Chapter 677: No Grudges Held
As soon as Leon spoke, Cooper—who had looked utterly humble and devout just a moment ago—suddenly jerked his head up, snorting twin streams of white mist from his nostrils. He bared his teeth at Leon and glared, "Stupid human! If you’ve got guts, stop hiding behind the Wolf God. Come over here and watch Lord Cooper smash every bone in your body!"
Gale Ketcher also lifted his head, glaring angrily at Leon. Faint flashes of lightning danced in his eyes.
Then the Three-Eyed Shadow Wolf wrinkled its nose and let out a low growl. Instantly, the two brutes went limp, sprawling on the ground, afraid to move.
Not to mention the few onlookers nearby—Leon was thoroughly amused. He pointed at the Three-Eyed Shadow Wolf, looking perfectly justified. "Everything you’re saying is nonsense. The little guy is my pet. He eats my food, sleeps in my place, uses my stuff, and helps me out. Isn’t that perfectly normal? What’s it got to do with you lot?"
The two ancestral spirits looked utterly hopeless, as if the sky itself was falling...
Gale Ketcher’s face was a mask of disbelief. Amid the despair, a tiny flicker of hope remained as he gazed pleadingly at the little wolf.
"Honored Wolf God, what this human said can’t possibly be true, right? It’s not true, is it?"
Cooper’s face was a mix of shock and despair. He stared at the little wolf, half-muttering like in a dream, "Great Wolf God, this human is lying. He must be lying, right...?"
The little wolf let out a low growl, hopped onto Leon’s shoulder, and affectionately rubbed against his cheek, looking utterly delighted.
After that, the two ancestral spirits were completely crushed by despair—the look on their faces was so pitiful that even Leon felt a twinge of sympathy.
Damn, it’s not like I dug up your ancestors’ graves, kidnapped your women, or destroyed your power. Is this really necessary?
Leon begrudgingly put away the Doombringer Staff. Judging by the look of things, this fight was over before it even began—the two ancestral spirits were on the verge of a total breakdown.
But at that moment, Leon suddenly remembered a legend from the Blazeforge Realm. Supposedly, in ancient times, the orcs there worshipped a Wolf God. Later, when Emperor Norlick conquered the Blazeforge Realm, he became the faith on every orc’s lips.
Legend had it that, back then, the highest-ranking members of the orcs were the shamans—even the chieftains ranked below them. They built grand temples, all devoted to the Wolf God, and the most powerful shamans, known as prophets, could only summon one thing: the Ghost Wolf.
After Emperor Norlick appeared, who knows what changed over the years. The temples fell into ruin, and the tribe’s highest authority shifted to the chieftain. Shamans still held respect, but no longer wielded absolute power.
When Leon first heard this, he forgot it almost instantly. It wasn’t valuable information—every orc had some kind of faith anyway. Most believed in totems, worshipped fierce beasts in their weaker days, or sometimes even revered a demon or deity.
Leon never expected the Wolf God to actually exist—not just as a primitive totem, but as a real being. And it looked exactly like the little wolf...
The two ancestral spirits got confirmation, but couldn’t accept it at all. Cooper pleaded with the little wolf, "Honored Wolf God, how could you become a human’s pet? Please, you must take back this decision!"
As he spoke, Cooper kowtowed repeatedly. Gale Ketcher joined in, both of them trying to persuade the Wolf God with earnest devotion.
"Honored Wolf God, as long as you leave this human, we’ll immediately build you the grandest temple. Every orc will worship you devoutly, and anything you desire, we’ll fulfill."
Gale Ketcher’s mind was clearly sharper than Cooper’s. After some persuasion, seeing the little wolf still unmoved, he quickly added another offer.
"Honored Wolf God, if you come with us, everything this human has done for you—we’ll repay him double. He’ll even become the most esteemed guest of the orcs…"
The two ancestral spirits pleaded endlessly, but the little wolf just looked impatient. Leon produced a Tier-25 Mana Crystal, and the little wolf immediately beamed, gnawing on the crystal while squatting on Leon’s shoulder, not even sparing the pitiful ancestral spirits a glance.
At that, the ancestral spirits finally resigned themselves. They realized their Wolf God really was just this human’s pet.
Cooper was on the verge of tears, while Gale Ketcher looked unwilling to accept defeat. Failing to persuade the little wolf, Gale Ketcher’s mind shifted and he turned to Leon.
Gale Ketcher straightened his face and said seriously, "Human, we can overlook you taking the Heart of Blazeforge, and even forgive your offense to the Emperor. But you must return the Wolf God to us—only then will you earn our friendship!"
