Chapter 35 Magic Crystal

Lis and Ya'er sized up this rare Dogman Wizard while Arsen was checking and cleaning the surrounding cave walls.

All the adult Dog-headed Men had been killed by Ya'er and Arsen, leaving only some Dogman hatchlings and unhatched eggs in the cave.

Yes, Dog-headed Men are oviparous.

They would place the eggs they laid in a communal hatching room and wouldn't distinguish whether they were their own offspring, instead they were raised and educated collectively by the entire settlement, a standard clan survival system.

Arsen killed each young Dogman one by one, even those who hadn't opened their eyes yet,

For these creatures that endangered human survival, there was no room for mercy or soft-heartedness.

If a few hatchlings were spared, with their remarkable breeding rate, it wouldn't take long for another Dogman nest to appear here!

Lis took a moment to look over the Dogman Wizard. Although all Dogman Wizards were Dragon Vein Mages, the purity of dragon blood within them was too low to have any value in bloodline refining.

Lis pulled a longsword from his storage ring and started to rummage through the cave that was obviously the residence of the Dogman Wizard.

If this tribe of Dogmen had any particularly valuable items, then they should be kept close to their leader, the Dogman Wizard.

Using the longsword to shift through the cave's detritus, beneath bones and beast skins, Lis indeed made a new discovery.

A pile of crystal-clear stones lay together, each roughly the size of a finger, emitting a faint glow.

Lis used Mage's Hand to pick up a small piece, held it up close for careful examination, injected Magic Power to test it, and finally determined that it should be a Magic Crystal.

Although not as valuable as Magic Gems worth tens of thousands, because of their excellent Mana storage and conduction effects, they were often used in Magic Equipment and expensive element research tools; even a small piece in his hand was worth a few hundred Gold Coins.

The small pile of Magic Crystals in front of him was then worth several hundred Gold Coins. He hadn't even reached the mission location, and he was already in profit, not a bad turn of luck.

Glancing at Ya'er, this must be the luck that came naturally to the protagonist of the story!

After all, his own Luck Value was a pitiful three Points!

After some thought, Lis collected all the Magic Crystals into his storage ring and said to Ya'er,

"This is our team's gain. I'll hold onto it for now, and we can divide it after we complete the commission and return to town."

Ya'er wasn't interested in it, waving a hand as a gesture to do as he saw fit, instead picking up the Dogman Wizard's Magic Wand and constantly waving it around, seemingly more interested in some patterns inside the Dogman cave.

Seeing this, Lis didn't say much else, made a thorough check of the Dogman Wizard's cave, and aside from some gold nuggets, found nothing else, so he stood and exited.

Arsen had already finished cleaning the entire Dogman's nest, wiped the red blood off his longsword, and sheathed it.

Seeing Lis walk out, Arsen asked,

"Lis, is it done?"

"Hmm, a small gain."

"Alright, then let's get out. Once out, you might as well use some Earth Magic to bury this nest."

"No problem."

Having said that, the two of them gathered up Ya'er, who was wandering around, and returned to the surface through the passage.

Upon emerging, Lis couldn't help but take deep breaths of fresh air, even though the Dogmen had left ventilation openings in their nest, that strange smell still posed some trouble for him.

He took a breath, Lis took out the Jade Wand from the ring, gathered Magic Power, and began chanting the Magic Spell.

"Stone Claw Technique!"

He had not yet learned the Earthquake Skill, a High-Circle Magic, but the Stone Claw Technique, a three-circles magic he had just mastered, could also destroy the terrain.

Under Lis's control, black three-fingered stone claws kept emerging from the ground under his feet, slamming towards the entrance of the Dogman's cave.

Bang bang!

After several loud noises, the entrance to the cave was destroyed, and the small hill above had collapsed, burying the entire Dogman den under the shattered rocks.

"Work's done."

Lis waved his hand and, after checking that everything was in order, called to Arsen and Ya'er to walk toward the carriage.

The waiting Ailina and Lunbos on the carriage were relieved to see the three of them return safe and sound.

It was Ailina who threw away the Dogman Wizard's wand that Ya'er had picked up—a shabby thing made of bones and branches, just a decoration; she didn't understand why Ya'er, a little girl, brought this back.

Ya'er pouted, already used to being lectured by Ailina, and she didn't resist, climbing onto the carriage feeling wronged.

The group continued toward the grape plantation in Baron Tony's Domain. Although they had been delayed by the Dogmen, they could still reach their destination before it got dark if they hurried.

As the sun set in the west, Lis and his companions could already see the town of Baron Tony's Domain.

Located atop a hill, the town was not very large, with a clear stream flowing from the foot of the hill. A castle with dark grey walls stood out atop the hill, surrounded by various low brick and stone houses, showing that Baron Tony's Domain likely had a population of around one thousand.

Looking into the distance, stretches of lush vineyards extended far, yet there were hardly any farmers managing them.

Seeing the destination right in front of them, everyone became spirited, the fatigue of riding in a carriage all day somewhat diminished.

As the carriage drew close to the town, a middle-aged man was pacing back and forth in front of it. Noticing Lis and the others approaching, he walked up eagerly to greet them.

"Excuse me, are you the gentlemen from the Mercenary Guild? I am Steward Ze Man. Mr. Tony has been waiting for you in the castle, please follow me."

Ze Man knew that these were silver-level powerhouses and didn't dare to treat them with the same attitude reserved for those menial mercenaries, even though he had been waiting there all day.

Lis and his companions got off the carriage, and stable hands of the Baron's household took care of the carriage, while they followed Steward Ze Man toward the Baron's castle.

Lis surveyed the houses on either side of the road, with doors and windows tightly locked; not a single pedestrian was seen in the entire town, except for a few guards left at the castle gate.

"What's going on, has the unknown Magic Beast already invaded the town?"

Arsen also sensed something odd and asked Ze Man.

"It's like this, two residents went missing in the town last night, with only bloodstains found. It's the first time that beast has attacked someone inside the town, so now everyone is too scared to go outside."

Ze Man said nervously, occasionally glancing around corners, fearing the beast might suddenly appear and attack him.

"Has it gotten this serious?"

Arsen's expression grew somber; it was quite rare for a Magic Beast to invade a town and stealthily attack its residents.

No wonder the town felt lifeless, so desolate. If they didn't act quickly, it might be that traders would stop coming to this town altogether.

For Baron Tony's Domain, which relied on cultivating and brewing wine, this would be a severe blow.