Chapter 85: The Great Prophet
Translator: Wuxia Dog Editor: Wuxia Dog
Though Han Jin and his group finished the fight quickly, the villagers still suffered heavy casualties. Around fifty or more corpses were lying on the ground, but no one had the mood or time to bury them; who knew when the vampires would come back again.
After some hasty packing, they hurried their way northward. Han Jin did not care about the marching speed of the villagers anymore. According to Reg, around one hundred and fifty meters northwest was the West City of Beitman, where the defense force was relatively strong and the vampires might have no courage to attack. The most important thing for them right now was to accelerate their speed and shorten their time on the road.
The villagers had also broken out all their potential in this life-and-death moment and clenched their teeth to follow the team closely. They moved on for the whole afternoon without any rest. When dusk came, the line of hundreds of persons had been extended to several miles long.
Steelberg and Little Joseph were too tired to walk anymore. When they saw Han Jin stop and turn around, they immediately threw themselves onto the ground and heavily gasped before Han Jin had even issued the order to rest. The luckiest ones among them were Reg and Keeley, who were carried by a wooden giant, in its arm and on its back respectively. To ensure the fighting capacity of the whole team, Han Jin had released two Wooden Army Calling Charms to take on the job of carrying Reg. Though it was a little bit of a waste of Han Jin’s energy, this was not the time to be stingy.
The villagers who caught up also sat down; some even laid directly on the ground and started groaning.
“How about resting here tonight,” Sunier whispered.
“As you say.” Han Jin nodded and slowly sat down.
After gently putting Reg and Keeley down, the wooden giant fell still and suddenly vanished after a shake of its body. A grey-white wooden puppet rolled into the grass. Little Joseph was a lynx-eyed boy. He jumped to his feet, picked the puppet up, and then respectfully handed it over to Han Jin.
The color of Treefolk was dark green, and the same went for the Wooden Army Calling Charm, but now the wooden puppet had become grey-white with countless tiny cracks covering it. A gentle squeeze would make it crack. The spirit in it had been used up; it was nothing but a piece of rotten wood now.
“It’s useless. Throw it away.” Han Jin smiled.
“Can I have it?” Little Joseph asked timidly.
“What are you going to do with it?” Han Jin was puzzled, but he immediately sensed something when he saw the desirous expression in little Joseph’s eyes. He took out a Wooden Army Calling Charm from his space ring and moved his finger several times in the air. He wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble if he was casting the charm himself, but if he let others release the charm, he had to ensure it was well prepared. “Take this,” he said.
“This is… for me??” Little Joseph was surprised and excitedly asked.
“Yes.” Han Jin nodded. “You have learned some magic from Cessacioun, haven’t you? Try to connect with it using your mental strength.”
Little Joseph stared at the Wooden Army Calling Charm. A long while later, he exclaimed, “Ah… I have… a very strange feeling! It’s really strange!!”
“Then you have mastered the secret to release it.”
“Thank you,” Little Joseph said reverently and respectfully.
Han Jin smiled without replying. The moment he shifted his eyesight, he found Steelberg looking at Little Joseph with his face full of envy but daring not to speak it out. “Come here, Steelberg. I have one for you,” Han Jin called.
“Young Master!” Steelberg jumped up too happily and even forgot to thank Han Jin.
Han Jin took out another Wooden Army Calling Charm, which was complete with all the necessary preparation, and passed it to Steelberg. “Do I need to teach you?”
“No, Young Master, I know how to use it.” Steelberg put the charm into his pocket with extreme care.
Sunier gave a dry cough. When Han Jin turned around to face her, she cast a glance beside them.
Over there, Keeley and Michelle were also gawking at the two who had just received the charms. Han Jin let out a sigh, “Am I a cafeteria now, with all these handouts?” he thought to himself.
But still, he said, “Come here, Keeley, Michelle. These are for you.”
“Thank you, but I don’t need it. I have all of you to protect me. That’s enough.” Keeley was stunned at first, but she still refused with a smile.
“Who can say we won’t make mistakes?” Han Jin said slowly. “In case we are unable to protect you in some critical moment, you can save yourself.”
“Just take it.” Sunier smiled. “Raphael is right. Just in case.”
Keeley and Michelle did not refuse any more. They walked over to Han Jin and took the two finished charms from him.
“What about me, Raphael?” Moxinke moved closer with a smile on his face. He draped his arm across Han Jin’s shoulder to remind him of the close friendship between them.
“Fuck off,” Han Jin promptly answered.
“Come on! This is unfair!” Moxinke cried with a long face.
