The wizard starts by trimming the donkey's hooves

Chapter 440 Soul Reaper

at the same time.

A suburban estate south of the Imperial City of Tamriel.

The manor covers a large area, and the most eye-catching thing is its main building, which is an old castle with a sense of age.

Excluding the watchtower, the main building of the castle has three floors in total. There are four circular arrow towers on the four corners, and a circle of battlements on top of the arrow towers. It looks like it has good defensive capabilities.

However, judging from the weeds growing in the cracks of the gray rock walls and the large patches of moss covering the surface, the castle must have been built quite a long time ago.

But no matter what, owning such a rare castle manor in the suburbs of the imperial capital is not something that ordinary nobles can afford.

At this moment, on the top of the third floor of the castle, the second prince's butler, Earl Buchanan, with two teams of fully armed guards, was eagerly waiting for something.

"Sir, look, that should be Lord Bostaff's airship, right?"

At this time, an attendant pointed at an airship that appeared in the distant sky and shouted with a little excitement.

Although there are many airships flying in the sky of the imperial capital, the style of the airship in front of us is still relatively rare.

The front and rear ends of the airbag are pointed oval shapes, and the entire airbag looks like a sharp date pit. The cabin hanging below is also shuttle-shaped. At the same time, there are as many as three propellers at the tail, providing strong thrust.

If Ryan was there, he would be able to see at a glance that this design is actually intended to reduce air resistance and thus increase speed.

In fact, it is true.

This streamlined airship is actually specially designed for long-distance travel.

"Yes, this is the one." Buchanan narrowed his eyes, took a closer look, and his originally solemn face began to smile.

Finally the wait is over.

If Bostav doesn't come, Ryan will probably be back soon.

Buchanan was afraid that he would regret not seizing such a good opportunity.

A few minutes later, the airship slowly docked at the arrow tower in the northeast corner of the castle, which served as a mooring point.

"Crench!"

As a sturdy steel combat boot stepped on the long iron gangway, the thick iron gangway actually made a sound of being unable to bear the weight and produced a noticeable concave deformation.

A sturdy figure who was obviously over four meters tall walked out of the airship cabin with a bent waist. This was a strong man wearing huge iron shoulder guards and half leather armor.

There were several centimeters of scratches on the iron shoulder guards, and there were several large holes in the leather armor, which should have been the result of a fierce battle, but there were no scars on the exposed skin.

"How can you do that? Next time, make the gangway twice as thick!"

The scene on the gangway immediately prompted Buchanan to whisper a rebuke to his attendant beside him.

However, the next second, he greeted her with a smile on his face.

"Mr. Bostaf, welcome back safely."

"You're welcome, Mr. Buchanan." A deep voice sounded from the other person's throat.

Although they could sense that the other party was deliberately controlling his voice, the guards nearby still felt a buzzing in their ears, as if they heard thunder in the distant sky.

"Ccrunch! Crunch!"

In just two steps, the other party walked up the nearly seven or eight meter long gangway, but he was holding a long cylindrical tentacle in his hand.

The tentacles are dark gray with circular spots of varying sizes on the surface, and are about the thickness of an adult male's ankle.

Just as Buchanan was about to say something, suddenly!
"Wow!"

Bostav just pulled with his big hand, and a creature over 20 meters long and with a strange appearance was quickly pulled out of the cabin.

The next second, he held the strange monster with multiple tentacles in one hand and slowly placed it on the ground.

Suddenly, the guards around were in a panic and retreated one after another!

Even though this monster was dead, the steady pressure still made them feel palpitations. It was conceivable how terrifying this monster was when it was alive.

The monster's body is actually not very big, about five or six meters long, and is shaped like a huge sphere with a huge eyeball in the middle, without upper and lower eyelids, and seven or eight tentacles over ten meters long hanging from the lower end.

What Bostaf was holding just now was one of the opponent's tentacle.

It is not difficult to see that when this creature was alive, it should have relied on its tentacles to stand and walk.

"Is this the Soul Reaper?"

