Xiltra was the nearest city bordering the Untamed Jungle. It was one of the outer cities belonging to the Zentika Empire, and a place Michael had to visit due to various reasons.
Xiltra was a good place to gather more information about most of the things Michael was curious about – including the Crimson-Eyed Minotaur.
Other than the Minotaur, Michael was also curious about the person supporting the Lionhearts Leader. He hadn’t heard anything about the supporter for a while, and he grew increasingly worried.
Was the Lionheart Leader’s supporter not curious about what happened to his investment? Was the supporter aware of what had happened? If so, why didn’t the supporter do anything up until now?
Michael was not only interested in these few questions. His interest in the Origin Expanse increased consistently as well.
He was curious how a city in the Origin Expanse looked, what races he would meet, and what kind of information he could procure in Xiltra. Furthermore, Lilica lived in Xiltra as well. He wanted to find her and ask her a few questions.
‘I hope she will be in Xiltra when I arrive.’ Michael thought at that moment.
But there were more reasons why Xiltra grew increasingly important to Michael. He wanted to expand the Bilrox Ranch quickly. Buying fully matured Bilrox in Xiltra would be the fastest way to do so. Last but not least, Michael could earn a fortune using Xiltra’s market.
The shops in the spaceship required Saphire Points – if one wanted a fair deal. They accepted dollars as a currency as well, but their conversion rate was ridiculous. He would have to pay a lot more for everything he purchased, and his goods weren’t worth that much when he requested to sell them.
That was when Michael first realized how much the Golden Bartholomew Membership Card had spoiled him.
He gained so many benefits from the House of Witchery that he felt like crying now that he realized his loss.
But there was nothing he could do to change it now.
It was time to think of a better way to earn a fortune, and Xiltra was the best to achieve that!
Michael had already manifested the Runic Gate when he recalled the Limit Breaker training. He opened his messenger and typed a short message to Silverian Schild.
[Micheal Fang: I apologize for the inconvenience, but I have to enter the Origin Expanse for a day or two. I will make up for the lack of training once I return. Sorry!
Remark: Please make sure that Frederik and Jacqueline suffer the most. These two are a nuisance!]
Michael grinned when he sent the message. The remark was something he added on a whim, but it was definitely something he hoped Schild would listen to. Seeing the Barbaric Couple struggle felt great!
With a foolish grin on his face, Michael entered the Runic Gate. He appeared in the Origin Expanse, where he found Tiara and Blaire talking to each other.
They turned to Michael the moment they saw him and bowed deeply.
“Master, you’ve returned!”
“Welcome back, my Lord!”
Michael simply nodded, before he told the two women what he planned.
Neither of the two women was surprised that Michael wanted to travel to Xiltra. Too many reasons were pulling them to the Border City.
“If you use Icarus, you’ll arrive in Xiltra in less than an hour,” Blaire proposed, pointing at the black-feathered Greater Eagle. Michael named it Icarus, which the Greater Eagle seemed to love.
“We can send the Cavalry Rider through the trails to pick up the fully-matured Bilrox. You won’t have to waste your time herding the Bilrox through the Untamed Jungle that way,” Tiara added after she considered it for a second or two.
Michael agreed readily.
“I will take Heran Tarn with me in that case. He knows the most about Bilrox, and he can deal with them much better than anyone else in the territory. Heran will be in charge of the Bilrox purchase,” Michael said after he gave it a thought.
The Lesser Tamer had raised three Bilrox, and his Link of Loyalty was extremely firm. Heran could be trusted, that was for sure!
Michael was curious about what riding Icarus would feel like. He couldn’t use the Bilrox to travel around yet because they were still a little bit stubborn, and the Battlehorses were certainly much slower than Icarus. However, the most important factor was that Icarus could fly through the air and cut down the travel time by a large margin.
Additionally, Michael was a little excited to freely fly above the densely grown ground of the Untamed Jungle. It made his heart thrum wildly!
Thus, Michael chose to travel on Icarus with Heran by his side.
He didn’t dare to say anything, but it was obvious that he was afraid of making a mistake. Heran didn’t like the responsibility that had been placed upon his shoulders.
However, they didn’t have any time to waste as Michael wanted to depart immediately.
He sat down on Icarus’ back and pointed behind him. Heran hesitated only a moment before he sat down behind his Lord. He grasped his Lord’s clothes tightly to make sure that he wouldn’t fall off.
The next moment, a piercing screech rang through his ears and Icarus’ body tensed up. The black-feathered Greater Eagle flapped its wings and stirred the dirt around before taking up from the ground.
In an instant, Michael and Heran were pushed against the Greater Eagle, who shot high up into the air. They passed through the open space of the clearing and continued to ascend higher even after they left behind the canopy of the humongous trees around them.
Michael’s heart was beating wildly in pure excitement, while Heran screamed at the top of his lungs. Heran’s arms were coiled around Michael’s waist, using every bit of strength to stay on Icarus’ back, and not to fall.
On the other hand, Icarus continued to screech loudly, voicing out his excitement to soar high in the air.
After ascending for a few minutes, Icarus changed his course. He tilted his body just a little, changing direction before adjusting his position mid-air.
The Greater Eagle’s body was parallel to the ground, several hundred meters separating them. His wings were spread out as far as possible as they glided through the tranquil sky.
At least, the sky was supposed to be tranquil. It was cloudless without a single aerial monster bothering them.
Or so Michael presumed at first.
The cloudless sky turned dark between one moment and the next, raging thunder swept their surroundings all of a sudden, and a huge shadow engulfed Icarus.
Michael, who had been watching the seemingly endless Untamed Jungle from a bird’s view, turned around slowly and was shocked to the core.
‘I didn’t even sense anything!’ He wondered as he turned to the humongous existence, whose shadow engulfed him, Heran, and Icarus easily.
A 30-meter-long streamlined body, wings with a wingspan of more than a hundred meters, supported by sturdy bones and adorned with translucent membranes, a beak-like mouth with sharp teeth, and large round eyes that seemed to be staring deep into Michael’s soul entered his view.
His body began to tremble subconsciously as the earthy tones and unique markings of the monster invaded his sight.
‘I am so dead…’