Lord: I can see loyalty.

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As the altitude increased, the wind on the scree slope grew stronger and stronger, howling down from the mountaintop and carrying fine stone chips that stung the face.

Vio squinted and pulled his collar up a little, but his steps did not falter at all. Alec followed behind him, his gray eyes constantly scanning the rock walls on both sides, his left hand never leaving the hilt of his sword.

The higher they went, the more strange their surroundings became.

The cracks on the rock face were becoming more and more numerous and deeper, some so wide that a person could squeeze in sideways. It was pitch black inside, and the depth was impossible to see.

The edges of the crack also have a charred black color, as if they have been scorched by high temperature, and you can even feel a slight heat when you touch them with your fingers.

Vio frowned. The mountain was towering high into the clouds, its summit covered in snow, yet part of its rock face was warm—this was clearly illogical.

"Your Excellency, look here." Alec crouched down and pointed to a deep trench in the ground.

The ravine was at least half a meter wide, with jagged edges, as if it had been torn open by some enormous force.

The bottom of the ravine was smooth as a mirror, with a dull luster, not the luster of the rock itself, but the marks left by something rubbing against it over a long period of time.

"It's a claw mark." Alec's voice was calm, but Vio could hear a hint of suppressed seriousness in his tone. "And it's a very large claw mark."

Vio looked in the direction of the ravine and found that there were other similar marks besides this one.

The rock face, the ground, and even the protruding rocks overhead were covered with scratches and abrasion marks of varying depths.

Some look like scratches made by fingernails, with parallel lines; others look like they were rubbed against the body, leaving a smooth indentation.

In some places, the rock face has a glassy sheen, as if it had been melted by extreme heat and then cooled and solidified.

"It's the trace of fire." Vio reached out and touched the glassy rock wall. "Could it be dragon's breath?"

Alec shook his head. "I can't be sure, but I'm pretty sure there's some kind of fire-breathing monster living here."

The two continued on their way.

The mountain road winds its way up the mountainside, like it's circling a giant spiral.

With each ascent, the ancient and heavy aura grew stronger, the air became thinner, and breathing became somewhat difficult, but both of them circulated their breathing techniques to maintain their strength.

Vio noticed that the surrounding vegetation was becoming increasingly sparse.

The moss and shrubs on the scree slope gradually disappeared, replaced by gray-black rocks covered with cracks and burn marks.

Occasionally, you can see a few tenacious alpine plants, huddled in the crevices of rocks, their leaves yellowed and edges scorched, clearly having suffered greatly from the high temperatures.

"Stop." Alec suddenly raised his hand, signaling Vio to stop.

Vio sensed it too; something was moving ahead. Not just one, but many.

They moved incredibly fast, darting between the rock walls, making a soft rustling sound, like claws scratching on stone.

"Be careful," Vio whispered, his knightly aura slowly enveloping the two of them.

The next second, a dark shadow swooped down from the rock wall above, heading straight for Vio's nape!

That thing was extremely fast, so fast that ordinary people didn't even have time to react.

But Vio was no ordinary person. His third-level perception allowed him to detect the subtle change in the wind in advance. He simply turned slightly to avoid the thing's attack, and at the same time, he reached out with his right hand, his five fingers like pincers, and accurately grabbed its hind leg.

"grumble--!"

The creature let out a sharp screech, struggled desperately, flapped its wings wildly, and stirred up a stench.

Vio then saw what it looked like.

Its body shape resembles a bat magnified countless times, with a wingspan of half a meter, but its body is more like a monkey, with long limbs, sharp claws on its fingertips, and a long, thin tail with a bony hammer-shaped protrusion at the end.

Its face was flat, its eyes were large and round with blood-red pupils, and it was staring intently at Vio with a look of savagery and fear.

"Flying monkey bats." Alec's voice came from behind. "A monster from the North. Their overall numbers are not large, and they are rarely seen now. They usually live in mountain caves, live in groups, and are good at ambushes."

Before he finished speaking, more dark figures emerged from the rock face.

Like hornets whose nest had been disturbed, they swarmed in from all directions, screeching and hissing, surrounding the two of them.

They move incredibly fast, weaving back and forth on the narrow mountain paths, constantly emitting piercing sound waves.

The sound waves were sharp and dense, like countless needles piercing the eardrum; an ordinary person would probably faint upon hearing them.

But to the two of them, it was just noise.

The knight's aura acted like an invisible barrier, blocking the sound waves. Vio didn't even frown; he simply released his grip and flung the flying monkey bat to the ground.

"They're hunting us." Alec drew his greatsword, its blade gleaming coldly in the dim light. "But they've clearly chosen the wrong opponent."

Vio didn't speak, but simply observed the movements of the flying monkey bats. Although they were numerous, their attacks were not fierce; they were more like probing and harassment.

Occasionally, a few birds would swoop down, but it was just a feint before they immediately rose back up, not daring to get close to the two men's attack range.

They were afraid, or rather, they were clever enough to know how to cooperate.

Vio's eyes quickly swept across the entire group, trying to find the leader.

Social animals usually have a leader; if the leader is controlled, the entire group will lose its fighting spirit.

Sure enough, on the highest rock face, he saw an individual that was noticeably larger than the other flying monkey bats.

It didn't participate in the attack; it simply squatted on a protruding rock, its red eyes fixed on the ground below, occasionally letting out a few short hisses, as if giving orders.

"Found you." Vio thought to himself as he pinpointed the location.

He didn't make a fuss, but continued to pretend to be annoyed by the disturbance, occasionally waving his sword to drive away the approaching flying monkey bats.