"Sir Bostaf, you actually killed this monster?" Buchanan was extremely shocked. He usually prided himself on being knowledgeable, but this time he completely lost his composure.

You have to know that the monster in front of you is a religious creature of tens of thousands of indigenous tribes on the forbidden island, that is, a totem creature.

The origin of the monster is no longer traceable.

But according to legend, the other party is not a creature from this world. With epic strength and countless years of indigenous worship, it has possessed a hint of divinity. This monster calls itself the Soul Taker.

Even in an epic battle, the opponent was a very fierce existence, but unexpectedly, he was killed by Bostav.

Buchanan remembered clearly that the task that Second Prince Everton assigned to Bostaff was to obtain part of the Soul Taker's body tissue.

This is because the dragon bloodline itself is extremely powerful, so they consider the need to mix it with the blood of powerful creatures from other worlds.

Moreover, he also heard that the Federation also planned to kill this monster.

Unexpectedly, Bostaf actually brought back the complete body of the monster. It's really amazing!

"Well, he wouldn't have been hurt, but then he ran into some Federation scum." Bostav said nonchalantly.

"Sir Bostaf, you are truly amazing. His Highness will surely be very happy to know your achievements."

Very good!
Guy Ryan, let’s see how you can escape this time!

Buchanan, who came to his senses, couldn't help but feel more confident!
Half an hour later.

In the castle banquet hall.

The long and huge dining table was filled with a sumptuous feast of ferocious beasts. Bostaf was sitting on a specially made large chair with his upper body naked. While eating and drinking happily, he asked casually:
"Mr. Buchanan, His Highness called me back so urgently, what's the matter?"

"It's like this. Your Highness hopes that you can help obtain the essence of a person's blood. This person is called Ryan. He is very powerful and also possesses a special dragon bloodline. It is said that his strength after transformation can reach the epic level."

"Most importantly, His Highness believes that the other party's blood essence will play a huge role in promoting the final experiment!"

"Oh?" Bostav wiped the red Bordeaux liquid from the corner of his mouth and couldn't help laughing, but his appearance looked a little hideous.

Bostav can be said to care more about the Second Prince Everton's experiment than anyone else, because he himself is a survivor and beneficiary of Everton's experiment.

He knew that if he wanted to further improve his strength, then the subsequent experimental results of His Royal Highness the Second Prince would be particularly important to him!
"A day and a half ago, we learned that the other party suddenly went to Ferdinand Forest. This is a good opportunity. Otherwise, it will be difficult to take action after he returns to the imperial capital," Buchanan began to describe in detail.

"I see. Is the airship ready? I'll set off now."

"Uh, Mr. Bostaff, don't you want to take a rest?"

"Go and see if my iron shoulder pads and leather armor have been repaired." Bostaf waved his hand and said to the servant beside him.

Seeing this, Buchanan would not dissuade him and said immediately:
"Okay then. By the way, Mr. Bostaph, we have three elite slave-hunting teams in Ferdinand Forest. They will be responsible for the search. You just need to make the final decision at the critical moment!"

"Ok!"

Bostav nodded, took out a syringe from the box next to him, and inserted it into his arm. After the scarlet liquid was injected, the blood color in his eyes quickly subsided.

Ferdinand Forest, Post No. 7.

Ian was able to become a colonel, so he naturally knew what to say and what it was best not to ask.

"Colonel Ian, I'm sorry to bother you this time." Ryan looked at the other's epaulettes and smiled.

"Colonel Ian, this is Lord Ryan from the Sword Bearer Headquarters. I'm Olena, Lord Ryan's full-time liaison. Lord Ryan's visit to Outpost No. 7 this time is top secret, and I hope Colonel Ian will keep it confidential."

Olena glanced at Ian and the two people behind him with her beautiful eyes, and said.

Since this was a special operation, Olena would not elaborate on anything. "Don't worry, Your Excellency Olena. We are all imperial soldiers and we know the principle of confidentiality." Ian and the two people behind him nodded quickly.

