Chapter 72 — A Life-Form Reaction?

Gao Yang was jolted awake from a hazy sleep by the commotion outside.

The sound of soldiers running and shouting tore him from his dreams, mixed with cries of something like "the stone ball is alive," and he could hear several sets of footsteps racing toward his tent. Already a light sleeper, Gao Yang came fully awake at once, grabbed his clothes, threw them on, and called out: "What's going on?!"

Philip's voice came from outside the tent: "Sir, there's something off about that stone ball you brought back!"

Something off—what did that even mean?

A young knight who was always so sharp and capable had resorted to such a vague description, and Gao Yang immediately realized the situation might be quite complicated. He quickly straightened his clothes, took up the Pioneer's Sword that he always kept close at hand, pushed open the tent flap, and stepped outside.

Dawn was still two hours away, and there was not the faintest hint of light on the horizon, but the braziers and torches burning here and there kept the camp from being swallowed entirely by darkness. Gao Yang had just stepped out of the tent when he felt a shadow at his feet suddenly twist, and then Amber emerged from the darkness. The half-elf had not yet had time to change into her usual leather armor; she was wearing a set of light everyday clothes. As she pulled herself free of the shadow she was already chattering noisily: "What's going on, what's going on, I was sleeping just fine and then suddenly—hey, hey, I'm stuck, I'm stuck, give me a hand..."

Gao Yang, breaking into a cold sweat, grabbed Amber by the back of her collar and hauled her out of the shadow, finding her as light and nimble as a cat. "A shadow master like you can still get stuck in her own Shadow Step?"

"It's just—I was in a hurry and hadn't fully woken up," Amber said, a little embarrassed, and quickly changed the subject. "So what happened?"

"That stone ball I brought back seems to be acting up," Gao Yang said, gesturing for Philip to lead the way. He took Amber with him and followed behind the knight and the soldiers. "Let's go take a look together."

Hearing that this was what it was about, Amber immediately yawned. "Ah, I want to go back to sleep..."

She had barely gotten half the words out before Gao Yang tucked her under his arm and carried her off.

The isolated tent on the south side of the camp had already been surrounded by soldiers and militia, who had formed a cordon about a dozen meters from the tent. The burning torches made the area bright as day, and the civilians in the southern part of the camp had been roused by the commotion—though almost no one dared to come out of their tents to investigate. Most simply huddled inside, trembling, and considered themselves lucky to poke their heads out for a single glance.

Because Amber had struggled so fiercely, by the time Gao Yang arrived carrying the half-elf, Hedy was already on the scene. She was tracing magical runes in the air, setting up a weak protective barrier around the tent. When she saw Gao Yang, she could not help looking startled. "Ancestor, what are you..."

Gao Yang set Amber down. "This one's senses are sharper than ours at night, but she didn't want to come on her own."

Amber stamped her feet in protest. "You can't do that! You nearly strangled me!"

But no one paid her protest any mind...

"How's it look in there?" Gao Yang asked, gazing toward the tent. He noticed there was an empty buffer zone between the tent and the cordon, as though approaching the stone ball meant grave danger. "Any casualties?"

"No casualties, but two militiamen and one soldier are trapped inside," Hedy said, her expression strange. "They're being... stuck to it."

"Stuck?" Gao Yang blinked. "Like a magnet attracting metal?"

"Similar, but very strange," Hedy said, describing the situation. "It started when the militiamen on night watch found that the magic equipment on them had suddenly lost its power. Then their weapons and armor were drawn toward the stone ball. But not all metal gets pulled in—it's as if the ball is selective. Some people walked right past it fully armed without being affected... Since I'm not sure what else the thing might do, for now I'm not letting anyone near the inside. Only that druid, Pi Yun, is in the tent checking on the three trapped men."

Selective attraction? And it affected magic power? That made its nature nothing like a magnet at all.

Gao Yang pondered for a moment, then casually unfastened his Pioneer's Sword and handed it to Philip beside him. He patted Amber on the shoulder. "You and I will go in and take a look—leave all your metal items behind."

"W-why do I have to go too?" Amber immediately looked cowardly. "In a dangerous situation like this, shouldn't a knight like you go first?"

"Yes, so I'll walk in front and you follow," Gao Yang nodded. "Unless you don't want this month's pay."

Amber gritted her teeth, put on a look of utter resolve, and threw her metal belongings on the ground: two small daggers, two protective charms, a delicate little pendant, and the pocket watch of the old steward of Viscount Andrew's household in neighboring Tanzan Town...

Wait—she still hadn't returned that thing to him?!

Gao Yang's gaze swept over the pocket watch, then fixed squarely on Amber, staring until she was thoroughly creeped out, before he finally spoke: "Where's your coin purse?"

Amber immediately clutched her waist in horror. "Absolutely not!"

Gao Yang just kept staring at her.

A few seconds later, Amber finally, with great reluctance, pulled out her coin purse, cradled it, counted it over and over, and only then handed it to Philip beside her. "I'm telling you, I counted it clearly! If even one coin is missing when I get back..."

"On my honor as a knight, I swear I shall guard the property entrusted to me!" the young knight declared loudly, thrusting out his chest—which made Amber jump. "Hey, hey, you don't have to shout so loud. There's really not much money in there..."

"Ancestor, I'll come with you..." Hedy took half a step forward, but Gao Yang stopped her. Looking into her eyes, he said, "You and Philip stay here on guard. That ball might be able to affect the flow of magic—if you get close, you might end up useless."

Hedy nodded and bowed as she stepped back. "Then please be careful."

Gao Yang sighed inwardly: What a fine wife-material trait that is... When should I ask her when she plans to get married, and to whom?

With that irreverent thought turning over in his mind, Gao Yang led Amber—her face a picture of a warrior facing a mortal foe—toward the tent.

Before the tent, he used Danger Sense to confirm the situation inside. After roughly determining that there was nothing within capable of threatening him, Gao Yang carefully lifted the door curtain.

The first thing he saw was the large sphere resting in the center of the tent. It looked utterly unchanged, still the same drab, earthy stone—but around the stone ball, three fully armed men were stuck to it in a most comical fashion.

One militiaman, one militia captain, one regular soldier.

He also caught sight of the little old man. Pi Yun was indeed here tending to the trapped soldiers, just as Hedy had said. When Gao Yang lifted the curtain, the little old man was squatting in front of the militia captain, speaking kindly: "...So you see, this is clearly the work of bad luck. Are you sure you won't try our Forest Dusk sect's fortune-changing ritual?"

"The Forest Dusk sect doesn't have any damn fortune-changing ritual. Stop swindling my men," Gao Yang said, striding into the tent. He glanced down at the three soldiers. "Who got stuck first?"