46 Escaping Phoenix Part 1 (1/2)

Saleen did not say much. He took Nailisi and Sika and left, not wanting to stay a second longer.

Picasso watched Saleen’s back as he left, sprouting curiosity for this young mage. However, this mage definitely hadn’t lied. Kossain hadn’t been killed by him personally.

Even if it had been him, so what? Kossain wasn’t a descendant of Lord Faka and he had been the one to make the decision to change the route forward. Served him right that he was dead. Picasso gave a cold smile before leaving in the direction of Canghong. Whether those two mercenaries were dead or not was not important. Since he already had the map, what was important now was finding the entrance to the ruins.

Saleen and the others moved as quickly as they could for over ten kilometers before slowing down.

”Chief, that guy won’t go back on his words, will he?” Sika continued holding onto her cudgel, ready to fight. She did not believe the words of the Holy See’s high priests. Back in the Caucasus region, the Holy See had spent a great amount of manpower and money each year in corrupting numerous villages. This had led to her abandoning the natural faith.

With more preachers, it was hard to separate the good and bad, and every underhanded method had been used. Hence, even innocent Caucasus people did not mix well with diviners.

”I have no idea. By virtue, he shouldn’t. We are too insignificant.” Saleen’s hand had been kept in his sleeve, his hand wound tightly over his family badge. This was the only weapon he possessed that could cause damage to the white deacon. Unfortunately, this had to be stuck on and Saleen had possessed no confidence at all, his hands full of sweat.

”Too bad the magic beast soul was killed. If not, we could control a few low-grade beasts to move faster.” Sika was a little dejected. She was too weak and could not help Saleen. Her eyebrows, like a pair of knives, furrowed. She looked miserable.

”Don’t be sad, Sika. I’ll help you find a new magic beast soul. I have memorized the map of that white deacon. From here to the Phoenix Duchy is about five hundred kilometers, and it is the narrowest part of the Chaotic Swamp.”

Sika nodded in a daze. She was terrible at navigation and whatever Saleen had said was useless to her.

”Master…”

”What!” Saleen voice was stern. The imp could not change her ways and it was hard for him to be pleased about it.

”Do you want to move faster?”

”Yes. So what?”

”I can carry you and run. So long as that lady can catch up, we can be about four times faster than now.” Nailisi gave him a pitiful look and Saleen could not help but feel sorry for her.

He had taken advantage of the imp’s misfortune to make it his. If it had been anyone else, they would have been unhappy too. Tempting a human into making mistakes was the nature of demons. He needed to treat Nailisi better.

Saleen thought about it this way not because Nailisi was pretty. He had seen Nailisi’s original appearance, and that image would have surely given many people nightmares. Moreover, Nailisi still was not sure of its gender. Even if Saleen had been yearning, he would not fantasize about it. And most importantly, they were running for their lives now. It was hard for him to express any youthful feelings.

He was purely looking at things in the manner that a mage would look at their pet. This attitude had been influenced by Jason Statham. Even though the two of them had had little interaction, Jason’s words were etched in Saleen’s heart.

Don’t come down with feelings for your pets. It will kill them.

In the end, Nailisi picked up Saleen. She was much taller than him, and carrying someone as big as Saleen was nothing for her. The three of them sped up and fled towards Phoenix Duchy.

Night descended upon the Chaotic Swamp. Nailisi’s instinct for danger was much sharper than Sika’s and from start to finish, they moved carefully, hiding from predators that roamed the night. Nailisi’s long hair was caught by the wind and brushed against Saleen’s face.

Her hair was like silk, making Saleen’s heart flutter.

At the end of the day, he was still an insignificant person. When Saleen and Sika said had said those things, he had not felt much. However, as Nailisi carried him on her back and ran, he was touched.

I must become powerful, just like teacher, Saleen thought as he rested his head on Nailisi’s shoulder and curled up his body. He felt like he had been sent back to the time when he had been the beggar that cowered in the rain, and at that moment, he could no longer hold back his tears.

Master is crying? Nailisi grew excited. Unlike humans, demons never wished for their masters to be powerful. It would be best if all humans were weaklings, and that was what creatures living throughout the many universes hoped too.

”Master, I’ll protect you,” Nailisi said softly as she sped up.

Nailisi’s voice had a certain magic that calmed Saleen down and eventually, he fell asleep. All this while, he had been trying to manage their situation as well as Canghong’s team. While the others had rested, he had been responsible for their safety. While the others had fought, he had needed to deal with the most powerful opponents.

Anyone, no matter how strong he or she was, would get tired, much less a Grade 1 mage like Saleen. If it had not been for the special training with his badge which granted him extraordinary endurance, Saleen would have broken down a long time ago.

Sika tried her best to keep up with Nailisi. The imp seemed to know Sika’s limit and was always a step ahead of her, forcing Sika to run as fast as she could to catch up. Despite her armor being very permeable, it was pooling with sweat and for the first time, Sika felt that it was unbearable to go without showering.

After running for a full day and night, Sika was just about ready to drop dead onto the floor in fatigue. Nailisi stopped at this point as Saleen woke up.