Chapter 116: More Than Just a Home

  The journey was calculated with precision. Just as the two Kodo Beasts began to foam at the mouth, Ethan saw the team waiting for them ahead.

  It seemed Oufu had dispatched reinforcements during this time. Over a dozen werewolves and Ogres, and more than a dozen of those large ballistae, were positioned in formation under Luken's command.

  Thunderbirds were generally unwilling to fly far from the mountain depths. Only a dozen or so giant eagles had pursued them, but under the power of the giant bolts, they fled after dropping only a few corpses.

  After picking up the people and cargo to be retrieved, the beastmen departed as quickly as possible. Only four Kodo Beasts remained; two were already half-dead from exhaustion, so they had to abandon more than half of the hard-won ballistae. After all, this was still within the Sanderfirth Mountains; it was best to leave as soon as possible. The Kodo Beasts carried the ore and Behemoth claws, while werewolves and Ogres jogged alongside. For their inhuman stamina, the few dozen li away from the Sanderfirth Mountains was nothing. With the help of the honey water and food, Ethan's strength recovered rapidly. He could now basically move freely. However, he still couldn't run like a werewolf, so he was the only one sitting on a Kodo Beast.

  Luken finished organizing the team, leaped onto a Kodo Beast, and sat down beside Ethan. Most of the fur on his body was gone, burned off, and his tail was missing. He looked strange, like a cross between a hairless dog and a human. He said softly, "I'm sorry. It was my decision to leave you there."

  "There's nothing to apologize for," Ethan smiled faintly. "You didn't even take the ore. That shows leaving me behind was necessary."

  "Actually, everyone else objected at the time. I repeatedly told them your injuries couldn't withstand the journey, and I promised them I could definitely rescue you. Only then did they agree."

  Ethan nodded slightly and said, "I believe your decision must have had its reasons. And speaking for myself, I also think this choice was correct. Two newborn Behemoths... Sedros will be very pleased to see them."

  "If they can be successfully tamed, they will be an incredible fighting force for Oufu." A startling light shone in Luken's small eyes.

  Ethan also nodded slightly. During this time, he had fully experienced the power of these colossal monsters. And Oufu's experience in arming beastmen and beasts was unmatched by any other nation. An Ogre wearing specially crafted heavy armor and wielding weapons was ten times more powerful than bare-handed. One could imagine what power two armed Behemoths would wield on the battlefield. Moreover, for such precious combat power, Sedros would surely not be stingy with materials to add two magic-resistant armors for them. Two such monsters could almost sweep away a considerable army.

  "The ore isn't afraid of being lost, and you looked like you could hold on for a while. But the two newborn Behemoths couldn't wait. If left behind, they would surely die within days. So we could only take them and leave as quickly as possible, feeding them honey juice and chewed meat, and get them to Oufu fast. That meant leaving you and the ore there to wait for a few days. The scent of those two giant Behemoths still lingered in that cave; no other beast would dare approach."

  "I said, I don't mind. You don't need to explain to me. Your choice was correct." Ethan looked at the hairless werewolf and smiled. "As for you, to be able to judge that those two Behemoths had just given birth under those circumstances, and find the nest before the wind rose... truly remarkable."

  "It wasn't much, really. After all, two Behemoths appearing together is strange. Many solitary animals only stay together during mating and birthing. And the second Behemoth appeared so suddenly, naturally meaning the nest wasn't far away." Luken took a long breath, baring his fangs. "And the first moment I saw a monster like the Behemoth, I thought... if it could be tamed like a Wyvern, how much it would help Oufu..."

  "Always thinking from Oufu's perspective. It seems Sedros didn't misjudge you." Ethan nodded. When Sedros entrusted this team to him, he had specifically mentioned this werewolf. Though it was just a mention, what Sedros would bother to mention wouldn't be brute strength or courage, but wisdom and judgment.

  "Because it is our city," Luken replied flatly, with a slightly bitter smile. "Because of those two young Behemoths, Krolin also had to be abandoned there."

