Chapter 77 of 100

Chapter 77: Banog's Ambition and the Griffin

17 min read4,157 words

After Bing Zhiye left, the stone house and its surroundings returned to their tranquil state. Singing birds, dancing butterflies, and wandering beasts filled the area, but the beautiful scenery was marred by the two bloody scenes inside and outside the stone house.

After a long time, Hesming Fen, seeing no one else coming, got up to call the leader, Wayne. However, he couldn't wake Wayne up no matter how long he called. Remembering that he had been woken up by water, he quickly fetched a scoop of water and splashed it on Wayne's face, which finally woke him up.

"Damn, who messed with me?" Wayne woke up groggily, wiped his face clean, and saw Hesming Fen looking panicked. "Hey, what's wrong with you?"

Hesming Fen pointed towards the stone house, almost in tears. "B... Big Brother, there's a dead person."

Wayne saw a person lying outside the stone house, headless, with blood covering the ground. He was shocked and recognized the person as Aijiluxi Pipikan. He hurried over.

Hesming Fen followed, pointing inside the house and crying. "Teacher Crab... he... he's also dead."

Wayne looked inside and indeed saw Teacher Crab sitting motionless against a cabinet. "What... what happened?" He walked in and saw the gruesome scene, feeling extremely frightened. "Was it a monster attack? No, it doesn't seem like it."

"Emma, Shana!" Hesming Fen noticed the two female classmates lying on the bed. He didn't dare to check if they were dead and asked Wayne what to do.

The series of deaths had already stunned Wayne. He was trembling, never expecting to wake up to such a horrific scene, thinking it might be a dream. Wayne checked their breathing and found they were alive but couldn't wake them up no matter how long he called.

Hesming Fen quickly fetched water and splashed it on their faces, which immediately woke them up.

Emma and Shana, like Wayne, sat up in a daze. Seeing Hesming Fen and the others looking at them in shock, they asked, "What's going on?" Looking down, they realized they were naked and quickly wrapped themselves in the blanket, angrily shouting, "You two bastards, what did you do to us?"

"No, it wasn't us," Wayne stepped aside. "Look, the teacher..."

Shana gasped. "Teacher Crab, Teacher Crab..." She called out several times but got no response, realizing he was dead. "What happened?"

Wayne shook his head. "I don't know. I just woke up. Hesming Fen, do you know what happened?"

"I... I..."

Emma saw her clothes on the bed and said, "You two go out first, let us get dressed."

Wayne went outside and squatted next to Pipikan's body. "Who did this? Who killed the teacher and Uncle Pipikan? Hesming Fen, did you see anything when you woke up first?"

"I... I..." Hesming Fen thought of the person he saw, suspecting it might be a student from their academy. He was very afraid and quickly shook his head. "No, I don't know. I didn't see anything. If I had, would he have let me go?"

Wayne thought about it and agreed. "You're right. It's a good thing we were all drunk and asleep, or we might have been... I can't believe even the Yellow Robe Mage Teacher Crab and Uncle Pipikan, who lived in the dangerous Dattam Canyon for years, were killed. The murderer must be very powerful!"

Hesming Fen saw Shana and Emma come out and asked, "What do we do now?" He was completely at a loss.

After a moment of thought, Emma said, "We should go back to the city and inform the other teachers. This is not something we can decide on our own."

"What about the bodies? Should we bury them?"

Shana said, "We can't leave them exposed; they'll be eaten by wild beasts. Let's put them in the stone house and go back to inform the teachers."

The four agreed and carried Pipikan's headless body into the house, tears streaming down their faces as they saw the teacher's body. Wayne sighed. "Even Uncle Pipikan, such a good person, is dead. I wonder which bastard did this."

Banog lay on the back of a flying griffin, blood occasionally seeping from the corners of his mouth. "That old 'Scorpion' is really strong. He managed to hold out against my Great Light Spear. No wonder he was a wanted criminal ten years ago. But no matter how strong you are, you're still just one person. Once I gather my people, I'll flay you alive! But where are those guys now?..."

Occasionally, flying monsters passed by, but they dared not attack due to the griffin's intimidating presence. Suddenly, a chilling aura enveloped him, making even the griffin uneasy.

