Chapter 5: Edlu Fort (Part 2)

Meili shouted, “Ezekiel, you… get away from me!”
Ezekiel, furious, reached for Meili immediately. Qi Wuzhen grew impatient and snapped, “Stop it already! If you keep this up, I’ll tear you apart!” It had taken a lot of effort to give her a somewhat ladylike image, but with just those words, her violent and savage nature reappeared.
Both Ezekiel and Meili feared Li Ran and Qi Wuzhen deeply. With their intuition as transformed beastmen, they knew this woman could truly tear them apart if she went all out. So when Qi Wuzhen snapped, the two immediately stopped fighting. Then Qi Wuzhen ordered, “Meili, follow Halchi. Ezekiel, follow Guo Shier!”
Ezekiel was furious—this was too much bullying. Halchi was stunned; he never expected Qi Wuzhen to give such an order. He lamented inwardly, “I want to follow you… not this beastwoman… What the hell is going on… You’re too cruel… Ugh…” He cursed in his mind, while Meili beamed with joy, agreeing eagerly.
Guo Shier found it amusing. Given Qi Wuzhen’s dominance, Ezekiel really had no choice. He had already understood Qi Wuzhen’s personality—she usually preferred to stay out of others’ affairs, interested only in what she liked, ignoring everything else, and not provoking anyone without reason. But if anyone annoyed her, the consequences would be terrifying.
Ezekiel had no choice but to submit. Perhaps because of some inheritance he had received, he now feared peak-level professionals. In the past, he would have preferred death to submission. But after gaining human professional inheritance and being marked by Li Ran with a soul talisman, he naturally developed fear, which was suppressed by Qi Wuzhen.
Seeing Ezekiel’s angry expression, Guo Shier couldn’t help but laugh. In fact, Ezekiel still didn’t understand humans. With Halchi’s mindset, he would never engage in any ambiguous relationship with Ezekiel’s wife—let alone flirt with Meili, as he wouldn’t even have time to escape. Besides, a human and a beast could never develop a romantic relationship, no matter how beautiful Meili might be.
Ezekiel said, “Shier, I’ll follow you…” He still seemed unwilling.

Guo Shier didn’t care. With Ezekiel by his side, it was like having an extra fighter. He glanced at Qi Wu Zhen and suddenly understood—it was Sister Zhen showing care for him. Perhaps she disapproved of Halechi, which was why she forced Halechi to take Meili with him, while paying more attention to him. After all, Ezekiel was extremely powerful in close combat, a master of physical combat. With his abnormally enhanced body of a talisman beast, even he would be wary if faced by him.

The group soon saw Edlu Castle. It was a castle built in the mountains, taking advantage of the steep cliffs—the castle was constructed right on top of them, with entrances at the base of the cliffs. There was a cave passage, and it had two floors, with the highest floor being the castle on top of the cliff. Another defensive wall was built in the middle of the cliff, giving Edlu Castle a stepped appearance. There were two passages: one through the cave and another via a mechanical lifting cage.

Guo Shier and the others hovered above the treetops about ten miles away. After casting the vision-enhancing spell, they could clearly see Edlu Castle. A road led into the forest, then branched out radially, with countless paths leading deeper into the forest—all formed by trampling.

There were many people walking on the ground, some carrying prey. The entire castle appeared very peaceful and orderly. Guo Shier asked, “How do we get there? Do we fly straight up to the castle or walk?”

Li Ran smiled and said, “I could change my appearance and blend in, but you guys… can you?”

Guo Shier was stunned. Not to mention the difference in appearance between them and the Mos people, even Ezekiel and Meili had such distinctive looks that it would be hard to deceive the Mos people no matter how they tried to disguise themselves. Blending in would be a joke. He said with a wry smile, “Do we have to kill everyone we meet?”

Li Ran laughed and said, “You’re not a butcher. Why kill everyone you meet? Just go in. If they’re friendly, be friendly. If they try to kill you, hehe, I think you don’t need to be polite. Just kill them—no one fears anyone else.”

Guo Shier nodded and said, “Hmm, that works too. When we go to Edlu Castle, it’s best to gather a map of this area first to figure out the best route.”

Qi Wu Zhen said, “Don’t worry about that. Just go over there first.” She took off first, flying straight toward the castle atop the cliff.

Li Ran laughed and said, “Alright, let’s go together. Xiao Zhenzhen is just too impatient.”

A few people flew in front of Edlu Fort. As they got closer, the soldiers on the castle could be seen clearly. Upon seeing the flying figures, those soldiers were terrified. Horns sounded, and a large number of soldiers rushed to the castle, including hundreds of archers who drew their bows and aimed at the approaching group.

