Karl leaned against the big tree, his eyes closed in rest, seemingly having no intention of exposing her hiding there.
Sylvie remained silent, then left, quietly returning to the tent the way she came.
When she arrived back at the camp, she saw Will guarding the bonfire alone. She walked over and gently comforted him, "Will, don't worry. My swordsmanship was taught by Commander Aisha; she's the strongest knight I've ever seen. Even if she encounters danger, she'll definitely be able to resolve it."
Will looked up, his smile a little forced. "Sorry, Sylvie. I'm just a bit worried. I'll go back to rest soon."
"Alright." Seeing this, Sylvie said no more and quickly returned to the tent, where she saw Xiao Guo sleeping soundly.
She lay down beside Xiao Guo.
In Chris's tent, she was painstakingly picking something out with her fingers, gritting her teeth. She couldn't just leave it to sleep in her belly.
That night, everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts.
As the first rays of morning sun pierced through the treetops, everyone had already packed their bags early. After eating a meal, they prepared to set off.
Will's eyes were a little swollen. Sylvie glanced at him with concern but said nothing.
"Let's go," Sylvie said. "We should reach Wind Chime City by noon. Everyone doesn't need to rush too much; maintain a steady pace to conserve energy, as we might encounter combat."
The others nodded, and the team embarked on their journey, the group of five maintaining a neat formation as they advanced.
Karl walked at the rear of the team, his gaze inadvertently drifting towards Xiao Guo.
The Half-Elf Druid clearly feared him; whenever his gaze fell upon her, Xiao Guo would quickly lower her head, avoiding his eyes.
Karl's mood was complex. Looking at Xiao Guo's petite body, which appeared to be only 12 or 13 years old, he felt an inexplicable sense of guilt.
He had to find an opportunity to try stir-frying again.
He even felt like a pervert.
Chapter 17: Knight
They arrived at the outskirts of Wind Chime City. Karl gazed from afar at the town surrounded by five-meter-high walls; things looked grim.
This strategically important city was now shrouded in thick smoke and flames, with battles clearly raging in various parts of it.
"This isn't an ordinary riot." Sylvie's expression was grave. Judging by the thick smoke billowing from the city, the fighting had been going on for a long time.
Will appeared very anxious. He took a step forward, "You all wait outside for my news."
Sylvie, however, tightly grasped his arm. "We'll enter the city together."
She clearly wouldn't let a mage rush into a dangerous area alone.
Sylvie turned to look at Karl, hesitating to speak. Karl was the strongest here. Although Karl was currently in human form, he possessed the unique physique of a Dragon.
She had no doubt that, given Evil Dragon Karl's notorious reputation, he would immediately be besieged if he appeared in the city.
Karl understood Sylvie's look and casually looked up, activating the skill "Formless."
The next second, countless threads wrapped around him. In just an instant, he was covered in a layer of glossy black, majestic heavy armor.
Although his three-meter-tall body was still eye-catching, there was no time to worry about that now.
Sylvie had already acknowledged Karl as a strong individual and showed no surprise at him conjuring armor out of thin air. She turned to look at Xiao Guo beside her:
"Xiao Guo, you can wait for us outside."
Hearing this, Xiao Guo shook her head timidly. "Ah, it's okay, I'm a Druid, I can protect myself."
"My brother is still in the city, and I'm very worried about him."
Sylvie gave Xiao Guo a deep look, then nodded without further persuasion. She turned her gaze towards Wind Chime City. "Alright, let's go, be ready for battle at any time!"
Sylvie walked at the front of the team, leading everyone towards Wind Chime City.
They cautiously approached the town, trying to avoid areas affected by the fighting.
They hadn't gone far when they encountered two people wearing white masks. The two groups met unexpectedly on a small path.
For a moment, the air seemed to solidify.
As their eyes met, the atmosphere immediately became tense.
"We are a brave team tasked with vanquishing Evil Dragon Karl." Sylvie watched the masked individuals with vigilance, her hands tightly gripping her sword.