Gale Ketcher racked his brains for this idea, relying on his strength and the Emperor Norlick’s name to pressure Leon into handing over the Wolf God.
Unfortunately, as soon as he said it, even Xiu Ban looked at Gale Ketcher like he was an idiot.
Anderson looked on with pity—these two ancestral spirits had been tossed into the demi-plane and hadn’t seen what happened next. If they had, they’d never say something so brainless.
Sure enough, Leon grinned and whipped out the Spellbook of Ages, looking like he was about to smack Gale Ketcher in the face with it.
"Take a good look—know what this is? The Spellbook of Ages!"
Gale Ketcher was stunned. How did the Spellbook of Ages end up in this human’s hands?
Leon shot the ancestral spirits a look of pure contempt.
"Who said I stole your Heart of Blazeforge? Who said I offended Emperor Norlick? See this? This is Emperor Norlick’s Scepter—he personally gave it to me! The Heart of Blazeforge too, all gifted by the Emperor himself!"
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Gale Ketcher and Cooper were both dumbfounded...
"Are you saying I stole them? That I snatched them while Emperor Norlick was asleep? Use your brains. Would the Spellbook of Ages recognize a thief so quickly? Do you think I have the power to rob Emperor Norlick?"
The ancestral spirits were speechless. They had to admit Leon was right—the Spellbook of Ages had previously transformed into Emperor Norlick’s Scepter. Unless the Emperor himself handed it over, no one could take it by force. And clearly, Leon had earned the Spellbook’s recognition...
The ancestral spirits stared longingly at Leon—even Gale Ketcher had nothing left to say. The biggest trump card they could play, Emperor Norlick, was now standing on Leon’s side...
Leon sneered coldly, "You don't even have the right to bargain. Besides, how could I ever hand the little wolf over to you? Even if I did, he wouldn't go with you!"
As soon as Leon finished speaking, the little wolf—busy gnawing on a Mana Crystal atop Leon’s shoulder—nodded in firm agreement.
That was the final blow. The two Ancestral Wardens were completely crushed.
Leon waved his hand, looking utterly unconcerned.
"Alright, I don't want to keep squabbling with you. For the little wolf's sake—and for Emperor Norlick's generosity—just go. I'm not petty; I won't hold it against you. From now on, let's stay out of each other's way. Leave this place..."
Leon couldn't be bothered to waste time with these two fanatic fools, so he told them to get lost. But the two Ancestral Wardens just looked troubled.
Gale Ketcher pulled Cooper aside, both of them looking deeply frustrated.
Cooper scratched his head miserably, "Gale Ketcher, what do we do now? We finally found the Wolf God—how can we just leave?"
Gale Ketcher nodded, equally troubled. "Yeah, leaving is out of the question. But we can't just squat here forever either. This is that human's private demi-plane; if we stick around, word gets out, won't that bring shame to the Wolf God too?"
Cooper scratched his head for ages before finally snapping, "I'll just go bash that human's head in—then the Wolf God will be free!"
Gale Ketcher jumped in alarm and cursed, "Idiot! You want the Wolf God to hate us? We absolutely can't fall out with that human. The Wolf God is super close to him—if we try anything, he'll side with the human! Are you seriously thinking of attacking the Wolf God?"
Cooper was startled, frantically waving his hands. "I wouldn't dare touch the Wolf God—never! I'd rather die myself!"
Gale Ketcher thought hard for a long while before sighing, "Looks like there's only one way—we stay here and serve the Wolf God for life."
Cooper let out a breath, "Yeah, sticking with the Wolf God is the right move."
"Right, we don't have to bother with that human. Just serve the Wolf God and we'll be fine!"
The two Ancestral Wardens muttered to each other for ages before finally walking over, faces solemn.
Gale Ketcher put on a serious face and addressed Leon, "Human, we've made up our minds. We're staying—to serve the Wolf God for the rest of our lives!"
Cooper couldn't help baring his teeth at Leon, "But don't get any ideas—we're only serving the Wolf God, not you. Don't think you can order us around!"
Leon waved them off, completely unfazed. "Suit yourselves. But I’ll tell you this: every blade of grass, every scrap of mana here belongs to me!"
With that, Leon beckoned Seth, who’d been enjoying the show from afar.
"Come with me."
Leon left the two Ancestral Wardens behind and led Seth toward the Arcane Pool.
Anderson drifted over, all three faces smirking, and shot a pitying glance at the two posturing Ancestral Wardens.
They thought they could overturn the bowl once it landed in Merlin's hands? Too naive...
Once Leon left, the two Ancestral Wardens immediately cozied up to the little wolf, trying every trick to win him over.
Too bad, no matter how much they talked, nothing beat a single Mana Crystal...