Chapter 40

Over 5500 words, the 200-word gap from last night has been made up, please collect, give me flowers, and votes!

"Damn it!" Emperor Ceylon XIII had the urge to bang his head against the wall. He had carefully weighed the factors before launching this war, and he had considered all aspects. Of course, he might not have thought through the specific process in detail, after all, those people were maintained by him, what else would they do?

"Then may I ask, what does Monty mean by this?" The tone of Emperor Ceylon XIII already carried some resentment.

"Ensure the safety of this little girl, and as for his son, we won't pursue it." The representative of the Mage Guild replied calmly.

"You! He even has a son!" Emperor Ceylon XIII was almost spitting blood, looking at Angela with a puzzled gaze.

"He is the deputy leader of the Mammoth Knights, but he is now missing." Angela, who had walked around the battlefield, had some understanding.

"Sir, Sir, Monty is being unreasonable. He says he won't trouble me over his son, but how can I guarantee this person's life? That's a battlefield of millions!" Emperor Ceylon XIII complained.

"Hehe, that's not something we can worry about, that's your problem, Your Majesty." The representative chuckled, giving an answer that almost made Emperor Ceylon XIII faint.

"You, you, your Mage Guild is just like this in restraining mages." Emperor Ceylon XIII stood up and lashed out.

"As you said, we merely restrain. But I must remind you, if Monty advances to a Saint Mage, if he really does something, our Mage Guild won't have many options." The representative explained without any anger.

"Ah!" Emperor Ceylon XIII sighed after a moment of thought. After all, the Mage Guild relied on Saint Mages to support it, and at that time, the Mage Guild might even help Monty against his own family.

"Alright, alright, I will issue an emergency order." Emperor Ceylon XIII gave in, having no choice but to compromise. There was no good way to deal with such an unreasonable person.

"Your Majesty, this is Duke Erdmann's urgent military report." At this moment, a chief eunuch rushed in and loudly reported.

"Spit!" After reading it, Emperor Ceylon XIII spat out a large mouthful of blood, but he did not faint, after all, he was a warrior.

"Ah, I hope the Mage Guild can accept the royal bounty and help find this girl." Emperor Ceylon XIII sighed with a pale face.

"Your Majesty, what happened? You should know that the Mage Guild's bounty is open to the entire plane." The Mage Guild's steward asked solemnly.

"Take a look, the entire plane, the entire plane, I don't want to be hunted by a Saint Mage." Emperor Ceylon XIII, looking much more dejected, handed over the scroll.

Angela and the Mage Guild's steward read the scroll and were stunned. After a while, the steward exclaimed, "Your Majesty, who made this plan? It's incredibly talented."

"General Conknee's work, but this plan was the best in the past, and now..." Emperor Ceylon XIII also showed a regretful expression, as Angela had reported that Conknee had died, and of course, from poisoning.

"The Fox of Ceylon indeed lives up to his name. If half of the million farmers who came out of the pile of death return, the Ceylon Empire won't fear the Roland Empire. But now..." The Mage Guild's steward also sighed, clearly the plan was good, but there was a problem in the execution process. If the problem in the execution was a small issue, then the appearance of a Saint Mage was the biggest variable.

"Your Majesty, are you sure you want to issue a bounty through the Mage Guild? You should know that the Mage Guild is not only open to the entire plane but also has good relations with other guilds." The Mage Guild's steward looked at Emperor Ceylon XIII and asked.

"Alright, I can only offer 500,000 gold coins, you handle it as you see fit." Emperor Ceylon XIII nodded helplessly. The steward's meaning was that the bounty issued by the Mage Guild would appear on the task lists or bounty boards of other major guilds.

"500,000, alright, I'll go back and issue the bounty immediately." The Mage Guild's steward was somewhat disappointed by this number. In the eyes of mages, gold coins were not particularly valuable, and 500,000 was not a large sum. However, the steward forgot Emperor Ceylon XIII's situation, as he had to maintain the entire empire, which was also suffering from a drought. Emperor Ceylon XIII also had to be prepared to face the wrath of a Saint Mage, and without money, how could he manage?

"Thank you, Sir. Angela, you should leave too, it's more dangerous for you here." Emperor Ceylon XIII waved to Angela, after all, a Fire Saint Mage would come openly, while the poisoner was the real killer in the dark.

"Sir, you are a registered member of the Mage Guild, who would dare to cause trouble?" The Mage Guild's steward asked in confusion.

"Ah, if a Saint Mage is after you, what would you do?" Angela sighed and asked.

"Run, of course. Sir, Angela, you mean?" The steward immediately reacted, asking in surprise.

"I might have offended a Master Alchemist, or even a Grandmaster Alchemist." Angela looked around and whispered.

