Chapter Two Daughter of the Demon（one）

After entering the Illusory Forest, Ryan realized that their group was really not suitable for deep mountain travel.

First of all, let's talk about personal equipment. Oliver insisted on bringing his two-handed greatsword, claiming it was for self-defense. Ryan had once suggested buying a long spear to replace the cumbersome two-handed sword, but Oliver firmly disagreed.

Relatively speaking, apart from that very conspicuous sword, Oliver's other luggage was quite appropriate. Bena's replacement clothes (three sets of underwear, three sets of long clothes, three sets of skirts, one set of formal dress, and one set of bathrobe) seemed extremely cumbersome.

However, the combined weight of these clothes was not as much as what Jestan carried. Jestan brought five hundred gold coins, five hundred silver coins, and five hundred copper coins. Oh my god!

Ryan suggested going back to the village at the entrance of the Illusory Forest immediately, re-equipping, and then continuing forward.

But this proposal was only slightly considered by Oliver, and the others didn't even bother to respond. Bena was the first to refuse to give up her replacement clothes.

After trudging on for a day and a night, Bena and Jestan finally compromised because they had suffered enough hardships. The group had no choice but to turn back.

It took another day and a night for them to exhaustively emerge from the jungle. Along the way, the group had reached an agreement that all equipment arrangements would follow Ryan's advice, and no one was allowed to raise any objections.

After entering the village, the group first found an inn. After inquiring about the general situation of the village from the innkeeper, Bena and Jestan went upstairs to rest first. Oliver and Ryan were responsible for purchasing equipment and supplies.

Many people come to this small village every year. Most of them are merchants who come to buy furs and precious medicinal materials in spring and autumn, and hunters who enter the Illusory Forest to hunt or capture precious beasts for trading. Therefore, there are sufficient supplies in the village.

So, after a round of shopping, they not only bought the necessary equipment and supplies but also unexpectedly bought a simple topographic map of the Illusory Forest from a fur merchant.

Ryan also bought a set of lightweight travel clothes suitable for traveling for each person. The workmanship and design of the travel clothes here are quite excellent. Ryan is even considering asking his father to come here for some goods when he gets home.

In the village blacksmith's shop, Ryan casually picked four long spears and two machetes. Although he brought a folding machete prepared by his father, he decided to buy these two after seeing them.

Because most of the tools made in this blacksmith's shop are for the villagers' own use, they are made quite exquisitely. Although the appearance is simple, it is forged with the standard thousand-layer folding iron forging method. Although it is a household item, it has obviously been quenched many times.

The steel on the blade is mottled, and the blade is sharpened to a fine edge. It's much better than his own mass-produced knife with a ground edge. And those several long spears are not only excellent weapons for self-defense, but can also be used as walking sticks in daily life, and can also be used to carry luggage. This is really the best equipment for deep mountain travel.

Seeing Ryan appreciating his work, the blacksmith was so delighted that he invited them to his workshop to pick suitable tools. Ryan actually found several very handy tools in the workshop.

Among them was a multi-purpose mountain pickaxe with excellent craftsmanship and extremely ingenious design. The boss said that someone brought the blueprint to him and asked him to make it according to that. He thought this thing was very practical, so he made several more of them.

Besides this mountain pickaxe, Ryan also picked three javelins, five thin-bladed knives, and a small iron chain as thick as a finger and three meters long.

On their way back to the hotel, the two of them dropped by a local hunter's home and bought a hunting bow and two quivers of arrows that they used themselves.

The two people, laden with goods, returned to the hotel. Bena and Jestan were already asleep.

Ryan took out the map and studied it. Oliver, on the other hand, was excitedly fiddling with the hunting bow beside him.

As the lights were just coming on and it was dinner time, Bena and Jestan, being too tired, firmly refused to get up. Ryan and Oliver had no choice but to go for dinner by themselves.

