“Brother, I know this envoy is detestable, but as an envoy, he must have some tricks up his sleeve. At the very least, he’ll have an ‘Elemental Spirit,’ a reward granted to all clerics. It’s a powerful elemental warrior. You mustn’t act recklessly,” Resha said, trying to calm Ye Chui with concern.
Cass, though visibly angry, knew an envoy couldn’t be killed. He advised, “Let’s just drop this. I’ll find a way to compensate you for the reward.”
“You don’t need to be so tense. We’re not planning to harm the envoy. I was just curious about him, that’s all,” Ye Chui hurriedly explained to everyone.
Debbie nodded vigorously. “Exactly, exactly.” Her tone shifted as she turned to Resha. “So, Resha, how do you think this Elemental Spirit would fare against my Jiji or Gilga?”
Resha wiped sweat from her forehead. “Your two spirits are very powerful, big sister. An Elemental Spirit wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“Oh, good, that’s reassuring,” Debbie said, nodding knowingly. She quickly added, “I’m just curious, no other intentions.”
Then, arm in arm, the two prepared to head out of town.
“We just remembered something we need to do, so we’ll head off,” Debbie said, waving to Resha and Cass. Ye Chui added solemnly, “We’re definitely not going after that envoy, so don’t worry.”
Resha and Cass watched the two, clearly intent on chasing the envoy, and were momentarily speechless.
Resha looked at Cass. “Mayor, aren’t you going to stop them?”
“How could I possibly stop them?” Cass said with a wry smile. He knew Ye Chui and Debbie were deliberately putting on this act so that, if things went wrong, Cass and Resha could claim ignorance of their plan to rob the envoy. At the same time, Ye Chui was indirectly telling them to stay out of it.
Anyone who dared to swindle their gold coins wouldn’t leave here unscathed!
Resha was nervous. From the Church’s perspective, she didn’t want Ye Chui and Debbie to attack an envoy, but Jamil’s actions had angered her. They deserved a lesson, as long as Ye Chui and Debbie didn’t cause too much trouble.
She sighed, looking at the flying beast, now a distant black dot, and consoled herself, “That beast is at least a third or fourth-tier creature. It’s already flown so far in such a short time. Brother’s dragon may be fast, but it can’t be summoned for long. They probably won’t catch up to Jamil, right?”
Probably not?
“How’s the carriage coming along?” Ye Chui asked Debbie as they walked toward the east side of town.
“I’ve already told Green to prepare it. He’s parking the carriage on the forest path east of town,” Debbie replied. Understanding Ye Chui’s intentions, she had discreetly instructed Green to rent a carriage and drive it to the east side to wait for them. She asked Ye Chui with some concern, “Are you sure we can catch up? That flying beast is fast.”
“Don’t worry. The veteran driver spirit I summon can provide a massive speed boost. Last time we tested it with you, we only used one horsepower. This time, we’ll go full throttle with ten horsepower. Catching that envoy will be no problem,” Ye Chui said confidently. Over the past half-month, he had tested the spirit’s powers with Debbie.
They reached the east side of town, where a grove of sour apricot trees stood, bearing green fruit that looked tempting but would ruin your teeth if bitten. A small path ran through the grove, the forest trail Debbie mentioned. Sure enough, they saw a carriage in the distance, with Green standing anxiously in front, watching for them. He hurried over as they approached.
“I rented the carriage as Debbie asked. Are you really going after that envoy?” Green glanced at the single-horse carriage. “But can you catch up? I only got a one-horse carriage.”
“It’s enough,” Ye Chui said with a smile. He walked to the carriage and unhooked the reins connecting the compartment to the horse.
Green’s face fell. “No way, you’re ditching the compartment to ride the horse?”
He then turned to Debbie with a hint of complaint. “Why didn’t you just tell me to rent a horse? How am I supposed to drag this big compartment back?”
“You ride the horse back. We only need the compartment,” Ye Chui said, leading the horse to Green.
“Just the compartment?” Green was stunned.
“We’ve got it covered. You head back. Oh, and get dinner ready. We’ll grill some beast meat. Let me tell you, beast meat is a rare delicacy, even in big cities. I’ve only had it three or four times. It’s absolutely delicious,” Debbie said, licking her lips instinctively before climbing into the carriage.
Ye Chui smiled at Green and slipped into the compartment.
Green, holding the horse’s reins, stood there, utterly confused about what to do.
Then, to his astonishment, a white light emanated from the compartment, quickly forming a humanoid figure. Undoubtedly a spirit, it settled into the driver’s seat. Green stepped aside to glimpse the spirit’s appearance.
He caught only a side profile.
It was a man in strange clothing, with a muscular build and, most notably, a bald head.
Another bald spirit?
A raspy, magnetic voice came from the second bald spirit, speaking a language Green didn’t understand, but Ye Chui, as the spirit’s host inside the compartment, could comprehend.
“Ready for a dose of speed and passion?”
“Head east, full speed at ten horsepower!” Ye Chui responded, his eyes fixed on the map on his grimoire. A yellow dot moved rapidly eastward, representing Jamil. Ye Chui looked up at the bald figure in the driver’s seat and said with a smile, “Thanks, Dom Toretto.”
This second bald spirit was Dom Toretto, unlocked from the “Fast and Furious” series. Though wildly popular in another world, it only cost 300 points to unlock the entire series.
The points required to unlock media weren’t based on fame but on the power level involved. Despite the increasingly fantastical “Fast and Furious” series, its characters were still within mortal limits, so the unlock cost wasn’t excessive.
Ye Chui had chosen to unlock the series to see if he could summon the cars, a key prop. Without a car, Dom Toretto was just a strong man, likely weaker than an average swordsman here. Compared to partially summoning Saitama-sensei for 200 points, 300 points for Dom seemed unreasonable.
The summon didn’t include a car, as sci-fi items from another world couldn’t manifest. But there was another surprise.
Spirits like Dom Toretto could compensate for summoning limitations in unique ways.
For Dom, his spirit talent was [Veteran Driver]. Without a car, he gained a special ability: transforming any four-wheeled object into a powerful vehicle!
At that moment, under Green’s stunned gaze, a chorus of horse whinnies rang out. Ten ghostly horses, formed from pale blue light mist, appeared before the carriage, their reins held by the bald spirit named Dom Toretto. The mist enveloped the compartment, leaving intricate, magical patterns across it.
With Dom’s shout of “Yah!”, the ten phantom horses galloped, pulling the carriage with a thunderous roar, speeding forward.
Lightning fast!
The forest path had a near-right-angle turn ahead, where many carriages had crashed into apricot trees or flipped. But Dom’s carriage tilted just before the turn, its four wheels skidding across the ground, leaving four tracks in a miraculous “carriage drift” that smoothly navigated the bend.
Truly a veteran driver!
This was a magically modified “Fast and Furious”!
Green: “…”