"Damn!" The Mage Guild's steward jumped up at this, for there were two types of people mages least wanted to face: alchemists and potion masters. Facing potion masters, those unreasonable lunatics, mages could only avoid them from a distance. As for alchemists, those despicable fellows would drain every coin from you.

"Gentlemen, I'll take my leave." The Mage Guild's steward left this statement and almost ran out without any dignity.

"Your Majesty, take care!" Seeing the steward's reaction, Angela's fear grew even more, and she hurriedly left.

"Someone!" Seeing this situation, Emperor Ceylon XIII gritted his teeth and shouted loudly.

Half an hour later, in the reception hall of the Mage Guild, a new bounty was added to all Mage Guild halls, but the 500,000 gold coins did not cause much of a stir. Of course, for some people, 500,000 was still a significant amount, but when they learned that the person to be found was near the Angon Great Snow Mountain, they all backed off.

Further investigation revealed that the location where the person went missing was near where nearly 3 million armies were chasing and fighting each other. The person who spent 1,000 gold coins to buy detailed information turned around and left, muttering, "Damn, the higher-ups are crazy. Looking for a beautiful female mage on a battlefield of 3 million people, only a lunatic would do that."

Actually, this person was right. The continent was not short of lunatics, though not many. As for the people from other guilds, they all ignored the message, knowing that a beautiful female mage in a battlefield of 3 million people would not have a good outcome. Besides, those with lesser abilities would not waste their time, and those with insufficient abilities would have to consider whether they could survive in a battlefield of 3 million people, not to mention the mage corps, griffin knights, and wyvern knights, who might accidentally kill them, leaving no place to appeal.

Cook and his group faced a serious problem. Lori, crying like a teary-eyed girl, clung tightly to Cassius's sleeve, "Uncle, can't we go together? Why are you leaving?"

"Ha, I have no choice. You've seen the griffin knights appearing frequently. This means the Ceylon Empire won't let us go, specifically, they won't let me go. Not to belittle you, but the value of all of you combined is not as high as mine." Cassius was also helpless. In just one day, the griffin knights had appeared twice, though only the distant calls of griffins were heard, but Cassius was on high alert.

"Ha, of course, the Son of the Guardian of the Roland Empire, this identity is definitely more valuable than all of us." Conknee laughed, but her expression seemed more like schadenfreude.

"Ah, I didn't expect the Mammoth Knights to end like this." Cassius also helplessly shrugged.

"Uncle." At this moment, Lori was just a little girl, not at all like a girl nearly 20 years old.

"Don't cry, it's easier for me to hide alone. Cook, your talent is enough to keep you safe. I now swear on my life to bring these two women back safely." Cassius then stared fiercely at Cook.

"No, Sir!" Cook looked and shook his head.

"Hmm!" A hint of killing intent flashed across Cassius's face, and a powerful aura enveloped him.

"Yes, three women, I swear on my life!" Cook quickly knelt down, placing his right hand on his chest and raising his left hand to swear.

"Uh!" Cassius was stunned, then saw the tears in Mitchie's eyes and suddenly realized.

"Go, all of you!" Cassius instructed Cook.

"Sir, take care!" Cook almost carried Lori away, hugging her. Since Cook learned that Cassius was the Son of the Guardian of the Roland Empire, though he didn't know what the Guardian meant, he sensed the danger of being with Cassius. If not for Cassius's recovered strength, which relied on Lori's healing scroll, Cook would have wanted to leave. But thinking of his sister, his elderly father, and his mother, Cook dismissed the idea.

When Cassius proposed going alone, Cook was almost excited to jump, but fortunately, his mental age was 30, not 16. Since Cassius was a time bomb, Cook would of course swear, as he had thought it through clearly. If these three died, he would have died long ago. If he were the enemy, the beautiful women would likely be safe, but the men would be killed on sight. This was the fundamental reason for Cook's oath.

"Ugh!" Lori was carried forward by Cook, who covered her mouth to prevent her from shouting, causing her to struggle all the way.

"Bang! Can't you be a bit more quiet!" Cook had no choice. On the mountain path, carrying a struggling woman made it impossible for him to move forward. So, Cook gritted his teeth and knocked Lori unconscious. A mage's body was not very strong, though stronger than an ordinary person, but Cook's soul was from another world, a security guard, so a targeted strike to a weak point caused unconsciousness.

"Cook, Cook, you...!" Mitchie asked anxiously.

"Nothing, just unconscious. Come, Mitchie, help me." With Mitchie's help, Cook tightly bound Lori to his back, then took a one-handed sword to clear the way. Mitchie and Conknee walked in the middle, Mike at the back, and Little Bad at the rear, while Big Mouth scouted ahead.

