Chapter 171: Black Obsidian

The pack of wolves were utterly defeated by the group’s combined attacks. This was especially so after the leader of the wolves was killed. Faced with the ferocious Vicious Dogs and Cloud Leopards, and with their massive numbers and precise attacks, the wolves were powerless to retaliate.

WIth the death of the wolf leader, and as the wolves fell one by one, the outcome of the battle was clear as day!

After killing the Snow Wolves, the young man leading the group instructed his clansmen to skin the wolves before allowing the hungry Vicious Dogs and Cloud Leopards to devour the corpses. He then strode to the recently embattled group, and greeted Yang Ling and his companions passionately.

As it turned out, the young man with the feathers on his head was from the Sumeer tribe that lived nearby, and as Yang Ling had guessed, was a Beast Tamer. The Vicious Dogs and Cloud Leopards before him were all low level Magical Beasts that they had reared from young.

After a few formalities, the leader, whose name was Bolso, invited the group to visit their tribe. The soldiers wanted nothing more than just that, and Yang Ling did not mind spending some time there to gain a deeper understanding of the Sumeer tribe’s techniques and secrets when it came to taming Magical Beasts.

After observing him for some time, Yang Ling had developed a great interest in the way Bolso commanded his Magical Beasts. He could not imagine how the other party could control the wild beasts’ actions using only a mixture of sounds from the bull’s horn.

Yang Ling had been using his mental energy to control the Magical Beasts that he had tamed. It had been fast and direct. It had an even better effect when he used his mental energy to command mid to low level Magical Beasts. But as the numbers of his Magical Beast army became greater and greater, he felt that he would risk exhausting his mental energy if he were to command them individually. It might bring him some benefit if he could learn the techniques the Sumeer people used to tame Magical Beasts.

Bolso was very passionate, and very conversant. He rambled on along the way, introducing the group to the local sights around them. The troops were very excited after having survived the wolf attack, especially Hans, who was cantering playfully on his warhorse. He talked nonstop, quickly befriending the Sumeer people and the feather-adorned Bolso.

After learning Yang Ling’s pretend identity from Hans’ chatter, and after taking in the quality of Yang Ling’s large carriage, Bolso brought his horse up to Yang Ling’s side. “Sir Yuri,” he said, ” I’ve heard you are a merchant. Might I ask what kinds of goods you are selling?”

What kind of goods am I selling? Could it be that there are many specialty items at the Sumeer tribe? Will they want to trade?

Yang Ling was silent while he assessed Bolso’s likely intentions. In this trip to the Livenza Alliance, other than to see the outside world and strengthen his relationship with the various factions on the continent, he had also hoped to publicize the advantage the Magical Beast Territory had and attract many esteemed merchant associations to develop within his territory. It was, naturally, better to come across more specialty items along the way.

Observing the cheerful Bolso and seeing how his face had turned a little red, Yang Ling felt that he probably did not have a large number of goods for sale. “I’ll sell any good as long as it can make me money. Of course, if I come across the specialties of the various tribes, I can also purchase them in large quantities if the price is right!”

“Oh, then sir, do you have…” After a moment’s hesitation, Bolso clenched his teeth and said, “Sir, do you have silk handkerchiefs or silk sashes? It has to either be pink, sky blue or green in color, and the more the better. I can buy them from you using Magical Beast Essence Crystals or beast hides.” He cast his eyes downward as soon as he finished speaking, as if he was a little embarrassed.

Silk handkerchiefs or silk sashes, either in pink, sky blue or green?

It was normal for women to enjoy buying silk handkerchiefs, while there was only one explanation for a man to buy them. Yang Ling understood when he looked at the slightly blushing Bolso, then could not help but crease his brows. He had many crystal coins and Magical Beast Essence Crystals in his Space Ring, as well as many clothes and tents that could ward of the cold, but he did not have silk handkerchiefs or silk sashes that women would use, and he said as much.

Bolso sighed, defeated. “Carrie’s birthday is coming up soon, what do I do? She loves the flowy silk handkerchiefs and sashes made by the humans. If I dissapoint her again this year, I might be scolded continuously!”

“Sir Bolso, what do you think of this silk handkerchief?”

Just as Bolso was shaking his head and preparing to leave, Yuna spoke. She took an ocean blue silk handkerchief from her Space Ring. Before they had left, Yang Ling had given her a Space Ring he had picked up from the Taildon Valley. Coincidentally, she had asked Alice for a few silk handkerchiefs before she left on the journey.

“Thank you Miss Yuna, this is perfect! I will give you your reward when we return to the tribe.” He grabbed the handkerchief from Yuna with excitement, and holding it in both hands, he spurred his horse on, ordering the group to speed up. He wanted desperately to return to the tribe in the blink of an eye, and hand the pretty silk handkerchief to the beautiful Carrie.

“People who are passionately in love are always excited and blind!” thought Yang Ling, shaking his head and smiling. He didn’t notice that Yuna was watching him.

