Wizard: I brought the wrong system.

Chapter 593 Bat Swarm

The edge of the Vassi Mountains.

Behind an unnamed mountain, where the sun never shines, lies a remote and desolate cemetery.

It was midday when a bat hurriedly flew back from outside.

A moment later, from deep underground, in a deep pool of blood, came a languid, soft voice:

"A male human has appeared nearby? Is he a lost wizard apprentice, or an envoy from the Lanelli family?"

“No, he’s just an ordinary person, and you know him, he’s Baron Claire,” the white-haired old man, dressed in a crisp butler’s uniform, said respectfully.

If Yaro were here, he would probably be surprised to find that the old man looked exactly like his territory's deputy steward.

Yes, it's the same person Yaro had Bevan keep an eye on, the former deputy steward of Viscount Corey's territory.

Her languid, soft voice lifted her spirits slightly:
“Baron Claire? I remember that name. Isn’t he that failed seed? Shouldn’t he be at Caslo Fortress right now? How did he get here?”

"Madam Delacour, according to the information relayed by those blood-collecting bats, the Earl of Casloe dismissed Baron Claire from his post a few days ago," the old butler explained methodically.

“My steward, please don’t call me Madame delacour. I don’t like the surname Delacour. Just keep calling me Viscountess Corey.” The languid, soft voice corrected earnestly.

“I understand, Viscountess Corey.”

"Ah, very good."

A splashing sound rang out from the pool of blood, and blood surged up, forming a bulge with a viscous texture. It slowly receded away, revealing a pure white body.

The maids on both sides immediately took the clothes and went to greet him tremblingly.

The old butler lowered his head humbly, but when his gaze fell on his wrinkled arms, a hint of disgust flashed across his face.

Attended by her maids, Viscountess Corey smiled sweetly:
"Speaking of which, he deserves about half the credit for the formation of this blood pool... My steward, now that he's appeared in this area, do you think I should give him this opportunity to transform into a vampire?"

The old steward trembled involuntarily, but still said respectfully:
"This blood was painstakingly collected by those hardworking 'little bees' during the flowering season. Whose flowers bloomed has nothing to do with us?"

Viscountess Corey let out a clear, bell-like laugh.

"How come I never realized you were so eloquent? It seems the previous steward wasted your talent. I'm actually a little glad he died at the hands of the wizard Yaro."

The old butler just kept his head down and didn't reply.

Seeing this, Viscountess Corey waved her hand dismissively.

“His identity is too complicated. I don’t need the blood of a stinky man right now. Consider him lucky. Let’s get a few ‘big bees’ to drive him away.”

"I will obey your orders."

……

Since explaining the meaning of protection to Bevin, Yaro has not brought Bevin directly to Claire's side again.

No matter what problems Claire encountered on the road, he was left to figure out his own solutions, and they even stayed in separate rooms when it got dark.

With the supplies stored in his spatial ring, Yaro's quality of life wasn't much worse than what he lived in his territory.

But Claire truly endured a life of hardship, sleeping outdoors and not even having a suitable weapon. She made all sorts of tools along the way, including the stone spear she used for self-defense.

Claire is becoming more and more like a wild woman every day.

But he eventually climbed out of the canyon and followed the water trail toward the nearest mountain.

Bevin, steaming food at a high vantage point, peered down at the slow but determined figures below, and said wearily:
"Teacher, have we covered the entire distance of the Earl's territory yet?"

Living outdoors every day, with Yaro carrying him by the back of the neck as they traveled, Bevin was starting to feel the strain.

“It should be about right. If we had started from Baron Perrin’s territory, we might already be near Fort Scallo by now,” Yaro said, looking at the map and estimating the distance.

Don't be fooled by Claire's previous experience of riding horses and making two round trips a day.

Not only were there no roads in the jungle, but Claire was also simulating that she had lost her 'vitality,' using her 'Gecko Wall-Climbing Skill' to evade any slightly larger wild animals she encountered, which naturally caused her to waste a lot of time.

"Can we finally go back?"

