Defeating Magic Chapter 27: The Monster Was Coming  

Chapter 27: The Monster Was Coming  

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Kiramekineko

Although the iron ore plant was only two mountains away from Kohl Town, it was a lot of work to get over the mountains on such a snowy day, and it was already two days after Zhou Yan had prepared what he needed to go to the town two mountains away.

Luo Futu was not very anxious, he spent the last two days studying Zhou Yan’s design drawings of the mecha. He originally thought that Zhou Yan just drew a shape out, but did not expect that the design drawings were very detailed. It included where to carve what kind of parts, what size parts, what materials to use, how to connect to make it more solid… This made Luo Futu’s trust in Zhou Yan, his partner, even greater, and he was indeed right.

When the two were ready to go, Luo Futu finally got his first winter coat—he was covered in a thin black robe, plus a pair of lantern pants. Although Zhou Yan had seen the power of this robe, invulnerable to swords and guns and waterproof fire, it was not clear whether it could withstand the wind and cold, so he wore such thin clothes! 

So overnight, he dismantled a quilt for Luo Futu to make a cotton coat.

Luo Futu thought it was still too ugly.

The role of the cotton coat was to protect him from the cold, but it was too ugly…

Before they left, Zhou Yan loaded a box of paper for Luo Futu to carry; since it was rare to go on a trip, he took something out to change into, in any case, it was also along the way.

It was only then that Luo Futu learned that Zhou Yan also had a business. He did everything: paper, cloth, daily necessities… But Zhou Yan was only responsible for research and development, researching how to make it, and then selling the rights to stores, so they could do it themselves.

The economy of the Zedoary Continent was very backward, but there were simple exchanges and business practices, and Zhou Yan made a lot of money by making these things. It was impossible to describe how much money, but in short, he was a rich man. Especially in Kohl Town, where he lived now, in this most economically backward town, Zhou Yan was the richest one.

As for why he didn’t move away to a richer place… The Zedoary Continent’s regime was strange in that it didn’t value salt and iron, but it did value land, and people without household registration couldn’t get any land, and they couldn’t buy or sell land—and of course no one wanted to sell. Zhou Yan understood why, because once grain had a price, people would probably grow grain on their precious land in exchange for money, instead of plants like crocus flowers.

The crocus flower could be used for money instead.

Under this system, once Zhou Yan left Kohl Town, he would not be able to find a place to grow food or plants used to extract the active ingredients of pharmaceuticals, and he would lose his experimental field. In short, unless the sale of land for cultivation was opened up in the future, Zhou Yan would never be able to leave this place.

The paper that Zhou Yan asked Luo Futu to bring with him was the newly made paper. This batch of paper was 10% lower cost than the last batch, and although the quality was reduced, it was suitable for the commoners’ daily use and should be popular.

When Luo Futu learned that these papers were made by Zhou Yan, he became very angry, which made Zhou Yan feel puzzled. “What are you angry about?”

“How dare they hide such a good thing, why don’t they give it up? I didn’t even use it.”

Zhou Yan’s eyes widened slightly, showing a trace of surprise. “Then what did you use?”

Luo Futu stared at him. “Sheepskin, silk, snake shedding.”

“…” So primitive.

When he said that, Zhou Yan seemed to remember that before he invented paper, people here did use sheepskin, and the small sheepskin rolls tied to the legs of the carrier pigeons were recycled. But that was a long time ago, paper prevailed in their place for a few years, gradually replacing sheepskin, and he had long forgotten that there was such a thing as sheepskin rolls.

After getting used to a thing, it was reasonable to think that it exists, not remembering at all that it was even a luxury for the people here.

Zhou Yan suddenly hooked his lips. “So you see, the benefit of developing productivity is not reflected: you, the ruler, can not use the good things ordinary people can use.”

Luo Futu followed Zhou Yan out the door while complaining, “So why don’t they have such good things to offer? I represent a god! Damn it! Have people here lost their faith?”

“Because the transportation is not convenient, my god. Who would have known that you can’t even use paper over there… Then what do you use to wipe your ass?”

Luo Futu seemed to find it too vulgar for Zhou Yan to ask such a question and glanced at him with displeasure, but answered, “Cleaning spell.”

“…” That…that was quite advanced, convenient, and environmentally friendly.

Zhou Yan had to climb the two mountains often before, but because of the recent heavy snowfall, the road had become difficult to follow, many shortcuts were impossible to take, and it would be night before they could reach their destination.

It was a headache.

Zhou Yan looked up at the mountain in front of him and sighed. Luo Futu couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong?”

“The road we usually take is blocked by snow, so it will take a long time to take the main road…”

When he was on Dense Cloud Planet, it was hard to imagine that one day he would have to climb this kind of place on his own two feet. Damn backward society. If only he had a mecha in his hand, he could go over with a harrier flip.

