Chapter 169: The Ferocious Night Watch Cub.

Amanda loved listening to Sperien’s adventure stories more than anything.

When he heard the Fairies mention “Chris,” he transformed into an inquisitive child and bombarded Angel with questions. Angel was endlessly patient. As one of the people involved, he gave Amanda a detailed account of how Sperien had been carried away by the stupid bird.

Amanda listened with great interest and took out his notebook to record everything.

Seeing him write as he listened, Shu Li’s mouth twitched. He turned to look at Kumandi.

Kumandi was also writing in a notebook, summarizing what they had learned from climbing the mountain that day. His notes were clearly organized and accompanied by vivid illustrations, making everything easy to understand at a glance.

With these notes, any young Fairies who climbed the mountain in the future would have a much easier time.

He truly deserved his reputation as a brilliant student. Even his drawings of distinctive trees along the route were remarkably lifelike.

“Kumandi, may I copy your notes?” Shu Li asked.

“Mm.” After writing the final sentence of his summary, Kumandi handed the notebook to him. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

“Thank you!” Shu Li accepted it happily. By the light of the campfire, he rested the notebook on his lap and carefully copied both the words and drawings, striving to reproduce them exactly.

Kumandi took out the map and resumed studying it.

Although he had examined the map from every angle hundreds of times before their departure, it was still an old map from many years ago. Some of its landmarks might no longer correspond to reality.

Still, it was not a serious problem as long as the general directions remained unchanged.

To reach Saint Velia Magic Academy, they first had to travel northeast across the entire Dalia Empire. Then they would pass through the Kingdom of Prunse and enter the Central Court. From there, they would board a ship and sail southeast along the Bakat River until they finally reached Igya City.

Saint Velia Magic Academy was located within Igya City.

The journey would be extremely long, and there was no telling what interesting things they might encounter along the way.

Before any of that, however, they had to visit the Mages’ Association as soon as they reached the town tomorrow. There, they would have their ranks tested and obtain their mage badges.

A mage badge was effectively a form of identification. Only with one could they travel freely across the continent.

Once Kumandi finished his research, he urged everyone to go to sleep.

They needed to go to bed early, rise early, and cultivate good habits.

Shu Li finished copying the notes, returned the notebook to Kumandi, and released a tremendous yawn. After an entire day of climbing, his body had long since begun clamoring for rest.

Angel had pitched two tents, each containing three bedrolls.

Shu Li, Kumandi, and Budno would sleep in one tent, while Angel, Disio, and Amanda would share the other.

“Who will stand watch?” Angel asked.

They had to remain vigilant when sleeping outdoors. If everyone fell asleep and a magical beast or a bandit raided them in the middle of the night, they would not have time to react.

“We’ll divide the night into shifts and take turns,” Kumandi said.

Budno, who loved sleeping, rubbed his nose and stammered, “Um... I’m afraid I might sleep too deeply to wake up.”

He had always been an excellent sleeper. The moment he lay down, not even thunder could rouse him, and he would not awaken naturally until the following morning.

Shu Li raised his right hand. At a thought, a red flame-shaped mark appeared on the pale skin of its back.

“It’s all right. I’ll have Falm stand watch.”

As soon as he spoke, a streak of red light shot out and landed on the ground, transforming into a plump little beast cub.

Falm stood up and wriggled his chubby rump. He stretched his batlike wings, raised his head, and looked around.

When he noticed the Fairies and the dragon staring at him, he said in a childish voice, “I’m so huuungry...”

Shu Li nearly broke into laughter at his wheedling tone. Restraining his amusement, he took a large fruit from his storage ring and pushed it into Falm’s arms. Pinching the beast’s soft belly, he asked, “Can you have this for dinner?”

Falm had insisted on accompanying Shu Li on this journey. Unable to dissuade him, Shu Li had been forced to agree.

In truth, Shu Li had also been worried that leaving a high-rank magical beast like Falm in the Faerie Forest or the Elven Kingdom would spell disaster for the local magical beasts and upset the ecological balance.

Fire Dragon Lizards were simply too belligerent. Whenever Falm saw a high-rank magical beast, he immediately itched for a fight and wanted nothing more than to slap it several times with his enormous tail.

Fortunately, humans often formed master-servant contracts with magical beasts. Carrying a palm-sized cub around would not attract much attention.

If anything, people were more likely to mock him.

After all, no one would form a contract with a low-rank magical beast that would only become a burden.

Shu Li did not care. He knew perfectly well how powerful Falm truly was.

Falm wrapped both arms around the fruit. His eyes rolled craftily, and he immediately pressed his advantage. “Awoo... One won’t fill me up.”

“I have some! I have some!” Budno took out two kuku fruits and placed them before him. “There are plenty more if those aren’t enough.”