Since it was close to the forest, game and mountain products were abundant, and this dinner was quite delicious and sumptuous. The two of them were very satisfied with it and thus rewarded the boss generously.

For this, the boss was extremely grateful and was willing to answer all of Ryan's questions without reservation. For those he didn't know, he immediately wrote them down in a notebook and promised that the two would surely get satisfactory answers when they got up the next morning.

Back in the room, Oliver suddenly asked Ryan a question that he had been quite curious about for a long time: "Didn't you say that this was your first time leaving home and traveling far? Why do you seem like an old traveler who has been wandering around all year round?"

"I've been helping my father in the store since I was a child. Most of the guests in our store are travelers from all over. Moreover, our store also sells coffee. These travelers often like to have a cup while replenishing their nutrition. They would talk eloquently while drinking coffee. After years of hearing and seeing this, I've learned it all."

The two of them chatted on and on until night deepened.

Early in the morning the next day, Ryan and Oliver were dug out of bed by Bena and Jestan.

Don't look at how hard it was for them to get up themselves. They were not the least bit hesitant when it came to waking others up.

Oliver asked with annoyance about the reason for being woken up so early.

It turned out that Bena and Jestan, these two lazy bones, had been too sleepy to eat last night. They woke up hungry in the middle of the night, crept out secretly and wolfed down all the dry food. Then they managed to sleep for a while longer. When it was just getting light, they were so hungry that they resolutely woke Ryan and Oliver up and asked them to figure out a way to solve the problem of breakfast.

Reluctantly, Ryan and Oliver were escorted by this pair of "city kids" downstairs to knock on the boss's door. When the door was opened, the sleepy-eyed boss was still holding a pillow in his hand and yawned continuously as he asked in bewilderment, "So early? What can I do for you?"

"Sorry, could you please prepare breakfast for my two companions?" Oliver said apologetically.

The helpless boss had no choice but to bid farewell to his beloved pillow and go to the kitchen drowsily to light the fire and cook.

At this moment, Ryan and Oliver, in low spirits, leaned on the dining table and continued to slip into their dreams, completely ignoring Bena and Jestan's complaints about the cooking speed.

After Bena and Jestan finally filled their stomachs, Ryan and Oliver also seemed to regain their energy.

After breakfast, the boss enthusiastically reported in detail on the question Ryan had asked last night.

Based on his satisfaction with the answer and his apology for dragging the boss out of bed so early, Oliver paid two gold coins as payment for this breakfast.

Amidst the boss's warm greetings, the group picked up their respective luggage and left the inn. Before leaving, Ryan asked the boss for two packets of seasonings and a bag of flour, and also supplemented the dry food and drinking water they carried with them.

All the way, Bena and Jestan were very dissatisfied with their travel clothes. Their original luggage had been entrusted to the innkeeper for safekeeping. However, Jestan was quite interested in the hunting bow that Oliver had been carrying. He practically snatched it away. Seeing Oliver's reluctant look, Ryan regretted it a lot. He really should have bought a few more.

The four of them walked until noon before stopping to rest in an open space. At this time, Bena and Jestan finally began to appreciate the benefits of their travel clothes. Although they had walked all morning, they didn't feel too tired.

After resting for a while, Ryan asked the other three to gather around. He took out three maps from his bosom and gave one to each of them.

"Where did these come from?" Oliver asked in confusion.

"Last night, I copied them from the original map," Ryan replied. "I was afraid it would be troublesome if I lost it."

"I analyzed this map carefully last night," Ryan said, pointing at the map. "The southeast edge of the map is marked in the most detail. That's the area closest to the village, so there shouldn't be too many mistakes. The further it extends northwestward, the more blurred the markings on the map become. We can't rely too much on these markings. However, there is an obvious hint on the map. There is a river flowing through the forest all the way to the depths of the Illusory Forest. We can follow the river, so we don't have to worry about water sources. Do you think it's feasible?"

"I agree," Oliver replied.

