dmims Chapter 49 Each with their own thoughts
Chapter 49 Each with their own thoughts
"Brother Ai, is this the way?" Xiao Yan tightened his grip on the Rolling Beast. In this freezing weather, only the Rolling Beast seemed unaffected.
Eric turned to the skinny monkey and asked, "Skinny monkey, when you saw that Titan Snow Demon, did it come from this direction?"
The skinny monkey, his face flushed, seemed to have not yet recovered. He raised his hand with some difficulty, but pointed in a direction with considerable determination.
"Brother Xiao, please forgive him. He worked the night shift and hasn't recovered yet."
"Hmm, it's alright." Xiao Yan nodded, but judging from the skinny monkey's appearance, he must have had a hangover all night. Who was he trying to fool?
Even someone as strong as Eric wouldn't dare to be negligent in this far north, so someone was indeed on guard last night, but he let that guy rest.
Anyway, just point Xiao Yan to a secluded spot on the outskirts. After all, this is the territory of the Ice Jade Scorpion Clan. If a bunch of them suddenly appear, we'll be in a real mess.
Walking in the snow is difficult enough, and with few means of determining direction, Eric had been leading Xiao Yan for about half an hour.
"Brother Ai, could that Mirror Beast have already changed its form? If there were any Titan Snow Demons that were over a hundred meters tall along the way, we would have spotted them at a glance."
"That should be the case. We've seen quite a few of these Ice Jade Scorpions, but none of them are alone. We've practically explored the entire outer perimeter."
Eric replied with some difficulty, which puzzled him. He had originally planned to use up the kid's soul power on the snow so that the kid would struggle too much when he attacked, thus avoiding unnecessary trouble. After all, even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit.
He had been able to stay in this far north for so many years because of his ruthlessness and his ability to do things flawlessly. However, he had already led this boy around several times, and he did not see any loss of soul power in him.
On the contrary, he and his group of hangover brothers behind him were a bit overwhelmed.
Xiao Yan withdrew the purple aura from his eyes. Although directions in the snow were extremely difficult to discern, they could not escape the keen observation of the Purple Demon Eye. He understood from the moment Eric led him around for the third time that the other party had been standing still with him.
With the discerning eye of a mercenary leader like him, it was impossible for him to make such a basic mistake. The only explanation was that the other party wanted to deplete his soul power before making their move.
Fortunately, the rolling beast in his arms was protecting him from the cold, so he didn't need to expend any soul power to keep warm. Therefore, apart from some foot pain, Xiao Yan didn't encounter any major problems walking this path.
Since that's their goal, I should naturally grant their wish.
So Xiao Yan began to slow his pace, even slower than the drunken mercenaries. When Eric, the leader, saw this, a triumphant smile appeared on his lips.
"Commander Ai, if all else fails, let's set up a temporary shelter here. Please let me know when you and your brothers find the Mirror Beast." Xiao Yan pretended to be struggling and squatted down on the ground, unable to support himself any longer.
"This, Brother Xiao, is it a bit difficult for the brothers? If they discover it immediately and then have to go back and forth, what if the Mirror Beast escapes? Wasn't your purpose in coming here to obtain concrete information before going back to organize manpower?"
During the two weeks that Eric had spent with Xiao Yan, the latter had never once mentioned his identity or purpose. However, Eric could probably guess that Xiao Yan was merely acting as a vanguard to investigate the authenticity of the information. Once the activity range of the Mirror Beast was confirmed, he would probably go back to gather manpower.
Seeing that the other party was somewhat exhausted, he saw this as an opportunity to probe his situation. People are more prone to being mentally unclear in a weak and cold environment, making it a good time to extract information.
"The clan is really something, what kind of miserable job they gave me. If it weren't for the fact that this Mirror Beast is compatible with the young sect master's martial soul, I wouldn't have to suffer like this."
The boy, exhausted, simply plopped down on the ground.
Eric was secretly pleased. The other man's tightly locked lips had finally loosened as he approached his "target." Moreover, judging from his tone, even if their sect was relatively powerful, he was merely a gofer.
That would be even better. Once Xiao Yan dies, who knows whether he ran away with the sect's money or was eaten by the soul beasts of the far north?
He wouldn't give Xiao Yan a chance to breathe.
So he said seriously, "Brother Xiao, this Mirror Beast would never be so foolish as to venture deep into the Ice Jade Scorpion's territory. We've almost finished checking the outer perimeter of this area. If I'm not mistaken, that beast is just in the last place we haven't been to yet."
As he spoke, he pointed to the snow-capped mountain cliffs high above.
Eric had a thorough understanding of the general surrounding scenery, and he had already decided to take Xiao Yan there at the last moment.
Before the cliff lay an endless abyss, and upon Xiao Yan's arrival, he was met by this mercenary group blocking his path. How would Xiao Yan possibly avoid them? He couldn't exactly grow wings and fly, could he?
Xiao Yan frowned as he observed the high ground. The mountain peaks were steep, but there was a decent flat area on the edge of the cliff.
The mountain peaks are too high; just climbing them against the cold wind consumes a considerable amount of soul energy. And the cliffs, with no way forward and no way back, are truly perfect places to kill.
However, these were not Xiao Yan's concerns. Although Eric was a Soul King, he seemed to have just broken through. With Eric underestimating him, his third Soul Skill would definitely catch this group off guard.
So right now, he's worried that his Agumon might cause the place to collapse. If he makes a big commotion and attracts the attention of Hyotei's older sister, she might just kill him. That older sister has a terrible temper.
"Brother Xiao, just trust my judgment. After so many years in the far north, I, Snow Wolf Eric, have earned my reputation for nothing. Besides, even if there isn't anything there, the scenery is still excellent. After being on edge for so many days in the far north, it's nice to enjoy the scenery occasionally, isn't it?"
Seeing that Xiao Yan hesitated, Eric continued to coax him, while the hand behind Xiao Yan's back was already making a gesture to the other mercenary brothers.
This means they are preparing to take action. If Xiao Yan really doesn't want to go, they wouldn't mind dealing with him here.
He was more familiar with that cliff, though the terrain was gentle, the temperature was so low that even the most northern soul beasts didn't want to stay there.
Taking action there avoids a lot of unnecessary trouble; to date, the Frostscar Mercenary Group has never failed there.
Although the snowfield in front of him was vast and open and did not seem to pose any danger on the surface, Eric knew all too well what kind of ancient soul beast might be sleeping beneath it. If it were disturbed, it might emerge from the snow, which would only cause more trouble.
"Alright, then I'll trouble Commander Ai to arrange for one of his men to help me up."
Seeing that Xiao Yan was so easy to fool, Eric smiled and casually ordered a mercenary to step forward. Xiao Yan put his hand on the mercenary's shoulder and muttered, "This is troublesome."
He silently left a trace of soul power, or rather, Xiao Yan's digital mark, on his neck, unnoticed by anyone.