All-Class Anti-Mage - - - - -

The ninth-tier thunderwing bird, Gigi, truly lived up to its reputation as a travel enthusiast; its knowledge of the route rivaled that of an underground worker. With just over an hour of flying, it successfully evaded the defenses of the fallen orcs and flew out of the Beast Language Forest.

Once out of this territory, it could reign supreme. The ability to instantly cast eighth-level magic was something only a twelfth-tier mage saint possessed on the vast Firmament Continent. However, it was clear that Gigi’s thought process was in severe contrast to its capabilities.

“I am a travel enthusiast who has explored the sights of the Saga Empire and the wealthy Fuyah Kingdom. Every couple of years, I go there on vacation. I enjoy the slightly briny sea breeze and watching the sunset dip below the horizon. At the same time, I am a solitary individual; family cannot be a burden that stifles my freedom. Therefore, for the future of orcs, I signed a soul contract with you. Once the mission is complete, we will each go our separate ways!”

Throughout the journey, Gigi chattered on incessantly, constantly emphasizing its desire for freedom. It shared various dangerous experiences it had encountered, like how it snatched the most delicious seaweed from the mouth of a sixth-tier magical dolphin and how it escaped the pursuit of another ninth-tier Blue Sea Bird.

Anyone listening would have gone crazy, but Babala patiently listened until the end. Riding on Gigi’s back, he felt an inexplicable connection. With his mood slightly dampened, Babala finally expressed his long-silent psychic consciousness.

“I miss Lulu.”

“Who’s Lulu?”

Gigi was a bit displeased. While it was recounting such a wonderful and thrilling experience, Babala was thinking about something else. “I would like to see what this Lulu is capable of. Can it recognize the way to Prague? Can it find the Mage Guild?”

“Lulu was Babala’s partner. It used to carry me just like you do. It is the pride of the Dragons!” Babala’s eyes moistened slightly, feeling his weight shift as Gigi became anxious. “What’s wrong, Gigi?”

“Nothing… nothing at all,” Gigi replied hurriedly. Oh dear, Lulu is a dragon! My master is quite impressive, even managing to form a contract with a dragon.

Among all magical beasts, regardless of tier, the most feared creatures were not humans, nor were they the black iron dwarfs or ancient elves; they were the dragons from the sanctuary! Even though the dragon invasion of the East Continent had failed, it still left an indelible shadow in the hearts of magical beasts.

“LuLu has a great temper; it rarely speaks, and I really miss it!” Babala continued to communicate through his psychic consciousness. If Yang Zhen knew, he would definitely say this was pointless-can a pterosaur even talk?

However, Gigi remained silent and stopped sharing its travel experiences. It sighed inwardly, realizing it had lost its freedom for life, but also felt fortunate to have a master who could even handle a dragon. Since LuLu rarely spoke, it decided to keep its mouth shut as well.

As they flew over Prague, the sun was setting. Gigi carried Babala directly toward the Mage Guild, diving down and landing at the entrance, causing a massive panic. Prague was a second-level city, and the highest-ranking member of the Mage Guild was only an eighth-tier grand sage. The sudden appearance of a ninth-tier magical beast would be enough to frighten anyone.

However, when people noticed there was a person on Gigi’s back, they relaxed; it was clearly someone else’s contract beast. Anyone capable of forming a contract with a ninth-tier magical beast must have considerable strength!

When Babala jumped off Gigi’s back, he was still in shock at the bustling scene of Prague. Compared to Nobi City, this place felt like a grand city.

“Excuse me, strong one, may I ask what brings you to the Mage Guild?” A fifth-tier sage at the entrance felt like his heart was about to leap out of his throat; the pressure from the ninth-tier magical beast was overwhelming.

“I, Babala, have come to find Lan’er,” Babala finally snapped back to reality and remembered why he was here.

“Who is Lan’er?”

“Miss Roland, of course.”

Murmurs spread through the crowd, but the sage looked troubled. Miss Roland was still with Master Trolley, but how could he explain this to such a powerful figure without making it seem like he was trying to brush off the request?

Clearly, he was overthinking it. Babala didn’t harbor such complex thoughts. When he was invited inside to wait, the barbarian insisted on standing at the entrance instead. Before long, news of a supreme power arriving with a ninth-tier magical beast to find Miss Roland spread throughout Prague.

Prague was not lacking in pursuers for Roland, but when these people heard the news and rushed over, they began to tremble upon seeing the ninth-tier thunderwing bird preening itself. They initially thought it was a rumor-even the contract beast of His Majesty Ubantu was only eighth-tier!

“Yang Zhen! Yang Zhen…” In the distance, a simple yet agile-looking Roland rushed up to the scene in a flurry. Once she realized that the big, goofy guy standing with the magical beast was not Yang Zhen, her heart plummeted, filled with an overwhelming sense of disappointment.

When Roland heard that someone had come with a ninth-tier magical beast to find Lan’er, she rushed over immediately. Just last night, she had dreamt that she was Zixia¹, with Yang Zhen dressed in golden armor, stepping on a rainbow cloud to come and marry her. She hadn’t expected the very next day to see someone arriving on a ninth-tier thunderwing bird. Naturally romantic, Roland assumed it must be Yang Zhen, but instead, she found a barbarian clad in orc attire.

