Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Luca had already imagined the grim sight he might encounter, but to his astonishment, both Lorant and Silem seemed perfectly fine.

They got off the sleds with ease, stretching their arms and legs as if nothing had happened.

It appeared that only the long period of sitting in the sleds had affected them; they were completely unfazed by the cold wind.

In fact, it was indeed so.

Ever since Lorant introduced the rope sled game that all the Crystal Ice Flame Dogs became obsessed with, "dog sledding" had become a staple activity at the Animal Pet Shop.

Every open day brought endless joy because of this activity.

Initially, it was manageable; although the Crystal Ice Flame Dogs ran too fast when excited, most people could still handle it.

However, as the weather turned colder, the speed of the sleds made the oncoming wind feel like it could slice one's nose right off.

It was only after Liszt came up with a simple "handheld wind shield" that the activity could continue.

The handheld wind shield was a palm-sized device that could be worn on the wrist.

When activated, it would automatically create an invisible wind barrier one meter wide and one meter high thirty centimeters in front of the device once the wind reached a certain speed.

This wind barrier could block most of the incoming cold wind.

It was an essential item for winter sledding.

More importantly, this little gadget consumed very little energy, allowing it to run for a long time on a single low-grade beast crystal core.

Lorant jumped off the sled, turned off the switch on his device, and stretched his limbs. Turning his head, he met Luca's shocked and aggrieved expression.

Coupled with his wind-chapped, red face, Lorant immediately understood.

He silently looked away. "Mr. Luca, on the way back, you and Silem can share a sled. With the wind shield, it'll be warmer."

The reason Lorant hadn't thought of this was that the professionals he usually dealt with didn't need such devices.

Whether it was Lancelot or William, even Liszt, a bit of wind was nothing to them.

So Lorant subconsciously assumed Luca was equally tough, never considering that a level-three knight might need some protection.

"Well, well, thank you... Ahchoo!" Luca shivered violently, quickly accepting Lorant's kindness.

Their arrival was so swift that it astonished the person in charge.

The person in charge was a knight from the tenth outpost.

He had received word early that morning that this time, part of the logistics team from the fifth outpost would consist of animal pets, which meant they needed to prepare accordingly as if there were mounted participants.

Even so, he couldn't help but marvel when he saw it with his own eyes.

These weren't the soulless, lifeless mounts of high-ranking knights; these animal pets were vibrant, living beings!

While distractedly going through the checklist with Luca and directing the farm workers to load supplies onto the sleds, he couldn't stop glancing at the Crystal Ice Flame Dogs playing by the roadside under Silem's watchful eye after being untied.

"One thousand... no, one thousand kilograms of barley," he muttered, crossing out a note in his book.

"Two thousand... two thousand five hundred heads of... oh, two thousand five hundred..."

Luca had to pause his work and waved his hand in front of him. "Brother, focus. Let's finish the check first. How about I arrange for you to get a closer look at them?"

"Really? Oh, that's great! Let's hurry!" The knight turned around with a delighted expression and shouted at the foreman, who was equally stunned by the Crystal Ice Flame Dogs: "Hurry up! Make these guys work faster! No slacking!"

After about an hour, the twelve sleds were fully loaded with enough food to last the fifth outpost several weeks.

After all, as professionals, knights wouldn't rely solely on ordinary plants for sustenance.

For professionals, ordinary plants lacked the unique energy found in beasts. Without regular intake of this energy, their sword qi or magic power could become imbalanced, leading to loss of control over their powers.

Thus, from a certain perspective, professionals and beasts were mutual prey.

After completing the task, the person in charge lingered, pestering Luca to fulfill his promise.

Luca had no choice but to ask Silem.

Silem readily agreed to the knight's shy request, holding Little Eight's neck, which had become aloof upon leaving the shop, allowing the person in charge to cautiously touch Little Eight's long fur.

Little Eight snorted impatiently, a clear double standard. It welcomed those it deemed attractive but would avoid anyone it found unappealing, unless restrained by its owner.

"We are the 'Blue Star Pet Shop' before the fifth outpost. The shop is currently closed but will reopen in spring. You're welcome to visit then." Silem smiled warmly, advertising his shop: "I'll give you a ten percent discount!"

The return journey was slower than the trip there.

Although the weight of the cargo was nothing to the Crystal Ice Flame Dogs, who still wanted to race, Lorant instructed them to slow down.

The irregular bags, though tied to the sleds with hemp ropes, made Lorant skeptical of their durability, fearing that the cargo might be left behind if they went too fast.

The journey was uneventful, and two hours later, Lorant saw the outline of the fifth outpost.

Along the way, Luca chose the fastest route to the outpost, passing close to the Black Forest, where Lorant could see a blue glow spreading through the trees and hear faint sounds of battle.

As they approached the outpost, Luca finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He had been maintaining a high level of alertness throughout the journey.

Among the three present, he was the only one with an official profession and the only member of the Knight Regiment.

Even though the Luminous Ice Flame Hounds were much stronger than him, Luca still felt a subconscious obligation to protect the safety of these two civilians as the only official personnel.

"Finally..." Luca let out a breath of relief, his tone light as he looked at the outpost not far away.

Before he could finish his sentence, the twelve Luminous Ice Flame Hounds suddenly stopped in unison.

Luca abruptly halted, nearly biting his tongue.