Chapter 712: Chapter 589: Rescuer and the Nature Conservation Association
In the foreign land, within the Shattered City, a huge space-time node suddenly rippled in waves, followed by a procession of transport convoys emerging from the Space-Time Gate, passing straight through the city brimming with outposts and guards, driving on a road made smooth and wide by magic.
This was Lynn’s apprentice, Hill’s first time reaching the alien terrain. Looking through the transparent windows of the transport convoy at the outside world, in stark contrast to the solid and even road beneath the convoy was the battered earth, arable with ravines and craters, prompting him to speak with emotion.
“Teacher, is this the foreign land? It’s even more desolate than the moon…”
“Those are the marks left by the great Wizard Lynn and the Moon God after their battle!” The wizard named Kode laughed as he explained, then shook his head. “But it’s not much better elsewhere! Word has it that this was once a star of life, but it is nearing the end of its days!”
“Even planets reach an end?” Hill’s face showed a hint of shock, for in her mind, the world was made up of rocks and soil, could it be that even hard stone had a lifespan?
“Of course, everything has its day of demise,” the elderly wizard responded with a smile.
“Will our world also have such a day?” Hill asked, furrowing her brows with worry.
“That…” The head wizard hesitated, as Hill’s question was undoubtedly his knowledge’s blind spot, resulting in an embarrassed cough before he said, “Who knows? Perhaps it will! But that should be a long, long time from now.”
Hill couldn’t help but wonder just how long that might be, but before she could figure it out, the moving convoy stopped, and clearly, they had arrived!
Leading the way, the head wizard Kode stepped down from the transport convoy, avoiding further questioning.
They arrived at a spacious forest clearing enclosed with dirt and stone walls conjured by magic, simple in essence but in reality, with a very high level of protection, the entire area shrouded by an Alchemy Array.
No sooner had they alighted from the vehicle than they heard a series of irate roars and the constant clanging of steel.
“Seems like these little fellows are none too peaceful!” Kode laughed aloud.
“Of course, how could anything that survives in the harsh environment of the alien terrain be peaceful?” The wizard guarding the entrance also laughed, quickly leading the two into the stone-encased forest.
Unlike other wizards who came to the alien land to deliver supplies, they were here to carry out rescue operations for the magical beasts of the alien terrain.
If this world collapsed, all beings living in the foreign land would face catastrophe, and letting them perish with this world seemed too wasteful. Thus, during a recent meeting, the newly appointed chairman Sanchez suggested rescuing these alien magical beasts by taking them back to the Eternal Star for conservation.
This unquestionably garnered strong support from many shapers, magic potion makers, and alchemist scholars. Whether for the practical consideration of enriching magical materials or the ethics of preserving life, this rescue plan was deemed necessary.
However, capturing these magical beasts of the alien terrain was no easy task, as every one of them possessed either great strength or special skills for survival and escape.
Stepping inside, Kode’s first sight was a seven-meter-tall beast, furiously attempting to claw open a steel cage. Unfortunately for it, the cage was electrified, and after some struggle, the agitated creature quickly collapsed to the ground, body trembling with the current.
The other magical beasts imprisoned here were also severely restricted by magic.
“Isn’t this a bit too cruel?” Hill couldn’t help but speak out.
“We have tried less cruel methods, actually.” The guiding wizard shrugged, continuing to elaborate on the hardships of their work.
Indeed, when they captured these magical beasts, members of the Natural Protection Association attempted communication using Spiritual Energy techniques, but to little avail.
Compared to calm and composed communication, these powerful magical beasts, having lived in the brutal environment of the alien land for so long, better understood that might makes right!
Kode was aware that domesticating these magical beasts in a short period was unrealistic, and managing to control them to this extent was already quite an accomplishment.
“Our expedition team also found a griffon settlement but sadly, they can only remain here forever,” the wizard said with a tinge of regret.
Beasts that already existed on the Eternal Star and had established their colonies there did not merit the expenditure of too much time and effort for their rescue.
“Our time is limited; we can only do our best!” Kode too felt a measure of regret; their involvement in this rescue effort was largely motivated by their love for these creatures.
“Alright, let’s get to work!” Without further delay, Kode instructed the wizards present to cooperate in loading the newly captured dozens of magical beasts onto vehicles for transport.
