"What are you talking about? Brother, are you kidding me?"
Felin stared at Allen, his face filled with disbelief.
"We can follow the reinforcements sent by the academy, fight our way back to the Underdark, and wipe out the human trafficking ring!"
"And take over the Mushroom Garden Secret Realm while we're at it!"
"Such a great opportunity is before you, and instead of seizing it, you're rushing home. What's the reason?"
"Alas, brother, you don't know!"
Alan sighed, his face filled with sorrow.
"Master Hubert has disliked me for a long time!"
"If I don't leave now, I'm afraid my life will be in danger when he arrives!"
He then briefly recounted his grudges with Hubert's clan.
Felin felt deep sympathy, yet felt helpless.
Not to mention that Hubert was a direct disciple of Vice Dean Russell, Hubert's strength alone made him too much for the Griffin family to offend.
He didn't even dare to plead for Allen in front of Hubert, because Allen had done nothing wrong.
To put it bluntly, his feud with Hubert stemmed purely from Hubert's snobbery and pettiness.
If Feilin dared to reveal this, he himself would be dead!
"Okay, brother, I'll keep it a secret."
"Don't mention you ever visited my house or been to the Underdark."
"When are you planning to go home? I'll prepare some local specialties for you..."
"The sooner the better, preferably today!" Allen said. "No need for specialties. Could you lend me a griffin for transportation home?"
Felin understood his eagerness and nodded.
"Wait a moment, I'll make some preparations."
In the evening, Feilin returned, bringing his cousin Julie with him.
"Brother Alan! Feilin told me about your situation!"
As soon as Julie entered the house, she rushed to make arrangements.
"You're in a hurry to get home, not wanting to see Hubert. That's a wise choice!"
"You dared to ride a wild, untamed griffin. I'm afraid you'd fall to your death!"
"Tamed griffins are numbered and registered for loan. It's too troublesome, and it would easily expose your overnight escape!"
"Felin can't handle this kind of thing. I have to do it!"
Julie opened her storage bag, took out a golden feather talisman and a piece of paper, and handed them to Alan.
"The feather talisman can summon a griffin. The spell is written on the slip."
"This is my personal treasure. No one can check it. You can use it. Feilin and I are at ease!"
"Sister Julie... thank you!"
Alan knew how precious the summoning feather talisman was.
Julie generously lent it to him, and this gesture of friendship was deeply touching.
"I have a little gift here, too."
Felin shoved a large bag of magic stones into Alan's hands.
"Fifty magic stones. A thank you for helping me capture the griffin. Keep it."
This little fat guy had the nerve to lie to my face!
Fifty magic stones?
Alan wasn't stupid.
Was that bag of magic stones fifty, or a hundred?
He weighed it in his hands, and he knew the answer.
"Oh, right, I suddenly remembered something."
Juli clapped her hands, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Alan! Flynn said you've disguised yourself, and you're actually tall and strong. Is that true?"
"Since you're leaving soon, can you let me see your true face and satisfy my curiosity?"
Of course, no problem.
Alan removed his disguise.
The thin, delicate boy suddenly transformed into a burly, handsome young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes.
Juli's eyes widened, and she exclaimed in disbelief!
"Oh my! So Alan is taller than me! That physique, those muscles... wow!"
"That's right! He has to have a physique like this to look like a big eater!"
Julie couldn't help but reach out and stroke Alan's toned abdominal muscles, marveling at him.
A blush suddenly spread across her fair, oval face.
"If I'd known you looked like this, I wouldn't have treated you like a little brother..."
"Cousin, you want to go out with Alan?" Feilin smiled mischievously.
Juli rolled her eyes at him, but didn't deny it.
"It's a pity Alan is leaving soon. You've missed a great opportunity for love," Feilin lamented.
"Alan will have to return to the academy eventually, right? We've already exchanged mystical marks, so there'll be plenty of opportunities to stay in touch," Julie said.
"Occasionally getting together once you're back at the academy is fine, but I'm afraid Alan won't have time for romantic conversations."
Felin exposed his cousin's thoughts directly to prevent her from being hurt by love in the future.
"Alan has a very fierce senior sister who keeps a close eye on him, you know."
