"How is it? Is there anything unusual about Ulfen’s body?"
Gauss looked at Serdur, who was temporarily acting as a veterinarian, and asked.
"Didn’t find anything unusual."
Serdur stood up and shook his head.
Upon hearing this, Ulfen immediately bounced up from the ground, regaining its vigorous energy.
"Maybe we should still operate..."
Aaliyah was still a bit worried, terrifying Ulfen who promptly hid behind Gauss.
"Even if surgery is needed, it’s already too late." Serdur shook his head.
The ashes seemed to have been absorbed and digested, but currently, there was no visible effect.
Aaliyah sighed and gave Ulfen’s wolf head a fierce rub.
"Fine. Ulfen, next time, don’t eat strange things without our permission, okay?"
"Awoo!"
Ulfen, seeing that it didn’t need surgery after all, howled a promise with its head raised, appearing very spirited.
After cleaning up the scene and collecting the spoils of war, recording the commission certificate, Gauss and the others took a brief rest before leaving the scene.
The group continued to delve deeper along the Raven Passage.
Passing through the Raven Passage, they re-entered a vast wilderness.
Gauss held a yellowed parchment map, comparing it to the wilderness before him.
"The next stop is Flute Castle."
"Gah gah!"
"Gah gah!"
In the sky above the squad, grayish dark ravens circled.
On this journey through Raven Passage, aside from Gauss, who had the most gains, the next most fruitful was Raven Aik, who had recruited a batch of strong and vigorous raven followers.
He now had the demeanor of a raven lord, flying in flocks wherever he went.
"Freeze ray..."
A beam of cold energy shot out from the carriage, striking the roadside ground, instantly freezing a small patch of land.
"Teacher, I did it."
"Congratulations, congratulations."
Riding his steed beside them, Gauss nodded in approval.
Having mastered this attack trick, Abby had officially set foot on the path to becoming a mage.
What she needed was continuous practice to enhance her control over her inner magic power, and soon, the professional stage would be within reach.
For a young mage who needs time to develop, Flute Castle is a good place to grow.
Gauss planned to stay at Flute Castle for a while.
On one hand, he intended to settle York and Abby, the father and daughter; on the other more important reason, Aaliyah was about to have a breakthrough.
Moreover, Gauss had recently mastered many new abilities, talents, and skills, which required him to spend time adapting and practicing.
Flute Castle was the first city they encountered after leaving Sen City, providing an opportunity to restock supplies not available in the village during this adjustment period.
...
Three days later.
The autumn wind howled.
Golden waves of wheat swayed in the wind, making a rustling sound, like the deep breath of the earth.
A squad was slowly advancing along the path between the fields.
The leading man reined in his horse, looking up ahead.
Directly in front of the squad, on the horizon, the outline of a city gradually emerged.
"Gauss, Flute Castle has finally arrived."
"Indeed."
In the distant wilderness, a towering castle appeared to grow from the earth’s bedrock, standing firmly on the ground.
It wasn’t a magnificent castle, but one built for war and defense, surrounded by several slightly shorter but equally sturdy subsidiary towers.
With this central castle as the core, like ripples, spreading outward were densely packed buildings constructed according to the terrain.
The entire city resembled a giant sword deeply wedged into the junction of the fertile plain and the wilderness behind it, or like a cold and steady nail, firmly embedded in the ground, emitting an unchallengeable aura of majesty.
Legend has it that hundreds of years ago, when the Sea Race launched a massive invasion of the land and the three sons of the bay fell, it was this steadfast nail of the wilderness that became a vital bastion against the threats from the sea, serving as the last solid barrier for the bay area.
To avoid being flanked, the Sea Race concentrated massive military forces to try and take this city, but after besieging it for several months and incurring countless losses, they had to retreat in the face of this stronghold along with the encircling army reinforcements from subsequent other cities.
"Increase speed forward."
Gauss commanded.
The squad endured much fatigue from their days of travel in the wild, and now seeing the city, they felt a bit impatient.
As they got closer to the city, more pedestrians and caravans appeared on the road.
"What is that..."
Gauss’s gaze turned toward the "human" quarreling with the guards in front of the city gate.
It was a particularly eye-catching "human," with dark red skin and sharp facial features, and high, prominent cheekbones.
The most striking feature was the "horns" on his head, curving backward like those of a ram.
Behind them, a flexible, slender tail swung vigorously as he spoke loudly.
"It’s a Tiefling."
Serdur spoke.
Tiefling?
With Serdur revealing the identity, memories of this race flashed through Gauss’s mind.
Tieflings, children of Devils, are hybrid beings with devil and demon bloodlines.
They derive from the human bloodline, resembling humans but bearing some devilish features.
Features like the horns, skin color, slender demonic tails, fangs, and various other traits make them stand out in a crowd.
Compared to other humans, they always bear more scrutiny, suspicion, discussions, and even insult, discrimination, and violence.