Chapter 134: Wolf Pack

The Moonshadow Valley, where the Moonshadow Clan’s main territory lies, is also a lush hilly area enveloped by mountains.

Just like the Puppeteer Forest, this side of the Mountains of Ten Thousand Demons seems accustomed to naming the territories of certain large races using their race names, and so the Moonshadow Valley is no different.

Wolf Claw Peak consists of two prominent summits, serving as the gateway to Moonshadow Valley. It’s somewhat similar to the Demon Trace Canyon, but obviously on a much smaller scale, lacking fortified defensive structures.

This is quite normal; after all, for magical beasts, particularly the Moonshadow Clan, which stands as one of the three pillars through sheer strength, there’s no need to rely on external protection. Except for younglings like Noviya, no poacher would have the guts to target the Moonshadow Magical Wolves.

Soon, braving the unrelenting rain, which seemed to escalate even further, Vilyric and her group arrived at the entrance between the peaks.

The passage formed by the left and right mountain sides is very narrow, roughly five or six meters wide. It vaguely resembles the Oaken Canyon where Vilyric encountered Nickles and his band of robbers back in the United Kingdom, though this one was significantly smaller in area.

Mountain Wolves are fast, and although there were only six or seven of them, as they charged together, their massive and powerful bodies exuded an intimidating presence. Especially under the influence of the force field generated by Iriush, their furious sprinting in the storm was indeed impressive.

However, some things are bound not to be intimidated by such sights.

“Stop!”

Suddenly, wolf howls erupted, and several dark blue figures leaped out from the lush greenery at the entrance of the canyon, blocking the way of Vilyric and her group who were about to dash through the narrow gap, all collectively emitting a loud ‘Awooo~’ as a warning.

“Whoa!”

The powerful aura from the high-ranking race spread around; even though the numbers were similar, the startled mountain wolves immediately slammed to a stop, nearly tossing one of the clumsily balancing little girls off. Thankfully, Iriush was riding the same wolf and quickly pulled her back.

“Hey, hold on tight! Why are you so clumsy…”

“Ah, thanks… who knew something would suddenly pop up…”

Listening to the quiet chatter between Iriush and Tilysha, Vilyric turned her head to survey the giant wolves that leaped out unexpectedly from the rain-slicked foliage.

They had fur that was a uniform bluish-gray. Having already seen Aiste’s true form, the Priestess immediately deduced that these should be the Moonshadow Magical Wolves guarding the entrance to Wolf Claw Peak.

However, compared to that great Demon General, these Moonshadow Magical Wolves had a slightly grayer hue and were noticeably smaller in size, about three to four meters long, roughly the same as Savor. It appeared that even the adult Moonshadow Magical Wolves were not as large as the mountain wolves.

The few Moonshadow Magical Wolves stood amidst the downpour, a layer of bluish light radiating from their bodies, shielding them from the oncoming deluge. Although they couldn’t entirely block it like Iriush’s device, at the very least, their fur wasn’t completely soaked, allowing for agile movements.

The lead magical wolf scanned the girls and mountain wolves, who were somehow shielded from the rain by an invisible force, despite both being subjected to the downpour, and showed signs of confusion.

“What do the Demon General and mountain wolves intend to do? Wait, is that Aiste, the Demon General? I remember you were supposed to be negotiating with humans in the south. Why are you back all of a sudden?”

Huh? How did this guy recognize Aiste so easily? After all, they all look pretty much alike!

Vilyric stared at the giant wolves on either side a few more times but had to give up on trying to discern distinctions between them.

There must be differences, but to recognize them at a glance was quite difficult; after all… there’s just too much wolf fur!

Back to the point.

Wolf Claw Peak is the gateway to the Moonshadow Magical Wolves’ main territory. Even with confidence, the Moonshadow Clan wouldn’t have no defenses at all, so the appearance of these giant wolves was within the Priestess’s expectations. She just hadn’t anticipated the guards hiding by the roadside in such downpour.

They’re quite dedicated, huh?

Naturally, in such situations, there was no need for Vilyric to speak; Aiste took a few steps forward to initiate dialogue.

“It’s me. You are… Myra, right? Is it your turn to guard today?”

Huh? How come you recognized her so easily too!?

“I’m honored that a grand magical beast like you remembers me, but I haven’t received any instructions that you would be returning soon. If you wish to take these unfamiliar outsiders through Wolf Claw Peak, you’ll need to explain the circumstances and wait for our report.”

The Moonshadow Magical Wolf named Myra appeared rather unapproachable, not easily letting them pass just because of Aiste’s status as a Demon General. Could it be that their relationship isn’t very close?

Of course, this is just a joke; the magical wolf itself shouldn’t have any issues entering the clan’s territory. The key issue lies with Vilyric and her companions, especially with their odd appearances and the fact they are strolling through the rain so casually, making it hard for the wolves not to be on alert and defensive.

The Priestess understood the implied meaning in their attitude, but she didn’t express anything in response. Though she didn’t quite grasp why there hadn’t been an advance notice, Walter and Aiste weren’t foolish enough to overlook something like this. All she could do was watch the situation unfold.

Sure enough, a flash of light shimmered from Myra, and she soon transformed into human form, bringing forth the silver-gray little wolf cub that had been wrapped in cloth and hidden among her fluffy fur, now cradled in Aiste’s arms.

“Your approach makes sense, but what about this one? Do you intend to stop her too?”

She pulled away the black cloth from around Noviya and lifted the little wolf cub, who looked utterly bewildered.

“The direct descendant, Princess Noviya Moonshadow, has returned to the clan; shouldn’t the Moonshadow offspring pay their respects?!”

“Awooo!”

Lifted up so dramatically, the little cub, still puzzled by the situation, immediately erupted into a high-pitched howl, her front paws waving in the air, as if trying to assert her presence.

Seemingly affected by her released aura, at that moment, a brilliant silvery light ascended above the Moonshadow Valley, hidden by the rain!

“Roar!!!”

That was an incredibly pure and exquisite white wolf, its fur seemingly untouched by dust, standing tall and roaring upwards!

“This, this…”

Myra looked as if she hadn’t recovered from this sudden shift, while the other Moonshadow Magical Wolves following behind her had already dropped to their front legs, rapidly howling as if kneeling!

“Awooo!!!!!!!!”

“Awooo!! Awooo!!! Awooo!!! Awooo…!!”

Within just a few seconds, it seemed as if countless excited howls responded throughout the valley, layering harmoniously, ascending into the sky. Even from the distant mountains, the chorus of wolf howls began to echo!

   

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