"We don't have any problems either, as long as you lead us safely into the Illusory Forest," Bena said straightforwardly, piling the responsibilities that the original four people should have shared all on Ryan.

Jestan naturally had no objections. Since he got that hunting bow and found out from Oliver where this bow came from, Jestan had decided to persuade everyone, including Bena, to adopt Ryan's opinion no matter what.

Because Jestan always remembered what his merchant father told him about the secret of success in business: "It's easy to be successful. Just leave all the problems to the experts and do nothing but humbly accept their advice."

The first time his father said this, he had just earned his first ten million gold coins in his life. And when his father said this to him, his father's wealth had already reached one billion.

Therefore, when Ryan ordered Jestan to bury the remaining money somewhere, Jestan immediately did as he was told without saying a word, which really startled the other three people.

The first three days of the journey were not difficult.

A large number of people entering the mountains every year had already cleared a path for this group. Along the way, they could also encounter forest rangers living in the Illusory Forest. Once they met, it was time for this group to improve their meals.

For several days, Bena and Jestan had become addicted to eating game. As soon as they saw a forest ranger, they would pester him. Jestan would ask him about hunting and setting traps; Bena was interested in cooking game.

So in the following days of the journey, although they no longer met forest rangers, it was not difficult to solve the food problem. If it weren't for Ryan's insistence, Bena and Jestan would have thrown away the dry food long ago.

On the fifth day deep in the jungle, the road became increasingly difficult to walk. Often, they had to rely on Oliver to clear a path ahead.

They could only walk a dozen or so miles a day. To maintain speed, Oliver and Bena's luggage had been concentrated on Ryan.

However, soon a new problem emerged. The trees in the jungle became denser, the ground became more uneven, and it became increasingly difficult to find an ideal campsite.

This time, it was Jestan's turn to be proud. Because what he learned from Great Magician Piert was wind magic, which included various magics that could make people fly in the air.

Jestan happened to be able to use the Levitation Spell and Wing of Wind Spell among them. So, the task of finding a campsite was handed over to him every time, and naturally, his luggage was carried by Ryan.

On the morning of the nineteenth day in the jungle, they encountered a magical beast in the Illusory Forest for the first time.

That morning, Bena was busy stewing a pair of quails. Jestan's hunting skills were really becoming more and more sophisticated. Early in the morning, he went around and found that a brood of quails had been caught in the traps set last night. Two of them were used for breakfast.

Bena skillfully turned the roasted quails on the fire. The grease dripped onto the flames bit by bit, turning into wisps of fragrant, thick smoke.

The other three people sat around the fire, waiting for their breakfast.

"So fragrant," Oliver exclaimed.

"Luck is really on our side. We have such a delicacy early in the morning," Ryan said.

"Yes, yes. This trip is really tough. If it weren't for this good thing, I'm afraid I couldn't have held on," Jestan said truthfully.

"Good, good. Tear these two quails into seven parts, one for each person. The heads, feet, and butts are all mine," a strange voice suddenly came from behind.

The four people turned their heads when they heard the voice and were so scared that their legs went weak.

A giant wolf over two meters tall with three heads was sitting steadily behind them.

"A magical beast?!" Oliver exclaimed and raised his long spear to sweep at the giant wolf.

At the same time, Ryan also reacted. He pulled Jestan, who was still in a daze, and Bena, who had collapsed beside the fire, and retreated straight back.

The giant wolf didn't even bother with the long spear stabbed at its back and walked straight towards the fire. The long spear stabbed onto the back of the giant wolf, making a sound like metal striking stone.

The giant wolf slowly walked to the front of the fire, picked up the fallen delicacy on the ground, and tasted it with relish.

"Not bad, not bad. Cooked food is really delicious!" The middle head of the giant wolf kept praising as it ate.

"A wolf, can actually talk?!" Jestan said foolishly.

