Chapter 227 – Journey (1)
Under Roman’s guidance, Zhou Jing tested for a few days and finally found out the matching elements of Bill, this Astral Apostle.
They were boulder, flowing water, and gale. Among them, his adaptability for wind and the earth elements were the most suitable.
(TL Note: The author specifically wrote the elements he tested positive for in a different manner from the elements he sensed. Not sure if it’s because he plans to go more in depth in the future, so I’ll use them interchangeably for now.)
After thinking for a while, Zhou Jing finally chose the Gale nature spirit to start with. He focused on developing this element, as it would not be so conspicuous if he were to use
it.
After receiving Zhou Jing’s answer, Roman did not delay. After arranging various matters in the base, he brought four guards with them and embarked on the journey to find the nature spirit with Zhou Jing.
Although it was called a search, Roman actually knew the location. He led the team straight to their destination.
Within the Terra Empire, the terrain was complicated. It was mainly divided into the north and south. The north was filled with mountains and forests, while the south was dominated by the plains.
Roman’s base was located at the border between the north and south. The group headed north and spent more than ten days trekking through the mountains and rivers and deep into the wilderness before arriving at a steep mountain range. It was known locally as the Howling Wind Mountain Range.
Walking in this mountain range, the cold wind was like a blade, and the bone-chilling winds seemed to be able to scrape off flesh.
From time to time, one could hear the whistling sound of the wind. The higher they went, the higher the frequency.
Everyone wore masks and felt hats to resist the wind as they struggled through the mountain range.
Little Black #1 followed at Zhou Jing’s feet, while the Sword-tailed Eagle stood on Zhou Jing’s shoulder. He had brought the Eagle Hound pair along on this trip.
“Lord Roman, why did we come to such a
place?”
The guard captain could not help but speak, his face filled with bitterness and confusion.
“Don’t ask. Let’s hurry.” Roman waved his hand without any intention of answering.
The other three guards looked at each other helplessly.
They did not know about the sorcerers and only followed orders. They did not know Roman’s intentions. For him to come to this wilderness for no reason, was he just looking for excitement?
However, the former Chief Pharmacist of the Empire, Bill, who had just joined, also came. The guards imagined that he was probably going to collect some rare herbs, so they could only suppress their confusion. The four of them were not Roman’s most elite secret guards. They were only First Enhancement Mutant Blood Warriors.
It was not their turn to protect Roman usually, but this time, Roman did not want to attract attention, so he brought these guards along.
Roman walked to Zhou Jing’s side and asked with concern, “Master Bill, can you still hold
on?”
“I’m alright.” Zhou Jing wrapped himself in his clothes and deliberately sniffed.
Although this Astral Apostle did not have the enhancement of mutant blood, his initial physique was still much better than that of ordinary people, so it was not a problem for him to move around in such a cold wilderness. However, in front of Roman, Zhou Jing did not want to show it, so he pretended to be shivering.
Although it was noon, the canopy of the trees blocked out the light. The forest lacked light, making it appear dark and cold. The visibility was not high, making one tense up.
Zhou Jing looked around and whispered, “Do we have to go to such a poor place to have a nature spirit?”
“Most of them are like this. Only in more extreme environments can nature spirits be born.”
Roman spread his hands and paused before continuing to explain in a low voice,
“Our destination this time is a cave at the peak of a mountain. I’ve seen a nature spirit there before. If it hadn’t been taken by other sorcerers for fusing, it should still be there.”
“May I ask how long ago you discovered this?”
“Uh, 20 years ago?”
“Wonderful.”
Zhou Jing was a little speechless.
Could a memory from twenty years ago still be reliable now?
Roman shrugged. “I wasn’t sure before I came, but now I can conclude that the nature spirit here hasn’t been taken away. The elemental vision can see the distribution of elements, and the nature spirit basically represents a high concentration of elemental convergence. It will leave behind certain special traces if it has been in a place for a long time, so it can be tracked.”
“Then I believe you.” Zhou Jing nodded.
He was not a proper sorcerer yet, and he needed the Psychic ointment to activate his Elemental Vision. The ritual was complicated, so he was not in this state at this moment. He was just relying on Roman to lead the way.
After walking for a while, a faint rustling sound suddenly came from the forest. It was as if a large number of creatures were stepping on the dead leaves and quickly approaching
Little Black #1 immediately knelt on the ground, bared its teeth, and growled.
“Lords, be careful!”
The guard captain hurriedly drew his sword and shield and protected Roman and Zhou Jing with the other three guards. He looked warily in the direction of the voice.
Roman’s expression did not change.
At this moment, 20 green beasts the size of calves rushed out of the forest and surrounded them.
Their fur was thick, and they resembled tigers or leopards. Its two long canine teeth were extremely eye-catching, and its pair of crystal yellow beast eyes were filled with ferocity.
“Long-toothed Leopards are social creatures. Although they are wild beasts, their combat strength is not much weaker than some ordinary low-risk mutant beasts… Generally speaking, there are usually less than 10 long-toothed leopards in an ordinary tribe, but there are more than 20 of them here. They should be the followers of some mutant beast…”
Zhou Jing muttered under his breath.
Some powerful mutant beasts had special habits. They might enslave beasts of the same species to become their followers.
As soon as he finished speaking, the ground trembled slightly.
The grass in front of him collapsed, and a huge black and purple leopard more than three meters tall walked out. It had actually silently moved over without anyone the wiser. From its neck to its spine, there was a black mane that stood up like a black flame. Its long tail was covered in scales, like a spiked iron whip.
Its eyes were red and cruel as it stared at them. It was obvious that they were being treated as food.
“Nice, Black Flame Leopard, a high-risk mutant beast.”
Zhou Jing turned to look at Roman, as if asking him with his eyes if he could handle it.