Lord blessed by the elves

Chapter 94 Fog

Kruze chuckled inwardly, but his face remained serious. He turned to look directly into his brother's hopeful eyes and nodded solemnly. "Of course, the future of Lion Fang Territory needs a powerful protective force, and these are just the right ones." He then changed the subject, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes again. "So, why don't you ask me?"

"..." Rezal's lips twitched violently, feeling his carefully constructed mental preparation crumble again. He looked at his elder brother's "I've been waiting for you to speak" expression, then at the three lion cubs that seemed to radiate an alluring glow. Ultimately, his longing for magical beast mounts won out overwhelmingly. He took a deep breath, as if making the most difficult decision of his life, and squeezed out a whispered, barely audible voice:

"...Please...please, brother."

After saying that, his face turned completely red, and he wished he could disappear into the ground.

Kruze finally couldn't help but chuckle, reaching out to ruffle his brother's hair, making a complete mess of it. "Alright, look at you, so pathetic. Work hard and become a Bronze Knight soon, then you'll definitely get a share of those."

Although he didn't receive an immediate promise, his elder brother's words undoubtedly gave him a clear expectation.

Reza immediately forgot the "humiliation" he had just experienced, his eyes lit up again, and he nodded vigorously. The look in his eyes as he looked at the three lion cubs had changed from simple affection to anticipation and determination for their future companions.

Indeed, Kruse had already decided in his mind where the three cave lion cubs would go.

The smaller, more docile female lion cub was perfect for his sister, Elena. The remaining two male cubs would naturally be his and Rezal's future mounts.

This distribution plan is simple and direct, and it is in line with the family's consistent style: core power must be in the hands of family members.

A lingering doubt remained in Kruze's mind, preventing him from fully immersing himself in the joy of acquiring the precious magical beast.

He stroked the metal frame of his monocle, his brow furrowing slightly.

Something's not right... Although the cave lions are the dominant magical beasts on the outskirts of the Horna Mountain Range, they usually inhabit areas deeper in the mountains with more complex rock structures, where there are more suitable environments for them to build nests and hunt.

Why would they risk leaving their familiar territory and venturing to the edge of the mountains, or even close to areas with human activity, just to give birth?

This is inconsistent with their cautious nature.

Unless… they encountered an insurmountable threat near their original lair, forcing them to migrate. Could it be some more powerful mid-level magical beast that invaded their territory?

Or...did something else unusual happen?
Just as he was lost in thought, a slight stinging sensation in his fingers pulled him back to reality.

The most lively male lion cub was biting his fingertip with its gums, which hadn't fully grown in yet, and making sucking motions, while making anxious "woofing" sounds in its throat.

"Hungry?" Kruze suddenly realized. The lion cub, having lost its mother, must be starving. He immediately turned and summoned his servant: "Aidin!"

"Yes, young master!" The young servant Aiding immediately jogged over.

"Go find some mare's milk, warm it, and hurry," Kruze ordered.

"Yes!" Aiding accepted the order and immediately turned to make arrangements.

As night deepened, the camp gradually quieted down, leaving only the crackling of the campfire and the occasional footsteps of the watchmen.

The continuous fighting and travel had left everyone exhausted, and most of them fell into a deep sleep, except for the necessary sentries.

After arranging temporary food for the lion cubs, Kruse leaned against his pack and fell into a deep sleep.

He didn't know how much time had passed when an instinctive alertness jolted him awake! It wasn't that he had heard any loud noise; on the contrary, it was just that the surroundings were too quiet.

The hooting of owls and the rustling of insects that could be heard before had all disappeared, leaving only a deathly silence.

He instinctively reached for his chest and quickly put on the Elf King's monocle.

The moment the lenses were placed on his eyes, the sight before him sent a chill down his spine!
A thick, grayish-white fog had somehow spread around the camp.

The fog appeared extremely strangely, as if it had appeared out of thin air, completely surrounding the camp and reducing visibility to less than ten meters.

If it were just fog, it could perhaps be explained by the changeable mountain climate.

But what truly made Kruse's heart clench was the situation inside the camp!
Everyone, including the Knights of Wink who were on night watch, was sleeping very soundly, or even unconscious!
Knight Wenk leaned against the camp fence, his head drooping, his breathing unusually steady, as if he had been put to sleep by a spell.

Kruse gave Reza, who was fast asleep beside him, a sudden shove.

"Rezar! Wake up!" He shook his brother's shoulders hard.

However, Rezal remained unresponsive, only snoring softly, sleeping more soundly than ever before. He tried waking the others nearby as well, but to no avail; no matter how much he called or nudged them, he couldn't get them awake.

This is definitely not a normal sleep!
A chilling sense of crisis instantly gripped Kruse.

He stood up with a whoosh, his longsword already drawn. Bronze battle qi flowed slowly within his body, dispelling the inexplicable drowsiness that was trying to invade his consciousness. He looked around; the thick fog moved slowly as if it were alive, isolating the inside from the outside and turning the camp into an isolated island.

There's something wrong with this fog!

It can put people into a deep, unawakening sleep!
Kruze gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his gaze sharp as an eagle's, staring intently through his monocle at the churning, thick fog that seemed to conceal something.

The Elf King's creation kept him conscious, but it also made him acutely aware that they might be in some unimaginable trouble.

Is there some unknown connection between this strange thick fog and the unusual appearance of the cave lions on the edge of the mountain?
Outside the camp, deep within the deathly still fog, something seemed to be silently watching.

Kruze gripped his longsword tightly, unleashing his full senses as he tried to pierce through the unsettling fog.

However, the fog seemed to absorb sound and light, and his perception was completely blocked before it could extend very far.

The sounds of snoring that echoed throughout the camp seemed particularly jarring and eerie in the deathly silence.

He was unaware that the eerie fog affected far more than just his camp.

Almost simultaneously, the entire Hornaci mountain range, from its deep valleys to its rugged ridges, was shrouded in a thick, greyish-white fog of the same origin and nature.

Birds, beasts, and insects all went into hibernation or fell into a deep sleep. The entire mountain range seemed to have been muted, falling into an eerie silence.

　Regarding chapter 91: The part about the cubs was something I forgot to delete after polishing the content. It's been corrected now. Sorry, thank you for your hopeful reminder today, thank you so much!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)