"Fool. It's a high-level superior magical beast that can talk. It's terrible. It's a descendant of the ancient magical beast Fanelir. Three heads indicate that it is at least three hundred years old. This kind of magical beast is a natural elemental magic user and can use three different types of magic at the same time," Bena told everyone what she knew.

"Four, it's four types of magic," the giant wolf corrected.

Bena asked carefully, "Mr. Wolf, you don't want to eat us, do you?"

"Of course, roasted quails are much tastier than you."

This statement reassured the four young trial participants a lot.

"Well, you can have both quails. We'll leave right away," Oliver said as he moved towards his companions.

"You can go. Leave that little girl behind," the giant wolf said in a tone like a bandit.

"What do you want to do with me?" Bena asked tremblingly.

"Don't worry. I won't have improper thoughts about you," the giant wolf said.

"This stinky old wolf can actually joke," Bena couldn't help thinking.

"Wow, an old lecher!" This was Jestan's opinion.

"It seems there's no danger for now," Ryan analyzed the situation.

"My attack could be ignored like this?! The descendant of the glorious knight has fallen into the greatest crisis of his life."

After a meeting (the giant wolf insisted on participating), the four people and one wolf decided to set off together.

After two days of peaceful coexistence, everyone (except Bena) was no longer afraid of this wolf.

Jestan actually developed a strong interest in the giant wolf.

Dinner time, everyone sat around the fire.

Only at this time did Bena not fear the magical beast too much, because it was said that a satiated beast was not aggressive.

"Hey, old wolf, do all demon wolves like cooked food?" Jestan couldn't hold back and asked the question he had always wanted to know.

"They, those stupid guys, don't know anything about delicacies!" The old wolf glanced at Jestan.

"Yes! You can even distinguish whether it was made by Ryan or Bena." Jestan even exposed someone else's wound.

Originally, because there was an extra wolf, a large portion of food had to be made (and that old wolf ate an extraordinary amount).

Jestan didn't add any burden; on the contrary, he was more relaxed because all hunting tasks were now the responsibility of the old wolf. Only Bena suffered, so Ryan also helped.

During the meal, the old wolf actually picked out all the food Ryan made and threw it to others to eat, only eating what Bena made.

"Of course, although the methods used by women and men among you humans to make food are exactly the same, the effects are completely different. It was the same five hundred years ago, and after five hundred years, there has been no progress," the old wolf said.

"Five hundred years ago? So it was you humans who spoiled my appetite," Bena said.

"What was your previous master like?" Jestan asked further.

The old wolf pressed its head against Jestan's head, and its huge wolf eyes stared at Jestan, making him feel goosebumps all over: "Although I am full, I don't mind having some dessert after the meal."

"Yes, yes..." Jestan nodded repeatedly.

"So, may I ask what kind of humans traveled with you before?" Ryan held back Oliver, who wanted to take action; now it was obviously best to divert the old wolf's attention to another question, which was the correct approach.

Sure enough, although the old wolf was a highly intelligent demonic creature, it also fell for this.

"They were much stronger than you. Xilu'an was a powerful warrior, Lushia was an outstanding priest, and Tikoroni was the best archer I've ever seen," the old wolf said.

Hearing the magical beast in front of him praise humans, Ryan was relieved.

At night, because of what happened during dinner, everyone couldn't fall asleep for a long time.

Half-asleep, suddenly everyone felt the ground shaking, and the roaring of a herd of beasts came from afar.

"What happened?" Everyone quickly crawled out of their tents.

They saw that the old wolf had already jumped onto a nearby boulder.

Several people quickly climbed onto the boulder and looked into the distance.

They saw lightning rolling in the distance, illuminating a large expanse of forest brightly. Above the forest, there was a very small ball of lightning, flashing left and right from time to time, unknown what it was.

In the forest, countless shadows of giant beasts could be seen swaying back and forth. The huge trees were broken either by the giant beasts or by the rolling magical lightning, falling down one after another, raising rolling dust.

