Chapter Thirty-Nine: Larica

“Friend in the tree, I wonder if you are friend or foe. Would you show yourself to us?”

Hearing the leader shout towards his direction, Wang Luo couldn’t help but be stunned. He had indeed just felt a wave of energy sweep over him, but he was well concealed and assumed he hadn’t been discovered.

“They shouldn’t have found me, right?”

Glancing around and confirming there was no one else, Wang Luo muttered to himself in frustration. Stuffing the three mischievous beasts, who were grinning slyly, into the box he had just taken out, Wang Luo slid down from the tree, patted the dust from his clothes, and, a little embarrassed, asked the leading man, “Are you talking to me?”

When the man saw Wang Luo climbing down from the tree, his expression turned strangely complex. He couldn’t help but think, Is this the so-called expert?

Hearing Wang Luo’s question, the middle-aged man looked to the subordinate who’d come to report. Seeing the man shake his head in confusion, indicating he too had no idea, the leader waved him off, and the subordinate quickly ran towards the first carriage.

“Are you the only one in the tree?” the middle-aged man asked, his eyes briefly flickering with a gentle light as he started a conversation with Wang Luo.

“Yes, it’s just me,” Wang Luo replied honestly, though he silently added to himself: plus three magical beasts.

“Oh? Then what were you doing up there alone?” the man asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

“I got lost,” Wang Luo answered truthfully once again. Thanks to Little White’s poor sense of direction, Wang Luo and his group were indeed lost and had no idea where they were.

“Lost? Where are you trying to go?” the man asked, puzzled. In his mind, he considered that there were hardly any villages nearby—at least a hundred miles to the nearest, Lawell Town.

“I want to go to Nicholas City. Do you know how to get there?” Wang Luo replied, as honestly as before. His original plan had indeed been to go to Nicholas City, the nearest city to Lawell Town.

“You want to go to Nicholas City?”

The man asked in mild surprise. When Wang Luo nodded, he continued, “Just follow this road straight ahead, and you’ll reach Nicholas City directly. However, it’s still about six hundred miles from here, and there are hardly any villages along the way—just one small town.”

He paused for a moment, then added uncertainly, “Are you sure you want Nicholas City, not Lawell Town or somewhere else?”

“Are we close to Lawell Town?” Now it was Wang Luo’s turn to be confused. He’d already left Lawell Town half a month ago, but from the man’s tone, it seemed they weren’t far from it.

“About a hundred miles or so.”

“Only a hundred miles!” Wang Luo exclaimed in disbelief, grinding his teeth as he considered how to deal with Little White Lion. As if sensing Wang Luo’s thoughts, Little White Lion began whimpering from inside the box.

“What’s that sound?” the man asked, frowning slightly.

“Oh, just a little lion-dog I keep as a pet.”

With a helpless expression, Wang Luo pulled Little White Lion out of the box. The little creature immediately started whining at Wang Luo, as if promising never to do it again.

“We’ll settle your account later,” Wang Luo muttered, giving the little lion a firm squeeze before tucking it into his arms. But then, two more animals—one red, one black—popped out of the box and climbed onto Wang Luo’s shoulders. Awkwardly, Wang Luo explained to the middle-aged man, “Hehe, these two are mine as well.”

Larica regarded Wang Luo with a gentle smile, his eyes filled with nostalgia. From the first moment he saw Wang Luo, he was reminded of his own son, whom he hadn’t seen in over a year. After a brief, casual conversation, Larica found himself missing his son even more, and his gaze towards Wang Luo grew even softer.

Noticing Larica’s odd look, Wang Luo felt uneasy and muttered inwardly, What’s with this guy’s strange expression? Is he some kind of child trafficker? Or worse…

Of course, Larica had no idea what Wang Luo was thinking. He was just about to chat a bit more with Wang Luo before the group set out, hoping to ease his longing for his son, when suddenly a mage emerged from a carriage. Dressed in a black robe and carrying a staff, the mage turned to address him.

“Kaiser, what were the results of your probing?” Larica asked.

“I just cast the detection spell again. The level-six warrior has already left,” Kaiser replied casually. He glanced at Wang Luo, and his eyes lit up when he saw the three beasts. With a flick of his wrist, a blade of green wind flashed forth, shooting straight at Wang Luo.

Before Wang Luo could react, Larica swung his greatsword, cleaving the wind blade in two. He turned and said to Kaiser, “Congratulations, Mage Kaiser, your magic has improved—you can now cast Wind Blade instantly!”

“Thank you for the praise, Captain. Your swordsmanship has also improved; I believe you’ll reach level seven before long,” Kaiser replied with a forced smile, flicking the long sleeve of his black robe before turning back to his carriage.

Larica merely smiled in response. With a wave of his sword, the group began to move once more. He turned to Wang Luo and said, “Little one, we’re headed to Pafali Town. If you have nowhere to go, you’re welcome to come with us.”

“No, thank you. I’ll just go home—my house isn’t far from here.” Wang Luo gave Larica a wary look, recalling his earlier suspicions. He felt a chill run down his spine, though he kept his expression polite and obedient.

“It’s late—are you sure you can find your way home? Maybe—”

Before Larica could finish, Kaiser’s voice drifted from his passing carriage: “Captain, we should get moving. The scouts ahead haven’t reported back for some time.”

Larica frowned in displeasure. He was about to speak when Wang Luo quickly said, “I’ll just stay in the tree until dawn, then head home.”

Hearing this, Larica glanced at Kaiser’s carriage, then nodded to Wang Luo. He handed Wang Luo a few silver coins, gave him some parting advice, and then mounted his horned horse to ride at the head of the group.

Wang Luo stood there, the silver coins still warm in his hand, a bit dazed. He thought, If you hadn’t blocked that Wind Blade for me, your entire mercenary group would be gone by now.

The three beasts at Wang Luo’s side watched the departing caravan in frustration. They’d deliberately let the black panther reveal just a hint of its presence, hoping to provoke a fight and seize some money to buy plenty of delicious chicken.

After tucking the coins into his spatial ring, Wang Luo prepared to settle accounts with the three beasts. Since Kaiser’s second detection spell hadn’t revealed his strength, the first one must have been sabotaged by the beasts. He also needed to deal with Little White Lion’s terrible navigation, even if he’d tacitly allowed it.

Sensing Wang Luo’s intent, the three magical beasts leaped off him in unison and dashed down the road, with Wang Luo in hot pursuit, shouting after them. The beasts roared ahead, and so, with laughter and commotion, one young man and three magical beasts set out for Nicholas City…

Otherworldly Azure Dragon, Chapter 39: Larica – End of update!