“You must be Lan’er?” Babala said, gazing at the beautiful girl running toward him while calling out Yang Zhen’s name. His goofy face wore a look of uncertainty; he took Yang Zhen’s instructions very seriously.

“I am. May I ask who you are and what you want?” Disappointment already lingered in her heart since only loved ones and close friends called her by her nickname. Hearing it from a barbarian’s mouth made Roland slightly displeased.

“My name is Babala, and this is my partner, Gigi!” Babala exclaimed, his expression transforming into one of extreme joy upon hearing her acknowledgment.

“Gigi? Babala? What kind of names are those?” Roland took a step back.

“Then you must be Yang Zhen’s beloved as well? It’s a shame you don’t have big muscles; although Yang Zhen doesn’t look very imposing, he’s quite strong. You must be strong too,” Babala said, his gaze fixed on Roland’s chest. He didn’t dare to reach out, though, as the memory of being dragged into the jungle by a beautiful orc had left a lasting impression in his mind.

Roland’s expression shifted at his words, which sounded flirtatious to her ears, especially since his gaze lingered on her chest. Just as she was about to explode in anger, Babala continued, “This is a letter Yang Zhen asked me to deliver to you.”

Roland quickly snatched the letter from Babala’s hand, prompting him to admire how swift Yang Zhen’s beloved was in her actions.

“Lan’er, the first thing I need to say is that no matter what Babala says or does, you must not get angry. He truly is the rare creature you described; there’s no one on the Firmament Continent more innocent than him…”

It seemed that Yang Zhen had anticipated what might happen next. Seeing those words made Roland chuckle, recalling Babala’s previous antics. What was there to be angry about?

Babala scratched his head in confusion, wondering what kind of happy story the letter contained.

“The events in the Beast Language Forest are more complicated than I imagined. Here…” Roland’s expression gradually transformed from joy to seriousness as she read the letter. What she was reading could no longer be described as mere “trouble”; it was nothing less than… a monumental disaster!

After reading the letter, the girl fell silent, deep in thought. She stood still for quite a while before a smile began to emerge on her face. It seemed she had come up with a plan. “Hmph! Once this is over, just wait and see how I take care of you! Who told you not to say ‘I love you’ or ‘I miss you’ at the end of your letter?” she murmured to herself.

Roland stood lost in thought for quite some time, while Babala waited patiently, as did the onlookers who had gathered. Finally, Roland snapped back to reality and smiled at Babala, saying, “Let’s hurry inside; you must be tired from your journey.”

“Hehe, Babala isn’t tired, but Gigi is,” Babala replied with an innocent grin. Roland almost choked on her breath, but thankfully, she understood the barbarians well enough not to take his words the wrong way.

“Then let’s go inside; it wouldn’t be polite to stand out here. The conditions in the Beast Language Forest must be tough. Once we’re inside, I’ll make sure they prepare a delicious meal for you,” Roland said generously, pulling Babala along with her. Yet, her pretty face was filled with longing as she thought, I wonder how Yang Zhen is doing. Is he eating well and sleeping well there?

Oh dear, she had forgotten how much food she had packed into Yang Zhen’s space ring. As for sleeping… if Yang Zhen came back and told her what happened, he would definitely have an extra blanket in his space ring the next time he went out-perhaps even a whole bed!

“Yang Zhen said he is doing well, so you don’t need to worry about him,” Babala said, moved by the evident love shared between the two. As he spoke, he gently slipped his right hand out of Roland’s grasp, shaking his head. “Babala needs to go back and tell Yang Zhen how much you miss him.”

Upon hearing this, Roland’s face turned red. In her shyness, she even forgot to write Yang Zhen a personal reply. However, her embarrassment didn’t last long as she heard Babala say next.

“Babala will bring something wonderful back for him.” Babala was a good friend; he hadn’t forgotten what Yang Zhen had wanted when he was unconscious.

“What wonderful thing?” Roland was taken aback, thinking to herself, What does this even mean? What on earth is Yang Zhen hinting at?

“Oh, when Yang Zhen was unconscious, he said…”

“What? What happened to Yang Zhen? Why was he unconscious?!” Roland grew anxious, her eyes starting to water.

Babala felt rushed and scrambled to explain. He could only reenact Yang Zhen’s expression at the time, leaning in as he imitated it, saying, “Lan’er, are you going to give it to me?”

A strange silence fell over the crowd, and after a few seconds, everyone exclaimed in unison, “Oh…”

Clearly, everyone understood what the “wonderful thing” was. Roland’s anxious expression morphed into shock, followed by embarrassment, and finally, her delicate face was filled with anger. The girl screamed at the sky, “Yang Zhen! I’m going to kill you!”

Footnote:

Zixia(紫霞):Zixia is a romantic and idealistic character from the Chinese classic “A Chinese Odyssey” (大话西游), where she dreams of a fated lover arriving in a grand, heroic manner. The “golden armor” and “rainbow cloud” symbolize nobility and a magical, auspicious arrival, reflecting Roland’s romanticized expectations of love.