After a large number of trees fell, the four people could gradually see the situation below clearly.

They saw that in a forest of about two hectares below, more than a dozen strange beasts with spines on their backs, tails longer than their bodies, and standing and running on two legs were surrounded by several balls of lightning.

"Be careful, a magical attack!" Although Ryan didn't know what kind of magic was attacking him, the strong discomfort made him quickly warn everyone.

"Don't be afraid. This guy's voice is just like this. It's not any magic," the old wolf explained.

"What are these stinky brats doing?" The sharp voice continued.

"We are trial students of the Magic Association in the Kingdom of Sophie. We are in the process of a trial," Oliver said first.

"Oh, then why did you come to this Illusory Forest?" The voice continued.

"Our destination is the research room of Magician Chris in the middle of the Illusory Forest," Oliver replied.

"The guys from the Magic Association actually used my laboratory as a training base without notifying me," the piercing voice said angrily.

"What? Are you the great magician Chris?!" Several people asked in surprise at the same time.

"Get out of my way. Don't hinder me from catching the wolf," Chris said.

"Haha. You've become arrogant again just because you've learned a little skill. Thinking about catching me, an old man. It's impossible," the old wolf said sarcastically.

"Hehehe. For the genius that I, Miss Chris, am, is there anything that can't be done?" Chris said.

"Do you think that with your newly learned thunder magic - Thalport, you can defeat me?" The old wolf continued to mock.

"Thalport. What kind of magic is this?" Oliver asked Jestan.

"Any magic with such a strange name must be an ancient magic. How could I possibly know?" Jestan replied.

"But does that old wolf understand it?" Bena snapped at Jestan.

"Please, don't compare me with that old monster. I'm just an ordinary person," Jestan begged.

Suddenly, a bright flash streaked across, and the giant rock collapsed with a crash.

"Wow! They're starting to fight," Jestan exclaimed.

Oliver and Ryan quickly dragged Jestan and Bena away, one each, and fled.

Everyone had experienced the strength of the old wolf over the past few days. It was not something human power could resist.

And obviously, the strength of that Chris, the apprentice magician, was also so strong that it didn't seem like she was born of normal parents.

In a word, two super monsters were clashing.

If ordinary humans got involved, they would die miserably.

Fortunately, the tough treks over the past few days had honed their nimble skills. They quickly darted through the dense forest and the flying dust. Sometimes they avoided falling giant trees, and sometimes they dodged the oncoming bullets.

And in extremely urgent situations, Bena could always use her weak but still effective "Crystal Wall of Water" magic barrier to minimize the damage.

So when the group reached a fairly safe place, apart from being covered in scrapes, they were intact.

"Oh my god! This stinky woman's temper is really bad," Jestan sighed.

"I'm so scared! We still have to ask her to give us our trial grades!" Bena reminded.

Oliver and Ryan were out of breath from dragging the two of them to escape all the way. They hadn't thought about this problem yet. Now that Bena reminded them, they looked at each other in dismay, feeling as if they had two big heads.

Originally, they never thought that perhaps the trial mentor would be difficult to pass, after all, the magicians they had come into contact with were not too difficult to talk to, even like Victor, that bastard magician.

Generally speaking, the biggest difficulty in the trial process is reaching the trial destination. For example, this arduous Illusory Forest journey, and the unknown when and where Kechin Island will appear.

The huge roaring sounds rose one after another, the earth kept trembling, and a scorched smell filled the air.

The raging fire had swallowed up large areas of the forest, the sky full of flames echoed the pitch-black night sky, and the dots of sparks merged with the stars in the sky. The shattered wood chips and flying stones hit the surrounding trees, breaking branches and scattering leaves.

This battle between humans and wolves left the four trial students amazed.

The duel between magicians was originally quite spectacular, but the intensity was not high, like two big men standing and fighting each other with a punch and a kick, just comparing who has more strength, who is faster, and who has better endurance.

