Chapter 759: The Uncertainty of Human Hearts 4k
The dark clouds dispersed, and the wind and snow vanished, leaving only a chill in the air.
Looking around, the black tide had solidified, freezing everything for miles.
The [Blizzard] spell was fully unleashed, covering an area far beyond the dueling arena, with no signs of any movement within sight.
At the edges where the [Blizzard] couldn’t reach, the fearless Black Soil Scorpions briefly paused before burrowing underground, disappearing in an instant.
Dak stayed in place for a moment, his golden eyes fading as he confirmed that there were no more hidden monsters.
Only then did he pick up the [Magical Beast: Ice Eevee] and walk back to the campfire.
As he passed by, some adventurers couldn’t help but bow their heads, their hands and feet trembling, filled with fear.
Only those who had experienced the pursuit of the Black Soil Scorpions could understand how terrifying the endless scorpion sea was.
Even such a terrifying creature was buried under ice by the young boy’s golem with a mere flick of his wrist.
At this moment, the adventurers clearly understood that this group of academy teachers and students indeed had the ability to easily crush them, so they became even more cautious.
As for the identities of Marlene and others from the Black Sand Merchant Guild, they were no longer considered.
The Black Sand Merchant Guild was notorious for smuggling contraband and being ruthless and vicious, even rumored to have betrayed hired adventurers.
But no matter how ruthless the merchants were, they couldn’t cause trouble under absolute power.
Daniel and others initially drew their swords, mostly out of precaution. They naturally didn’t want conflict if it could be avoided.
After all, for adventurers, getting injured or dying due to such situations was not worth it.
Adventurers had no sentiments; they just wanted to survive.
…
After Dak returned to the campfire, he noticed that the [Impregnable Fortress] Congreve suddenly began to speak cautiously. Monica and Daniel were no longer as natural as before, while Marlene seemed to be more relaxed and clearly inclined to talk to Wit, which caught Ophelia’s attention!
“Is this what they call a lucky encounter? But isn’t Marlene almost twice Wit’s age? Is she trying to pull a small cart with a big horse?”
Dak found it amusing and held back a laugh.
Suddenly, he noticed the [Goddess of Heartful Eyes] looking at him, and his expression turned serious, focusing his mind.
The [Goddess of Heartful Eyes] smiled slightly.
Outside the camp, the Black Scorpions’ corpses released dark green poison after the snow melted, but the cold wind blew it away before it could spread. Dust rolled up and slowly swallowed it.
Two adventurers returned to the camp, handing over several materials they had extracted from the Salon to Dak.
Dak took one look and realized these materials were vastly different from those found in the academy’s dungeon.
In the academy’s dungeon, the residual magic of the monsters would gather in certain limbs and organs after death, making the remaining materials rich in magic and of high quality.
But outside, the magic in the monsters’ bodies would dissipate after their death, and if not promptly processed and stored, the quality would rapidly decline.
For example, the six-star Salon’s materials were roughly equivalent to those dropped by a four-star monster in the academy’s dungeon.
This meant a difference of two grades.
Of course, it wasn’t that the Salon’s materials were too poor; it was just that the academy’s dungeon monsters had exceptionally good materials.
However, the outside monsters had their own advantages. They had many parts suitable for use as materials, unlike the few materials left behind by dead monsters.
For a large monster like the Salon, there were naturally many more materials.
Dak picked through them, finally keeping only a dragon crystal and a dragon bone.
The dragon crystal, formed from the condensed magic of a dragon, could potentially form a dragon pearl if compressed and refined over time.
In short, it was like a rough draft of a dragon pearl.
As for the dragon bone… it was more like a bone spike. If properly polished, it might even be made into a dagger.
When they reached the Free City, Dak planned to give it to Meow as a toy.
After all, he had taken quite a bit from Meow’s treasure trove, and his conscience would feel guilty.
…
As night deepened, stars and the moon hung high.
Professor Shylph originally intended to let the adventurers share more stories related to their adventures, but perhaps because of Dak’s overwhelming presence, everyone gathered around the campfire and barely managed to say a few words. In the end, only Marlene’s chattering voice remained, which annoyed her.
