Chapter 82 The Young Fox of the Hunting Lizard

This minor episode did not affect the cooperation between Ronnie and Vinnigo. After a brief exchange, they quickly established the basis for their partnership.

Old Ronnie’s objective was to capture juvenile Thunder Lizards and their eggs. Every year, at this very time, he would come to the edge of the Dragonfly Desert to catch a certain number of young lizards and eggs, which he then sold to the High Council.

It was said that Sir Newton had already joined forces with Sir Temp to research methods of taming and controlling the Thunder Lizards. Their plan was to form a unit of Thunder Lizard Cavalry—or Dragon Knights, as some called them—to serve as the kingdom’s ultimate military force and counterbalance the surrounding nations.

Perhaps the High Council would even deploy this cavalry for Queen Catherine’s grand expedition to Erasia. However, that had little to do with Vinnigo.

— In the midst of Youthful Beast Taming —

At the edge of the Dragonfly Desert, near the Temple of the Serpent.

Vinnigo sat with his hands behind his back on the magical beast Ramen’s back, with the energetic Little Wolf Princess and the equally lively Little Honey perched behind him. The two girls chattered excitedly, constantly peering down from midair in curiosity.

Ramen grew at an astonishing rate. As a Sky-Whale, it had weighed nearly a ton and measured three meters in length at birth. After a single year, it could reach an incredible five tons—though the weight of a Sky-Whale could not be measured by conventional means, as it perpetually existed within the effects of its innate supernatural abilities, allowing it to float effortlessly in the air, oblivious to gravity.

This weight was only an estimate based on its volume and density.

Thus, even a playful nudge from Ramen would equate to an overwhelming force for Vinnigo...

Fortunately, as Ramen grew, it learned to control its strength and now took care not to bump Vinnigo.

After all, for a highly intelligent magical pet, breaking its own master would hardly be a source of pride.

Thinking of this, Ramen twisted its body in excitement, nearly tossing Vinnigo off.

“I want a pet too,” Little Wolf Princess blinked her pretty red eyes, gazing eagerly at the big cat and the giant whale, licking her lips.

“I think that look on your face isn’t one of wanting a pet, but rather planning for an emergency food supply...” Vinnigo chuckled.

Suddenly, Ramen let out a loud cry. Startled, Vinnigo looked down.

An ambush!

On the sandy ground, a specially made camouflage cloth was thrown aside, and dozens of warriors dressed as Shepherd Cultists burst forth, brandishing desert sabers as they charged at Ronnie’s mercenary group.

“I’ve been waiting long enough,” Vinnigo snorted, standing up and leaping down from midair.

“Wait for me!” Little Honey clung tightly to Little Wolf Princess, crying out.

Ramen swished its tail and descended toward the ground. Vinnigo, suspended in midair, directed a current of air from beneath his feet, gliding down to land among the enemy, stretching lazily.

“Gentlemen, you’ve waited long enough,” Vinnigo greeted the Shepherd Cultists.

These cultists were peculiar—their eyes were dull, yet their movements were preternaturally quick, like a swarm of mindless but lightning-fast insects! The moment Vinnigo landed, two cultists lunged at him with sabers.

Vinnigo narrowed his eyes, the Eye of Perception locking onto them. He raised his left hand slightly, while his right withdrew a bone talisman from his pouch and activated it swiftly.

Two hundred and fifty-nine pieces of bone had been crafted into as many unique single-use magical devices. The one in his hand was designed for maximum lethality.

Bone Talisman: Infernal Flame Dragon!

With a swipe of his left hand across the talisman, the magic from the air surged, instantly activating the runes etched into the bone, connecting to a “gate” from another plane. Once triggered, it would summon the elemental creature represented by the runes.

With a piercing screech, a roaring dragon of fire burst forth from the void, lashing out wildly and spewing searing heat in all directions.

Fire elementals were notoriously volatile and hard to control, and Infernal Flame Dragons were especially troublesome—they were easily summoned, but nearly impossible to command; a single moment’s carelessness could result in both friend and foe reduced to ashes.

However, Vinnigo was alone at the moment, and almost all present were Shepherd Cultists. Instinctively, the Infernal Flame Dragon lunged at the more combustible cultists.

In an instant, over a dozen human-shaped torches blazed across the field.

The Infernal Flame Dragon wheeled about, then charged toward Vinnigo. A burst of air erupted beneath his feet, and he dodged in a flash, drawing the dragon into the midst of the cultists. Within seconds, the dangerous elemental had exhausted its magic and vanished into the air.

