Chapter 113: A Spaceship in Hiding

Linley followed the werewolves through dense vines and woodland. After crossing a muddy marsh choked with reeds, they entered an old castle.

“The master has returned!”

“The master has returned!”

The werewolves inside the castle cheered Linley’s arrival. His gaze swept across every corner of the fortress. There were at least five thousand werewolves living here, all dressed in coarse, homespun linen.

Many of the males had bandages wrapped around their bodies, and some of those bandages were still seeping fresh blood. It seemed a battle had taken place not long ago.

In an alley, a thin female werewolf was nursing her child. The baby wailed loudly, but Linley quickly realized that it was not getting any milk at all.

Linley frowned slightly. These werewolves were living in truly miserable conditions.

“You aren’t with the werewolves from the south?”

“No... We’ve lived here for fifty years.”

One of the werewolves following him answered. They had secretly crossed over from the Faron Continent decades ago and had lived in seclusion here ever since. They were not the same werewolves who had recently invaded Yasha.

“We built this castle, cleared the wilderness around it, and learned to farm. We never offended the dwarves, but after those werewolves appeared, everything changed.”

Anger filled the werewolves’ voices. They had been living peacefully in seclusion when the war beyond their borders suddenly swept over them. The nearby dwarves began shouting that the Wolf Castle had to be destroyed.

First, they invited a powerful mage from Sky City, who cast a spell that transformed all the farmland outside the castle into swampland, depriving the werewolves of both food and strength.

Then the nearby lord sent troops to attack the castle. Just as the werewolves were about to be overwhelmed, a mysterious figure suddenly appeared and protected them with overwhelming power.

The werewolves regarded him as their savior and agreed to obey him—the very man who had impersonated Linley.

Yet that man remained in the castle for only a day before disappearing. The werewolves searched everywhere, and only today had they found Linley.

“So that’s what happened...”

Linley finally understood the whole story.

“I’m a little thirsty. Do you have any water?”

“Of course! This way, Master!”

The werewolves brought Linley to the finest room in the castle and served him tea and water.

From their enthusiastic behavior, Linley could tell that the demigod who had impersonated him had not mistreated them.

He fell into thought. These werewolves had clearly been manipulated by the demigod as well. The demigod had deliberately presented himself as their savior in order to win their loyalty—but why?

How could the demigod have been certain that Linley would stand with the werewolves?

Linley could not make sense of it.

He soon received his answer. When he asked the werewolves why they regarded him as their master, they replied:

“Because you are the Supreme King of the Night Elves...”

“We have all heard of how you saved the Night Elves!”

“We have also heard the stories of what you did three years ago.”

The werewolves eagerly explained that they trusted Linley because he had already saved so many people.

In truth, their master really was Linley, not the demigod.

It was precisely because the demigod had assumed Linley’s identity that the werewolves had believed him—the forest elf who had saved the kingdom of the Night Elves.

Linley understood the demigod’s method now. It was unexpectedly simple.

Linley had saved the kingdom of the Night Elves. Faced with so many innocent werewolves, how could he possibly refuse to help them?

Linley’s deeds were simply too famous. The vast majority of people in this world—including the demigods—misunderstood him and believed that he was genuinely a good man.

He had saved Snow City and the Night Elves. How could he abandon this pitiful group of werewolves?

As long as he saw the wretched state of the Wolf Castle and the helplessness of its inhabitants, that legendary good man could not possibly remain unmoved. The demigod had been absolutely certain of that.

And once Linley helped the werewolves—who had now become enemies of the entire continent—he would naturally give the demigod room to frame him.

“...What a crude and straightforward scheme.”

Linley shook his head inwardly. The demigod had based the entire plot on his belief that Linley was kindhearted. Yet that only made the demigod’s actions more intriguing.

If the demigod knew that Linley was a good man and still wanted to frame him, then it meant that the fear brought by the Azure Dragon had surpassed their so-called commitment to justice.

These demigods were not acting for the sake of justice at all. On the contrary, they only wanted to protect themselves and their dreamscape.

Linley’s mood suddenly improved.

He disliked demigods who shouted endlessly about justice. Since they were merely seeking fame and reputation, he no longer needed to feel any psychological burden. He could treat them as enemies without hesitation.

They were nothing more than a pack of immortal old beasts. What right did they have to call themselves gods?

Linley made his decision at once and prepared to leave the castle.

The demigod’s trap was easy to break. As long as he left this place, everything would be fine. Linley had no reason to shoulder the blame for these werewolves.

He asked the werewolves to leave the room and prepared to cast the Cosmic Shift.

But just as he was about to depart, he sensed a powerful presence appear inside the room.

“Who’s there?”

Linley turned toward the source of the aura. There was nothing there, but after he stared at the empty space for a long while, the owner of that aura finally revealed himself.

It was a middle-aged werewolf with a scar across his face.

“High threat level.”

The Song of Azure Sky sent Linley a warning. Linley studied the werewolf gravely. The man had lost one arm, and his aura was extremely chaotic. He had clearly suffered severe injuries.

This was a werewolf weakened by grievous wounds. Even so, the threat he posed to Linley remained extremely high. Linley felt that his strength was no weaker than Lin Wen’s.

Who was he?

Linley wondered inwardly.

As Linley examined the werewolf, the werewolf examined him in turn. The wariness in his eyes gradually softened into friendliness.

“...Your aura is different from that beast’s. Are you the real Linley?”

He had seen through Linley’s true identity. He also knew that the Linley who had appeared two days earlier was not the genuine forest elf, but a beast.

“Who are you?” Linley countered. “You’re different from the others.”

This werewolf was far too powerful. Even if Linley were told that he was the leader of the werewolves outside, he would find it difficult to believe. The gap in strength between them was simply too great.

The other werewolves in the castle were ordinary people with a combat strength of only five. Before this werewolf, they were no more than ants.

“Alfred...”

The werewolf placed his right hand over his chest and bowed slightly to Linley.

“Your Majesty, Supreme King, I hope you can protect the werewolves here.”

Alfred had only one arm, his right. He wore a glove bearing the image of a white rose encircled by thorns.

Linley did not know what the emblem represented. He merely frowned slightly.

“Why should I protect them?”

“There is a spaceship hidden inside this castle.” Alfred straightened and looked at Linley. “I can give it to you.”

“A spaceship?”

Linley could hardly believe his ears.

Good heavens. Was this world about to take the path of technology?