Chapter 124: Mine Guardian Beast

Chapter 124: The Mine's Guardian Beast

Tap, tap, tap!

Rena arrived with a group of soldiers. Dismounting swiftly, she hurried over and asked, “Lord Allen, are you unharmed?”

Allen shook his head. “I’m fine. Take this man away for interrogation—find out how many others are involved behind the scenes.”

Rena nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Someone, take him away—make sure he has no chance to commit suicide.”

Soon, men carried off the assassin leader. Before leaving, they dislocated his jaw, preventing any hidden poison or self-inflicted death by biting his tongue.

As he was dragged away, the assassin leader shot Li Wei a sidelong glance, already seething with hatred.

If it hadn’t been for Li Wei’s interruption, he would have died beneath Allen’s hand—swiftly, cleanly—instead of facing torture.

Allen turned to Li Wei. “How did you know he was the leader?”

Li Wei recounted the accidental discovery of the assassins’ secret meeting.

Allen listened, astonished, his face etched with disbelief.

“I don’t know whether to say you’re lucky… or unlucky.

If what you say is true, capturing their leader is a tremendous feat. We might even uncover the mastermind behind it all.”

According to Li Wei, arresting ordinary operatives was useless—they knew nothing.

No wonder Rena had failed to extract any meaningful intelligence earlier.

The assassin leader was the only real breakthrough.

Allen invited, “Lord Timo, would you care to visit Maple City sometime?

If we obtain crucial information from him, I can petition the city lord for a reward on your behalf.”

Li Wei replied, “I’m sorry, but I don’t have time now. But if the opportunity arises, I will certainly pay my respects to Archmage Allen in Maple City.”

Seeing his refusal, Allen didn’t press further.

After bidding farewell to Allen, Li Wei hurried off to find the ant king’s carapace.

“Where did I bury it again?”

He searched through the woods, retracing steps marked earlier. Yet the forest looked identical everywhere, and for a moment, he lost his bearings.

Sssshhh… sssshhh…

Digging sounds echoed from nearby. Li Wei’s eyes sharpened.

“Shadow Servant!”

The shadow darted toward the noise. Li Wei advanced cautiously, ready for battle.

Ahead, a towering silhouette emerged. Li Wei’s expression shifted to surprise.

“The golden anteater!”

He saw the beast clawing at the earth beneath a great tree. Looking up, he spotted the mark he’d left on the trunk.

It dawned on him instantly—the golden anteater was digging up the ant king’s shell.

After devouring the ant king’s innards, the creature had undergone a minor evolution, its strength greatly enhanced.

Clearly, it now coveted the buried carapace.

Without hesitation, Li Wei raised his hand and began casting Fireball, intent on killing the beast.

The golden anteater sensed danger. It halted digging, scanning wildly for the threat.

Then it saw the glowing orb in Li Wei’s palm—and trembled.

Memories of past wounds surged back.

It dropped to the ground, whimpering softly.

Huff… huff… huff…

Li Wei paused, startled.

What was this?

No attempt to flee. No attack.

Was it… surrendering?

After a moment’s hesitation, he withdrew his magic, dispersing the forming fireball.

Seeing this, the golden anteater crept forward slowly, cautiously.

Huff… huff…

It licked its lips, offering a timid greeting.

Though Li Wei had beaten it before, the days spent under his care had been the peak of its life.

Endless feasts. Food until it could barely move.

Even a small advancement in power.

It wanted that life back—luxury, abundance, comfort.

Li Wei stared at the beast, surprised.

He reached out, stroking its massive head. The creature let out a soft purr of delight.

Yet as Li Wei gazed upon this mountain-sized beast, playfully nuzzling like a pup, he struggled to feel any sense of cuteness.

Impossible—the thing’s appearance was simply too grotesque.

After a moment of thought, he patted its side. “You may follow me, but I can’t take you with me.”

The beast looked up, puzzled.

Beasts weren’t unintelligent—most possessed minds akin to human children.

It understood his words.

Li Wei continued, “My home doesn’t have space to house you. And once inside the city, what would you eat?”

“Better to stay here. I’ll grant you a status—then you may roam the mines freely, unharmed by humans, free to feast on iron-eating ants as you please.”

“And if I have time, I’ll come see you.”

“I once met a smaller golden anteater underground—seemed to be female. This is your chance. Don’t miss it.”

He spoke at length, and slowly, the beast grasped his meaning.

Finally, Li Wei pointed at the hole. “Now, dig up the carapace I buried.”

He stored the largest piece of the chitinous shell into his spatial ring.

The remaining fragments of broken carapace he left entirely for the golden anteater to eat.

The golden anteater chewed with great effort, slowly corroding the ant king’s shell with its super-acidic saliva to make it soft enough to bite.

Yet it chewed with obvious delight.

To it, this was a treasure capable of spurring evolution and enhancing its strength.

Li Wei took a sack and packed the shell pieces for the golden anteater, tying the bag beside its neck.

Whenever it wanted to eat, it could simply use its tongue to pull out a piece.

“Not now—stop eating. Come with me.”

Li Wei led the golden anteater back toward the camp.

This was his third return to the camp.

He found Leina.

“Officer Leina, this is my summoned beast,” Li Wei said.

The golden anteater behind him lifted its head slightly, as if to confirm—yes, that’s me.

Leina glanced at the creature, then looked back at Li Wei with puzzlement. “What are you trying to say?”

Li Wei explained, “The golden anteater is my temporary companion. I’m about to leave this place, but it will remain here.”

“You’ve been struggling with how to control the iron-eating ants—this creature can solve your problem.”

He laid out his idea to Leina in full.

Leina stared at him in surprise. “You truly intend to leave it here as a guardian beast?”

“But when you’re gone… won’t it go out of control?” She voiced her concern.

“It won’t,” Li Wei replied. “It’s far more intelligent than humans imagine.”

Hearing this, the golden anteater quickly nodded in agreement.

Leina hesitated a moment. “I can’t decide this alone. Wait here—I’ll consult Mage Alan.”

She went to find Alan and relayed Li Wei’s proposal.

Alan smiled. “Of course. If the golden anteater can suppress the overpopulation of iron-eating ants, there’s no reason not to appoint it as the mine’s guardian.”

“That said, we should still take certain safety precautions.”

Alan handed Li Wei a circular band.

“This is a beast-taming ring. Despite the name, it only works on already tamed magical beasts—used for tracking and limiting their actions.”

“Put this on it, and you can ensure it won’t harm any human,” Alan said.

Li Wei took the ring and turned to the golden anteater.

After a pause, he slipped the taming ring onto one of the creature’s small claws.

He patted the golden anteater’s head and said, “From now on, you are the guardian of the mine. You may roam freely within the mines, but under no circumstances may you harm a human.”

The golden anteater nodded solemnly, understanding.

(End of Chapter)