  "Then he..." Only now did Ethan remember, there was another Ogre, as severely injured and unconscious as himself.

  "Not even his body was found." Luken's wolf-like face and voice held a strange sorrow as he spoke slowly. "He was too heavy. We couldn't get him into the Behemoth lair before the wind rose, like we did with you. We could only hide him in a crevice by the cliff, hoping his luck would hold. But when Arkin led people back, there was nothing to see."

  Ethan was silent. He had worked so hard to bring Krolin to the valley entrance, but failed to truly bring him out. He hesitantly asked, "Giving him up for two young Behemoths... Vyr had no objections?"

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  Krolin and Vyr were the closest of the four Ogres who entered the Sanderfirth Mountains, and the last two fighting together. The bond between beastmen of the same race was usually far stronger than among humans.

  "No. The situation forced it. He also knew that Krolin's value to Oufu would never be as great as those two Behemoths."

  Ethan sighed. Only now could he truly grasp the meaning behind Luken's words "our city." He said, "You mentioned earlier that they disagreed with leaving me behind. Did they think my value was greater than a Behemoth's?"

  "You are Lord Sedros's friend. Since he let you lead us, they absolutely cannot let you die." Luken replied flatly, then showed a strange smile. "But as for me, weighing the pros and cons, I still think you are not as important as a Behemoth."

  Because Ethan's identity was a matter of great importance, Sedros had not explained to the beastmen exactly who this person who would lead them through life and death was. He had simply used the word "friend" to explain everything. But in the eyes of these beastmen, this explanation was sufficient.

  Ethan sighed again. He didn't know whether to feel gratitude or melancholy towards these beastmen.

  Luken stared at Ethan, his wolf eyes flashing with a light only humans possessed. He seemed hesitant, then asked Ethan softly, "May I ask a question?"

  Ethan nodded. "What is it? Go ahead."

  Luken looked carefully at Ethan's ordinary, unremarkable face, the kind that could disappear in a crowd, and asked slowly, "Why do you always wear a mask?"

  Ethan blinked his equally ordinary-looking eyes, shutting away a flash like twin blades. A friendly, faint smile appeared on his face. "How do you know I'm wearing a mask?"

  Although Ethan couldn't see it himself, he was certain this expression must be perfect, revealing not the slightest hint of hostility or inappropriateness to the werewolf. This was a magic mask personally crafted by Sandro. The fact that only those who could use Necromancy could wield it flexibly showed how marvelous it was. Based on Sandro's understanding of the human body, any subtle muscular change of expression could be flawlessly rendered on this mask. The human skin and muscle treated with Necromancy were not only breathable but could even sweat, automatically matching the color of the surrounding skin. Ethan had seen Sandro wear such a mask, and at least he himself could never detect any flaw.

  Touched on this most sensitive topic in his heart, Ethan reflexively became a bit wary and guarded. Fortunately, the heavy footsteps of the Kodo Beast and Luken's low voice meant Arkin and the other werewolves, focused on jogging, didn't turn around. They probably couldn't hear their conversation.

  Luken said, "Because the scent on your body is always slightly fainter on your face. Like the feeling of someone with a cloth over their face. Also, when you were weak and unconscious, I detected a very faint magical scent on your face that didn't quite match your body. So I think you must be wearing a very strangely crafted magic mask."

  Ethan didn't answer, but looked at Luken for a moment, then suddenly said, "I remember you used that magic scroll I dropped."

  "Yes," Luken nodded.

  "Not just anyone can use a magic scroll. Mages, even low-level apprentices, at least need to know a little magic technique." Ethan's gaze remained fixed on the werewolf's face. "I never imagined a beastman could use a magic scroll."

  Luken said nothing.

  "And the Blazing Might Shot scroll is the most dangerous of all magic scrolls. I heard there was a precedent where it cooked a mage alive, but after you used it, it only burned off all your fur. That shouldn't be just luck. No one crafting such a high-grade scroll would dare be careless, so it's unlikely to be a shoddy product with insufficient power."