"Lord Ryan, Lady Olena, why don't you all take a rest first? The rooms in the sentry post are relatively simple. They are all converted from our barracks."

Ryan waved his hand and said, "Colonel Ian, you are too polite. I won't rest. Olena and the others will bother me for a few days."

Olena smiled at Ryan, then turned her head and said, "Colonel Ian, sorry to bother you. However, we can stay on the airship, but I'll have to trouble you with the food."

"No, no!" Colonel Ian's heart skipped a beat when he saw Olena's smile.

This young woman is quite charming! She is capable and well-spoken. If she were in the army, she would at least be a civilian colonel, but now she is just a liaison to the young man in front of her.

It seems that this young man in front of me is quite extraordinary!

Ian was able to become a colonel, so he naturally had a good eye, but he was a little confused about the strength of Lord Ryan in front of him.

"Colonel Ian, have you observed any new developments at the outpost recently?" Olena asked with a serious expression.

Due to the distance, there is a certain delay in the transmission of information from the headquarters, but the person in front of us should have first-hand information.

"Yes, both of you. How about sitting in my room for a while? I will report to you in detail." Colonel Ian asked after a moment's thought.

"Okay." Ryan nodded.

In Colonel Ian's room.

Ryan, Olena and Ian sat facing each other across the coffee table.

After Colonel Ian poured a cup of black tea for Ryan and Olena respectively, he slowly began to narrate:
"Lord Ryan, Lady Olena, our No. 7 sentry post has recently discovered that the number of teams entering Ferdinand Forest is several times more than usual, and many of the teams are not dressed like the slave-hunting teams we have seen in the past."

Ryan nodded and motioned for Ian to continue.

"In the past few days, there were even a few teams that were trying to attack our outpost. However, after we fired the signal flares, they quickly disappeared."

"Since the enemy's strength is obviously very strong, I didn't dare to send anyone to track them down. I'm afraid you will laugh at me. Although my men are elite soldiers, they can usually deal with the slave-hunting teams, but they are definitely not capable of dealing with those teams."

"Well, we can do our best, Colonel Ian. This is a wise decision." Ryan smiled and said.

"Haha, thank you Lord Ryan for your praise. But we didn't do nothing. We monitored the direction of their team's movement through the magic array. They should be heading to several elven villages in the southern part of the forest."

"Oh?" Ryan raised his eyebrows.

Elf village? Are they trying to capture the elves?

"My Lord, look at this map. It's right here and here."

Ian took out a topographic map near Outpost No. 7. There were several green dots on the map, representing nearby elf villages, yellow dots were elf outposts, and three red lines represented the directions of those suspicious teams.

Just as Ian said, the other party's direction was very purposeful, almost moving in a straight line towards several elf villages.

"Colonel Ian, is there anyone who left a deep impression on you?" Olena asked.

"Yes! In one of the teams, there was a man whose eyes alone gave me chills. His eyes were like those of a poisonous snake, able to pierce into one's soul. I could vaguely see snake patterns on his robes."

"It should be a team from the Secret Snake Cult. We have received relevant information, but the specific personnel are unknown. Lord Ryan, if there is any definite news, I will contact you as soon as possible." Olena whispered softly in Ryan's ear.

"Ah."

Ryan nodded. Even at such a long distance, just a glance could make a top knight feel terrified. The opponent's strength was indeed good.

“I can’t tell anything else.”

"Because the range that our No. 7 outpost can detect through the telescope is about seven or eight kilometers in radius, so if a team enters from farther away, we can only roughly monitor their movements from the magic formation." Ian explained.

Ren nodded.

If the other party intends to capture the elves, then the situation on Anna's side may not be good, and he has to set off immediately.

He decided to look for Anna and Lambert first, and after making sure Anna was safe, he would go to the ruins of Valzig to meet with the leader Moriah.

Of course, it would be great if we could find the 'Heart of the Ancient Tree' while reuniting with Anna.

"Olena, I'll leave now. Let the Hellfire Golem stay here. Claire can control it with difficulty. If not, just let it self-destruct." Ryan instructed.

