Lord: I can see loyalty.

The next morning, outside the north gate of Portol, the morning mist had not yet dissipated.

Vio brought no horse, no luggage, and not even provisions.

He was dressed in dark gray travel attire, with a magic-feathered sword hanging at his waist and a shield on his back, and rode alone towards the northern Black Forest.

His steps were slow, but each step covered a great distance. His breathing techniques circulated slowly within his body, keeping it in optimal condition.

This time, he didn't bring anyone with him.

His fourth-order speed and perception gave him the confidence to traverse the Northern Territory alone, bypassing all human habitation and surveillance.

He doesn't need a horse, because a horse isn't as fast as him; he doesn't need provisions, because he can hunt for food on the road; and he doesn't need backup, because he doesn't intend to cause trouble for anyone.

Or rather, dealing with it would be troublesome for him.

In late autumn, the trees in the Black Forest shed their last few leaves, their bare branches stretching towards the gray sky like countless withered arms.

The forest path meandered and twisted, with thick layers of fallen leaves on both sides; Vio walked on them without making a sound.

His footsteps were so light that they wouldn't even crush a fallen leaf. His knightly aura emanated slightly, like an invisible net spreading around his body.

He sensed several presences—a squirrel hiding in a tree hole, an owl dozing on a branch, and a snake rustling and crawling in the grass in the distance.

But he ignored them and continued forward at a speed that even the wind couldn't keep up with.

After passing through the Black Forest and crossing the low ridge, the Northern Plains came into view.

The endless, withered meadows stretched to the horizon, and the wind was much stronger than in the black forest, howling from the north with a biting chill.

Vio squinted and looked north, where the hazy mountain shadows on the horizon were faintly visible.

Instead of taking the main road, he hurried along a dry riverbed.

Steep earthen slopes lined both sides of the riverbed, blocking the view and the wind. His boots made a soft, crunching sound as they stepped on the cracked earth, but it was quickly swallowed up by the wind.

On his journey, he encountered a pack of wolves.

They emerged from the bend in the riverbed, numbering about a dozen, with grayish-white fur and eyes gleaming with hunger.

They surrounded him, growling, baring their teeth, and drool dripping from their mouths. Vio didn't draw his sword, but merely released a slight aura of knighthood, an invisible pressure emanating from him.

The wolves froze instantly.

They sensed danger; it was an instinctive, overwhelming fear.

The alpha wolf whimpered, tucked its tail between its legs, turned and ran, with the rest of the wolves following closely behind, quickly disappearing around the bend in the riverbed.

Vio simply continued forward.

Two days later, he saw the entire Longkou Mountains again.

It was a huge mountain shadow stretching between heaven and earth, with peaks soaring into the clouds and ridges that resembled the back of a giant dragon, winding and undulating, with no end in sight.

The mountain is grayish-black with steep cliffs and almost no vegetation. Only the mountaintop is covered with snow, which shines brightly in the sunlight.

At the foot of the mountain is a scree slope, with sparse shrubs and moss growing among the stones. Several argali sheep leap nimbly on the steep slope, occasionally stopping to look around warily.

Vio didn't linger and headed straight up the mountain.

His speed was much faster than last time, and his fourth-tier power made him feel almost no fatigue.

The gravel rolled beneath his feet, but he took each step steadily, circulating his breathing techniques to conserve his strength.

Halfway up the mountain, he finally encountered those flying monkey bats again.

They emerged from the cracks in the rock face, their black forms appearing and disappearing in the gray-white mist, emitting sharp screechs.

They recognized Vio, but did not attack; they simply hovered above his head, as if hesitating about something.

"Bring out your leader." Vio stopped and looked up. His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of these intelligent monsters and flying monkey bats.

The circling shadow fell silent for a moment.

Then, an even larger figure swooped down from above and landed on a boulder in front of Vio.

It was the leader of the flying monkey bats, its blood-red eyes fixed on him, a low growling sound emanating from its throat.

"Human, what brings you here again?" Its voice was still hoarse, but less hostile. "I saw you run away last time, and you dare to come back again?"

"I didn't come here to run away," Vio said calmly, looking at it. "I came here to find you."

"Looking for us?" The flying monkey bat leader tilted his head, a hint of confusion flashing in his blood-red eyes. "What do you want with us?"

"I'm looking for your red dragon," Vio said calmly. "I want to cooperate with it."

The flying monkey bat leader was stunned.

The flying monkey bats around him were also stunned. They stopped circling and stopped on the rock wall, their blood-red eyes staring at Vio as if they had heard something incredible.

"You... what did you say?" The Flying Monkey Bat leader's voice was hoarse. "You want to cooperate with Lord Draenei, the Red Dragon?"

"That's right." Vio nodded. "I need its power, and it needs me too."

"It's lazy and has trapped itself on this mountain, unable to get out, but I can take it out, give it better food, and a bigger territory."

The flying monkey bat leader fell silent.

It stared at Vio, a complex emotion flashing in its blood-red eyes. The flying monkey bats around it began to stir, emitting sharp hisses as if they were arguing about something.

"Do you know what you're saying?" the flying monkey bat leader finally spoke. "Dragons are among the most powerful creatures in this world. They don't need human help. They're trapped here because they don't want to get out, not because they can't."

"I'm not here to harm it."

Vio simply softened his voice, "I'm here to help it. I need its power, and it can get what it wants. We can cooperate and benefit each other."

"What does Master want?" the leader repeated. "Master wants to sleep peacefully. Can you give that to him?"

Vio smiled too.

"How long can it sleep? The Golden-Maned Griffin Clan will come looking for it sooner or later, and the Northern Army will eventually flatten this mountain. Will it still be able to sleep peacefully then?"

The leader remained silent.

It knew that what the human said was true. It could naturally sense the situation in the North. The Golden-Maned Griffin Clan was gathering its forces, preparing to launch an attack on the South.

Once they conquer the southern border, their next target will be other forces in the northern border. Although the Dragon Mouth Mountains are treacherous, they cannot stop a massive army.

"Aren't you... afraid that your master's dragon breath will burn you to ashes?" The leader's voice carried a hint of probing.

Vio looked at it, his gray eyes brimming with confidence. "If it could, it would have burned me last time, but it didn't, because it couldn't burn me to death."

The Flying Monkey Bat leader stared at him for a long time, his blood-red eyes filled with complex emotions.

Then it turned around and flew towards the mountaintop.

"Come with me," its voice came from the wind. "I'll take you to see your master, but once we get there, whether you live or die is none of my concern."

Vio's lips curled up slightly as he followed.