"Cook, put me down." Cook was tired and hungry, but he didn't dare rest, knowing the distance was not yet safe. The forest was full of thorns, but fortunately, this was a temperate forest, not as terrifying as a tropical one. When Cook heard this, he found a clean place to put Lori down.

"Cook, I hate you. If Uncle... ." Lori said as soon as she was down, but when she saw Cook's clothes torn by thorns and his body drenched in sweat, she stopped.

"Sir, don't worry, Cassius will be safe. He is so smart and strong, and alone, he can find a hidden place. I don't believe the Ceylon Empire will use a million troops to search the entire forest." Cook quickly reassured her.

"Yes, mentor!" Mitchie also chimed in. Among the group, Mitchie's forehead only had a slight sweat, as she was the daughter of a hunter, making walking in the forest easy. If not for taking care of Conknee, she wouldn't have sweated at all. Conknee was lying on the ground without any dignity, and Mike was leaning against a tree, panting. Only Little Bad occasionally jumped down from the trees, and Big Mouth stood on a branch.

"Cook, I hate you!" Finally, Lori said angrily.

"Hehe, Sir, I'm doing this for your own good. Look at our group, can we show ourselves?" Cook's heart was at ease, and he laughed.

"Ah." Lori looked and realized that if their group showed themselves, the outcome would likely be tragic. After all, Cook had eliminated a high-ranking official. Just the gray-robed Conknee would cause the Ceylon Empire to take action, not to mention the mysterious death of the third prince. Lori was a mage, but mages had different levels. If she were a Saint Mage, she wouldn't fear the Ceylon Empire's army, at least for self-preservation. But at her level, she could only scare farmers, and a squad of experienced elite soldiers would be enough to give her a hard time. So, Lori sighed helplessly.

"Where are we?" Lori then asked.

"I don't know, but we're heading for higher ground. The more remote, the safer we are." Cook quickly answered.

Lori nodded. Cook was right. The two people with him, Big Mouth and Little Bad, were most effective in the forest. Big Mouth was the best scout, and a bird as a scout in the forest couldn't be more suitable. As for Little Bad, he was just causing trouble.

"But I'm wondering why we haven't encountered any fierce beasts." Cook asked in confusion.

"Idiot!" Conknee rolled her eyes.

"Looking for a beating? Besides, idiot, do you think I'll hand you over to that guy!" Cook immediately flared up. He could tolerate it in front of Lady Lori, as he was her follower, but for a captive to make him angry was unacceptable.

"Hmph, didn't you hear the griffin's call? That's a level 5 flying monster. Wild beasts wouldn't dare to come out." Conknee coldly replied.

"Right, hurry up, Sir. Not long ago, we heard the griffin's call. According to Big Mouth, we heard the calls of six griffins, all different." Cook only knew about griffins and hippogriffs but had never seen them, not even from a distance.

"Six!" Conknee was shocked. The entire Ceylon Empire only had eight adult griffins, and she sensed something was wrong. Was Emperor Ceylon XIII going all in?

"Six level 5 flying monsters, plus the knights on top, my God, Cook is right, we need to hurry." Lori, being a mage, knew about griffins and stood up with a serious expression.

"Sir, you're right." Cook quickly agreed. He intuitively compared griffins to attack helicopters, and his small team to a group of rookies with rifles. With six attack helicopters on their tail, Cook felt his scalp tingle. If he knew the true combat power of griffins and their knights, he might have compared them to F-22 Raptors.

Seeing Lori speak, Cook led the way, but fortunately, the temperate forest was easier to navigate than a tropical rainforest, with fewer shrubs and thorns. Originally, Cook planned to follow the river, but it was a bad idea because the riverbank was lush with shrubs and thorns.

Cook and his group struggled through the forest, with Cook working the hardest, not only clearing the way but also finding food. Mitchie helped with this. As the sky darkened, Big Mouth reported good news and bad news.

"Lady Lori, we have a place to camp for the night, but the bad news is that it's occupied by someone else." Cook said helplessly. Earlier, he had injured Big Mouth's paw, making it difficult for Big Mouth to walk on the mountain path. Big Mouth also carried Lori's belongings, so the ladies had to walk, making a good campsite essential for rest and continued travel.

"Damn, damn, tonight I'll make this guy learn wood magic, my leg is swollen." Lori gritted her teeth, referring to Cook.

When Lori heard someone ahead, she tensed and asked, "Who?"

"A gray bear." Cook shrugged.

"Um! Then this task is yours." Lori relaxed and said nonchalantly.

"Sir, Sir, that's a bear, a bear." Cook stammered.

"Do you expect me to use magic? Don't forget, if I use magic, the griffin knights will find us immediately. Or do you want me to hit that big guy with my staff? Or one of them?" Lori sat on the ground, rubbing her smooth calf, and smiled sweetly, asking.