“Stop being childish. Making puppet costs magic,” Sunier said, her eyes shifting toward Han Jin again. “By the way, do you have any other offensive magic aside from that holy light spell?” she asked. She too had realized that the holy light was far less effective on more powerful vampires. They had to find another way.
“Yes, I do.” Han Jin nodded.
“Why have you never used it? Is it because it takes a long time to prepare?” Sunier’s face beamed with delight. “If it is… we can protect you with all of our forces. How strong is that spell?”
“It can destroy hundreds of vampires at one time, if our enemies are just vampires,” Han Jin replied frankly.
“Then why are we still fleeing??” Moxinke jumped to his feet.
“Progressing at our current speed… I’d say I can cast that spell in about three years.”
“…You clown.” Moxinke was both amused and annoyed.
Sunier also rolled her eyes at Han Jin when she realized he was joking. Her delicate and pretty eyes blinked like a ray of bright light that made the others astounded.
Han Jin was sharp-eyed. He was very curious about the face hiding behind the mask when he saw her eyes. What was it like? It was said that elves were all beautiful creatures. “Sunier, how long have we known each other? More than half a year? Do you think… it’s time to let us see your real face? We may be surrounded by vampires soon. Don’t let us die with regrets.”
“Yes, yes.” Moxinke absolutely supported Han Jin’s proposal. He exclaimed, “Is it because of the rule amongst your race that if someone sees your real face, he has to marry you?”
“You must have heard too many stories from those bards,” Sunier coldly replied.
“It’s alright. I can recommend one for you,” Moxinke continued as if he could not understand her words. He heavily patted Han Jin’s shoulder. “This is Mr. Raphael, the great prophet, puppet manipulator, priest, magician, and the great noble. As a strong professional who possesses so many titles, is he qualified enough for you?”
Sunier was stunned, and the same went for Han Jin. They were both embarrassed, though they knew Moxinke was just joking. They didn’t know whether to deny it or not.
Moxinke realized his joke had gone too far when he saw the frozen atmosphere, which was totally different from what he had expected, so he hurriedly changed the topic, “And, he is a great fighter, if he can use his berserker spell.”
They gazed at each other. Moxinke was right. Though Han Jin was not as robust as Moxinke, they had to admit that he was sturdy as well,especially when he was using his berserker spell, during which both his speed and strength were greatly improved. The only pity was that he couldn’t release strength of fighting.
“Raphael, how is your berserker spell now? Has there been any improvement?” Moxinke asked. He was obviously trying his best to divert Sunier’s attention. The eyes which were staring daggers at him were giving him chills.
Unfortunately, he seemed to have forgotten that practicing the berserker spell required a target. And Moxinke himself was the best choice.
Looking at Moxinke’s seemingly caring expression, Han Jin silently smiled. He talked himself into this hole, he thought.
“Thank you for your reminding me. I had nearly forgotten about that. Please rest assured, once we settle down, I will spend a great deal of time with you to perfect it,” Han Jin said.
Moxinke immediately realized that he had fallen into another deep hole as soon as he had climbed up from the previous one. He felt like weeping, but he had no tears.
“But seriously, you are the first person I have known that has so many skills. How do you be a prophet, a puppet manipulator, a priest, and a magician at the same time, Raphael?” Cessacioun asked. He had no intention to help Moxinke out of his dilemma, but simply asked the question which was on everyone’s mind.
Even Sunier shifted her eyes toward Han Jin. She was curious too.
“This is… very complicated.” Han Jin thought for a moment. “We can talk about this later, if we have the chance.”
They were all a little bit disappointed, but none of them asked anymore. It was Han Jin’s privacy, the same as the mask on Sunier’s face. They would never force her to take off her mask, and likewise respected Han Jin’s privacy.
“Since you are a puppet manipulator, why not make a riding beast? It can carry lots of people,” Reg broke the silence.
Han Jin was speechless. Some things were not beyond his capability, but beyond his imagination. He had made wooden puppets in the past to protect himself and had never thought to waste his energy elsewhere. Now, given his speed of energy absorption, the energy consumed to make some spiritual creatures was negligible.
“You said, if I continue to wear my mask, it will leave you regrets. Is that true?” Sunier interrupted.
“Huh?” Han Jin was confused. This topic had been stopped, hadn’t it? Why would Sunier mention it again?
“My great prophet, please allow me to call you this for the last time…” Sunier forced a bitter smile.
Her words were ominous. Han Jin suddenly recalled what he had said just now. He had said that when they were surrounded by vampires, it would be a shame to die with regrets. He immediately looked up at the sky. Under the faint light of dusk on the horizon, a cloud of black dots, at least several hundred of them, were flying toward them at a rapid rate. Han Jin was dumbfounded.