"What a strong killing intent!" Banog was inwardly alarmed. "I wonder who can emit such a terrifying killing intent. Could it be a warrior?" He leaned to the side of the griffin and looked down, seeing a dusty, desolate area below. A figure was barely visible in the dust, but it was too far to see clearly. Curious, he called the griffin to descend.

The dust gradually cleared, and Bimoye looked at the 'Ji' sword in his hand, which was trembling uncontrollably. No matter how he tried to calm it, it wouldn't settle. He was extremely shocked. He had never seen such a violent and unruly sword. This was the first time he truly used it, but it was completely out of his control, as if it had its own will to fight.

Seeing the decaying corpse of a monster on the ground, he had only wanted to test the sword, not to kill the monster so brutally. Bimoye remembered what his grandfather told him that night: "I gave 'Ji' to you because I believe you are the second person in the Christin family who can use it. But with your current strength, you cannot truly control it. So, don't use it recklessly, or it will bring you regrettable consequences. I'm giving it to you now so it can slowly recognize you and forget its previous owner. Remember, don't 'command it' until it acknowledges you!"

"Grandfather, you were right. It's a disobedient 'child'!" Bimoye slowly put away 'Ji.' It had no sheath because it didn't like being covered, and no sheath could hide its sharpness. So, it was wrapped in a light cloth and tied to his back.

A griffin flew closer, and Bimoye saw the person on it. The person was injured but had sharp eyes fixed on the sword on his back.

"You are from the Christin family." This was not a question but a statement. 'Ji' was one of the thirteen divine weapons, and everyone knew it. It was described first in the 'Detailed Explanation of a Hundred Weapons,' and it was the most important treasure of the Christin family. Seeing 'Ji' and the crimson eyes of the young man, Banog knew he was from the Christin family.

It was said that wealth and nobility did not last beyond three generations, but the Christin family, due to their special bloodline, had produced generations of outstanding individuals, making them one of the most prestigious families on the continent.

Seeing him staring at his sword, Bimoye coldly asked, "Do you want to take this sword?"

Banog came to his senses and chuckled. "I like this sword, but I wouldn't steal it from a child. I advise you, the Christin family's name is great, but you are still young. Carrying this sword will bring you trouble." He was partly sincere, partly insincere. He was indeed tempted by 'Ji' and wouldn't mind taking it from a child, but his advice was genuine.

Bimoye, though cold, was not a spoiled noble. He simply said, "Thank you."

Seeing him about to leave, Banog hurriedly asked, "Have you seen anyone with a blue cross on their body?"

Bimoye looked at him for a while before shaking his head. "I have something to do." He then stepped into the air and flew away.

Banog was slightly surprised. "Impressive! To be able to use magic skills so effortlessly at such a young age and with such speed, the Christin family is truly remarkable! If he could join my Blue Cross..." Thinking of this, he no longer rushed to find his companions and quickly followed on his griffin.

Banog was a very ambitious person. He wanted to achieve great things, and to do that, he needed talented people. Although it was arrogant and unrealistic to think someone from the Christin family would join his ranks, he still wanted to try.

Bimoye was flying at high speed. Since he saw a dragon-like shadow at night, he had been convinced that there might be other dragons in the Dattam Canyon. However, despite searching day and night, he had not found any.

"Hey, little brother." Banog called out, enduring the pain. The griffin was faster and quickly caught up.

Bimoye suddenly stopped and floated in the air, looking at him coldly.

The griffin also slowed down. Banog asked, "I don't know your name yet."

Bimoye didn't answer his question, just looking at him.

Banog didn't mind and said, "I'm Molong Banog, the leader of the Blue Cross Mercenary Group. I want to invite you to join my group..."

"I'm not a mercenary," Bimoye interrupted.

"That's fine, mercenaries can..." Banog understood his meaning. "You're not interested in being a mercenary?"

Bimoye didn't speak, and silence usually meant agreement.

Banog sighed. Being rejected was expected. "Yes, how could someone from the Christin family be interested in a mercenary's life? But I still want you to join because I can see you will be a great person in the future. I won't force you, but if you change your mind, you can contact me through the Mercenary Guild or come to Lutzweilsh, where we have a base."

"Thank you, I'm not interested," Bimoye said coldly and left again.

Banog was not angry at his rudeness. He sighed, knowing that to achieve great things, one must have a great heart.

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