…

The group finally arrived at the Stone City where the Sumeer people resided just before the sun set.

Even though they had heard Bolso’s description of his home turf, the group was shocked at the city’s beauty.

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There were stones of various shapes and sizes. From far away, it looked as though they were stone condors, carved with uncanny workmanship. Some rocks resembled Gryphons with extended wings, about to take flight; some resembled the fierce tigers residing at the foot of mountains, while others looked like centaurs raising their front legs…

After making their way past the vast stone caves and the miraculous stone forest, the group finally arrived at the heart of the area, where the Sumeer people lived. Unlike the outer regions, there was a small level plain within the stone forest. There were rows of stone huts, a forest, and a small lake.

Some people were fishing, some carving wooden equipment by the forest. There were even the faint sounds of melodic singing… The entire place seemed to be a paradise.

“Sir Yuri, please rest here!” After giving some quiet instructions to his clansmen, Bolso spoke as he brought Yang Ling and his group up to a stone hut.

The hut was large. There was snow falling outside, but it was warm and comfortable inside, as if the room was equipped with an industrial air conditioning system. But the air in the hut was clean and refreshing, no different from the air outside.

“This is Black Obsidian. It keeps the area warm in the winter and cool during the summer, and is the most ideal material that one can use to build a house. It is extremely rare elsewhere around the continent, but we have a large amount of it here!” Bolso smiled proudly.

Yang Ling realized that the stones around him were indeed unique, and covered in delicate patterns. He extended his hand to touch the stone, only to feel a warm sensation, as if he had touched a heat pack that one used to warm their hands in the winter.

Could these stones harbor a large amount of energy?

Yang Ling quietly injected a bolt of mental energy into the stone in an attempt to discover the stone’s secrets. In the end, he did not find any Essence Crystals, but did discover a strange phenomenon.

The surface of the Black Obsidian was covered in delicate patterns, but it was nothing compared to the situation within the stone. The interior was covered in web-like patterns and delicate protrusions. These protrusions automatically absorbed the fire Magical Element in the air and transform them into streams of comfortable, warm air.

Could these protrusions have unintentionally created a simple Spirit Gathering Spell Formation?

Yang Ling made this observation, and it made him remember the Spirit Gathering Formations, that could absorb spiritual energies from its surroundings. He carefully collected some of the energy accumulated within the Black Obsidian. In that moment, a warm current spread through him beginning in his right hand, and following the mysterious track in his body, before being absorbed by the Wizard Core.

After ascertaining that the energy within the Black Obsidian was harmless, Yang Ling instinctively strengthened the speed and intensity of his absorption. Slowly, as a large amount of fire element energy welled up in his body, the place where his palm met the stone wall released a red glow, getting brighter as the seconds passed by.

“Sir Yuri, are you alright?” Bolso asked hesitantly, having noticed the brightening light collecting on Yang Ling’s hand. Lia and Hans blinked in surprise. Nobody in the room understood what they were seeing. Only Yuna, who was off to the side frowning, had even a faint understanding of what was happening.

Yuna knew that Yang Ling had a unique ability and could absorb the energy around him at any time and from any place. She did not know if it was an ability he had been born with, or if it was an ability he had after he gained mastery over some mysterious magic.

Buzz…

As the red glow around Yang Ling’s palm became brighter still, the group heard a wave of buzzing coming from the stone hut, as if every piece of Black Obsidian in the walls was vibrating. At the same time, the temperature in the hut quickly dropped. Cold wind blew in waves.

As confusion spread throughout the group, and Yuna was wondering if she needed to intervene, Yang Ling came to his senses. He hadn’t meant to take in so much energy, and he abruptly stopped absorbing the Black Obsidian’s energy. Even though these pitch-black stones were very strange, it was not the time for in-depth study.

As Yang Ling’s countenance returned to normal and the red glow died away, the group heaved a collective sigh of relief. Yuna, who had been nearly overcome with worry, patted her own shoulder gently. Even though she understood that Yang Ling would not face major problems, given his abilities, she still could not help but be concerned.

After walking around Yang Ling twice, Hans asked in confusion, “Brother Yuri, what happened just now?” The group nodded in agreement, as confused as Hans was.

Yang Ling needed a plausible response. As the group stared, inspiration struck. “Just now, after Bolso introduced the strange Black Obsidian, I touched the wall out of curiosity. I got lightheaded the moment my fingers touched the stone. I don’t know what’s happening either!”

None of the attending individuals knew any better, so they took Yang Ling at his word. They assumed the so-called stone that was warm during the winter and cool in the summer was to blame for the mysterious phenomenon.

His head became giddy the moment he touched the wall?

Someone had seen meaning in Yang Ling’s lie!

The soldiers did not suspect Yang Ling’s fabricated story, content to believe that the Black Obsidian was to blame. But Bolso remembered the legend of the tribe that had been passed down for millennia!