Moreover, each magician has their own preferred magical attack method. For example, a magician who specializes in water magic often has a poor understanding of fire magic. Because the four major elemental magics are often completely opposite to each other. Fire magic emphasizes fierceness; water magic emphasizes gentleness; wind magic is full of vitality; earth magic is solid and stable.

Different magics are suitable for magicians of different natures, and conversely, different natures of magic can also affect the personality tendencies of magicians.

For example, the lively Jestan specializes in wind magic. If he were to switch to the solid and stable earth magic, it would definitely be counterproductive.

Of course, highly skilled magicians can practice one or two auxiliary elemental magics in addition to their own attributes.

However, to be able to use all four elemental magics, one must at least reach a high-level stage among the great magicians.

For example, Councilor Curran is a master who can master all four elemental magics. Even Great Magician Piert only excels in wind and fire magics. As for Victor's strength, no one knows.

But even a master like Councilor Curran cannot use high-level magics of all four elemental magics at the same time. Because adjusting the meditation method takes a lot of time. And there has been no news of any magician in the world being able to do this.

But now, they have witnessed it with their own eyes.

The person and the beast in front of them are using high-level magics of the four elements to fight fiercely at the same time.

The strength of the old wolf needs no explanation. After several days of contact, the four trial students have a deep understanding.

The three-headed demon wolf is a natural user of the four major elemental magics. Oliver's teacher had already told them this at the beginning of the journey.

Because it has three heads with independent thoughts, the three-headed demon wolf can use three different types of magic at the same time, and the wolf itself belongs to the mid-level earth-type demonic creature, so its four claws are called "Tear of the Earth", with extremely strong earth-type attack power. Therefore, when the old wolf uses all four magics at the same time, everyone is not surprised.

But when Chris also responded with high-level magics of the four elements, everyone was shocked.

Originally, everyone thought that Chris was only proficient in lightning magic and at most was also good at wind magic. Because from beginning to end, they only saw her using lightning magic and didn't expect that when she started fighting with the old wolf, she immediately threw a series of explosive fireballs and blood - coagulating ice spears, and from time to time used an earth - type area - attack magic - Quicksand Technique to hinder the old wolf's movement.

And she herself never stayed in the same place. She always jumped around the old wolf using that magic called "Thalport".

An hour passed, and the attack and defense of the two of them didn't weaken at all. However, obviously the old wolf was already at a disadvantage.

The forest had been burned down completely, and the old wolf's figure was exposed, making it a very obvious target. And because Chris kept jumping non - stop, the old wolf simply couldn't attack her.

If it weren't for the fact that the old wolf had three heads and could see in all directions, it would probably have been defeated long ago. But now, the old wolf was also in a bad situation.

It seemed that the old wolf was also aware of this. It just stood still. Just using its three heads to watch different directions and block the fireballs, ice spears and lightning coming from all directions one by one.

Seeing this situation, Chris also stopped attacking and for the first time, she stabilized her form. She hovered above the old wolf's head.

"Thank goodness, it finally stopped fighting," Bena said in relief.

Oliver and Ryan looked at each other and exchanged their views.

"I think we'd better move back a little further."

"Yes, I think so too. That old wolf isn't so easy to deal with."

After speaking, the two of them carried Jestan and Bena and retreated to the surrounding area. They didn't stop until they ran to a hill. From there, they could see the old wolf's figure in the distance.

After a very long time, suddenly, the old wolf howled three times towards the sky.

The sharp sound waves cut through the forest, like stones thrown into water, causing ripples to spread in the forest. The huge tree crowns were like surging waves that couldn't calm down for a long time, and dark clouds gathered in the sky and rolled into circles of vortices.

The four people standing in the distance also felt an extremely powerful pressure. Jestan and Bena could hardly stand steadily on the rocks. The huge tree they leaned against also moaned from time to time, which was the sound of the forest trembling.

