Chapter 21: A Peculiar Incident

Niu Xuanguang was well aware of the combat prowess of Wei Ban’s mechanical repeating crossbow. Despite its high cost and the difficulty of use—it required considerable time to set up and demanded Wei Ban’s full concentration—the power it wielded was undeniable. More than once, when their group had found themselves in dire peril, it was Wei Ban’s mechanical crossbow that had saved them all.

It was only natural that Wei Ban wanted to further improve his mechanical crossbow. Niu Xuanguang understood this perfectly. Yet, understanding was one thing; when faced with the current situation, he hesitated. He rubbed the piece of amber in his hand, visibly torn.

“Wei Ban, if we really go through with this, there’s no turning back after,” he warned.

“Boss, trust me, this is worth it. All I want is that machine. But they won’t just send a single loom—there’ll be other valuable items in that caravan. Boss, we won’t lose out,” Wei Ban replied with conviction.

Niu Xuanguang lowered his head in silence. Then, with a resolute squeeze, he crushed the amber in his palm into fragments.

The moment the amber shattered, every player present—including the rookie Wang Liang—heard a message ring out.

[Warning: Your party has encountered a special event and will face an unexpected creature attack. From this moment, the main quest is sealed. Failing the main quest of this special event will not affect the overall plot evaluation.]

At the sound of this, Wang Liang immediately jumped up in alarm. Zhao Gongming, who was busy cooking, quickly pulled him back down. “Don’t get so worked up. Special events crop up from time to time. If you keep jumping at every little thing, how are you going to fight?”

Ghosthead, the young woman, chimed in, “Relax. Special events are scaled to the party’s level—they won’t throw impossible death traps at us. The danger here is actually less than some of the high-difficulty missions you’ve taken on yourself.”

Reassured by their words, Wang Liang quickly collected himself. He’d seen large-scale battles before; it was just the sudden message that had startled him. Seeing how unconcerned the others were, he too let go of his anxiety.

He did not notice that Zhao Gongming had already taken the nearly roasted camel meat off the fire, drawn a small dagger, and begun slicing it rapidly.

“Alright, since we’re about to fight and don’t know when the enemy will show up, we’d better eat first. I’ve set aside portions for the boss and Wei Ban—these are yours. Eat up, quickly,” Zhao Gongming said as he worked.

Wang Liang received a piece of roast meat and some sautéed camel hump. Since time was short, the roast still ran a little bloody.

But Wang Liang didn’t mind in the least; he’d eaten raw meat on the battlefield before. Wrapping the sautéed hump in the roast, he rolled it up and took a hefty bite.

The moment he bit down, his eyes lit up. The succulent fat of the roast melded perfectly with the tender camel hump, combining into a flavor he’d never anticipated. It was unexpectedly delicious. As he ate, he felt a surge of heat rise from his belly and spread through his limbs.

He sensed his strength increasing, his breathing steadying—this food was actually enhancing his physical condition.

Seeing Wang Liang’s expression, Zhao Gongming declared with pride, “Delicious, isn’t it? My cooking always has a certain glow, even if it’s not of the highest grade. It definitely affects the taste.”

Wang Liang nodded emphatically, already plotting to learn how to cook once this battle was over. This camel meat was simply too good. Why not try steaming rice with it? After all, he knew a recipe—something like ‘meat-steamed rice.’

As he mulled this over, he suddenly sensed something amiss. Instinctively, he reached out and his Blade of Severance fell into his hand as he glanced westward.

No sooner had he reacted than the weeping girl did as well, dropping her half-eaten food and rising to her feet with her halberd in hand.

As they looked in that direction, the paladins who had been cooking and resting also sensed the disturbance. They stood up at once; the leader began donning his armor.

Their heavy plate was notoriously cumbersome to put on—fully equipping oneself required at least three people and a good fifteen minutes. Unlike the players, who could simply equip armor from their inventory, the paladins prioritized outfitting their strongest warrior first upon sensing danger.

The white-robed men, too, sprang into action, some grabbing bows, others drawing swords, and still others helping the paladin leader with his armor.

By now, Wang Liang had caught sight of the enemy. From the sky, another flock was flying toward them. But unlike before, when the airborne assassins had used kites, this time they were mounted on massive birds.

No—that wasn’t right. Wang Liang’s keen eyes immediately picked out the anomaly. These were not birds at all, but bizarre creatures.

They had jaws lined with teeth and long tails. The leader was bluish-gray with intricate blue markings, while the others were a uniform gray. Their wings, stretching twelve meters wide, were formed of skin membranes extending from their flanks across four wing-finger bones. Their necks were strikingly long—about two meters—and their snouts were blunt rather than sharp. Gigantic antorbital fenestrae took up nearly half the length of their skulls, undoubtedly lightening their large heads. From afar, they looked like oversized cranes or storks.

“What are those?” Wang Liang asked, barely finishing before the weeping girl replied decisively, “Be careful. Those are Quetzalcoatlus—their mouths are deadly.”

Just as she finished, one of the so-called Quetzalcoatlus swooped down from the heavens, targeting a paladin below.

The paladin reacted swiftly. Though not yet armored, he stood ready with spear and sword. As the attack descended, he thrust his spear skyward.

“Well done—” Wang Liang began, but stopped abruptly as he saw the Quetzalcoatlus snap the spear in two with its jaws, then bite down on the paladin and take off into the sky.

Only the paladin’s desperate screams echoed from above.

The now fully armored paladin leader glanced up, then knelt on one knee facing west.

His action caught the attention of the circling Quetzalcoatlus, and one of the monstrous creatures dove straight down at the leader.