Those magical beasts that were too large simply had wheels attached beneath their cages, and were hauled along by transport vehicles.
Carrying loads that weighed tons, even tens of tons, the return journey was much slower than the outward trip; half a day had passed, and they still hadn’t covered a third of the distance.
Even though they had administered sleeping powder to these restless beasts before setting out, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t wake up en route.
Kode was considering instructing several wizards to reinforce the cages as a precaution when suddenly a piercing alarm sounded.
“What’s happening?” Kode’s face changed instantly, and he leaned out of the window to assess the situation, to his surprise, the cages containing the magical beasts were not the issue.
“Look up… Look at the sky!” A witch accompanying the convoy called out loudly.
The source of the alarm was the magic power detection devices placed on top of the vehicles, which could detect strong magic power reactions several kilometers away.
Kode looked up and quickly spotted the culprits behind the alarm, hundreds of bizarre winged magical beasts that radiated fire, staining the sky a deep red.
“What is this? Another new type of magical beast?” Hill said excitedly, gazing at the swarm of Flame Demons that had appeared in the sky.
They had come to this foreign land to find unseen magical beasts to bring back to the Eternal Star, and now it seemed the creatures were coming directly to them.
Kode’s expression, however, became more solemn. Unlike Hill, who was on his first escort mission in this foreign domain, it was not Kode’s first time.
They had never before encountered such a large-scale attack, as the magical beasts living in this foreign domain were highly vigilant. With so many people gathered together emitting such intense magic power, normal magical beasts wouldn’t dare approach, let alone attempt an assault.
More importantly, the appearance of these magical beasts made him think of the vanguard force from the main world that had been mentioned during the last meeting by that Wizard of Magic Star.
In the time they had been delayed, hundreds of Flame Demons had already swooped down.
A barrage of heavy machine-gun fire erupted as well; to ensure the transport of these magical beasts went smoothly, the convoy was equipped with some light weapons, in addition to the protection from Kode, the Grand Wizard, and a dozen official wizards.
A terrifying hail of bullets swept over, and the fifteen most aggressive Flame Demons were instantly turned into fodder. Then their bodies exploded violently, with molten-lava-like remains raining down like an erupting volcano.
Each Flame Demon was like a mobile keg of gunpowder; their partially elemental bodies could withstand most attacks. If they encountered a blow beyond their limits, they would explode, and the fire generated from the blasts would not harm their compatriots but instead serve as a source of nourishment and strength.
Kode witnessed a Flame Demon that had half its body shattered by the spray of bullets merge directly with the remains of its companions, healing its injuries completely as it faced the relentless hail of bullets without any sign of retreat, as if slaughter was their sole purpose of existence.
Kode frowned. These didn’t seem like naturally evolved creatures but rather like artificially engineered instruments of war.
Seeing these fiery creatures charging down despite the machine-gun fire, Kode raised his hand, and a vast frost quickly condensed in mid-air. The next moment, it transformed into a violent surge of cold tide rolling towards the approaching Flame Demons.
The scorching flames met the intense cold of the Frozen Breath, reacting violently. All Flame Demons that came into contact with the ice shrank in size, then exploded immediately.
Kode heaved a sigh of relief inwardly. It seemed these attacking magical beasts were not as powerful as he had imagined, with strengths at the level of the second or third circle at most. Their partially elemental bodies and self-destructive capabilities were notable, but he could manage without calling for reinforcements.
No sooner had he thought this than Kode’s face darkened, as several Flame Demons that had exploded were flying low, and their fiery remains had burned several large holes in one of the cages binding a giant beast.
What had been a controllable situation became incredibly chaotic in an instant.
“Damn it!” Kode cursed loudly, forced to expand his field of influence to quickly deal with these flying bombs and prevent more dangerous magical beasts from being released.
It took an hour and a half for the wizards present to finally settle these major troubles. As a consequence, two official wizards and a dozen guards lost their lives, victims of magical beasts that had escaped their broken cages.
Kode’s face was extremely grim, but what worried him even more was the implication behind the appearance of these bizarre magical beasts.
The sky, which had been calm, had unknowingly changed color—a powerful storm seemed to be on its way…