Chương 74: Manipulating People's Hearts

According to Aize, the one who could have caused such a commotion was his warrior apprentice, Shutark.

Prior to this, Aize had recommended him to Frilian as the team's [Vanguard].

Their trip was specifically to recruit this new teammate.

After confirming the direction, the three of them stepped into the lush forest and headed towards the place where the smoke and dust were rising.

There are some small paths in the mountains and forests that have been worn down by nearby villagers, and they are relatively easy to walk on.

However, as the saying goes, "Looking at a mountain makes a horse run itself to death." Although the distance may not seem far from a high vantage point, it can feel like a distance of at least tens of kilometers when you actually walk there.

whoosh- The two mages easily flew up a high slope, then calmly turned around and waited for Shane.

Xia En's lips twitched, and he began to roll up his sleeves and start rock climbing...

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Frillie suddenly stopped.

"Be careful, there are traces of magic left here."

Xia En gripped the hilt of his sword at his waist, looked around, and found nothing suspicious.

Just then, a clear, cheerful laugh came from the bushes ahead.

Xia En looked up and saw a small, phantom-like girl suddenly appear behind the bushes. She stood under a big tree, smiling innocently. In front of the little girl was a herb gatherer carrying a bamboo basket, looking at her with tender eyes, his expression loving and infatuated.

The little girl reached out her hand, sweetly called out "Daddy," and then pointed behind her.

The "father" she spoke of, with a smile on his face, obediently walked slowly in the direction she pointed.

The scene looked very eerie.

"It's the Phantom," Frillian whispered, "It's using illusions to lure humans."

Upon hearing this, Philon immediately summoned his staff and aimed it at the phantom.

She had read about such monsters in "Magical Ecology": Phantoms are cunning and greedy, skilled at creating illusions, and once entangled by them, most people will willingly fall into the trap and never be able to escape.

No hesitation.

A clean and precise magical attack was fired, instantly shattering the loli phantom. Only a wisp of black magical particles remained in the air, slowly dissipating in the wind.

"don't want--" The herb gatherer suddenly let out a mournful cry, staring at the empty space ahead, tears instantly welling up in his eyes, "Don't leave us... let me see one more time... just one more time..."

?

Did the other party know from the beginning that they were in an illusion?

Faced with Shane's doubts, Frilian's voice came calmly, "Most of those who are lured and captured by the Phantom Ghost are willing."

"They read the target's memories, displaying phantoms of important figures from their past. Many people, even knowing it's a phantom, find it hard to resist this temptation... They really enjoy manipulating people's minds."

Do we exploit people's deepest memories?

How despicable.

The rescued herb gatherer wept with gratitude.

As he left, he kept turning back to look in the direction where the little girl had disappeared. His face showed no joy at surviving a disaster, but rather only regret at the shattering of his illusion.

Seeing this, Philon couldn't help but tighten his grip on the pendant containing the "photo" around his neck.

She dared not imagine whether, if the Phantom Ghost were to transform into her parents or Mr. Haita, she would willingly be deceived, just like that poor herb gatherer…

"Lady Frillien, have you encountered phantom ghosts before?"

"certainly."

"And what about when you... face the phantom of someone important..."

Frillie said calmly, "I've never gone easy on you, not even once."

"..."

The little girl looked at Xia En again.

Xia En smiled indifferently, "I have the [Brain Lockdown] attribute, so I'm hard to be harmed by mental magic."

Ok.

In a sense, you two are both invincible.

"We can't relax yet."

Frillie's voice rang out again, "We need to find the eggs of the Phantom."

"Egg?" Philon asked, puzzled.

"The Phantom Demon may leave eggs at the site of a successful predation to reproduce, so these must be removed. Look carefully around for any eggs the size of a soup pot and entirely black."

The three men began to carefully examine the bushes, the slope, and the area around the tree roots, but found nothing.

The sun gradually began to set in the west.

Finally, after trekking tirelessly for most of the day, they successfully arrived at the place where they first saw the smoke and dust rising.

A boy was sitting there.

With his signature reddish-brown gradient short hair, interspersed with a few black highlights on top, the boy was flamboyant and full of personality. He wore a fiery red short-sleeved shirt, his arms were tightly bandaged, and he held a giant battle axe in his hand.

It was Shutark.

Xia En and the others stepped forward and greeted him.

At first, Shutark was very friendly, but when he heard Frilian mention Azer's recommendation and invite him to join the party to go to the Northern Plateau, he became more reserved.

The boy's expression immediately changed.

"Is this just an excuse Master used to get you to take me back? Give up, I'm not going back."

"I think I've made myself quite clear," Frilian said calmly.

"You're old acquaintances, it's not difficult for you to collude with each other."

"..."

"Besides, I'm not qualified to take the risk at all. I didn't even dare to fight that guy who attacked the village... How can a coward like me be fit to save the world?"

"You mean the dragon that's coiled up next to the village?"

Upon hearing the word "dragon," Shutark became somewhat agitated, and his tone grew impatient.

"In short, I'm not going home, nor am I going with you to that Northern Highland Demon King's Castle. You should invite someone else."

Frillie looked at him, then didn't press the matter further, simply nodding gently: "I understand. We'll stay in the village for three days. If you change your mind, you can come find us anytime."

After saying that, Frilian turned around with Philon and headed down the mountain towards the village.

On the way, Philon kept looking back, unable to help but mutter under his breath, "Lady Frilian, are you giving up already... Mr. Aize..."

After the two left, Xia En did not rush to leave.

He walked over to the rock next to Shutark and, quite naturally, plopped down on it.

Then, under Shutark's astonished gaze, he reached into his backpack and rummaged around for a while before pulling out a giant strawberry ice cream.

"?!"

As soon as the ice cream was taken out, the magic ice frame that wrapped it began to slowly melt away.

That's a special "magic trick" used by dessert shop owners to keep ice cream fresh, allowing it to stay cold all the way through.

"Here, this is what Mr. Aize asked me to bring to you."

Upon hearing this, Shutark was stunned.

He stared blankly at the strawberry ice cream, then after a moment, looked at Xia En and asked in a very rude tone, "Who are you?"

"..."

Xia En silently complained, "How rude! She's nothing like the sensible and adorable little Philon."

However, he didn't pay much attention to it.

"Let me formally introduce myself. I am your future adventure partner, Shane."

"I did not agree."

"Your master said you would definitely agree."

"Heh... Are you very close to my master?"

"We're not that close. Mr. Aize only taught me for a few days."

"I taught you?!"

Shutark instantly became excited, his voice rising several decibels, "You're that old man's new apprentice? He clearly said I was his only apprentice!"