Seeing that the centipede was completely dead, Horne casually cast a first - ring water - based magic spell, Water Flow, to extinguish the remaining flames around.
Although this area was considered part of the southern district of Lehn City, it was actually somewhat far from the main urban area of Lehn City, and there weren't many residents. Horne couldn't let the flames burn wantonly, as a large fire might easily attract the attention of the church.
Horne thought the centipede was just a first - ring magical beast wandering in the wild and didn't associate it with the old man he had just met. He regarded their encounter as a coincidence, and there was no reason for the old man to attack him.
Despite the twists and turns on the way, Horne still arrived at the place where Annie lived, which was Enoch's former home, within the agreed - upon time.
Just as he was about to enter, Horne suddenly noticed something was wrong. The door was wide open!
The safety sign he had agreed on with Annie wasn't hanging either! Had someone been here, or had Annie gone out herself?
Horne quickly sensed and found that Annie wasn't in the room!
He rushed into the house and saw a chaotic scene. The interior, which Annie had painstakingly tidied up, had become messy again, even more so than before Annie came!
There were several obvious signs of damage in the room. Judging from the strength, they were probably caused by the monsters Annie summoned. But there were not only these signs. Most of the traces were covered with a faint green mucus and a strong fishy smell!
It was the same fishy smell as the old man's!
Then,
Inside that sack just now,
It was actually Annie!
Horne slapped himself hard. Why hadn't he noticed it just now?
Why had he let that old man get away so easily?
After a moment's thought, Horne decided to rescue Annie. Although the old man's aura was disgusting, he, Horne, wasn't a pushover!
This was just a small border town. Even well - known bounty hunters didn't want to come here. Even the white - robed deacons in this city were no match for Horne. Was this old man he casually met on the road really an invincible enemy?
Having defeated the white - robed deacon and easily killed the second - order black - robed deacon before, Horne had become a bit overconfident. In his mind, apart from the high priest of Lehn City and Ilya, who came for his teacher, he didn't need to fear anyone in Lehn City!
If nothing unexpected happened, that was indeed the case!
After making up his mind, Horne followed the traces left by the old man. The time they had been separated wasn't long, and the old man, carrying Annie on his back, couldn't have gone far with his old limbs.
Moreover, the old man didn't know how to conceal his energy fluctuations at all. Horne just needed to follow the disgusting feeling, and he was basically on the right track.
However, the old man's speed surprised Horne. By the time he caught up with the old man, they had completely left the area of Lehn City and entered a dense forest outside the city.
By the way, the southern district of Lehn City didn't have a city wall. Not only the southern district but also the western and northern districts didn't have walls because these three sides were backed by mountains. There was a dense forest between the city and the cliffs.
The powerful beasts and magical beasts in the forest had long been cleared by the church and posed no threat to the civilians in Lehn City.
So, enemies with insufficient strength couldn't attack from those three directions, and for enemies who could attack from those directions, a simple city wall would be meaningless.
After catching up with the old man, Horne didn't act rashly. The distance between Annie and the old man was too close. With the spells Horne knew, whether it was fire - based or lightning - based, if he wanted to harm the old man, he would surely hurt Annie!
So he slowly followed behind the old man, waiting for the moment when the old man and Annie separated.
As for why he didn't jump in front of the old man and shout for him to release Annie...
Horne wasn't stupid. Doing so might not only fail to save Annie but also cost him his own life. Moreover, he was hidden in the dark. Maybe he could save Annie with a little patience. Why did he have to go out and fight that old man?
The old man, carrying Annie on his back, suddenly stopped while walking. Why hadn't the bug he sent to kill the black - robed man come back yet?
Was there an accident?
Well, accidents were just accidents. Both the bug and the black - robed man were just minor characters and weren't worth his trouble.
After stopping, the old man looked around and then nodded. It was dark and quiet here. The forest was lush and extended as far as the eye could see, with no sign of human habitation. It was a perfect place to do things.
He put the sack on his shoulder on the ground and took Annie out. Then he found a tree as thick as a human head and tied Annie to it.
After finishing his work, the old man reached out his hand towards Annie's face. A pink, fleshy bug crawled out of his sleeve and onto her face!
The bug hovered around Annie's nose for a while and then sprayed a pink gas into her nasal cavity. The gas entered Annie's nose, and in just a short moment, Annie slowly regained consciousness.
As soon as Annie woke up and opened her eyes, she saw the old man's ugly face and the constantly wriggling bug on it. She burst into tears with a cry.
Originally, she had been staying quietly in the clean room she had just tidied up, practicing the meditation method Horne taught her, and she had been very diligent without slacking off.
During meditation, she could directly feel her spiritual power and magic power slowly increasing, which was very attractive to a novice mage like her.
But just when she was practicing well, this old man broke in!
Annie quickly summoned two little monsters to fight against the old man. Although the little monsters she summoned were out of her control, it was enough that they would attack the enemy instead of her when facing an enemy.
Unfortunately, the two little monsters she summoned were directly killed by the bugs that suddenly appeared. Although these little monsters looked intimidating, they were useless against a powerful enemy.
Then the old man threw a pink, fleshy bug on Annie's head. The bug released a puff of gas, and Annie fainted immediately after smelling it. When she woke up again, she was already tied to a tree, facing this hateful old face!
After confirming that Annie was awake, the old man grinned with his toothless mouth and said to Annie,
"The Insect Demon God said you're suitable to become his witch. I've been looking for you for several days. I really don't know what makes you worthy of the Insect Demon's attention."
Annie turned her head away, not looking at the old man.
"Well, let me ask you. Little girl, do you want to become a witch?" the old man asked Annie with a smile.
"Go to hell! I don't want to," Annie spat at the old man's face and said angrily.
"Don't want to? It doesn't matter. I don't care whether you want to or not. As long as I get what the Insect Demon God promised me."
The old man calmly wiped off Annie's saliva. He didn't care about Annie's disrespect at all and was too lazy to argue with her about such a trivial matter. He just needed to fulfill the Insect Demon God's request.
Whether Annie was willing or not wasn't in his consideration. Moreover, for those chosen by the demon,
Whether to become a witch wasn't up to them!