So after dinner, she left the campfire to the adventurers and invited everyone into the tents.
“Go.”
Professor Shylph snapped her fingers, casually setting up a barrier to isolate sound transmission.
Dak gave a nod to the [Goddess of Heartful Eyes], and she immediately sat down, beginning to analyze the psychological changes of the adventurers.
By analyzing the adventurers’ psychological changes, one could gain a deeper and clearer understanding of the adventurer community.
Professor Shylph planned to use the [Goddess of Heartful Eyes]’s mind-reading abilities to teach a lesson to the three students present.
Then, as she taught, she discovered that only one student needed the lesson…
But being a teacher meant that even if only one person in the class didn’t understand, she still had to continue teaching.
Professor Shylph was quite helpless.
…
“So, the true name of Mary is Marlene, and she wants to get close to us by flattering Wit?” Ophelia frowned, her tone unpleasant.
Wit opened his mouth and said after a while, “Why me?”
“Because there’s no one else,” the [Goddess of Heartful Eyes] replied matter-of-factly.
Wit’s face flushed, yet he had no rebuttal.
He genuinely felt some affection towards Marlene.
Professor Shylph finally seized the opportunity and began lecturing, somewhat eagerly.
“A@#￥%…………”
A quarter of an hour later, she closed her mouth contentedly, and Wit looked like a wilted cucumber.
“Now you know what treacherous human hearts can be. Go to sleep early, and we’ll head to the Free City tomorrow morning.”
Professor Shylph finished speaking.
Then, the thirteen people split into three groups and slept in separate tents.
…
No words were exchanged throughout the night.
Dak woke up at just four in the morning.
He crawled out of his sleeping bag, stuffed the Little Night Bird back inside, and quietly walked out of the tent.
The sky was still very dark. An adventurer on duty was adding wood to the campfire.
Dak recalled his name and walked over, saying, “Good morning, Mr. Daniel.”
“Just call me Daniel,” Daniel quickly replied, his tone tinged with respect.
Dak smiled and asked, “When did you start your shift, Mr. Daniel?”
“About three o’clock,” Daniel replied. “I’ll guard until five, then lead the team out.”
Dak: “Are you also going to the Free City?”
Daniel nodded, “Yes, I assume you are too. We might meet in the city.”
Dak raised his head and squinted at the gradually brightening horizon. “Perhaps.”
Daniel rubbed his hands and hesitantly asked, “What would you like to eat when we get there?”
Since waking up at three, he had been thinking about how to repay Dak and the others, but realized that whatever he had, they already had, and whatever he lacked, they still had.
Then he understood that his repayment might only add to their burden…
Though this was tragic, it seemed to be the truth.
Last night, the precious materials they had extracted from the sand worm seemed worthless to these people.
Emmm…
If he mentioned it, Dak would probably tell him that the materials were better than trash.
There were many such materials in the “10 Credit Shop” on Traveler’s Street.
…
“Sure.” After casually agreeing, Dak added, “Mr. Daniel, could you tell me about your experiences in the military?”
“Of course.” Daniel perked up but quickly deflated, “It’s just hard to talk about.”
Dak laughed and said, “You can talk about your comrades.”
Daniel relaxed and looked at the rising sun, recalling a time that was actually very important to him.
…
The golden light on the horizon gradually brightened, casting a colorful glow across the distant sky.
Dak propped his chin up, listening quietly, gaining a more detailed understanding of the war between humans and demons.
It was a war for the survival of races, with no mercy.
Daniel’s parents and older brother had died in that war.
He joined the military at the age of twenty, vowing to kill at least three demons.
He had enough courage, but unfortunately, he still harbored regrets.
[Lucky Daniel] was not truly lucky.
…
Through the [Goddess of Heartful Eyes]’s psychological analysis, Dak had long discovered that Daniel was the most upright among the group, someone trustworthy.
They talked for nearly half an hour by the campfire, stopping only when someone walked out of a tent.
Then Dak waved at him and returned to the tent to prepare breakfast.
