Chapter 52: Broken Horn
Above the ruins, the dark clouds slowly dissipated like bubbles, revealing a clear sky.
Hua Mi and the unicorn locked eyes.
After a moment, the latter walked slowly towards him.
Its eyes trailed a faint blue mark in the air, surrounded by lightning. With each step on the ground, it stirred up dust and debris.
Finally, it stopped in front of Hua Mi.
Standing proudly like a king.
This was an adult unicorn, standing as tall as a human when upright, with a head that reached about two meters when raised.
They faced each other, just an arm's length apart.
Hua Mi could hear the explosive sounds of arcs breaking the air and feel his hair slightly lifting due to the electric charge in the atmosphere.
A wave of pressure hit him.
But Hua Mi didn't flee or look away. He bravely stared back.
"If it wants to strike me with lightning, it doesn't need to come all the way over..."
Hua Mi felt it wouldn't attack him. That was an important reason he could remain calm.
However, the cold look in its eyes wasn't friendly.
Perhaps it was weighing its options.
Maybe if he made a slight wrong move, the balance would tip, and he'd end up like the gray-robed figure.
"My eyes are so dry..."
As they faced off, a sudden exclamation came from the side.
It was Little Orange flying to the scene.
After the death of the gray-robed figure, the magic that bound her naturally dissipated, and she flew over immediately.
Seeing the situation, Little Orange covered her face with her hands in a 'The Scream' pose.
"Oh my god, what happened here?!"
The unicorn ignored her.
Hua Mi didn't dare to move.
Both sides continued to glare at each other.
His eyes were dry, but Hua Mi resisted the urge to blink.
Can't lose!
Seeing the tension, Little Orange dashed between them, arms open towards the unicorn.
"Please, calm down! We are not your enemies! This whole thing was orchestrated by that gray-robed mage. He made a deal with the devil, created a resurrection corpse, and even... Where did he go?"
Click—
Suddenly, a thunderous sound.
Little Orange screamed and adeptly dove into Hua Mi's black robe.
Hua Mi was startled and took a step back.
But it was a false alarm.
This time, the lightning wasn't aimed at him. Four lightning bolts struck precisely, igniting the clothes of the four corpses instantly.
Blue-purple flames roared to life, rapidly consuming their flesh.
The thunderous glow in the unicorn's eyes gradually faded, returning to a normal state. Its surrounding lightning also dissipated.
But the brilliance on its body seemed less dazzling than before.
The unicorn turned and walked behind the fountain, lying down to rest.
The atmosphere lightened, as if nothing had happened.
Several green-furred apes jumped down from the wall, crouching around the unicorn, naturally standing guard.
"Looks like I have quite a reputation."
Little Orange peeked out from Hua Mi's robe, feeling proud.
Hua Mi closed his eyes and lightly pressed on his eyeballs, relieved.
"Where did that gray-robed mage go? Did he escape?" Little Orange curiously asked.
"He has returned to nature completely."
Hua Mi said, walking towards the lightning-struck pit.
First, he picked up the Wind God Arrow.
It was intact.
The level of lightning couldn't destroy it; the elves' technology was indeed powerful.
"Huh?"
Upon closer inspection, Hua Mi noticed a difference.
Inside the emerald arrow, instead of soft threads, there were twisted arcs merging into a sparkling lightning, making the arrow even more dazzling.
He held it in his hand, feeling a slight tingling in his palm.
Clearly, it had the property of lightning.
"Could it be that the lightning released by the unicorn earlier accidentally charged it?"
Wind elements depleted, perfectly filled by lightning elements.
Can it really be like this?
In that case, maybe it shouldn't be called the "Wind God Arrow."
It should be the "Thunder God Arrow."
Hua Mi placed the Thunder God Arrow back into his quiver and looked at the pearl in the pit.
About the size of a ping pong ball, completely milky white, and made of an unknown material.
However, surviving the lightning meant it was extraordinary.
"Things used to adorn staves are usually meant to assist in casting spells," Little Orange analyzed. "This looks like a Meditation Bead, which can enhance the caster's mental power."
Enhance mental power?
A good thing!
Hua Mi immediately controlled the swarm to lift the bead and inspected it closely.
Upon closer examination, he found that the bead wasn't originally milky white. It was transparent, like a glass ball, with milky white smoke swirling inside.
Holding it, he felt a bell tolling in his mind, giving him a significant boost in mental power.
Previously, he could only control two swarms simultaneously.
Now, with the Meditation Bead, he could effortlessly control three swarms at once.
"With increased mental power, my perception has significantly improved. If it were now, I could definitely sense the thief's every move."
This was an unexpected gain.
Hua Mi admired the Meditation Bead in his hand.
The white smoke inside seemed to respond to his gaze, spinning faster as if disturbed by something.
Hua Mi's mind stirred. Following his gaze, he released mental senses into the Meditation Bead.
Inside, it seemed to record something.
However, as soon as he probed in, his consciousness encountered resistance and couldn't go any deeper.
Access denied.
Even with his current mental power, he couldn't forcefully break through this barrier.
Hua Mi didn't pay it much mind.
He could explore it later. Perhaps it only contained the gray-robed mage's boring diary. People tend to ramble as they age.
Just the increased mental power function satisfied him.
Hua Mi put away the Meditation Bead, glancing at the unicorn.
"It didn't drive us away, meaning it approves of us moving freely here..."
Hua Mi's gaze shifted to the other side.
The broken horn lay quietly on the ground.
Could it be assumed that the unicorn intentionally gave me the broken horn?
After all, it had no use for it now. Better to give it to someone who needs it.
Considering he had saved its life, exchanging half a horn for a life didn't seem like a bad deal.
Hua Mi and Little Orange exchanged glances.
"We should ask for its opinion," Little Orange suggested.
"I think we shouldn't disturb its rest."
Hua Mi felt that after such a life-and-death battle, it must be exhausted.
Waking it up now might not be a good idea. If it woke up in a bad mood and kicked them out in a fit of anger, all their efforts would be in vain.
So Hua Mi approached quietly.
Bending, reaching, standing in one smooth motion.
The broken horn was now in his hand.
It felt heavy, as sturdy as steel.
Unlock exclusive early access to more than 200 chapters before anyone else by becoming a valued member of my Patreon community.
Updat𝓮d from freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.co(m)