Luo Futu’s tone was relaxed. “Then I’ll take you there.”

Zhou Yan frowned at him. “Huh?”

Luo Futu did not explain much, moved directly towards him, put an arm around Zhou Yan’s waist, and then pulled him up fiercely, directly walking up the cliff wall. The sudden sense of weightlessness almost made Zhou Yan scream; he subconsciously grabbed Luo Futu’s clothes, suddenly heard the latter’s muffled laugh, and hugged him tighter. Zhou Yan saw the vertical cliff wall in front of his eyes near and far, his whole body like a helicopter miso miso upward, not long Zhou Yan landed at the top of the mountain.

Zhou Yan was confused for a moment, then took a step forward and looked straight down to the foot of the mountain. The cold wind rolled with snowflakes from the bottom of his feet, whistling past and because of the darkness, he could not see the bottom.

Zhou Yan was a little dizzy.

“Be careful.” Luo Futu reached out and hooked Zhou Yan’s collar and pulled him back a bit. “Falling down will kill you.”

Zhou Yan then came back to his senses. He pointed at his feet for a long time and asked, “…How did you do that? What is the principle?”

Although he had seen the mystics flying in his own telescope lens, experiencing a personal takeoff out of thin air was still different.

More real, more impactful, simply incredible.

Luo Futu saw Zhou Yan reveal this expression, and was very satisfied. “Nothing, just a natural skill.”

Listen to this tone, so he was also a master of mortal science.

Zhou Yan glanced at him, pulled the backpack tightly behind him and walked ahead, but still could not help but ask curiously, “So you mystics can all fly?”

Luo Futu shook his head. “Just now that is not called flying, that is rock climbing. The spells of the spirit school are mostly practiced by snakes, and just now they used the mimicry of snakes. If you want to experience the feeling of real flight, I will satisfy you when I recover.”

Zhou Yan heard him say so much and only caught one key point. “Snake mimicry?”

Luo Futu thought he had some bad impression of snakes like ordinary people and subconsciously asked, “Do you hate snakes?”

Zhou Yan shook his head. “I have no special feeling towards reptiles.”

“Then your expression is so strange.”

Zhou Yan looked him up and down. “I was thinking about one thing, since the spell used by the spirits is the mimicry of a snake, then… Can you also split like a snake?”

Luo Futu didn’t understand. “Split?”

Zhou Yan looked at him expressionlessly for a long time, then suddenly raised his hand and extended two fingers. “That is… Bifurcation.”

When he said split, the two fingers that were together suddenly opened up into a “yeah” pose, and then did the “together/apart” motion twice in a cycle. ¹

Luo Futu kept a smile on his face and a tendon popped up on his forehead. “Zhou—Yan…!”

Zhou Yan suddenly turned around and ran, and Luo Futu chased after him. “Stop right there!!! If you’re so curious! I will let you see today!”

Zhou Yan ran forward with a paralyzed face against the cold wind. Why so angry? He was just making reasonable assumptions.

Luo Futu did not use spells, and the two seemed like fools chasing each other in the snow for half a day, until they chased each other deep into the woods. Finally, Zhou Yan could not run anymore. 

Luo Futu chased him close, pounced on him and pinned him down in the snow. “Still running! See where you can run now!”

Zhou Yan sat there expressionlessly, shaken by him like a mast in a storm. “Bleh! If you shake me again, I’ll throw up!”

“I think you’re doing fine!”

“Ow…!”

A loud roar rang out, interrupting the two of them from their scuffle.

The roar seemed to appear out of nowhere, rising from the depths of the dense forest, shaking off a forest of fallen snow. Originally hidden in the depths of the forest, birds were also frightened, fluttering up in flocks.

Zhou Yan subconsciously lowered his head, and when the roar died down, he realized that Luo Futu was covering his ears.

Zhou Yan raised his head. Luo Futu saw his expression and frowned tightly. “What’s wrong with you? You look pale, do you not feel well?”

He did not really need to vomit, right?

Zhou Yan ignored him, only to open his eyes wide and stare at the direction of the roar. “They are coming…”

Luo Futu did not understand. “What?”

“Lurian… It’s the Lurian!” Zhou Yan suddenly got up from the ground and stared straight ahead. Luo Futu followed his line of sight, but saw nothing. He sniffed in the direction the wind was blowing from, but he didn’t smell anything strange either.

“Are you too nervous? I can’t feel anything.”

Zhou Yan didn’t make a sound, he just stared at the distant woods—he had fought with these monsters before, this feeling could never be wrong.

The next second, Luo Futu saw the distant black prickly woods seem to be pushed down by something, one after the other. Luo Futu looked at Zhou Yan and grabbed his wrist, he actually felt him trembling slightly. “Zhou Yan…”

“Run…” Zhou Yan violently held Luo Futu’s hand back. “Run! They’re coming!”