**Chapter 34: The Plan**

"Huh?" Everyone was stunned. How did Linton suddenly jump to this?

"Can... Can we capture it?" Princess Yalan quickly asked.

"Who knows?" Linton shrugged. "But the problem now is, we have no choice but to try. You won't leave unless we do, right?"

"..." Princess Yalan was speechless.

"Alright, Princess, listen carefully." Linton said, "Like I mentioned earlier, if it's just you, there's no chance you'll catch that thing in this lifetime. You might not like hearing it, but you know it's the truth. So, let's make a deal. The few of us will go with you to try again. We'll give it everything we've got, even risking our lives to help. If we manage to catch it, great. But if not, you'll have to give up. Deal?"

Princess Yalan looked at Linton but didn't reply or agree.

"I know you're stubborn, but there's a limit. If you keep acting like you won't go back without it, then there's no point in wasting our energy on you," Linton said. "So, if you agree, we'll give it a shot. If you don't, I'm heading back."

Linton's tone made Princess Yalan more serious, and even Barry, standing nearby, didn't object but instead turned to the princess.

"I... agree," Princess Yalan finally nodded after a moment of hesitation.

"See? You're not completely unreasonable after all," Linton remarked.

"You... you're so insolent!" Reina couldn't hold back anymore.

"Does Her Highness think I'm insolent?" Linton turned and asked Princess Yalan directly.

"..." The princess couldn't be bothered to answer.

"Do you even have a plan to capture it?" Linton glanced at the group. "If I'm right, you two have just been wandering around the forest, hoping you'd get lucky and find the Fire Swallower. No real plan, huh? With that kind of thinking, how do you expect to succeed?"

Neither could respond.

"Look, you guys need me, not the other way around. So it's not about me being rude; it's about whether you're serious or not," Linton added.

"You..." Reina was getting more frustrated with Linton by the second.

"OK, let's talk about the plan," Linton said. "First of all, it's clear that none of us are strong enough to beat this thing in a direct fight. Barry, can you regain your full strength?"

"Old man... Are you talking about me?" Barry was shocked.

"Do any of us look like old men to you?" Linton asked.

"I... I'll do my best for the princess," Barry responded, though slightly annoyed.

"So, you can't fully recover your strength in a short time?" Linton asked.

"Uh... no, it would take about a week to fully recover," Barry admitted.

"That means fighting it head-on is out of the question. We need to avoid direct combat," Linton said.

"Then what should we do?" Barry asked.

"First, we need to lure it out," Linton said. "Then we'll trap it in a pit."

"Huh?" Everyone was baffled.

"That's your plan?" Gassain couldn't hold back. By now, he was used to Linton's crazy ideas.

"Do you have a better one?" Linton asked.

"How will you lure it out?" Princess Yalan asked more practically.

"With fire," Linton explained. "It seems to feed on flames, so we can use fire to attract it."

"But we've already attacked it today. It seems smart enough to be wary now. If you just use fire again, it might not come," Barry pointed out.

"But what if it's something irresistible?" Linton asked.

"What would that be?" everyone asked.

"Haven't you read any novels? Something like a special fire..." Linton shrugged.

"Seriously? Can you stop bringing up novels?" Gassain was exasperated.

"I have it," Linton suddenly said.

"What? Really?" Gassain was stunned.

"A special flame?" Barry asked. "Is that even possible?"

"Yeah, for mages like us, it's not that rare. You wouldn't understand, so don't interfere," Linton said.

"Then how come I've never heard of it?" Princess Yalan asked.

"Are you a mage? Do you understand magic?" Linton asked.

"Uh... yes, I do," Princess Yalan said after thinking for a moment.

"...Well, this is awkward," Linton sighed. "Look, just let me handle luring it out. Okay?"

"Alright, fine. What next?" Barry asked.

"Then I'll use earth magic to trap it," Linton said.

"Huh?" Everyone was again taken aback. "That's it?"

"That's it," Linton shrugged.

"Then... what do we do?" Gassain asked.

"Oh, you'll have an important job. My magic takes some time to cast, so your job will be to keep it in place. Basically, you'll need to buy me time, even if it costs your lives. And yes, if I finish the spell, you might all get buried with it. I wasn't joking when I said you'd be helping with your lives," Linton said.

Suddenly, the atmosphere turned cold.

"You thought this was just a game? Capturing a magical beast isn't a joke," Linton said. "So, if you're willing to risk everything for the princess, stay. If not, leave."

"I'm in," Barry said immediately.

"I... I'm in, too," Gassain knelt down on one knee.

"I... I'll do it," Reina hesitated but eventually agreed.

"Please, if you all sacrifice yourselves, I will..." Princess Yalan began emotionally, but Linton interrupted her.

"Well, that would be nice for me," Linton grinned. "You and I are both long-range attackers. If the others die, we can just run off together. Sounds great, right?"

"I... Princess, allow me to kill him before I take my own life," Reina snapped.

"Seriously, Linton! Is this really your plan?" Barry finally had to ask. "Will your magic actually work?"

"Yup." Linton nodded. "I wouldn't let you all risk your lives for nothing. I'll show you the magic now, and you can decide if you're in or out."

The group nodded in agreement.

"Alright then, let's begin," Linton said, standing up and pulling out a stick.

"Wait... what's that in your hand?" Reina asked, unable to contain herself.

"My... uh, magic staff. Don't be fooled by its appearance; it's an ancient relic from my master. It doubles my magical power," Linton said.

"Stop lying! You bought that yesterday, and we haven't even paid for it!" Gassain yelled.

"...It's just a stick, isn't it?" Princess Yalan added.

"Fine, it's a stick. But I can still cast magic with it, so what does that tell you about my power?" Linton said.

"You can actually use that to cast magic?" Princess Yalan asked.

"Yes! Now watch," Linton said.

With that, Linton tapped the ground with his "firewood stick."

"Earth Release: Earthquake Core!"

With a loud *boom*, the ground in front of them collapsed into a 30-meter square pit, the earth sinking like an elevator until it stopped nearly 100 meters down.

"What the...?" Everyone was stunned.

(End of Chapter)