The old wolf standing on its hind legs howled, and a violent hurricane around it uprooted trees. Suddenly, the hurricane burst into flames.

The ruthless hurricane swept everything around it into it, rocks, trees, soil, rivers. A huge wind column connecting heaven and earth, sweeping countless electric streaks, sparks, icicles and stones, collided within a one - mile diameter range, and all objects in the range were shaved and ground into powder.

The four trial students had never seen such a terrifying magical scene before. Each of them leaned against a huge rock and hid in the sheltered place behind the wind.

Listening to the sharp wind in their ears and the sound of trees cracking and breaking, sometimes they saw thick - trunked trees being rolled up like leaves and then quickly carried away by the huge hurricane behind them.

Everyone was terrified.

They didn't know how long it had been when the wind finally calmed down.

It took Ryan quite a while to come back to his senses and gave Oliver a push.

"Seems like it's over?" Oliver poked his head out to look.

Then, leaning on the rock and climbing up tremblingly, he carefully ascended the rock to have a look.

All was in ruins before their eyes. A huge crater nearly a kilometer in diameter had been gouged out in the middle of the forest, and all the trees around were tilted towards the center of the crater.

With great difficulty, the four of them reached the center of the crater.

Neither the old wolf nor Chris could be seen.

"It's all over. The trial mentor must be dead!" Jestan said dejectedly.

"Not necessarily. If you can't win, you can always hide. That magic called Thalport is extremely convenient for escaping," Bena said.

"If she wants to escape," Ryan retorted, "Judging from her personality, she might just want to test the magic power of the old wolf."

"You know me so well!" A sharp voice drifted down from above.

Everyone was shocked and looked up. A black sphere was floating in the sky. Slowly, an arm stretched out from the sphere, and then a head emerged.

A woman in magnificent clothes crawled out of the black sphere.

Strangely enough, that sphere could barely accommodate half of the woman's body. No one could figure out how she got inside with her whole body.

The four of them stared dumbfounded at this powerful magician in front of them. The huge gap between her powerful magic and her age was the most shocking thing.

This magician looked only about four or five years older than Oliver.

The magician above their heads was wearing a beautiful and gorgeous pink lace dress. From the position of the four trial students, they could even clearly see the white silk shorts under the dress.

Her long, golden - red hair was coiled into two pointed buns like goat horns. A ruby necklace hung on her high forehead.

Everyone simply couldn't associate this elegant yet slightly childish beautiful woman in front of them with a powerful and terrible witch.

"Which one of you is the leader?" Chris asked.

The stunned young trial students were still in a daze, staring blankly. For a moment, no one stood up to answer.

Suddenly, a column of extremely cold ice water mixed with large chunks of ice poured down on the heads of the four trial students. The hard ice chunks hit them and gave them big bumps on their heads.

"Let one of you speak," The sharp voice became even higher.

Oliver was unceremoniously kicked out.

"Who organized your trial?" Chris asked coldly.

"Teacher Curran from Newnara City," Oliver replied.

"Curran? You are Curran's disciples?" There was a slight increase in warmth in Chris's cold voice.

"My laboratory is seventy li northwest of here. It's still about five or six days' journey away."

"Respected Great Magician Chris, please allow me to respectfully call you teacher! My respect for you is like the ceaseless surging of the great river. I am infinitely longing for your 'Thalport' magic. With my dull aptitude, I'm afraid I won't be able to learn even one ten - thousandth of it in my lifetime. Therefore, could you, the merciful one, take me under your wing and let me have a wonderful memory in my life that I was once a fortunate experiencer of 'Thalport'? I will cherish this wonderful memory for ten thousand years." Jestan used the glib flattery skills inherited from his merchant father.

Listening to this long flattery, Ryan had a general understanding of Jestan's father in his heart: a swindler.

The intention of this flattery was very obvious, and anyone could hear it. Jestan wanted to hitch a ride.

Ryan prayed that Jestan would be treated leniently by Chris.