A dozen armored men were at the front, holding great swords and staring in fear at the figures flying in the air. In their minds, those who could fly must be unimaginably powerful masters—such experts had never been seen at Edlu Fort before, so they were extremely nervous.

Li Ran and his group did not attack immediately but hovered less than 200 meters in front of Edlu Fort, observing the panicked soldiers below. They were also gathering information, as this was a strange continent with unfamiliar races. Although they were human, it was still unclear whether they were enemies or friends.

Yao Zebusong frowned and said, “Look at their armor… Is there any secret to it? I wonder how strong its protective power is.”

The group at the front, likely military leaders, wore armor that emitted a faint spiritual glow, clearly indicating strong protective capabilities. Before engaging in battle, no one knew their true strength.

“Who are you?”
Finally, after their shock subsided, someone shouted. Many others murmured, “Haska… Haska…” Haska referred to the most powerful masters, equivalent to king-level barbarian spirits. But the appearance of Li Ran and his group was so different from the locals that they had no choice but to confront them.

Li Ran replied calmly, “We’re just passing by!” He spoke in the local language, so the soldiers on the castle understood him.

There was immediate chaos. At that moment, a tall old man stepped forward from the crowd. He was over two meters tall, with broad shoulders and a thick back. He wore blue armor and carried a large axe shaped like a wheel. His hair was white, but his beard was brown. Beards on either side of his lips were tied into two braids. He had deep-set eyes and a high nose. He shouted, “I am the commander of Edlu Fort, Abuya. You…” He didn’t know how to ask, as these people were too strange and possessed great strength.

Guo Shier said, “Stop distinguishing between ‘you’ and ‘us.’ We want to enter Edlu Fort to rest. We have no hostile intentions.” Having learned the local language made communication much easier, preventing misunderstandings that could lead to battle.

Abuya hesitated for a moment before saying, “Please wait…” He summoned several officers to discuss how to deal with them.

Li Ran and the others weren’t in a hurry either; they just hovered in the air waiting. By now, many people had been alerted. Since Edlu Fort was divided into upper and lower levels, many saw Li Ran and the others hovering in the air, each one filled with astonishment. Very few people in this world could fly, so seeing so many people hovering in the air shocked everyone there greatly.

After a while, Ya Buya turned and came to the defense wall, shouting, “You may enter Edlu Fort, but you must follow the rules here and must not endanger its safety!” He had no choice but to agree; even though these people looked strange, he couldn’t refuse them. They knew well that masters who could fly were beyond their ability to resist.

Li Ran smiled casually and said, “Alright, alright. We’re just going to rest in Edlu Fort for a while; we won’t cause any trouble.” He thought to himself, “Let’s go in first. If we start killing around before even entering, we won’t get any information at all.”

Guo Shier said in a low voice, “I hope they can be quiet and not bother us.”

Ya Buya said, “You can land in the commercial area below; you can’t stay here.” The platform of Edlu Fort was a lookout platform, accessible only to soldiers; others weren’t allowed to enter.

Li Ran smiled and said, “Okay.” He didn’t mind either—as long as they could enter Edlu Fort. In fact, he didn’t want to fight right from the start, as that wouldn’t help him understand this world at all. The group followed him down to the platform below.

The people on the platform below immediately became chaotic, scattering to one side to clear a large area. Li Ran and the others slowly landed on the ground. He waved and said, “Let’s go shopping together!” Shopping was the most direct way to understand local customs and traditions. With their keen eyes, they could gather many useful pieces of information during the shopping trip.

These outsiders were extremely curious about Edlu Fort—the world was about to unfold before their eyes. Fortunately, the local army wasn’t very hostile toward them; otherwise, another fierce battle would have ensued. If they could integrate into the people of this world, they would be very happy about it.

Following the platform into the hollowed-out cliff walls, there were many small shops on both sides of the wide passage. There were numerous torch-like lighting devices on the stone walls, with a burning flame every few steps. The soft glow of the flames flickered, illuminating the dark passage in a colorful light.

Li Ran and his group entered the passage. At first, everyone avoided them, but as they went deeper, some people began to gather around, not realizing how powerful this group really was, but rather out of curiosity about their appearance and clothing, especially Mei Li, who had a tail trailing behind her.
Halechi wanted to die; Mei Li clung tightly to him, constantly pulling at his sleeves, leaving him with no choice but to keep walking straight ahead with his chest out.
Guo Shieru’s head was in chaos as he carefully observed his surroundings—the place was filled with exotic charm, overwhelming him.
Suddenly, someone said in a strange tone, “Wow, this person actually has a tail! What kind of creature is he?” Hearing this, Li Ran and the others knew trouble was coming.
Mei Li’s crimson eyes fixed on that person as she asked coldly, “Are you talking about me?”