Chapter Sixty-Seven: Bear of the Earth

Although there were no roads in the Forest of Fear and no way to travel by vehicle, guests didn’t have to walk on foot. Otherwise, at an ordinary human's pace, it would be impossible to guess how many years it would take to journey from Slo City to Miracle City.

Luo Chen rode atop the back of a strange beast. This creature’s eyes bulged high, its mouth was sharply elongated, resembling a lizard but a thousand times larger and more robust, with eight legs and an appearance both grotesque and fearsome. Yet many mercenaries knew it posed no threat.

This beast was a giant lizard, mutated from an ordinary lizard after the fusion of the alien dimension with Earth, nourished by spiritual energy.

Every mercenary group kept at least a few of these giant lizards; their function rivaled that of cargo trucks from ancient civilizations. They could carry both people and goods with ease, and, more importantly, could traverse the worst roads where vehicles couldn’t pass. Even climbing or descending mountains was no trouble for them, and their upkeep was low—they only needed to graze on forest plants.

The Wild Wolf Mercenary Group had three such giant lizards, all fully grown and each over seven meters long, easily carrying ten people apiece. They moved with a half-twisting crawl, and even in dense forest, their speed was impressive—estimated at about thirty kilometers per hour. Barring rest periods, they could cover nearly four hundred kilometers in a day.

As they crawled, the lizards made only a faint rustling sound, unlike horses whose hoofbeats might easily attract the attention of hearing-sensitive fiend beasts—another advantage.

There were many benefits to hiring these professional mercenary groups. They were familiar with the routes, seasoned and experienced, knowledgeable about fiend beast distribution and activity patterns, and adept at detecting the Forest of Fear’s many traps, always choosing the safest paths.

All along the journey, they had encountered almost no fiend beasts—at most, only some of the second or third rank, which Luo Chen could easily handle, let alone the Wild Wolf Mercenaries. Still, the group remained vigilant; though low-level beasts were no threat, a client attacked under their watch could easily be injured or killed.

They traveled by day and camped by night, and in the blink of an eye, two days had passed without any significant encounters. The guests were naturally pleased, but at the rear of the group, Carlo stroked his broadsword and grumbled, “Phew, this is really boring. My hands are itching for a fight. I wish we’d run into something a bit tougher.”

A fellow mercenary cursed, “Carlo, you big-mouthed fool, who in their right mind wishes for fiend beasts to come looking for trouble?”

Carlo laughed boisterously, “Ha! I just want to earn a couple of crystal cores for some extra spending money, then treat everyone to drinks in Miracle City. These low-level beasts don’t even have crystal cores!”

Two days without alcohol had left Carlo licking his dry lips and complaining, “The captain’s ban is really too much. At least let me have a sip or two each day to take the edge off! Everyone knows I, Carlo, can hold my liquor—never once have I let it interfere with the job!”

“No way, I fully support the captain’s ban!” the mercenary beside Carlo said. “Who knows if you, old drunkard, would really stop at one or two sips? More likely, you’d keep going for three or four, even five or six!”

“I said just a sip or two…” Carlo’s voice wavered, knowing all too well his own weakness for drink. It's fine as long as he doesn’t start, but once he does, he can’t stop until he’s had his fill.

Luo Chen was sitting close by, also on the giant lizard, and often chatted with Carlo. Through him, Luo Chen had learned much about the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group.

Most members of the Wild Wolf Mercenaries were level five psionic warriors; the captain, Hayes, had reached level six, which was respectable—certainly worth the two gold coins they charged.

Moreover, Carlo happened to be Luo Chen’s schoolmate. Twenty years ago, he graduated from Weston Academy and became a mercenary, never marrying or having children. His parents had long since passed, leaving him with no ties—a reason for his particular bravery in battle. Those with families, even if unafraid of death, would always have their loved ones to consider.

After discovering Luo Chen was a fellow alumnus, Carlo felt an even greater kinship with him. He clapped Luo Chen on the shoulder and said, “Back in my day, I barely reached level three in psionic energy when I graduated—couldn’t even get into senior high. But you, my young friend, are lucky enough to get into Blue Emperor Academy for further study. You must seize this precious opportunity—your future is limitless!”

When Carlo spoke, there was a hint of envy in his eyes. Even after twenty years, he still regretted not being able to continue his studies back then.

Luo Chen smiled and replied, “I understand. By the way, Carlo, since you travel between Slo City and Miracle City all the time, you must know Miracle City pretty well?”

Carlo puffed up his chest and began to boast, “Of course! I know every tavern in Miracle City—how could I not be familiar?”

“That’s great. I wanted to ask you—are there any good part-time jobs in Miracle City? Ideally something I could do on Saturday nights or Sunday afternoons.”

“Part-time jobs?” Carlo frowned. “My young friend, that’s not so easy. Miracle City is the largest city on the Canglan Continent—packed with people, competition is fierce. It’s hard enough to find a regular job, let alone a side gig!”

Hearing this, Luo Chen grew anxious. After settling in Miracle City, he’d urgently need to find part-time work, or he’d have no way to cover his living expenses. “Carlo, please, think of something. I don’t mind tough or menial work—anything like the stevedores at Slo City’s docks would do. You have such a wide network and such a great reputation. If you’d help me ask around, I’m sure it’ll work out, right?”

Luo Chen had already sized up Carlo’s personality. Though sometimes big-mouthed and a bit sharp-tongued, he was warm-hearted and especially susceptible to flattery—praise him and he’d be overjoyed.

Sure enough, after this hefty dose of flattery, Carlo was visibly pleased. “You’re not wrong. There aren’t many people in all Miracle City who haven’t heard of me, Carlo! All right, I’ll keep an eye out for you. After you get to Blue Emperor Academy, drop by and give me your dorm address. If I hear anything, I’ll come let you know!”

Luo Chen was delighted. “Thank you, Carlo! You really are one of the rare good men in this world!”

Carlo laughed heartily. “Don’t be so formal—it sounds strange. Since we’re schoolmates, helping you out is only natural! If you ever run into trouble in Miracle City, just come to—”

Before he could finish, a terrified cry echoed through the forest: “Help! Help!”

A group of people came fleeing from the distance. Spotting the mercenaries, they rushed toward them as if seeing their saviors, with six fiend beasts in hot pursuit. These beasts were massive, covered in black fur, burly and strong, with tiny ears and particularly thick paws. They looked awkward and heavyset.

Luo Chen recognized them at once from the Fiend Beast Compendium—level five fiend beasts, the Earth Bears!