Alec understood immediately and adopted a defensive stance, focusing his attention on the individuals hovering at low altitudes.

Finally, the leader moved.

It swooped down the rock face at incredible speed, like a black lightning bolt, heading straight for Vio's head.

Its claws gleamed coldly, clearly indicating that this attack had been planned for a long time and was intended to kill in one blow.

But what it didn't know was that Vio had been waiting for it all along.

Just as its claws were about to touch Vio's nape, Vio suddenly turned around, unleashing his full knightly aura!

The air within a radius of several feet suddenly distorted, and the leader's movements instantly froze, as if it had crashed into an invisible net.

Terror flashed in the monster's eyes as it desperately flapped its wings to try and break free, but Vio's hand had already reached out and then precisely grabbed its throat.

"grumble--!"

It let out a mournful screech and struggled desperately, but Vio's fingers were like iron clamps, not moving an inch.

The surrounding flying monkey bats instantly erupted into chaos, frantically swarming Vio in an attempt to rescue their leader, only to be forced back by Alec's greatsword.

Alec's swordsmanship was as steady as a mountain, each strike perfectly timed, injuring but not killing, keeping the flying monkey bats three steps away.

Vio ignored the commotion, focusing only on the leader in his hand, before bringing up the control panel.

Name: None

[Race: Monster - Flying Monkey Bat]

Age: 68

[Faction: Red Dragon Draenei Familia]

[Hobbies: Gold and silver, goat's flesh and blood]

【Characteristics: Flight, Extreme Speed, Sharp Fangs and Claws, Demonic Sonic Waves, Intelligent Monster】

Loyalty: Not loyal to you

[Status: Pain, Fear]

Red dragon's retinue? Intelligent monsters?

Vio's brow twitched slightly.

The appearance of the term "intelligent monster" on the panel indicates that this thing has enough intelligence to communicate. Moreover, the term "red dragon's retinue" suggests that there is indeed an even more powerful being behind them.

"You can understand me, right?" Vio's statement wasn't a question, but a statement.

The flying monkey bat leader paused its struggle for a moment, its blood-red eyes fixed on him, its pupils filled with fear and vigilance.

It neither nodded nor shook its head, but that brief pause had already given Vio the answer.

"I know you understand." Vio's voice was calm, but his grip on his hand didn't loosen in the slightest. "I'll let you go, and you tell your men to step back. We'll talk."

"Don't try any tricks. You can't escape my killing range at this distance."

The flying monkey bat leader stared at him for a long time, its blood-red eyes flickering in the dim light.

Finally, it let out a short hiss, but the sound was much softer than before.

The flying monkey bats that were still attacking frantically instantly fell silent, retreating and landing on the rock wall. Their red eyes were fixed on Vio, but no one pounced on him again.

Vio also let go.

The flying monkey bat leader landed on the ground, staggered a bit, but did not fly away. It raised its head, looked at Vio, and made a low gurgling sound in its throat, as if it were speaking, or as if it were thinking.

"What are you doing here?"

Its voice was strange, more like a mechanical repetition, clearly trying to imitate the common language of the mainland.

A hint of surprise flashed in Alec's eyes. He had seen many monsters, but those that could talk were extremely rare.

Vio didn't show any surprise; he simply looked at it calmly and answered after a moment.

"Looking for something."

"What are you looking for?"

"Dragon Scale Magic Stone".

The flying monkey bat leader's pupils contracted sharply, and the gurgling sound in his throat became more rapid. "No, that's the master's place. We can't go there."

"Master?" Vio's brow twitched slightly. "The Red Dragon?"

The flying monkey bat leader did not answer, but its body stiffened slightly, as if it did not understand why Vio knew about the existence of the red dragon, but its silence spoke volumes.

"We're not here to cause trouble for that dragon," Vio said gently. "We just need some dragon scale magic stones, and we'll leave once we get them."

"We're not here to cause trouble for that dragon," Vio said gently. "We just need some dragon scale magic stones, and we'll leave once we get them."

"No..." The flying monkey bat leader was clearly hesitant. "Our master doesn't like outsiders getting close, and you wouldn't be a match for him anyway."

Vio was silent for a moment, then crouched down to look the flying monkey bat in the eye and asked, "What if we don't go? Should we go around it and look somewhere else?"

The leader of the flying monkey bats shook his head.

"You won't find them anywhere else. The dragon scale magic stones that you humans talk about can only be found near the master's lair. They are formed from dragon breath."

Vio and Alec exchanged a glance, each seeing something in the other's eyes.

"Therefore, we must go to the dragon's lair," Vio said calmly.

The flying monkey bat leader stared at him, a hint of confusion flashing in his blood-red eyes. "You will all die."

"That's our business." Vio stood up. "You just need to tell us how to get there, and I won't lay a hand on you."

The flying monkey bat leader remained silent for a long time, and the flying monkey bats around him were also silent, their red eyes flashing in the darkness, as if waiting for their leader's decision.

Finally, it let out a short hiss, turned around, and flew towards the mountaintop.

"Come with me." Its voice came from the wind. "I will take you to the nearest place. The rest of the way is up to you. But once we get there, whether you live or die is none of my concern."

Vio and Alec exchanged a glance, then stepped forward simultaneously, following the black figure toward the mountain peak.

On the scree slope behind them, the common flying monkey bats sat quietly on the rock face, watching their figures disappear into the clouds.

The mountain wind howled, and the chill was biting.

The ancient and heavy aura in the air grew stronger, as if something was waiting for them ahead.