I can evolve everything

Barron is gone.

He appeared without warning and left without a trace. Only the two footprints deep in the snow at the cave entrance were quickly filled in by the fresh snow in the howling north wind, as if the man known as the "Gallows" had never existed.

The wind and snow continued to rage in the Shattered Tooth Canyon, emitting sharp whistling sounds.

"Are you really gone?"

Ella cautiously scanned her surroundings, even twitching her pointed ears, before finally letting out a long sigh of relief after confirming that the man's presence was no longer in the air.

She sheathed her short sword and leaned against the rock wall.

"That scared me to death... For a moment just now, I really thought you were going to order the arrows to be fired." Ella patted her chest, looking at Renn with lingering fear. "If a fight had really broken out, I'm afraid I would have been in grave danger."

"He didn't intend to kill anyone."

Raine sheathed his sword: "Besides, we can't kill him."

This is the truth.

Raine turned around and, instead of immediately ordering a retreat, walked into the cave that Baron had just left.

The cave was narrow and filled with a strong smell of burning, blood, and some kind of foul odor. The fire on the ground was still burning.

Renn crouched down, his gaze falling on a pool of dark purple blood that had long since frozen beside the fire.

This color doesn't look like human blood.

The blood was viscous and, even when frozen, still looked as if it were flowing.

Renn stared at the pool of blood, momentarily stunned.

The Blood of the Warg King

"The Dire Wolf King..."

Renn silently recited it in his mind.

Barron wasn't lying. The man had indeed met the Warg King once.

That dire wolf king was nearby not long ago. And it was injured.

"Sir Knight, should we give chase?" Hank walked in, glanced at the bloodstains on the ground, and his face turned pale.

"Chase?"

Raine stood up, dusted off his hands, and said, "That's suicide. Our mission is to patrol and clear out some small monsters."

He stepped out of the cave, facing the swirling snowflakes, and glanced at the small team.

"Mission complete. Return to base."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The return journey was relatively uneventful.

Perhaps the blizzard had masked everything. When Raine led his team back to their camp, apart from everyone being covered in snow, they had encountered nothing along the way.

Hank was a seasoned soldier. He didn't know who Baron was, but he didn't ask Ryan any further questions about the mysterious man.

Before Ryan left, Hank bowed to him again in a solemn manner.

"The Shattered Tooth Canyon outpost owes you a favor, Sir Knight," Hank said. "If you need any assistance during the next patrol, please let us know."

Renn nodded without saying anything more.

He and Ella rested for a night at their encampment.

The next morning, the wind and snow subsided slightly.

The two rode their horses and embarked on their journey back to the northern fortress.

The return journey was easier than the way there; at least we didn't encounter any unexpected situations. But the weather in the North seemed to be deliberately working against us, with temperatures dropping day by day and the snowstorms getting heavier.

"Achoo!"

Ella sneezed and pulled her head completely into her hood, leaving only her red eyes shining in the shadows.

"This awful weather... my nose is about to freeze off."

She rode her horse up to Renn, as if trying to get some warmth from him. "Hey, Renn, what are you thinking about? You haven't said much the whole way."

Renn pulled on the reins, his eyes fixed ahead.

"I'm thinking about what Barron said."

"The stench of decay from hundreds of years ago?" Ella curled her lip. "It sounds like that madman is trying to scare people."

"Maybe."

Ryan didn't refute it, but he knew in his heart that someone like Baron would never make baseless accusations.

Moreover, someone like Baron wouldn't come to a place like the northern border for no reason. He must have come here for some purpose, or discovered something.

"Don't think about it."

Ai La reached out and poked Renn's arm through his glove. "Roderick will hold the sky up if it falls. Let's go back and get some rest. The captain said we deserve credit for completing the mission. I was just thinking of getting a better dagger; the old one's got a bit dull."

Renn turned his head and looked at the half-elf girl beside him.

On this gray city wall, her energetic complaints dispelled much of the silence.

"Um."

Raine silently looked at the girl in front of him, a rare smile appearing on his face: "I'll treat you to dinner when we get back."

"Ha! You said it yourself!" Ella's eyes lit up instantly. "Then I won't hold back!"