Since we have to find Anna first, we still need to move secretly. The Hellfire Golem makes too much noise and is not suitable to be carried around. Instead, it is very good to use it to guard the outpost.

With Beyoncé, Claire and the improved Hellfire Golem, the safety of Olena and other logistics teams is guaranteed.

At the same time, Claire, a top-level wizard, was also responsible for communication with Ryan. This time, they brought a set of small communication devices, similar to the previous thin sheets, which could communicate within a certain area.

"Okay, Lord Ryan, I wish you a safe journey." Olena knew the priorities of the matter and did not try to persuade him.

Although Colonel Ian was surprised that Ryan set out so quickly, he didn't say much considering that the other party should have some top-secret mission.

"By the way, Lord Ryan, there is something strange in that forest, whether it is the animals, plants or even the water. After a team of my men were injured, I thought it was more important to guard the post, so I never sent anyone in again." Ian added, as if he had thought of something.

"Oh? What's so strange about it?" Olena asked curiously.

"Those animals seemed to be crazy, attacking people with red eyes. Also, the plants seemed to be alive, and they bleed if you cut them!" Ian said with a solemn expression.

"Okay! Thank you, Colonel Ian, I will pay attention." Ryan nodded, stood up and walked out.

However, he did not go down, but returned to the top of the outpost.

As Ryan's mind moved slightly, he saw a huge blue and purple bird of prey jumping out from the bottom of the airship, chirping at Ryan, and then soaring into the sky, while another huge war dog rushed to Ryan and rubbed against him affectionately.

Just when everyone thought that Ryan would ride away on the Bloodfeather Hippogryph, he performed two levitation spells in succession and jumped down from the top of the sentry post more than 20 meters high with the greyhound war dog Cookie, floating towards the forest.

This surprised everyone, including Colonel Ian.

In fact, Ryan considered that he did not plan to ride Blood Feather before finding Anna because it would be too conspicuous in the air.

As Ryan and Cookie entered the forest, the greyhound seemed to be in its element, sniffing everywhere and looking quite excited.

For these two telepathic war pets, Ryan does not need to control them like others, by whistling or giving gestures. He only needs to move his mind slightly to coordinate.

About ten minutes later, Ryan gradually approached the area where the problem occurred.

Ryan keenly discovered that the small animals that used to appear frequently in the forest seemed to have suddenly become much less numerous, and the surrounding trees gradually began to undergo some strange twists and deformations.

In addition, there were many huge holes that appeared abruptly on the ground.

These holes are not like the scattered holes formed by a meteorite crater after a heavy impact, but rather like the effect of something being pulled out of the soil.

"Could it be the Ironwood Guards of the Elven Clan?"

Ryan couldn't help but think of the Ironwood Guard, a creature unique to the elves mentioned in the intelligence from headquarters.

They usually disguise themselves as giant trees, which are almost identical to ordinary trees and difficult to distinguish, but the Iron Guards can actually move by stepping on their roots.

At the same time, it has extremely strong defense, immense strength, and can cast natural witchcraft, making it extremely powerful in combat.

Ryan observed for a while and then continued on his way.

A few minutes later, when the large gray fog appeared before his eyes, Ryan discovered that the surrounding trees seemed to be a strange dark red color.

Even the ground appeared faintly red, as if it had been washed by bloody rain.

This made Ryan slow down his pace a little. After thinking for a while, a sharp blade suddenly appeared in his hand and he lightly slashed across a tree that was so big that two people could hug it.

"Hey!"

Suddenly, a deep scratch appeared on the bark, and a stream of light red juice immediately flowed out. At the same time, Ryan could feel a strange wave spreading around from the big tree.

"It seems to be infected by some special energy." Ryan thought to himself as he watched the scene in front of him.

"Wang Wang!"

Suddenly, the greyhound war dog Cookie barked a few times as if in warning, looked around with extreme vigilance, and at the same time, quickly moved towards Ryan.

(End of this chapter)