While he was at it, he stroked the smooth scales on Falm’s back.

Satisfied, Falm hugged the fruit and happily began munching away.

Angel asked doubtfully, “Can Falm really stand watch?”

He was only a low-rank beast cub with practically no combat ability. What could he possibly do?

Shu Li glanced at Falm, who was feasting enthusiastically. “He may be small, but not only can he stand watch, he can also drive away any magical beast below the third rank. During the day, he can catch up on sleep inside my contract mark.”

Falm flicked his tail while eating.

He dearly hoped some magical beast would come “deliver itself” in the middle of the night. Then he could enjoy a proper feast!

The fruit grown by the Fairies might be delicious, but as a magical beast, he still preferred raw meat.

Since their captain had said so, the other members accepted his arrangements and entered the tents to sleep without concern.

Shu Li instructed Falm to watch the campfire and ensure it did not go out before dawn.

Falm nodded in agreement.

What a joke. Controlling fire was what Fire Dragon Lizards did best. How could he possibly allow it to go out?

Seeing how confident he was, Shu Li crawled into the tent with an easy mind and lay down in the middle, with Kumandi on his left and Budno on his right.

Budno was a good boy who loved his sleep. His head had barely touched the pillow before he drifted off, and soon he was snoring softly. His ability to sleep was truly astonishing.

Shu Li was intensely envious. Unlike Budno, he could not fall asleep right away.

Seeing him toss and turn, Kumandi reached out, patted his back, and whispered, “Go to sleep. We have to rise early tomorrow.”

“Oh...” Shu Li found a comfortable position and closed his eyes.

“Falm isn’t an ordinary magical beast, is he?”

Kumandi’s sudden question sounded beside his ear.

Shu Li opened his eyes and found himself staring into a pair of black eyes only inches away.

“Uh... No. He’s actually... rather unusual—and quite powerful.”

Quiet little genius Kumandi was truly formidable. Falm acted like a helpless cub every day to swindle food from everyone, yet Kumandi had still seen through him.

“How did you know?” Shu Li asked curiously.

Kumandi analyzed the matter calmly. “A Fire Dragon Lizard capable of crossing the Saint Bash Sea from the Ergoja Desert and flying all the way to the Amitai Mountains must be at least eighth rank. The offspring of an eighth-rank magical beast would ordinarily be above the fourth rank. Falm has remained in the form of a cub for the past three years, which means either that it’s a disguise or that he genuinely has a developmental defect.”

Shu Li clicked his tongue in amazement.

So the quiet little genius had known all along. He rarely spoke, but when he did, his words were astonishing.

Blinking, Shu Li replied with a trace of guilt, “I only discovered what made him unusual after forming a contract with him.”

Kumandi was not the sort of Fairy who insisted on getting to the bottom of everything. Once he received the answer he wanted, he asked no further questions.

Seeing Kumandi close his eyes and go to sleep, Shu Li secretly sighed in relief. He forced himself to relax, and before he knew it, sleep had claimed him.

Outside the tent, Falm finished eating the fruit and sat before the fire, constantly swaying his short, plump tail.

Standing watch was boring work.

Still, since he had eaten the young Fairies’ fruit, he had to honor his promise and perform his duty properly.

Crack!

A spark burst from the fire.

A magical beast in the woods had been drawn by the light. It crept closer and hid nearby, skulking furtively through the darkness. When it discovered that the camp was being guarded by a palm-sized cub, it laughed inwardly and bared its teeth.

Then it swaggered out from behind a tree trunk and strutted arrogantly toward the camp.

Falm had noticed the third-rank magical beast attempting to sneak into the camp long ago. His plump tail wagged with delight. Once the beast finally revealed itself, he opened his mouth to expose a row of razor-sharp teeth.

An instant later, the terrifying pressure of a high-rank magical beast erupted from his tiny body.

The third-rank magical beast’s legs immediately went weak. Trembling with terror, it collapsed to the ground and could no longer move.

Falm flapped his wings and flew toward it, changing form as he went. By the time he reached the beast, his body had expanded to an enormous size.

Under its horrified gaze, he opened his cavernous jaws and swallowed it whole.

The flames danced within the campsite, casting a gigantic black shadow across the tents.

Crunch. Crunch.

The sound of a beast chewing through bones was particularly piercing in the silent night.

Every magical beast within a hundred-meter radius sensed the dreadful pressure. Nearly scared out of their wits, they fled for their lives.

On a branch fifty meters away, Ilio had concealed his presence and wrapped himself completely in his hooded cloak. Watching the scene unfold within the campsite, he raised an eyebrow.

It appeared that even without him, the youngsters were perfectly capable of protecting themselves.