"Also, Alan's romantic life is incredibly strong. Many girls in the academy, even female instructors, are lining up to sleep with him, but he's too busy to do it. When will it be your turn?"
Juli was stunned for a moment, then a look of realization crossed her face.
"That's right! Alan has a great figure, is handsome, and is a violent warlock. It's only natural for him to use his status to earn some hard-earned money."
"Come to think of it, I've never summoned... um, a gigolo. It always feels awkward."
Julie turned away, a little embarrassed.
"If it's Alan, my little brother... I wouldn't mind spending a little money to try it out."
"Brother! My cousin is no ordinary patron. You'll have to give her a 20% discount!" Fei Lin winked at Alan.
"A 20% discount? What kind of friend are we? I have to..."
Alan calculated quickly.
"I have to give Sister Julie... a 30% discount!"
He was quite persistent when it came to his net worth.
A 30% discount was the limit.
The three young men chatted and laughed for a while, then Feilin suddenly remembered something that dampened his mood, and his smile faded.
"Oh! My dad just scolded me. He said it was too dangerous and wouldn't let me go with Hubert's team to the mushroom farm..."
"Me too, I got kicked off the list!"
Julie shrugged and spread her hands, indignant.
"Instead, Charlie and Parker, father and son, are the ones guiding Hubert's investigation team!"
"Is there some shady dealings going on here?"
"Even if there was insider manipulation, it was Uncle Ryan."
Alan comforted the siblings.
"Uncle knows the horrors of the Underdark better than we do. He's keeping you two from going for your own good."
"To be frank, if Charlie and Pike die in the Underworld, it'll be hard to recover their bodies!"
"Don't you remember what happened to Neil and Laurie?"
He managed to fool the siblings with his combination of threats and intimidation.
Recalling their near-death adventure, their expressions changed.
On second thought, it was safest to stay home.
…
After bidding farewell to Julie and Flynn, Alan summoned a griffin with a feather charm and mounted it.
The griffin spread its wings and slowly ascended.
As Julie and Flynn watched, Alan, riding the griffin, gradually merged into the starry night sky, disappearing without a trace.
Alan had no intention of returning home.
Turn around and head straight for Baiquan Island.
Three days later.
Alan returned to the underground mushroom forest where the "Mushroom Garden" was located.
The griffin transformed back into a golden feather talisman and returned it to its storage bag.
He pulled out his address book and uncovered Sonia's secret seal.
The twisted black whip and the gleaming dagger lay crosswise.
This seal seemed quite fitting for her aggressive style.
Using the secret seal, Alan sent a "communication spell."
The communication range of 23 kilometers was more than enough.
The message contained only one sentence:
"See you in the mushroom forest."
After waiting for more than half an hour,
Sonia arrived to meet him.
She was accompanied by a tall, burly man.
He was wearing a fur vest.
He was nearly two meters tall.
His skin was yellow with a hint of green.
His face was thick with flesh, his eyes dull, and he looked rather dim.
Two half-inch-long fangs jutted from the corners of his mouth.
His ogre ancestry was obvious.
"His name is Og, and he's eighteen years old."
Sonia introduced her companion to Allen.
Og had been training in the mushroom garden for five years.
His aptitude was average, and he had reached the early stages of the first stage.
You could tell from his physical features.
Even without activating his atavism, he couldn't hide his ogre characteristics.
This was a common trait of a "magic-possessed" mage.
Alan was not optimistic about Og's future.
At this rate, Brother Og, within a year at most, would be completely possessed, a bona fide ogre.
However, Allen's arrival changed his fate.
"Og, I've chosen you as a substitute."
Sonia plotted loudly in front of Og.
"My plan is for you to replace Og and use his identity to enter the mushroom garden."
Og stood nearby, listening, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
That's not true!
He was screaming inwardly.
That's not what the trainer said when he went to see him!
He'd clearly said he'd take him out for some fun and exciting things, so how could it have turned out like this?
"I'm assuming Og's identity, but what about Og?"
Alan raised a question that concerned Og as well.
"Oh, I have good news and bad news about Og's fate," Sonia said nonchalantly.
"The good news is, he won't be possessed."
"The bad news is... he'll die!"