Demon Wolf

The next day, two hours before sunset, Wolf jogged along the road which passed near a Treasure Rift. From the distance, he saw a palisade Boreo’s military had erected the moment they discovered the abyssal portal. Outside the fortification, a queue of ants stood; adventurers lined to pay the entry tax and try their luck at robbing Wolf’s home.

Wolf gazed at the diminutive figures when the hair at the back of his neck bristled. That dreadful, feminine sneeze echoed in his mind, and he knew the rift had collapsed. He skidded to a halt, sighing through the nose with a rueful expression.

Oh, come on. Who are you? When did I wrong you? Why are you so intent on keeping me here? Wolf stared at the sky, but no reply came. I’m certain I don’t need to speak for her to hear me. And why do I feel like my death’s at hand whenever I hear that sneeze?

In the distance, women shouted, and alarms rang, but Wolf ignored the uproar. As for the adventurers trapped on the other side, bound to die, nothing pressed Wolf’s conscience; they had paid to plunder his world, they could rot.

I could try another rift, but as Big Brother often said, repeating the same action while expecting different results is madness.

Pitying himself, Wolf bit his lip.

I guess I’m stuck here for a while; years probably. Wolf took a deep breath and started running, heading towards Widepasture. This was a slight detour, and even if they investigate, they shouldn’t connect me with the rift’s collapse.

Bewildered, he ran through this unfamiliar land and its monotonous landscape. What now? I guess I find the greatest martial organization around, join it, and climb as far as I can until I find a path home. At worst, I will return in a hundred years— No. That’s not the worst-case scenario. At worst, I’m stuck here forever and I will never see Sky, Mandy, or Anna. I don’t get my revenge—

Wolf faltered and after a dozen listless steps he stopped in the middle of the road paved with jigsaw-shaped stones. He laughed, and a tear slid down his face.

Fuck vengeance. It’s a sucker’s game. Sky is important. Will she hate me if I miss her childhood? Can Mandy raise her alone? No, that’s silly. She’s not alone. They rule a realm with millions of inhabitants, and she has those two kooky old bats to help her…

Gods! I have to return home immediately. If crazy old Daniel raises my daughter, gods know what I’ll find when I get back home. Or worse, what if he marries her?

Wolf realized he was hyperventilating. Stop. Calm down. I will find a way home. My daughter will not marry a senile crackpot. Everything will be fine. First, gather information. Then, once I’m informed enough, I’ll cook a plan. Come on. One leg in front of the other. I run and reach Widepasture, where I can read books.

Wolf stepped forth, but his mind remained a mess.

Since I’m stuck here, I can afford to waste Anima on reading. Extending several years of recovery by one day for immediate gain isn’t too bad, especially if that effort saves me weeks of reading. Damn. I should’ve done it immediately. Had I, I wouldn’t have stayed at the Agnes’s Barn and would have avoided this mess. That’s what you get for being cheap, rather than prudent.

Wolf ran, still keeping his pace in check; not because he was skimping on Qi, but because the road enforced a speed limit of seventy-five kilometers per hour, to prevent cultivators from trampling common folk or crashing into each other.

The night was bright, and as the sun set, it helped Wolf clear his mood somewhat. While running, he looked around, observing the lay of the land and local architecture, occupying his mind by committing to memory anything which seemed useful for his marquisate. By contemplating what he would do once back home, he anchored his fraying wits.

Wolf reached Widepasture in the predawn hours. The city was strange. It had a giant, beautiful wall illuminated by countless brightstones, but the vast majority of its residents lived outside the fortifications.

Janna Slim wrote that the walls and the old town within are a tourist attraction. Only the royal family and high nobility have mansions, businesses, and leisure-estates inside.

Despite the late hour, Wolf heard the sounds of merriment from the many taverns and pubs which floated near a wide, languid river’s bank, several kilometers away from the nearest stone structures. This is a historical and administrative center, with universities. Meaning, it’s full of spoiled youths, living off their parent’s teat.

