Chapter 172: Horse dung

In the dim light, the glow was particularly shimmering. Just when everyone thought Moon was about to show some alluring magic, the pattern suddenly shattered.

The next moment, Lyra and Evan found themselves on the ground ten feet away.

They both fell into the mud with a heavy thud.

But that was not the end.

As their hands touched the ground, they felt a damp, sticky feeling. When they lifted their hands, a thick layer of gooey, nasty horse dung covered both of their palms.

"Yeeeek!"

Lyra instantly started vomiting, while Evan was still in a daze.

He just patted Lyra’s back with that same palm. It took him a while to realize he had just smeared her back with dung.

"Pfft."

"Pfffft—"

A wave of suppressed shock and laughter suddenly broke out all over the caravan.

"The fuck!"

"What just happened?"

"Wow! That’s top-notch witchcraft, man."

"Let me see, move a little!"

Everyone started chattering at once, breaking the stagnant atmosphere.

Moon leaned back and looked at Levi.

"Had enough fun? Let’s move."

Levi chuckled and ordered his men to start the journey.

As for what happened to Evan Vesper or Lyra Lyris, none of them cared.

Though inside the carriage, the pressure Moon emitted was heavy.

He didn’t look at any of his mates. And he especially avoided Nox’s pitiful gaze.

Soon their caravan passed the gate and ran through the forest toward the west.

Behind them, two pairs of eyes were shooting dagger looks in the direction they left.

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.

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Lyra and Evan finally broke from the shock and stood up.

By the time they cleaned the worst of the mess, the Elysian caravan was already far gone. Not only that, they had become late by another half an hour.

Fortunately, they managed to find a plain carriage that was not too expensive. The driver was a middle-aged rogue who didn’t ask many questions as long as the siki was paid.

Inside the carriage, Lyra kept sniffing and crying from the humiliation.

She couldn’t even look at her own guards anymore. Every time she remembered the horse dung on her hands and the way the whole caravan laughed, her face burned hotter.

"Don’t cry. That witch will get his karma," Evan tried to comfort her.

"Don’t talk. You were also bewitched," Lyra said aggrievedly. Her nose was already red from sniffing and constantly rubbing it with a handkerchief.

Evan looked away awkwardly.

To be honest, he was indeed bewitched. But not by any witchcraft.

He was simply attracted to a beauty that felt rare and almost noble. Those slender fingers drawing the glowing pattern had been strangely beautiful. Even though the result was a nasty trick.

For a moment, he didn’t know what to say, so he changed the topic.

"Why do you think they are going to the West Grand Plaza?" he frowned. "It can’t be that they also want to register, right?"

"How could they?" Lyra immediately rejected the idea. "They are probably just going to help the merchant guild. Those guest token holders are usually chore boys and servants. This kind of work suits them perfectly."

She wiped her nose again.

"But that witch... I think he is trying to seduce that young master. Even if Levi is not a prince, he is still a descendant of Elysian. Once that witch settles with him, he will get a free pass to spy on wolf secrets."

She paused, and a flash of ruthlessness crossed her eyes.

"We must stop him. If he grows into a powerful witch, who knows what he will do to our werewolves? No. We can’t let him walk away like this. I’m informing Uncle Vaelis right now."

As she spoke, she swiftly sent a message through the communication stone.

Evan frowned, still feeling that something was off.

"Where do you think Leo and Rio have gone? They weren’t inside the carriage."

Lyra paused, then cried even harder.

"It must be that black witch sacrificed them to get stronger. Or else how could he still be alive after staying inside the gorge for so long? Ah, Leo... sniff... sniff... they were so innocent and good. It’s all that witch’s fault."

Evan frowned but didn’t correct her words about them being "innocent".

He knew better.

Even without the witch, those five brothers had already been marked as defectives. They would either be worked to death or quietly killed after exile.

That was the usual path.

So he wasn’t particularly angry at the witch. In his eyes, that black-haired young man was just an anomaly among the defectives.

And if the rumor was true... that mating with him could really help defectives awaken their wolves...

He chuckled inside.

’That would be very interesting, wouldn’t it?’

’I have to find a way to capture him.’

He rubbed his chin slowly.

There was one thing he knew that most other packs still didn’t.

His elder had privately warned him not to get into big trouble with the witch if he really found him.

The elders suspected the witch held an elixir formula that could deal with Black Sea poison.

And from how secretive they had been, Evan had a feeling it was more than just a simple pill. Maybe the secret realm itself was related to this witch.

Capturing him was now a must on his list.

Soon their carriage also passed the gate.

The road stretched out under the winter sun as they left Malong and headed west, where the grand gathering was slowly taking shape.

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.

.

Moon and his team traveled for almost the entire morning.

The forest road gradually became wider. By noon, they reached a small city called Old-Hag.

It was not a large place.

The boundary walls were only mid-height, and the streets were lined with wooden houses and a few stone inns with their pointy roofs like a witch’s hat.

Most travelers heading to the West Grand Plaza stopped here to rest, change horses, or buy supplies.

The Elysian caravan scattered upon entering. Some went to the market, some to the stables, and others looked for a place to eat.

Oshan had been traveling with another group of merchants the whole way.

The moment he arrived, he booked a quiet inn near the north gate and waited. He sent a short message through his communication jade.

This jade was different from the communication stones used by packs.

Pack stones only worked through the pack mark.

This one only needed the same jade and a permit code. As long as those two things matched, communication worked even across long distances.

Nox and Oshan had already tested it many times in Malong. This time, even from outside the city, the jade still responded clearly.

The inn Oshan chose was small but clean.

He checked the surroundings twice and confirmed that no other packs were staying there—only a few Elysian people and ordinary travelers.

When Moon’s group finally arrived and checked into the rooms, the sun was already high.

They rented three rooms as usual.

But the moment the doors closed, all of them entered the Lost Realm without hesitation.

They had no intention of resting in the real world.

Watching the brothers scatter to their own corners, Moon’s lips twitched slightly.

It seemed those wolves had been busy with their own things while he refined pills these past days.

But he didn’t mind.

Everyone had their own path.

He went straight to his Stardust Sanctuary.