Wearing white masks in broad daylight, they didn't look like good people.
"Who are you?!"
"Careful, it's the Braves." One of the masked men, upon hearing Sylvie's title, took a step back.
"Die, you old-era fellows!" Another masked man suddenly roared. His body swelled instantly.
His leather armor bulged, and in a flash, his body transformed into a two-meter-tall giant bear.
The giant bear let out a deafening roar that made the surrounding leaves rustle and fall.
It charged directly at Sylvie, its massive body like a moving hill, kicking up a gust of wind.
At the same time, the slender masked man pulled a bow and arrow from his back. The arrowhead glinted coldly, aimed at Sylvie.
Sylvie's eyes sharpened. She gripped her two-handed sword and resolutely met the charge.
The longsword cut a sharp arc through the air, accompanied by a piercing whoosh, and the giant bear's body was sliced in half at the waist.
At the same time, the incoming arrow was firmly blocked by a suddenly rising wall of water.
And the slender masked man, before he could react, was instantly shot through by more than ten water swords.
Just then, an anomaly occurred. From where the giant bear was cut, countless ribbon-like things suddenly emerged.
These ribbons danced in the air, intertwined, and rejoined the giant bear's body.
"Roar!" The giant bear let out an earth-shattering roar, its claws slamming down.
Sylvie reacted quickly, blocking with her sword, but she seemed to have underestimated the giant bear's strength. The next second, she was sent flying backward.
On the other side, the water holes in the slender masked man's body healed instantly.
He drew his bow again without hesitation, the bowstring taut, the arrowhead gleaming coldly. It was no ordinary arrow; elemental damage was infused into it.
When Will saw these familiar ribbons, he instantly felt terrible, as if suffering from PTSD. His body uncontrollably took a step back, trying to protect his backside.
"Attack the head," Karl said softly.
The next second, Sylvie suddenly rose, her figure so fast that she was almost a blur, like lightning, instantly passing through the two masked men.
The two masked men had no time to react; their foreheads were split open.
From the wounds, countless ribbons emerged as if alive, attempting to reconnect the wounds.
The split skulls rejoined.
However, the expressions of the two masked men became vacant, as if they had lost their souls.
They staggered a few steps, then fell weakly to the ground, their limbs beginning to twitch erratically. However, this struggle did not last long.
Soon, they lay motionless on the ground, like two lifeless husks.
Sylvie cautiously approached the two fallen figures, her longsword gently prying off the coverings on their faces.
She soon discovered that these were not simple masks but were tightly connected to their faces, as if they were a layer of skin grown on them.
But the next second, this covering seemed to have its vitality drained, quickly withering, shrinking, and finally falling off.
Revealing two rather ordinary faces.
Their faces were calm, but they had lost all life.
Sylvie knelt down. She noticed that both men wore identical necklaces around their necks, inscribed with symbols.
She picked up a necklace, her brows furrowed. "Brotherhood members. Are they the masterminds?"
Will's brows were tightly furrowed as he stared at the two corpses on the ground. "Impossible. These are just Mixed-blood Species of Beastkin Bear and Dwarf. Mixed-blood Species cannot awaken racial abilities."
He squatted down, carefully examining the bodies, trying to find clues.
"From the battle just now, he possessed both the power of beast transformation and the Dwarf race. Was it due to those strange ribbons?"
Karl turned his head and glanced at Chris beside him. He knew nothing about the "Brotherhood" organization.
Chris didn't want to deal with him, but she didn't dare refuse. She reluctantly spoke, "The Brotherhood is a mutual aid organization for Mixed-blood Species. Because Mixed-blood Species have low strength and extremely low status, their actual influence isn't very large."
"The fact that they can be killed by attacking the head means they are not invincible." A hint of relief was in Sylvie's voice.
After a series of setbacks, she had regained some lost confidence.
"Let's go, let's enter the city first," Sylvie suggested, and the others followed.
On the walls of Wind Chime City, a female wearing a white mask and armor of the same color as Karl, stood tall and imposing, her posture upright and heroic.