At 5:30, the adventurers continued escorting the merchant caravan.
Dak and his group had already flown out on dragons, breaking through the darkness, several minutes earlier.
After leaving the Black Soil Plain, the road would become much safer, with rest stops established by the Free City to replenish food and water.
But the five dragons flew non-stop and arrived at the Free City before noon.
From above, the Free City resembled a massive square box, with its walls, raised by ground and rock magic, being extremely magnificent. The entire city was vast.
“The Free City originally only had the inner city, with walls fifteen meters high. Later, as the population grew, we built the current fifty-meter outer walls and the moat outside.”
“The outer walls are divided into east, south, west, and north sides, each with three gates. The middle gate is the tallest, allowing giant beasts to enter, while the side gates are shorter. We have five dragons, so we can enter through the eastern gate.”
“There’s no need to worry about being stopped by the city guards. The Free City enforces strict laws, but there are no entry restrictions. As long as the gates are open, anyone can enter freely.”
Aurora spoke confidently, hiding her excitement.
Six months ago, she left the Free City with her mother, expecting to be unable to return for at least two or three years. Unexpectedly, she had the chance after just six months.
“I wonder if my mother will be surprised to see me?”
She thought to herself and continued sharing what she knew.
The five dragons slowed down and descended hundreds of meters from the city, maintaining low-altitude flight and landing a hundred meters away from the eastern gate.
“Chirp chirp!” The Little Night Bird hopped onto the [Tiny Magnet] and eagerly wanted to rush in.
Dak reacted swiftly, grabbing its neck and holding it in his arms.
“Hahaha.” The Imp Beast laughed and flew in a circle before landing on Dak’s left shoulder.
The Tiny Magnet slowly flew to his right shoulder.
Together, they formed a pattern of a black ball on the left, a white ball on the right, and a meat ball in the middle.
“Let’s enter the city and visit the mayor.”
Professor Shylph waved her hand, and everyone followed.
The Free City was not their final destination. After visiting the mayor’s mansion, they would need to summon Demon King Number One to continue questioning, further plan the itinerary, and select personnel based on the level of danger.
But halfway, they were stopped by the city guards!
“Something’s wrong.”
Dak observed and furrowed his brow.
Perhaps because of the five dragons following, more than thirty city guards appeared.
Each of these guards had features of a beast race, likely mixed-blood half-beasts.
The leading guard was tall, with a “king” symbol on his forehead. Though he lacked tiger ears, he had a tiger tail coiled around his waist, making him a mixed-blood tiger person.
Wearing armor and wielding a spear, he exuded a powerful aura, possibly a commander in the city.
The mixed-blood tiger person commander crossed his legs and blocked their path, his face faintly showing hostility, with blood energy swirling.
Behind him, the other mixed-blood half-beasts stood solemnly, ready for action.
“Why are you blocking us?”
Professor Shylph frowned and directly asked.
The mixed-blood tiger person widened his eyes and said gruffly, “The city is under martial law! No one is allowed in!”
“Martial law?” Professor Shylph’s frown eased, “Has something happened in the city?”
The mixed-blood tiger person commander crossed his spear and said, “It has nothing to do with you. Leave quickly. If you need supplies, there are stations outside the city with water and food distributed, sufficient for the journey back.”
He then looked up at the five dragons and said, “It’s unnecessary.”
Yet, he showed no fear towards the dragons.
But just as he tried to maintain his authoritative demeanor, he suddenly couldn’t hold it anymore.
“Uncle Tiger, what happened?”
It was Aurora who suddenly stepped out from behind Professor Jones.
“Little Sun!”
The mixed-blood tiger person commander’s face melted like melting snow, instantly changing from a square face to a round one. He almost dropped his spear—quickly passing it to his deputy, worried that this fierce object might accidentally harm their little sun.
Aurora frowned, “Tell me what happened.”
Uncle Tiger hesitated.
Aurora directly said, “I came with the academy professor.”
“Professor from Saint Maryann Academy?” The tiger person commander suddenly widened his eyes, then a visible joy appeared on his face, “Come, let’s enter the city and talk!”
