Versatile Mage

In the evening, Zhang Xiaohou also gave his response. The guy had made it clear that he would be there, even if it meant him being disciplined.

Zhang Xiaohou was all clear, so all that was left was his decision about bringing Xinxia along.

At night, Mo Fan was just about to call Zhang Xiaohou to stop preparing, as he had decided to call off the adventure. Unfortunately, Xinxia had given him a call instead.

Mo Fan knew if it were something he needed, and if Xinxia could help, she would not hesitate to help him, even if it meant placing herself in danger by going to the Dunhuang region.

However, Mo Fan was not willing to do so. He was already self-reproving that Xinxia’s movement was impaired. If something were to go wrong with her, he would never forgive himself.

Mo Fan told Xinxia his thoughts.

“Brother Mo Fan, you’ve been taken good care of me for so long, so I can do whatever I want without worrying too much. If you insist on not letting me go, I’ll listen to you, but when I heard about your accident last time, I felt so sad. I’ve saved many people with my Healing Element, but I can’t do anything for you. All I could do is worry and pray for you. I want to be by your side, I want to be closer to you. I don’t want to wait somewhere alone by myself, and left in meaningless, deep regret when something happens and I won’t able to help you in any way…” Xinxia’s voice was soft, yet firm.

Xinxia was born with a gentle character. Her impaired movement made her look pitiful, but Mo Fan knew she was bright and strong on the inside. When she was abandoned in the supermarket during the calamity of Bo City, if she actually accepted her fate, she would not have hidden inside the cold fridge when the chances of her surviving were so slim.

Mo Fan felt Xinxia’s words knocking some sense into him. He had focused too much on protecting Xinxia, not allowing any foul air to drift closer to her sacred body.

Maybe it was true that he had protected her from the wind and rain like a big tree, but he had also blocked the brilliance that belonged to her, and the scent she wanted to emit for him…

After a long pause, Mo Fan finally agreed that he should respect Xinxia’s decision. She was willing to be protected because of her trust and respect of him, yet she was even more willing to stay by his side and contribute more.

As Mo Fan nodded and agreed that Xinxia could come along, her pleasant giggle came from the other end of the call, clearly anticipating the adventure.

Because of her situation, even training was impossible for her, let alone any adventure in the wild. Her impaired movement gave her a strong desire to go out and see the world, the vast skies and lands. She was not weary of her familiar environment, it was just a natural yearning.

After hearing Xinxia’s laughter, the last hint of worry in Mo Fan’s heart gradually dissipated. Being able to experience the desert, which was completely different from the south, was most likely a luxury for the girl. He should not lock her up, but fulfill her dreams as much as possible…

—

Mo Fan had basically decided on the team members: the intelligence capsule Lingling, the fearless forward Zhang Xiaohou, and the super support Xinxia.

Zhao Manyan had also brought along a trustworthy Magician, also from the Zhao Family, called Chen Yi, an Earth Magician.

The desert was filled with Earth Elemental power, followed by Fire Element. Even though Zhang Xiaohou’s secondary Earth Element fulfilled the basic requirement of needing an Earth Magician, it was safer to bring another Earth Magician along.

Chen Yi was Zhao Manyan’s cousin, a student from the Imperial College’s Main Campus. When Zhao Manyan was busy collecting information about the Burning Valley and the Flame Belle, she heard that Zhao Manyan was going to the Dunhuang region, and she immediately recommended herself.

Zhao Manyan had made it clear that she would probably not get any reward for going with them, yet Chen Yi was still keen to tag along. Considering that his cousin was ranked fairly high in the Imperial College’s main campus, and was a reliable person too, Zhao Manyan decided to put her name down for the party.

If Zhao Manyan thought she was trustworthy, Mo Fan was willing to trust her, too. That summed up the members of the party, a party of six.

The party did not consist of many people, yet it was good enough to be called an elite party. Even if they could not find a Flame Belle’s child, they would still benefit from the trip to the Dunhuang region. The best way for Magicians to improve was by training themselves in demon beasts’ territories.

——

The party of six made their respective preparations according to Lingling’s arrangements. A bunch of young, hot-blooded Magicians was on their way to Dunhuang.

As soon as they arrived in Dunhuang, they were immediately welcomed by the unique charm of the barren lands.

Looking ahead, there was nothing but yellow sand extending into the horizon. The hills in the desert were brown and stacking on top of one another, with varying heights.

Unlike the flatlands in the southeast, the lands here were split into different layers. As they were moving along, the bright sun would suddenly disappear as the place ahead was covered in a shade that their eyes were not used to. As they raised their heads, they would discover it to be a fault, extending in both ways like a wall, while the path ahead was right above it!

Even though the whole party consisted of Magicians, not everyone had the ability to teleport around. They were riding the Wind Camels raised by the locals, and slowly approached the infamous Burning Valley!

The distance was not far, yet for some reason, the density of demon beasts skyrocketed after they passed the first fault!

The locals referred to the fault as the boundary line, and the direction that Mo Fan and his crew had come from was considered the territory of Dunhuang City, where the safe zone was established. However, if they crossed the boundary line and ventured deeper, they would find themselves surrounded by danger.

Many kinds of creatures resided in the Gobi Desert, its rich Earth and Fire Elements resulted in a huge amount of Elemental Beasts, and on top of that, the danger posed by the ruler species, the Sand Tiger Horde, across the area left the Hunters with no choice but to be extremely cautious once they crossed the boundary line.

As they arrived at the boundary line, the Wind Camels were not as useful. These camels that were no stronger than ordinary poultry were extremely terrified when they captured a slight scent of demon beasts, not daring to cross the boundary line.

The group set the Wind Camels free and climbed down to the descending barren lands. Intimidating cries would occasionally be heard from the desert, like soldiers on patrol signaling their restless comrades that their prey was walking right into the trap!

They proceeded less than five kilometers forward when a powerful roaring gust with sand drifting in it approached the group from between two hills.

The roar was deafening, and the sand hills began to sink rapidly!

“How unlucky, we’ve stumbled into the ruler species in this region when we’ve just arrived!” cursed Zhao Manyan, who quickly identified the creature through their roars.

“It’s a Sand Howl Tiger, a relatively fierce creature among Warrior-level demon beasts. Be careful,” Lingling said to the others.