  Luken nodded, still silent.

  "Most importantly, I've never heard of a werewolf who could smell magic. Sedros surely doesn't know either, otherwise he would have told me. That there's a werewolf in the team who also understands magic quite well." The wariness in Ethan's eyes was now fully apparent. He had always assumed everyone in the team was beastmen ignorant of magic, which was why he dared to use Necromancy so brazenly in the Sanderfirth Mountains. Although his wanted poster hadn't yet spread in this relatively independent city when they left Oufu, this beastman might be able to identify the magic he used. Then, when he learned about the wanted poster later, it would be easy for him to deduce who he was.

  A werewolf with a seemingly strange identity who clearly knew too much could easily be killed here first. Ethan gathered his magical power, his hand subconsciously moving towards his back. Even acting now might not be certain, but the journey back to Oufu still had over half a month to go. There was plenty of time.

  After a long silence, Luken curled his lip, making his face look as dejected as a dog that had been beaten with a stick. He nodded and said, "Yes. Actually, I know a little magic, and I told no one about this. It's because I'm different from my kin. I... was raised by a human alchemist."

  Ethan nodded in sudden understanding. "No wonder you can speak so fluently."

  "When I was very young, our tribe was wiped out by Erathia's army. I was knocked unconscious in the chaos. When I woke up, I found myself with an old alchemist. He told me himself that he had bought me from the Erathian army at a high price because an alchemical experiment required the brain and heart of a young beastman. But later, the other materials for the experiment were never found, so I survived. The alchemist originally raised me like a watchdog, but later he discovered I had actually learned to speak like him. He was pleasantly surprised and treated me as half his apprentice and half his assistant. You know, having a beastman assistant was unique across the entire continent. My master lived in seclusion in a forest, studying alchemy, and didn't interact much with people otherwise, so he talked to me a lot. I followed him and picked up some things about magic along the way. I grew up surrounded by magical items, so that's how I could discover that mask on your face."

  Ethan nodded. Sandro probably hadn't considered hiding it from a werewolf's nose when crafting the mask. He asked, "So how did you come to Oufu later?"

  "Over two years ago, someone reported my master for practicing sorcery. People from the Church and the army came. The moment they saw me, they immediately decided this evil beastman was proof of sorcery. My master was killed on the spot. In the confusion, I used a shoddy teleportation scroll he had acquired from somewhere. I was lucky; I wasn't teleported into solid rock underground, but appeared a thousand meters in the air over a forest on Erathia's border. I fell and broke a leg. I tried to make discreet contact with some humans, but no matter how careful or hard I tried, the result was always pursuit by the army. Only then did I realize that in human society, I had no path but death. So I fled desperately towards the Barbarian Highlands. But there were also human armies exterminating beastmen there. I don't know how long I wandered in exile. Just when I thought I was about to go mad, I finally encountered kin who had been taken in by Lord Sedros." Luken exhaled. Even in his peculiar werewolf accent, one could hear the immense emotion within. "I truly never thought I would see my own kind again in this lifetime. I nearly broke down then."

  "Later, I followed Lord Sedros in building Oufu. He is truly a remarkable person. To let beastmen, who were always hunted and exterminated, like stray dogs, become independent and have their own nation... what kind of feeling that is, you, as a human, wouldn't understand. And for us, Oufu is no longer something that can be summed up by words like 'nation' or 'homeland'." This werewolf, whose speech and phrasing were indistinguishable from a human's, though his accent remained strangely grating, still conveyed a clear sense of resolve and emotion in his voice. "That is everything to us."

  "I didn't dare tell my kin or Lord Sedros that I knew magic or about my past experiences. I only told them my former tribe was wiped out. I didn't want them to see me as an outsider." Luken smiled bitterly. "But it seems I can't keep it hidden anymore."

  "It probably doesn't matter much now," Ethan nodded slightly, murmuring as he looked at Luken.