Chapter 324: Open the Gate of Scorpio!
Chapter 324: Open the Gate of Scorpio!
Mira wasn't alone in this operation.
Rod had transformed into his Shadow Wolf form, hiding in the shadows at a distance, providing true covert protection.
It wasn't that he thought Mira would be in danger from these petty traffickers, but he was mainly concerned about unexpected and peculiar magic.
For this reason, Rod had made some preparations both on the ground and in the sky.
Was this reluctance to let his wife go a sign of his overprotectiveness?
Even if she encountered a wolf, she would only be able to run.
The adorable blue-haired girl sneezed, making her look even more pitiful.
Under Mira's excellent acting, someone finally took notice of her.
A group of three approached, one quickly passing behind her without doing anything. After walking past, he stopped at the alley entrance, looking around.
The other two were on opposite sides of the road, one in front and the other behind, maintaining a distance as if they were strangers, walking towards her nonchalantly.
One of them brushed past the little girl, took out a cigarette, and lit it. The suspicious smoke curled and drifted towards the girl's nose without dispersing.
Mira immediately realized what it was. She held her breath, took a few more steps forward, and then pretended to be tired, softly stumbling forward.
Before she could fall, the third person suddenly took out a bag and quickly put it over her head, skillfully tying the opening.
Then, like a magician, he produced a pole and two large baskets, placed the bag into one of them, and carried the baskets on the pole as if he were a peddler.
The three continued to act as if they didn't know each other, each going their separate ways.
Kidnapping a child with such meticulous preparation was no wonder they had never been caught.
Moreover, before leaving the guild, Rod had discussed with Mira about putting Laguzas in a bag, and today, Mira herself was bagged... It felt a bit surreal.
Rod memorized the scents of the two empty-handed individuals and didn't send any wild beasts to follow them to avoid alerting them.
He discreetly followed the peddler from a distance.
Rod witnessed the town's patrol team encountering the peddler, who surprisingly stopped to chat with their captain in a familiar manner.
It turned out that the perpetrator was an acquaintance.
There was a bad guy among the town's residents, and it was fortunate that they hadn't met with the mayor first, or else the plan might have been exposed.
It was also fortunate that Mira's face was covered in gray dust, and blue-haired people weren't uncommon. Perhaps he couldn't identify all the children in town.
The peddler, with his baskets, took a winding path out of town, telling anyone who asked that he was going to a nearby village for business.
In reality, once he reached a secluded, unpopulated road, he turned into a secluded grove.
He then took another winding path to a desolate mountain.
Rod surveyed the surroundings and found that the environment wasn't conducive to hiding in his Shadow Wolf form, so he switched to his Stone Beetle form and burrowed into the ground, leaving only his head exposed.
The Stone Beetle's head resembled an ordinary stone, nothing remarkable.
In a hollow of the desolate mountain, there was an inconspicuous hut. A fat and thin man emerged, complaining, "You're too slow! Why did you take so long today?"
"Don't talk so casually," the peddler replied as he put down his baskets and untied the bag for his companions to 'inspect the goods.'
The fat man smacked his lips, "She's dirty, but she seems like a good seed. No wonder they say your town produces beauties."
"It won't be 'our town' anymore. This is the last one, probably a child who sneaked out to play," the peddler said, stretching his shoulders. "Judging from the situation these days, we'll have to break into someone's home to get another one."
Transformation magic is a wondrous art; weight seems to decrease as one's size shrinks.
For instance, if Macao transformed into a small lizard, Romeo could easily pick him up by the tail and hold him in his hand.
Therefore, the peddler didn't feel any difference in weight between Mira's transformed state and that of an ordinary little girl.
The thin man held the bag's opening and carried the person into the house, saying nonchalantly, "With Misti's Mist Smoke Magic, breaking in won't be a problem."
"With this, we have nine," the fat man said. "Black Bear will bring one back from Lealco Village later. Once Misti and the others return, we'll set off."