Bevin felt utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally. All he wanted was to get back to the academy, take a nice bath, enjoy a delicious meal prepared by a chef, and then lie in his comfortable bed for a peaceful sleep.

Yaro said, "It's still early. He still needs to find a suitable location to carve the secret martial arts manual and the self-rotating Heaven-Mending Old Man."

But if you're tired, I can take you home first when I have time.

I'm prepared to stay by your father's side until he safely returns to Fort Caslow.

Claire's actions are not only related to Yaro's plan to promote martial arts, but also very likely to be related to the reason why the system issued the mission.

His safety is now more important than anything else on Barrow's plate.

"No, no, I've just been traveling and haven't had time to rest properly. Once my father finds a spot, we can stop and rest for a bit."

Bevin quickly refused.

He was unwilling to give up the opportunity to learn from his teacher.

Yaro nodded and said no more, continuing to write and draw on the wooden board, while secretly pondering what excuse he should find to take out the 'Heaven-Mending Technique'.

The main problem is that nothing special has happened in the past few days, and no matter what excuse I use, it seems a bit rash.

"If all else fails, I'll say that I was observing the natural world and suddenly had a burst of inspiration, and immediately came up with the meridian diagram for the Heaven-Mending Technique. It's okay to be a little reckless, but we can't waste Claire's cultivation time."

“Bevan also saw me. I use ‘遁甲’ (a martial arts technique) to write martial arts every day, so I have a witness to that.”

Just as Yaro made up his mind, Bevan, who was next to him, suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

"Teacher, look! What's that?"

"what happened?"

Yaro walked over to Bevin and followed his gaze downwards.

"Huh? A bat?"

Yaro frowned instinctively, but his brows quickly relaxed.

They're really here?
Even if logically speaking, the Viscountess might be hiding in this area, after walking for so long, Yarrow had long since given up on that idea.

Completely unexpectedly, after traveling for so long without encountering these strange bats near the Viscount's territory in the Vassy Mountains, they suddenly came across them near the Scarlo Fortress. The Viscountess's image immediately flashed into Yaro's mind.

Bevin was somewhat taken aback.

"Those are bats? How can there be such big, ugly bats? Each one is probably as tall as a person!"

As they were talking, Bevin's expression suddenly changed drastically.

"Teacher, please hurry and save my father! He can't escape those giant flying bats!"

Claire certainly looked to be in grave danger, tumbling and running in a very disheveled state.

However, those large, blood-red bats were also very wary. Just like a pack of wolves hunting large prey, as soon as Claire faced one side, the strange bats on that side would immediately scatter, while the large, blood-red bats behind her would take the opportunity to probe and swoop down.

Yaro carefully observed his surroundings while patiently instructing him:
"No matter what happens, stay calm. Take a good look at yourself. The way those bats attack is effective against ordinary people and even wizard apprentices, but it's nothing against a regular knight with amazing stamina."

Moreover, bats are not known for their endurance, so if the stalemate continues, it's uncertain who will give up first.

Your father won't be in danger for the time being. Let's observe our surroundings first, see if the enemy has any other tricks up their sleeve, and then decide whether and when to make our move.

The main reason is that Claire is still maintaining her 'persona' and hasn't fully unleashed her power yet. Otherwise, if she suddenly unleashed her power, she could definitely pull the relaxed blood-red bat down and beat it to death.

Even without attacking, simply running with your head in your hands would be enough to easily break through the encirclement of the blood-red bats.

"Why does it feel like those giant, blood-red bats are just trying to drive them away?"

Yaro stroked his smooth chin, deep in thought.

"In this desolate wilderness, it's normal to encounter any danger, right? If she really wanted to hide nearby, would she be so kind as to let a blood pack that's delivered right to her doorstep?"

"Or is it that she's made a fortune lately and no longer cares about such a small gain?"

It seems that Yarrow has figured out why the Viscountess is in this position.

The war that broke out at Scarlo Fortress was nothing short of a grand feast for blood bats like the Viscountess.
After a war, there might not be a shortage of blood for ten years.

