"Are you kidding… Argh…"
The huge bloke had a mocking smile in response of Leylin words, but soon after he gave a miserable shriek.
The surrounding Magi also cried out in surprise, as if they'd seen something unbelievable.
Right in front of them, the huge bloke's belly began to slowly swell, taking the shape of a bulge.
Thinking back to what Leylin said earlier, Lancey was fearful yet relieved that she did not touch the Brownstone Singer like she wanted to.
Looking at the big bloke freaking out and hurrying back into his tent, drinking and consuming all sorts of items with medicinal properties, smiles were seen hanging on the faces of all the people at the site…
The effects of the Brownstone Singer might be frightening to a normal person. But for magicians, it was more of a practical joke than something to be feared.
"Due to the Grand Canyon Margaret's topography, it became a paradise for many exotic creatures. Legends have it that you can still find trails of those that were said to be endangered or extinct here…." Leylin secretly thought, and a small smile formed on his face as he looked at his travel companion with a predatory stillness in his gaze.
As time slowly passed by, the ash-gray rocky forest around Leylin and the others became shorter and shorter. Eventually, their surrounding only had fragmented small stones, resembling a barren land.
"Limestone Wasteland. We've already merged into the standard route. In the next ten days or so, we'll be more at ease. But following this will be the frightful Golden Desert, where the Kary Vultures gather. Everyone should maintain their energy, and prepare for the upcoming battle…"
The lead, an old geezer, yelled uninterrupted, as he rode a Seated Lupin Wolf that had a few strands of white beard on its face.
If Leylin and the rest want to safely get across the Grand Canyon Margaret, the only way was to banish the Kary Vultures obstructing the route.
Small words were written beside the region: "Limestone Wasteland! Verified as having an extremely low level of risk, and no high-energy life form was ever seen…"
As expected, once they entered the Limestone Wasteland, Leylin felt the Seated Lupin Wolf's muscles and fur slightly loosen up, as if entering a relatively relaxed state.
"The concentration of energy in the air here is much less as if the air has some kind of leakage and causes the energy within it to be vaporised. The energy concentration in the air has been reduced. To cast spells here with complete power will cost more power than if they were cast outside of this place…"
Magicians and magical beasts all use the energy particles within the air to perform all sorts of unimaginable and marvellous magic. If the energy concentration in the air was less, the power of the spell cast will also be reduced.
Moreover, if a living being stayed in this place for a long time, it might undergo mutation.
As for those beings who knew magic, they would abhor these kinds of regions.
But the Limestone Wasteland's desert-like appearance was a good thing for travellers like them.
At least, there was no need to worry about random, exotic species ambushing them along the way. They could rest and conserve energy.
This tranquil life lasted fifteen days.
The night before they were to walk out of this Limestone Wasteland, the old geezer, who was leading them all, and Lancey, gathered the six Magi.
Leylin's entourage of knights and Anna was not included in the gathering, since their worth was nonexistent in these Magi eyes. They simply stood along with the Seated Lupin Wolves feeding them.
"Starting tomorrow, we will be out of the Limestone Desert, and entering the Golden Desert!"
Under the illuminating flame, the old geezer's wrinkled face showed uncertainty as his pair of pupils shone.
"At the heart of the Golden Desert, the third supply spot that we will pass by has been occupied by the abominable Kary Vultures. The reason why we formed small teams, was mostly for this! Now, it's time to make the final decision!"
The old and tiny geezer looked around: "Will we kill the Vulture King as mentioned before, or merely expel them?"
"What else? Of course, we kill it!" The huge bloke who was inpragnated by the Brownstone Singer took the lead and voiced out first.
"Materials made from the Vulture King can be sold for sell tens of thousands of magic crystals, and bar owners from both ends of the canyon will give extra rewards. Is there anything better than this?"
Once this is done, not only will the materials obtained from the Vulture King belong entirely to the group, the pubs on both sides will also give a generous amount of magic crystals as a reward.
Because of the existence of the Kary Vultures, it had caused issues for cargos that were transported back and forth the canyon. It seems that the people involved can no longer tolerate it.
Official Magi all lacked resources. They couldn't afford to miss any opportunity to accumulate more resources.
What the old geezer had put forward, was only to make a final confirmation.
"Of course!"
"Well, did we not agree on this before?"
The huge bloke's words caused a resonance, and Leylin also agreed.
"Great!" The old geezer smiled till the wrinkles on his face gathered together, resembling a chrysanthemum.
"Good! Then I'll delegate tasks to everyone accordingly. The Kary Vultures are very cunning, their ability to fly makes battling them extremely troublesome. Those of you who know rank 1 flying magic ..."
The leader old geezer started to deploy everyone.
Contrastingly Leylin remained uncommunicative; he did not voice out his expertise. He ended up with the role of assisting the attacker.
The old geezer's arrangement was quite fair. In accordance with the principles of "work more, get more", every magician was assigned a job within their capabilities and developed a detailed plan.
However, during the planning, the flying magicians who were tasked as attackers and responsible for intercepting had the privilege of selecting the spoils of war.
And the old geezer just had a showcase of his strange flying magic.
