right now, so it probably needs a cup of hot water like this.
However, after entering, Chris ignored the glass of water and instead took out a rather unattractive stone from his pocket, which was simply covered in spider webs.
These stones are the cores, and there are similar cores somewhere on Ark and the little spider's bodies. For monsters, this is their weakness, something they absolutely cannot reveal to anyone. After all, if the core is damaged, unless they become high-ranking monsters, they are basically doomed.
Conversely, as long as the core remains intact, even if the physical body is completely destroyed, it won't matter much. These things can be repaired. Although troublesome, they can still be fixed.
"Um, is there any hope?" the little spider whispered.
Yak paused, then looked at the thing.
"The core of a monster?" Ark hesitated for a moment before saying, "Although I don't know where you got it, you shouldn't bring something like this back so casually."
"I just want to know if it can be saved?" the little spider asked persistently, only when hurt by something like this did it become so relentlessly aggressive.
“You brought it back before it was corrupted by the chaotic elements, which is theoretically possible.” Acton paused and said, “However, you should also know that this is the lowest level of monster. Even if such a thing were to be resurrected, it would be meaningless. It might not even have any memories, or it might become a mindless monster after being resurrected, and its first action upon waking up would be to attack you.”
"But please, I hope it can come back to life."
"This is pointless and will cost a lot of money."
"Do you need money?" Chris patted himself down and pulled out a few gold coins. "Is that enough?"
"Do you know what I mean? Am I asking you for money?" Ark asked in a calm tone, "What I'm saying is that this kind of thing shouldn't be resurrected. A monster that attacks as soon as it comes back to life is better off dead. If you miss it, then eat this core. Its magic power will replenish you, which is good for it."
Ark realized he was speaking too loudly because Denos, wearing pajamas, got up from the coffin and gestured for him to be quiet.
Yak waved his hand, indicating that he understood.
The little spider didn't say anything, but silently took out a box from the box next to it, opened it, and carefully put the core inside.
It's full of these core components.
Monsters differ greatly from humans in their structure, especially in their core. Whether this core is clean or not determines whether they can think and be controlled.
Chaotic elements are everywhere, and what makes this equally terrifying to monsters is that it's neither holy magic nor magical power; it's a useless mixture. However, they can extract useful magical power from this useless substance and store it within their bodies for use.
Basically, the capacity of a monster's core determines its capabilities. A core like the one the little spider brought back, which can be held in one hand, would probably turn into something that can only bite if it were slightly corrupted. It seems it hasn't even tried to expand its core; it's just a pathetic insect.
Humans dislike this thing, and even most monsters dislike it. In areas where monsters congregate, the only option is to crawl into a trash can.
Even Ark didn't quite like this kind of monster. Ark didn't really like guys who weren't willing to work hard just to live a decent life.
Perhaps only the little spider, the little spider is foolishly kind to all monsters, even to humans.
I have no idea how many cores he's accumulated in that box. A rough estimate would put it on sale for a good price. But Spider-Man certainly wouldn't sell it for money.
After confirming that Lady was asleep, the little spider sat down by the fire, curling up into a tiny ball. Even so, he still looked quite frightening. But one could sense that the person sitting there was a wronged child, misunderstood and left to grieve alone.
"Did you see anything else outside?" Yak felt he had gone a bit too far and decided to use a gentler question to ease the tension.
“I found the guys who attacked Lady.” The little spider looked up at Ark. “They seem to be trying to sell her arm.”
"Do you want to buy her arms back?" Yak hesitated for a moment and said, "Do they have any legal identification?"
"It is wrong to steal other people's things."
“We’re just taking back what’s ours,” Acton paused and said, “but it would be difficult if we had legal status. If we really wanted it back, we’d have to buy it back directly.”
"Um, actually, it's not necessary." Suddenly, a girl said softly from the back of the carriage, "That half arm was just a weapon anyway... I don't like that thing."
"A knife?" Ark rubbed his chin, thinking that this handsome guy had half of his arm covered in knives... It was indeed a bit frightening.