Now, what she should be worried about is how to maintain her blood for a longer period of time.
After understanding the behavior patterns of the blood-red bat, the situation on the field became clearer to Yaro.

After a moment's thought, Yaro took out a strange long rod from his spatial ring and handed it to Bevin.

"Take this gun for self-defense."

"gun?"

Bevin took it with a puzzled look.

He couldn't quite understand why such a strange iron rod would be called a 'gun'.

"Yes, do you know how to use a crossbow? Even if you haven't used one yourself, you must have seen others use one, right?"

Seeing Bevin nod, Yaro continued:
"Just think of it as a crossbow. Whenever you encounter danger, point this side of the bow at the enemy and pull the trigger to fire a bullet... It's a weapon similar to a crossbow bolt."

“I know about crossbows, now that you've explained it to me, I understand.”

Bevan raised his gun and pretended to point it down the mountain.

"and many more!"

Yaro grabbed him, "Don't fire randomly. This gun is very inaccurate and can only be used for close-range self-defense. I haven't set the safety, and it's not even cocked; it's ready to fire right away, so it can only fire one shot. Just hold it in your hand, and don't put your finger on the trigger unless there's danger."

In fact, Yaro didn't expect the gun to be of much use; aside from serving as a safety measure, its main purpose was to produce the sound of the gunshot.

If there is any real danger, as long as Bevan pulls the trigger, the bullets and gunshots will not only deter the enemy, but also warn Claire and himself down the hillside.

"Also, I've activated the Wind Dragon Armor and left it here. You still remember the Wind Dragon Armor's detection range, right? If there are any enemies, lure them towards the Wind Dragon Armor, understand?"

Actually, a better solution would be to have Bevin put on the Wind Dragon Armor directly.

However, Bevin hasn't mastered magic yet and can't stop the Wind Dragon Armor on his own. Wearing the Wind Dragon Armor is safe now, but he'll inevitably get injured when he tries to stop it from operating later. It's better to leave it aside as a target.

"You stay here and hide. I'll go check the direction where those blood-red bats appeared."

After settling Bevin, a layer of green algae quickly appeared on Yaro's body. The algae soon darkened, and like a chameleon, it quickly turned into the color of the ground.

Then, using the mountain as cover, it stayed close to the ground and shot off like an arrow.

With the aid of the Dragon's Movement Technique, most terrain could not hinder Yaro, and even if he had to detour a little, it did not take too long.

A moment later, Yaro silently slipped into the jungle, but the sight inside made him instinctively hold his breath.

So many bats!

Yes, it's a normal bat, about the size of a palm.

These bats clung tightly to the tree trunks, their wings folded, like ghosts in the night, hanging densely on every branch, turning all the trees black and creating a series of chilling scenes.

It's clear that these bats are all resting, but some of the bats on the outer perimeter are not sleeping soundly. They are frequently awakened by the gentle sunlight and then try to burrow back into the swarm.

"This has probably attracted all the ordinary bats in the area, right? I'm sure a large portion of them are the bats that used to live in the underground base."

It's impossible that they originally lived here, otherwise the jungle floor wouldn't have such a shallow layer of feces.

Moreover, bats are nocturnal and accustomed to living in dark, damp environments; jungles have never met their requirements for large-scale habitation.

Yaro took a slow breath, and a pungent smell of blood rushed to his head.

Blood?

He then noticed the undried bloodstains on the corners of many bats' mouths.

"So it turns out they didn't use any extraordinary methods to secretly steal the blood, but instead collected it using these ordinary bats?"

With that thought in mind, Yaro enveloped himself in a veil of elegance and quietly withdrew from the jungle.

Then, continue exploring inwards along the edge.

It is easy to go from simplicity to luxury, but difficult to go from luxury to frugality.

Lady Corry had enjoyed decades of comfort in the Viscount’s mansion, and Yarrow couldn’t believe she could live in this stinking jungle filled with bat droppings.

But since she's using these bats to 'steal' blood, her location must not be too far from here.

Looking around, Yaro seemed to have found his target.