Chapter 116: The Second Familiar

The vision of the group suddenly plunged into darkness, the last glimmer of light swallowed by the shadows. Using his Demon Eyes, Hei Yu continued to pursue, while Bai Shengye was forced to remain where he stood.

Within Ling Xiaolei’s sensory web, the remaining phantoms dissipated under Hei Yu’s assault, leaving only one fleeing in panic. She immediately cast a debuff upon the magic crow’s head:

"Slow!"

The magic crow’s speed plummeted. Burdened by heavy injuries, its wings felt as leaden as if filled with sand; it struggled desperately, unable to fly and beginning to drift toward the ground.

Ling Xiaolei did not pause. Following the debuff, she raised her grimoire with her left hand, pages fluttering as she chanted a song of slumber:

"Twilight Chant—Slumber!"

The fleeing crow lost its will to resist. Its movements grew sluggish until it suddenly swayed and plummeted to the ground like a withered leaf.

Taking advantage of the moment, Hei Yu unleashed several flashes of light, severely wounding the falling crow. Suddenly, his own eyelids grew heavy, and his feet felt as if he were treading on soft clouds. His body tipped forward, and he collapsed onto the ground, falling into a deep sleep.

"Hei Yu!"

A sharp pain flared in his ear. "Ouch, ouch, ouch..."

Ling Xiaolei was twisting his ear hard, hauling him up from the ground.

"Dare to fall asleep during a battle again and see what happens!"

Hei Yu rubbed his aching ear and looked at the indignant Ling Xiaolei, who was blinking her large, sparkling eyes.

"Can you see now?"

"Huh?" She realized it only then. "Yes, I can. Once the crow died, my vision returned."

Bai Shengye gathered the spirit of the magic crow, intending to brew it into a potion that evening. Suddenly recalling something, he looked up and pointed to the treetops. "What about those bird eggs?"

The group’s gaze turned to the eggs. Smooth cracks began to appear on their surfaces, deepening until several bald, little heads broke through the shells, their mouths agape as they chirped hungrily.

"This..."

Hei Yu was at a loss. "If we leave them, they will only harm the villagers here once they grow up."

A soft smile touched the corner of Ling Xiaolei’s mouth.

"Perfect, I shall take them as my familiars!"

As she spoke, the summoning book pendant on her right hand chimed. A massive grimoire unfolded, and a hexagram-shaped summoning circle glowed on the ground beneath the nest.

"In the name of the stars and the radiance of the moon, I bind you to a contract to become my familiars! Dark Crows!"

A flash of violet light erupted. The hatchlings in the nest vanished, transforming into ink-colored magic crows that flew into the grimoire, imprinting themselves onto a blank page. The book closed, shrinking back into the size of a pendant.

"If I raise these little ones carefully, they should be useful in a few months," she said with satisfaction.

"Now that the villagers’ blindness should be cured, let’s head down the mountain. I’m starving," Hei Yu said.

By late afternoon, the three returned to the village. The villagers’ blindness had indeed been cured.

"Saviors, thank you so much..." they exclaimed.

Bai Shengye performed some minor healing, allowing their remaining wounds to mend. The villagers offered wine and meat in gratitude, and the village chief prepared many gifts, all of which Bai Shengye politely declined.

"Just apply the ointment I left behind according to schedule. Those whose wounds haven't fully closed shouldn't move around too much; go back and rest," Bai Shengye instructed.

The village chief pleaded earnestly, "Honorable mages, please accept this. It is a rare gemstone our people accidentally found while hunting. We call it the Mirror Stone."

He held out a crystal-clear gem in his palm for them to see. "We have no mages in our village, so this treasure is wasted here. Please, take it with you; perhaps it will be of use."

"The Mirror Stone..." Ling Xiaolei had once seen illustrations of rare magic stones in ancient texts and recognized it.

Seeing the chief’s persistence, Hei Yu did not refuse further. He gestured toward Ling Xiaolei. "Give it to her."

Ling Xiaolei excitedly took the stone, holding it between her fingers to examine it. The gem was hard, pure, and transparent, containing boundless energy. It was indeed a rare treasure. "Thank you, Chief!" she said joyfully.

A few days later, Hei Yu and his companions returned to Godwood Town, reuniting with Captain Chixin and the light elf maidens, who had already completed their local relief work.

After the meeting, Hei Yu briefly reported the situation in Godguard Village, confirming that there were no more infected individuals in the southern forest.

Chixin said, "Everyone has worked hard on this journey. It is time to say goodbye. I will escort you to the northern port so you may take a ship back to the Holy City, while the three elf maidens will sail back to the Western Sea. We part ways here. Once you return, don't forget to report to your local Mages' Guild office to claim the bounty for the rescue mission."

"Thank you for all your support, Captain Chixin," they replied.

"Finally, I can go back to the Holy City!" Ling Xiaolei was eager to return home.

Along the road out of the city, the residents, knowing they were mages from the Holy City, paused their work to cast grateful gazes upon them.

"I heard it was them who cured the infected in God-Dragon Town..."

Many families of the patients followed behind them, escorting them all the way out of the city.

The group traveled north along the main road until they reached the most prosperous port on the northern coast, where they boarded a fast ship and set sail for the Holy City.

Meanwhile, a large migration of Dark Elves arrived at the shores of the Red Sea. They stopped at Red Port to transfer to ships, heading toward the Eastern Continent on the opposite shore.

Much like river tributaries flowing into a main channel, these scattered Dark Elves had traveled day and night from various continents, all converging on this route. From there, they would cross the Red Sea to finally reach the Dark Forest.

A-Duo and Xiao Lan were responsible for remaining there to receive the final group of travelers.

Both siblings had short blue hair. The older sister, A-Duo, was tall and slender, her well-toned legs visible beneath her light leather armor. Her younger brother blinked his large, watery eyes, his face mischievous and childlike as he kept asking:

"Sister, once we cross the sea, will we see the Dark Elf King?"

"Yes."

"What does the Dark Elf King look like? Is he three thousand years old? Is he an old man? Is he very powerful?"

The short-haired girl smiled gently, her eyes curving into crescents. "I haven't seen him either, but he must be a great King."

In the distance, a group of Dark Elves arrived at Red Port, looking travel-worn after many hardships. A-Duo immediately prepared several small boats for them.

"This is the last group of our kin. We can finally head to the Eastern Lands now." Her eyes were filled with hope.

The water of the Red Sea remained murky and heavy, appearing unable to stir into waves. The boats bobbed on the shallow surf of the beach as A-Duo helped her brother and the children aboard.

The people behind them queued to board, and someone holding a map murmured, "The Mist Forest lies on the other side of the Red Sea. It is infested with demons. How can we reach it safely?"