"Eat as much as you like."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Three days later.

The imposing black walls of the northern fortress reappeared in view.

Once the drawbridge was lowered, the two men rode their horses through the archway back into the fortress, officially completing their patrol mission.

Raine led the 22nd Patrol back to rest, while he himself went directly to the Black Tower.

Karen has recently been staying with the Knights of the North. After asking around among the official knights, Renn learned about Karen's room.

The old knight was sitting behind a wooden table, holding a parchment in his hand, his brow furrowed.

"Sir Karen".

Renn pushed open the door and entered, bringing in a gust of cold wind.

Karen looked up and saw that Ryan had returned unharmed, and her brows relaxed slightly.

"You're back?" Karen put down the parchment in her hand and looked him up and down. "Looks like this patrol went smoothly."

"We encountered some troubles, but we also resolved some of them."

Raine walked to the table, bowed, and then gave a detailed report on the patrol.

From the unusual movements of the Frost Spiders in Shattered Tooth Canyon, to the discovery of the Warg King's fur, and finally, the reunion with Baron.

When Ryan mentioned the name "Barron," Karen raised an eyebrow and the parchment in her hand trembled slightly.

"You mean you saw Baron in that cave?"

Karen's voice lowered, her sharp eyes fixed on Ryan. "Is he a person?"

"one person."

Ryan answered truthfully, "Moreover, he asked me to pass on a message to you, or rather, to the Knights."

"What did you say?"

"He said..." Ryan took a deep breath, trying to recreate Baron's tone of voice as accurately as possible, "The stench of decay from hundreds of years ago is starting to spread across the wasteland again."

Snapped.

Karen slammed the parchment on the table, making a crisp sound.

Renn noticed that the usually composed old knight's face had turned somewhat pale.

"Several hundred years..."

Karen muttered to herself, her eyes clearly fixed on Renn, but they had already drifted off to who-knows-where.

"Teacher?" Ryan asked tentatively, "What exactly does that mean? The stench refers to..."

Don't ask.

Karen abruptly looked up, interrupting Ryan.

His tone was stern, almost reprimanding, but then quickly softened, turning into a long sigh.

"There are some things you don't need to know right now. They are messes from the northern fortresses, or even accidents from the old days before I was born."

Karen stood up, walked to the window, and turned her back to Ryan.

"Baron, that madman... although he acts in extreme ways, his information network is quite impressive. If even he knows something, it means things are already starting to look up."

He turned around, his expression now calm.

"I will discuss this with Roderick immediately. This is a top-level warning."

Karen walked up to Ryan and patted him on the shoulder.

"You did very well, Ryan. Even better than I expected. To resist the urge to attack someone like Barron and still bring back intelligence takes not only courage but also wisdom."

Despite receiving the teacher's affirmation, Ryan did not show much joy and remained calm.

"So what should I do next? Or rather, is there anything I need to do?"

"train."

Karen only uttered two words.

"Since the storm is coming, if anything unexpected happens, only you can protect yourself. Your 'Black Rock Breathing Technique' should be nearing its limit, right?"

Renn's heart skipped a beat, and he nodded: "I'm almost at the internal organ stage in my cultivation."

"Then go back to training."

Karen waved:

"Until you have fully mastered the 'Black Rock Breathing Technique,' the Knights will no longer assign you and Ella any patrol missions. The harsh winter of the North is coming, and this winter... may be colder than ever before."

"Go."

After leaving Karen's side, Ryan did not immediately return to his room.

He first went to the quartermaster's office to collect the reward the commander had mentioned for this mission: a large bag of silver coins and two vouchers that could be exchanged for superior equipment at the blacksmith's shop.

He gave half to Ella.

"So many?"

Ella looked at the money pouch in her hand, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons with laughter.

She tucked the purse into her bosom and suddenly asked:

"So what are your plans next? From what Professor Karen is saying, it seems like something big is about to happen?"

"Training," Ryan replied briefly.

"Training again?" Ella sighed. "Are you even human? Okay, okay, I'm going back to sleep for a whole day and catch up on all the sleep I've missed these past few days."