Wolf harbored mixed feelings about such people. He had to fend for himself before he turned teen. Despite failing to realize it back then, adversity and malicious intent beset his youth from all sides, every step of the way.

I’m still young. Should I act like a young idiot for once? Wolf smirked at the silly thought. He had no time to waste. Instead of heading for the pleasure barges and music shows, he ran towards the city, intent on finding the House of Fairness and learning as much as he could about Boreo, and Glorious Tyranny.

He needed to identify this world’s top forces, and whether they kept branches in this farmland kingdom, as Benedict called Boreo.

The first thing Wolf noticed about Widepasture was a sign with speed limits; twenty for pedestrians, forty for riders and vehicles. Since he was new to town, Wolf hailed an equine Monster Beast drawn cab, asking the woman to take him to the House of Fairness.

Through the carriage’s open window, Wolf enjoyed the brightly illuminated city. It had vast parks and while its houses were not identical, they conformed to a set standard, which birthed a harmonious cityscape.

It’s more or less how Dad described Shield City. Wolf’s lip twitched into a sad smile. He recalled the long journey and Archibald’s tales. Unfortunately, the impressive, clean cities had changed by the time he visited them in person.

The carriage took a lavish bridge across the river. When Wolf leaned through the open window to inspect the ornamental bridge inlaid in gems and covered in golden leaf, he saw they were heading towards a lush river island.

This extravagant detail alone told Wolf who owned the islet. As expected, the coach stopped before a magnificent cathedral, which looked nothing like priest Benedict’s gilded shack-chapel. Wolf paid three gold crowns for the ride, realizing just how expensive a city was compared to a borderland boondocks town.

Each of these jewels costs at least a thousand crowns. Wolf eyed the door sparkling with splendor, wondering how frequently thieves stole those alluring gems. The door frame had dozens of Spell Formations, most of which Wolf recognized. However, as he entered, no recorded message greeted him.

“Good evening, valued customer. How may I be of service?” a youthful-looking woman hailed, her tone and expression leagues more professional than Whitesheep’s shepherd.

She wore the identical smart uniform of Fairness’s priests, and unlike Benedict’s humble rope and wood pendant, a gold and platinum symbol of scales in equilibrium hung from her neck.

“Good evening.” Wolf smiled, giving an amicable nod as he handed her the white card. “Priest Benedict Paul told me to show this before discussing anything.”

The woman glanced at it and nodded, not showing much surprise.

“How may I help you?” she asked, not commenting on the card.

“I need accommodations for several days and access to books you have for sale. Naturally, I will pay for both. I also have various goods I would like to sell…” Wolf hesitated. Should I sell Fermion coins I have on me? He mentally shook his head, decided against it for the time being. Getting rid of his native currency felt like a step towards giving up. “nubs, Monster Beast parts, some leather armors, and simple weapons…”

The priestess listened to Wolf’s request and nodded. “My remaining monthly limit is seventeen thousand gold crowns. You may trade with other priests. The price for reading a book is ten percent of its value if you plan to spread the knowledge; two percent if you plan on keeping it private. Because our priest vouches for you, reading books pertaining to the Great Spirit is free.”

Wolf nodded, seeing large temples had established rules on lending books, and that he would not need to recreate the arrangement he had with Benedict. “Do you have a library or…”

“Our shrine has thirteen thousand ninety-three different volumes. I can bring you an index, or you can tell me what you’re looking for, and I will recommend appropriate books to the best of my ability.”

“Introduction on history, geography, sects, and cultivation. After that I will have more requests to expand my knowledge on those subjects. Later I would be interested in everything you have pertaining to medicine and elixir creation, item creation, creation of formations…” Wolf listed any viable knowledge he could use using neutral terms, afraid he would reveal he was an outsider.

By the time he was done, he blushed under the priestess’s cold, professional gaze. The only items which failed to enter his list were fine arts and agriculture.

 

sleepydad88 Hello, due to popular demand of over ten percent of my official readership across various platforms (three people btw), I have posted the whole prequel novel on Wolf's Patreon page in ebook format.