"Lealco Village is the place the peddler claimed he was going to do business."
"How are we going to send the Black Bear?" The peddler was a bit concerned. "That guy is too reckless."
The fat man said, "It's the last one anyway. Even if we have to rob them, what can ordinary people do to us?"
Mira, who had just been dragged to the entrance, was about to jump out and slap them, but upon hearing their conversation, she decided to hold back for a while longer.
Rod had the same thought, but he first snuck further away and sent a group of Shadow Wolves quietly to Lealco Village to prevent the reckless Black Bear they mentioned from causing harm.
After doing all this, Rod continued to spy from a distance.
Now he felt like learning the Chanting Magic; at least he could chat with Mira during these boring moments and quietly communicate tactics when needed.
After waiting for a while, the peddler's two accomplices returned—the ones responsible for keeping watch and creating the suspicious smoke.
A faint sound of sobbing came from the straw hut, making Rod feel a bit agitated. He considered whether to jump out and deal with these people directly and then go after the so-called Black Bear.
Finally, a figure appeared at the end of the road, carrying a bag on his shoulder, followed by another, presumably his assistant.
"Finally back!" Misti, who had been squatting at the entrance smoking, stood up. "Get the kids ready, we're leaving!"
It seemed that this was the entire group: the fat and skinny duo, the peddler's trio, and the Black Bear duo, making a total of seven people.
In a moment, as long as Mira received the Soul of Lala Bay and hummed a few lines, she could safely take the children away.
Rod could also release the wild beasts, but that might scare the children. Singing a lullaby was a good idea.
However, the situation suddenly took an unexpected turn.
When the Black Bear reached the entrance of the straw hut with the bag, instead of placing it on the cart prepared by his companions, he looked at Misti and said, "Misti:
"Misti in the Black Bear's eyes: Skilled in creating suspicious smoke, he's a cautious fellow. Although he's very reliable in his actions, he's also overly cautious and annoying."
Rod felt like he was being subtly mocked, and this Black Bear seemed a bit off.
Misti felt that something was wrong, and the peddler was also puzzled. "Black Bear? What nonsense are you talking about?"
The Black Bear turned to look at the peddler and continued, "Pardel in the Black Bear's eyes: A newcomer I've only recently met, as cautious as Misti. He's good at transformation magic and is quite handy, but despite claiming to be a Demon Swordsman, he's not good at fighting."
"You're not the Black Bear! Who are you?" Misti crushed the cigarette in his hand and pointed at the person behind him in the cloak, "And who are you?"
"Bear Soul Reception!" The Black Bear actually transformed into a black bear, roared, and charged forward, swatting Misti with his bear paw.
"What?" Misti was shocked. This was clearly the Black Bear's magic!
Thin smoke rose from the cigarette in Misti's hand, but it didn't block the bear paw.
The bear paw landed on Misti's chest, knocking him back and slamming him into a tree, leaving him unconscious.
A long sword appeared in Pardel's hand, but he didn't dare to attack, "Come out quickly, the Black Bear has gone crazy!"
The fat man, the skinny man, and the one who had been keeping watch earlier ran over, "What happened?"
"Now that everyone's here, it's convenient." The person in the cloak finally spoke, and it was a crisp female voice.
"Black Bear! Who is she?" The skinny man shouted.
The Black Bear didn't speak, and he shouted at the cloaked person again, "What did you do to the Black Bear?"
"I have no interest in telling my name to dirty little characters like you." The cloaked woman didn't remove her hat but extended a hand with a blue glove from under her cloak, with two golden keys between her fingers.
Rod instantly recognized them as Celestial Spirit Keys, and they were golden! The Zodiac?
"Open, Scorpio Gate, Scorpius!"
There are too many translation versions of the Fairy Tail characters and Celestial Spirit names. Every time a new character appears, I worry that readers won't remember who they are.
(End of Chapter)
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