107
Zhou Zhuo's Monstrous Encounter
Forseti noticed Shilut's unusual behavior and followed the young wolf cub's gaze, which was fixated on Eir's pendant.
To his surprise, Shilut even attempted to reach for it.
"Hey, such mischief at your age! You're still eyeing my sister's pendant!" Forseti scolded, swatting Shilut's hand away.
Shilut pouted, casting a glance now and then at the pendant, clearly drawn to its magical gem—the same one Forseti had gifted Eir before departing for Vanaheim.
"Do you like this?" Eir picked up her pendant, asking playfully.
The sight of the magical gem sent Shilut into excitement, drooling eagerly. "Hey!"
Eir withdrew the pendant, holding it out of Shilut's reach. "I can't let you eat this, little one."
Shilut looked at Forseti with pleading eyes.
Forseti stroked his chin, lost in thought.
He had observed that ordinary stones didn't offer much nourishment for Shilut. Only gems, like the ones Hermond had given him earlier, seemed to facilitate the cub's growth.
"I'll take you to the gem shop tomorrow," Forseti decided finally.
"Hey!" Shilut seemed to understand, losing interest in Eir's pendant at last.
As Eir prepared dinner, the siblings conversed, their discussion inevitably revolving around the Hunting Festival.
"Will you attend the Dragon Sacrifice Ceremony, Eir?" Forseti inquired.
"I might not," Eir replied, shaking her head. "The teacher hasn't been feeling well lately. I might stay to take care of her."
Forseti remarked, "Isn't the teacher around 4,500 years old?"
"No," Eir corrected, "she's actually 5,300 years old."
Forseti was taken aback. Duchess Norn appeared far younger than he had presumed.
The next morning, Forseti still held a few low-level monster experience books but found their simplicity and meager rewards uninspiring.
After deliberation, he opted to visit Zhou Zhuo's experience space for a change.
True to its dark and chilling aesthetic, Zhou Zhuo's realm featured the corpulent Pandaren reclining in a corner, fiddling with a lamp in one hand and some contraption in the other.
"Oh, what does this switch do? Let's find out..." Zhou Zhuo pressed the switch without hesitation, as usual.
Though Forseti had anticipated this move, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"Click..."
Unlike the dramatic reveal last time, this activation merely cracked open a small door, hinting at a less formidable boss than the Fire King.
Zhou Zhuo glanced at the door crack, then turned and dashed away. "I'll leave this to you, warrior! I'll go fetch reinforcements!"
Forseti ignored Zhou Zhuo, gripping his warhammer tightly as he faced the now-opened door.
To his surprise, the entrance revealed a gnoll—a grinning, somewhat ordinary creature dressed akin to its kind. Yet, Forseti recognized it immediately as his old acquaintance, Hogg.
It was Hogg.
Forseti hesitated briefly before engaging Hogg in combat.
"Clang! Clang!"
Their weapons clashed, Forseti gaining the upper hand but unsure about finishing Hogg off.
After all, Zhou Zhuo's experience book was a random boss selection. Fighting Hogg seemed wasteful compared to battling formidable foes like Whitemane or even the Fire King, both beyond his current capabilities.
Just as Forseti deliberated, Zhou Zhuo's voice echoed once more.
"Warrior, reinforcements have arrived!"
Forseti was astonished. Zhou Zhuo had actually summoned reinforcements, markedly improving Forseti's opinion of the Pandaren.
Turning to see who Zhou Zhuo had brought, Forseti's eyes widened in disbelief.
"By the gods!" He exclaimed involuntarily.
Standing beside Zhou Zhuo was a towering figure—an elderly, gray-haired man clad in golden armor, wielding the Ashbringer. He was none other than the Paladin renowned for his defiance against the Lich King's war machine—Tirion Fordring.
It was Fordring!
Summoning Hogg was surprising enough, but to summon Tirion Fordring was a testament to Zhou Zhuo's unexpected prowess. Shouldn't the King of Gods, Aman'Thul, be summoned to battle the Fire King?
"Believe in the Holy Light!" Fordring's voice resonated, dispelling the shadows with a radiant aura.
Swinging the Ashbringer, he unleashed a blaze of holy light, a beacon piercing the gloom, aimed directly at Hogg with overwhelming force.
Caught off guard, Hogg froze in place.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Forseti swiftly exited the experience space.
"Phew..."
Luckily, the experience book remained intact. Forseti had withdrawn in time, just before Fordring could slay Hogg.
As the enormity of Fordring's intervention settled, Forseti contemplated.
Was Fordring's appearance truly random?
If such formidable reinforcements were commonplace, what purpose did Zhou Zhuo's experience book serve?
Reflecting on this, Forseti felt a tug on his sleeve.
Turning, he found Shilut gazing up at him expectantly, much like a child awaiting a promise fulfilled.
Recalling his promise to Shilut to visit the gem shop, Forseti hesitated briefly before gritting his teeth. "Alright, let's go. I'll take you to feast on some gems."
Shilut leaped with joy.
Forseti led him out into the Destiny City streets, wandering until they finally stumbled upon a shop specializing in magical gemstones.
"Hello, what can I help you with?" greeted the shop attendant, eyes inevitably drawn to the adorable stone creature in Forseti's company.
"For now, we're just browsing," Forseti replied, guiding Shilut through the store.
"Hey!" After a few steps, Shilut suddenly pointed, his excitement palpable.
Following his gaze, Forseti spotted a thumb-sized, multi-colored gem emitting potent magical energy—a gem that clearly surpassed the ordinary.
"How much for this one?"