Suddenly, Yak remembered something, and he helplessly tapped his head, looking at Lady: "You're still awake too?"
Lady huddled under the covers in silence, looking a little embarrassed.
The little spider wanted to leave, but when it looked up, it saw Lady smiling at it.
It was a very beautiful smile, so captivating it could easily leave one mesmerized. The little spider scratched its head, realizing that Ark had once again said something inappropriate.
He smiled helplessly to himself, realizing he might actually be lucky. At least there was still a place willing to take him in. In the cold, he still had somewhere to go. He had never been abandoned, so he didn't need to look for a trash can to hide in.
It's going to be really hard to get a good night's rest tonight; so many people in this city are not getting enough sleep.
Unfortunately, the situation in this small city is quite complicated right now, with too many people who shouldn't be there showing up. Everyone feels that we shouldn't be resting at a time like this.
Those were all hidden figures; no one was in a hurry to make the first move. They were all waiting, waiting for the right opportunity. One can imagine the kind of disaster that would erupt in this city when that opportunity finally came.
Of course, not everyone hides in the shadows.
For example, the guy sitting at the table right now, his armor reflecting the candlelight in the darkness.
He was actually wearing full knight's armor, something that seemed impossible to be comfortable. Only a handful of people could wear such a suit and move freely as if they were wearing nothing at all.
It glanced at the snow outside the window, then slowly turned its head to look at the map in front of it.
This is a map of the city. You can really see from the map that the city is built without any aesthetic appeal. It's just a city built next to the safe zone.
As for why it didn't remove its armor, it's because this guy is a bit conservative. It might not know where those guys are, but its every move is definitely being monitored. It can't hide its whereabouts, and it doesn't bother to.
Because it is a paladin, the most legitimate among the clergy to carry out judgments on behalf of God. As long as it is there, those others can only hide in the shadows, and it would take immense courage for them to show themselves.
It is currently reviewing a list of people who shouldn't be here right now, and is deep in thought.
Many of them had already registered, such as witchers. There were far more than just that one team of witchers; there were probably three teams here now, totaling around several dozen people. That's a size large enough to slay a dragon.
There are also some who are only staying temporarily and have no official status. However, they pose no danger and will leave soon. This list includes the caravan of Ark and several other individuals.
And some monsters, including one special case who had registered specifically. The mercenary, Deideri, a member of the Fire Goat tribe, is a well-known monster. She earned recognition through her abilities and actions, integrating well into human society. Now a mercenary, she once slew a dragon with a team and is known as the Dragon Slayer.
I don't know what else to say.
There's no disturbance, but it's estimated that when the time comes, they'll be thinking about turning the whole city upside down. Many people are now reporting seeing robed figures moving about in the shadows at night.
What's infuriating is that these monsters haven't actually harmed any humans yet, and now they're just going to forcibly expel them. This would leave a bad impression on the other monster groups. There are still many monster groups that are on good terms with humans; the relationship between these stable, safe monsters and humans is very important. Because the world can't afford another war, everyone needs to exercise restraint so that it can survive.
It's a headache, a really bad headache.
It feels like watching things get worse and worse, but there's nothing you can do. All you can do is sit by the fire, warm yourself, and wait for things to unfold.
At the heart of all this, there has been no movement yet.
That's the Demon. There are far too many people coming to find it now, each with their own ulterior motives.
But the thing that everyone is now targeting hasn't even made a single appearance.
As for why people believe there might be demons here?
The paladin looked at a small box on the table and sighed slowly.
This is the only trace it left in the city, a stone that turned to ash in an instant.
There was no trace of magic, or divine power, on it. Inexplicably, the stone turned to ash, a completely lifeless, spotless object.
Only demons possess such abilities; they are granted different powers by the devils. It is a power that defies the rules set by the gods for this world, something that occurs against all reason and logic.
This was reported to the central church, and a paladin was dispatched. Although there was already a priest here, the existence of the demon was a serious matter, and this issue needed to be resolved.
Thinking this, it prepared to close its eyes for a moment.
If I take a nap now, I should be able to rest for a few more hours before being woken up by the sunlight.
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