Her gaze, filled with doubt, was fixed on the tall figure of Karl among the group heading towards the city, her brows tightly furrowed.
Chapter 18: The Girl
At this moment, Wind Chime City no longer held its former prosperity as a trade hub. Rubble was everywhere, the air was thick with smoke and dust, and the sky was obscured by the embers of flames.
Corpses were visible everywhere, Adventurers and Mixed-blood Species alike, lying on the ground in various gruesome poses.
The scent of burning and blood in the air stimulated everyone's sense of smell.
"What exactly happened here?" Sylvie's face was grim. The situation in Wind Chime City was far more tragic than she had anticipated.
"Someone's coming, be careful." Xiao Guo's pointed ears twitched, and she urgently warned them.
The few of them quickly hid behind a wall.
Soon, a team of masked Mixed-blood Species hurried past along the roadside.
"Why are there so many of them!" Will heard the sounds of fighting from all directions. "Have all the Brotherhood members come?!"
Karl frowned. He knew these masked Mixed-blood Species were all Formless Daughter's symbiotes.
But purifying one or two with Dragon Whip now would be meaningless, and it could easily attract the mother body without preparation, making it not worth the effort.
Just then, a sound of fighting came from afar.
Soldiers wielding longswords, covered in various wounds, their armor stained with blood, looked exhausted and angry, panting heavily. "Damn it! These Mixed-blood Species monsters, why can't they be killed! Their numbers are too many!"
Another man, looking like an officer, brandished his sword, fending off attacks while roaring, "Don't retreat! Attack their heads!"
His longsword sliced open the head of a Mixed-blood Species. "Mixed-blood Species are just Mixed-blood Species! We are the Royal Knights! For the Empire! Annihilate these cowards who slaughter civilians!"
Another Mixed-blood Species transformed into a two-meter-tall giant beast, punching the officer back and roaring in response, "Don't act so noble! Dogs of the Empire! You slaughter our kind at Will, we are just making you feel the same pain!"
The officer snorted coldly and swung his sword forward. "It was the Empire that gave you Mixed-blood Species civilian status! This was a mistake from the beginning! You should all be executed!"
"Die!" The Mixed-blood Species was enraged, swinging its claws and charging forward.
"Maintain formation! Engage the enemy!" The officer fearlessly stepped forward.
The two groups of people clashed instantly.
More than ten soldiers of the Knights Templar stood closely together, forming a battle array. Although they displayed tenacious fighting Will, the Mixed-blood Species outnumbered them by at least twofold.
Coupled with their ability for infinite wound regeneration, these red-eyed fanatics fought extremely aggressively.
Soon, the Knights Templar were surrounded by the Mixed-blood Species, and the situation was precarious.
Will was anxious and stepped forward, but Sylvie pulled him back, her expression grave. "Something is very wrong!"
"Although these Mixed-blood Species have strong regenerative abilities, their overall strength is ordinary. Wind Chime City is a trade hub, and various merchant caravans have well-trained Adventurer teams. I suspect there are other powerful Mixed-blood Species hiding in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity."
Before she could finish speaking, a scream came from the Knights Templar's side. A soldier was flung away by a Mixed-blood Species, crashing heavily to the ground.
The Knights Templar's formation was instantly torn open.
"Sorry, this is my sister's Knights Templar, I cannot stand by and do nothing!" Will raised his staff, and countless water swords shot from his hands.
Dense, rain-like, they flew towards the Mixed-blood Species besieging the Knights Templar.
The water swords pierced through the bodies of one Mixed-blood Species after another from behind.
Several unlucky ones had their heads pierced from the back of the skull, falling to the ground instantly and becoming motionless.
The Mixed-blood Species immediately noticed Will. Over ten Mixed-blood Species were enraged, leaving their ranks without hesitation, roaring as they charged over.
Seeing this, Sylvie glanced at Karl beside her.
She saw him standing there with his arms crossed, his face expressionless, seemingly having no intention of intervening.