“To deal with you lot... this should suffice.” Vinnigo scratched his head, tied a blue cloth around his head, picked up a saber dropped by a cultist, and snapped his fingers.

Character Build: FFTA System, Level 28 Blue Mage, Subclass Black Mage, Counter Skill: Magic Return, Passive Skill: Double Mana Consumption.

The Blue Mage’s abilities were formidable, though learning them was a real pain... Fortunately, the Blue Mage Vinnigo had built only required mercury to acquire new skills—albeit at a considerable cost.

He had chosen only one blue magic: Sandstorm, learned from Antlions—a small area sand and rock attack, with a blinding effect on enemies, low mana cost, moderate power, but highly practical. More importantly, in the desert, such a skill was especially effective.

The passive skill Double Consumption allowed him to double the magic power of spells at twice the mana cost, perfectly compensating for Sandstorm’s lack of destructive force. As Vinnigo raised his hands, a violent whirlwind of sand sprang up on the spot, engulfing the surrounding Shepherd Cultists.

These cultists had clearly undergone cruel modifications. According to Vinnigo’s perception, their brains had likely been surgically damaged, while their neural nodes and reflex arcs had been enhanced, giving them insect-like reaction speeds. Their muscles had also been specially treated, granting them insect-like strength and speed.

Such soldiers were not especially powerful, but they were certainly troublesome.

Yet, their lack of intelligence was a fatal weakness—and Vinnigo excelled at exploiting his enemies’ flaws.

He shifted his body, luring the cultists to attack, and with sincere enthusiasm, hacked them down with the curved saber in his hand. The Blue Mage was one of the FFTA system’s highest all-round stat classes—even in close combat, he was formidable.

Especially since these enemies were mere fodder.

Blue Magic: Sandstorm!

Once again the sands arose. Under their cover, Vinnigo swung his saber from unseen angles, slashing fiercely at his foes. The battle was unspectacular—he relied solely on his killing power to crush the opposition, hacking them down one after another until none were left standing.

Only then did Ramen glide over with Honey and Little Wolf Princess in tow, enthusiastically circling Vinnigo, utterly ignoring his sullen expression.

Little Wolf Princess crouched curiously beside a cultist’s corpse, poking it with her claw. She tilted her head in puzzlement, staring at the green liquid on her claw tip, instinctively repulsed by it.

“Modified again...” Sophie, who had walked over with Old Ronnie’s group, frowned and said, “Has the Shepherd Cult completely decayed?”

At her words, Old Ronnie turned, clearly surprised as he looked at her.

“What is it...” Vinnigo raised his head, staring at Old Ronnie.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Old Ronnie shook his head, quickly gesturing over his chest, silently mouthing “BAA.”

Sophie nodded, then whispered to Vinnigo, “Old Ronnie used to be part of the Shepherd Cult—just like me.”

Vinnigo merely responded with an “Oh,” unsurprised. At the start, the Shepherd Cult had attracted many from the lower classes, but recently, the ambitions of its upper echelons had swelled out of control, turning it into a loathsome cult.

Of course, Nua’s human modifications were also a major reason. Looking at these inhuman cultists, it was only natural that people would feel revulsion.

“I say, these guys weren’t specifically here to ambush us, were they?” Vinnigo asked. “Otherwise, isn’t their number a bit too small?”

As he spoke, Sophie and Ronnie both turned around. Following their gaze, Vinnigo saw a small caravan approaching.

Six people and a single wagon. Such a group... more accurately described as traveling merchants, would normally draw little attention.

But this coincidence... Vinnigo scratched his head. Before he could act, Little Wolf Princess had already darted out, sprinting straight for the wagon.

“Arcana!” Sophie, more anxious than Vinnigo, rushed after her. But she couldn’t possibly match Little Wolf Princess’s speed—especially with her using a burst of rapid movement.

In the blink of an eye, Little Wolf Princess reached the wagon. The two men in front snorted, drawing their blades in unison, clearly intent on striking her down.

“Stop!” The four behind the wagon and Vinnigo all shouted at once.

Only, Vinnigo was calling out to Little Wolf Princess.

With a swift turn, Little Wolf Princess ghosted behind the two men. Were it not for Vinnigo’s warning, she would have snapped their necks then and there. Still, proud as she was, she wouldn’t let anyone attack her without reprisal. She spitefully scratched the two unlucky men’s shoulders with her claws, leaving an unmistakable mark.

Vinnigo glided silently on the wind to the front of the wagon, wordlessly staring at the two guards who had attacked.

“Who are you?” came a middle-aged man’s voice from inside the wagon.