Flying was still a relatively rare ability amongst the rank 1 Magi. Not only is the specialised rank 1 flying magic rarely seen, it is also not practical.
A pair of pale green wings grew on the back of the old geezer. When he soared into the sky, Leylin keenly felt the currents and particles in the wind fluctuate. Evidently, the old geezer was a Magus who specialized in wind element energy particles.
[Beep! Scanning the target...Scan complete! According to the quantity of energy particles dispelled from the target's, determined to be of wind element. Essence element conversion is 15-20%!]
A fine beam of blue flashed across Leylin's eyes.
The rain drizzled continuously, as it pelted onto the tarpaulin Leylin had draped over his shoulders, giving a cooling sensation.
Riding on the Seated Lupin Wolf that had a night's rest, Leylin appeared tranquil as he peered through the ashy haze, trying to look at the scenery ahead.
*Whoosh*
It was as if the curtains were pulled apart. Leylin felt like he had rushed out of a dense fog as extremely dazzling sunlight directly shined on them.
*Rustling*
Wolf claws slowly sunk into the countless grains of sand they were stepping on.
The rain-filled, dark clouds had gradually dispersed, and now the fiery sun had taken over the sky. It brought with it burning hot rays of brilliance, which constantly spread across the wide desert.
From what they could see, there was a field of gold as well as modulating levels of sand dunes.
"Golden Desert, we've arrived!" Leylin felt the surrounding temperature increasing constantly. It must have gone up by at least twenty degrees since the rain earlier.
The sweltering humidity continuously flooded into the tarpaulin, Leylin observed others and clearly saw their discomfort. He didn't feel anything due to his high physical stats.
This sudden change in temperature within the Grand Canyon Margaret was not unusual. If ordinary people came here, it would have been a torment for them. However for this group, it was only a wee bit troublesome.
"Awooooooo!"
The leading Seated Lupin Wolf howled, and the rest of the wolves that were being ridden by the others also howled. It wasn't clear if these howls were due to excitement or was meant as a warning.
With the howling of the wolves, Leylin noted that the body hairs on the Seated Lupin Wolf began to change.
The Seated Lupin Wolves had black fur, and only the head had a touch of bright red fur. But now in the hot sunlight, the wolf's hair color gradually faded.
Finally, it completely transformed into a pale white color, then a streak of light blue lighted up from the wolf's body. The whole piece fur turned ice blue.
An icy breath emitted from the back of the wolf. The icy-cool feeling was very comfortable, especially in this desert. They even applied the slight use of Ice element energy particles.
The Seated Lupin Wolf was undoubtedly the best creature to traverse the terrains of the Great Canyon Margaret!
The six huge wolves with icy blue fur gave off a chilly sensation. They very soon proceeded on their journey along with the Magi riding on them, and stepped into the Golden Desert which was 10 times more dangerous than the Limestone Wasteland.
With his vision and the A.I. Chip's detection, he had already discovered many dangerous creatures in the nearby desert.
Six-Eyed Poison Snake.
Golden Scorpion.
Toxic Compound Eye Lizard
These were a few creatures that Leylin saw before in illustrations as they continued to appear before his eyes. There were even some grotesquely shaped creatures.
"The energy density in the air here has even been replicated. It's even higher than in the outside world, no wonder there are so many troublesome things!"
"Everyone, keep your spirits raised. The dangers in the Golden Desert cannot be compared with the Limestone Wasteland!"
The female Magus, called Lancey, shouted.
Even without her reminder, the other Magi present had already recollected their absent-minded pace from before.
One can loosen their guard occasionally in the Limestone Wasteland, but if they chose to do the same in the Golden Desert, they were foolish and seeking for death! Those magicians who were able to advance into a rank 1 Magus were seldom such people.
"Awoooooo!"
Just then, Lancey's Seated Lupin Wolf let off a howl. Its huge claws were raised and its sharp claws at tip slashed down with a cold glint of light!
*Pat*
Suddenly, a black scorpion with the image of an eye appeared in front of where the wolf was. It was patted down by the sharp claws of wolf as it continuously writhed its body and hissed.
*Ka-Cha* The Seated Lupin Wolf dropped its jaws and opened its gory mouth as it placed the scorpion into its jaws. The razor sharp mandible continued to chew, bringing along the snapping sounds of the scorpion's bones being crunched.
Leylin looked where the Seated Lupin Wolf had attacked earlier, it sent a huge amount of sand flying in the air and Leylin spotted several grains of gold within it.
He reached his hand forward and grasp a handful of gold sand in his hands.
"Golden Desert, it gets it name as there is real gold in the desert!" Leylin flung the gold sand back onto the ground.
To magicians, only magic crystals, the ingredients which could stimulate the spiritual force and the various advanced information was considered to be the real currency!
As for the gold belonging the secular world, apart from its uses as an ingredient, it was no different from regular metals.
Moreover, the Golden Desert was situated inside the Great Canyon Margaret, an area forbidden to regular humans. To traverse it also required the employment of the highly expensive Seated Lupin Wolves.
Thinking of the cost of excavation would already frighten the kings in many dukedoms!