Chapter 159: Humans Inferior to Wolves Series

Lu Kuan was referring to the incident a few days earlier in the Orc camp, where he had snatched a monster from a Blue Spear Guild squad and then sniped them in return.

Because the female mage standing before him was none other than the one who had blown him a kiss at the time, only to have her throat torn to shreds by Demi later.

The female mage's face flushed and paled in turns as she glared viciously at Lu Kuan. Judging by the look in her eyes, she would have torn Lu Kuan apart with her bare hands if it could vent her burning hatred.

"Old Deer, we've thoroughly investigated your background," a male player nearby sneered, his face dark as he watched the female mage get humiliated. "This isn't some backwater town like Lava Fortress; there's no room for you to act so arrogantly here. Let me tell you, you're a dead man!"

Lu Kuan smiled indifferently, checked the system time, and said casually, "Get out of my way before I count to five. One, two..."

The Blue Spear Guild members opposite him were boiling with rage. Accustomed to acting like tyrants, they felt their authority instantly challenged the moment they encountered someone even more arrogant than themselves.

Yet they had no choice but to step aside obediently, because an Ironboot Dwarf guard not far away had already noticed the commotion and was marching toward them, brandishing a heavy warhammer.

"Kid, watch your back from now on!"

After dropping a few harsh threats and glaring daggers at Lu Kuan, the opponent turned and walked away.

Lu Kuan had no time to waste on these small fries. He patted Demi to calm the little wolf down, then strode quickly toward the gates.

"Halt, kid!"

The dwarf guard at the gate immediately stepped forward, blocking Lu Kuan's path like a massive block of human-shaped iron. He looked Lu Kuan up and down a few times and asked, "How is it I've never seen you before? Where's your pass armband?"

Lu Kuan had anticipated this scenario. He unpinned the Lava Fortress recruit badge from his chest and handed it over. "I'm not from Torrent Harbor; I've come from Lava Fortress."

"Ha? Kid, you aren't pulling my leg!"

The dwarf let out an exaggerated shout in his booming, raspy voice. After inspecting the badge for a long time, he finally handed it back to Lu Kuan while muttering under his breath, "Well, I'll be... it really is from Lava Fortress. Did you come through the Sparse Plains? Or Red Grass Mountain?"

Red Grass Mountain was the collective name for the vast territory east of the Sparse Plains. Torrent Harbor and Lava Fortress both belonged to the Green Basin, while the Red Grass Mountain region alone occupied half of the entire Green Basin, a testament to its immense scale.

"The Sparse Plains," Lu Kuan replied with a smile, taking back the badge and pinning it on again before pulling a string of grayish objects from his backpack. "The road wasn't easy, so I happened to kill quite a few orcs along the way."

Upon hearing the word "orc," the dwarf guard's gaze instantly sharpened, turning stern and solemn.

Yet the moment he laid eyes on the items in Lu Kuan's hands, the dwarf's expression immediately shifted to delight, his bearded face quivering as he beamed. "Orc ears? Ha, ha! Splendid, splendid! Brave warrior from Lava Fortress, the Ironboot Dwarf City welcomes you!"

With a grand wave of his massive hand, the dwarf guard cleared Lu Kuan to pass. Lu Kuan smiled his thanks and strode through the gates.

What Lu Kuan held in his hand was indeed a string of severed orc ears strung together.

The orcs of the Sparse Plains belonged to the Black-Crested Clan, sworn enemies of the Ironboot Dwarves for centuries. The very founding of Ironboot City was deeply intertwined with the orcs.

Therefore, improving one's standing with the Ironboot Dwarves was exceptionally simple: go kill orcs.

Passing through the gates, a wide avenue paved entirely with ashlar stones stretched ahead—the very top of the Kandal Dam.

A gentle breeze brushed past as one walked here. To the left lay the boundless expanse of a gigantic reservoir, while to the right roared a waterfall with a drop of hundreds of meters. It was no accident that the Kandal Dam was hailed as one of the top ten scenic wonders in the game.

Numerous sightseeing tourists lined both sides of the road. Lu Kuan walked over to the right-hand side, looking down at the endless expanse of the Torrent Plain below, which merged with the distant, shimmering sea on the horizon, instantly making his heart feel wide and open.

"Handsome, is that your pet?"

A young woman walked over, greeting Lu Kuan with a generous smile. "Can I pet it? Can we take a picture together?"

The girl possessed an appearance and temperament worthy of a solid seven out of ten. Any other young man would have surely exchanged a few pleasantries to strike up a conversation, but Lu Kuan answered completely cluelessly, shaking his head. "It doesn't like strangers."

"You really have a lot of personality, handsome~ Fine, then~"

A trace of awkwardness crossed the girl's face, but she refused to give up just yet. Stepping a fraction closer, she chimed in, "You don't have a party either? Want to level up together? I happen to be a pretty good priest."

"No need, I have teammates," Lu Kuan replied flatly.

With nothing left to say, the girl forced a smile and turned to leave.

Lu Kuan smiled faintly. Just as he finished taking in the scenery and prepared to head toward Ironboot City, someone trotted over and intercepted him. "High-tier player, wait a moment... I'm a friend of Despicable and Lovable. My name is Jar."

The speaker was a dwarf warrior with a thick red beard. Judging by his gear, his advanced class ought to be a Dwarf Defender. Looking up at Lu Kuan, he said with a cheerful grin, "Hello. Despicable and Lovable mentioned you to me."

Earlier, when videos and pictures of Lu Kuan leading Demi were spreading like wildfire across the forums, Despicable and Lovable from *Vanguard Game* had contacted Lu Kuan at the earliest opportunity, bluntly stating his desire to secure first-hand information about the pet.

Lu Kuan had refused without a second thought.

For one, Demi's attributes were not yet unlocked; even Lu Kuan himself didn't know them. Secondly, this was different from the Ranger's Oath Ring.

The ring's stats were simple and crude, leaving nothing to conceal, but Demi's skills were bound to be immensely useful, capable of turning the tide in critical moments. It was one of Lu Kuan's trump cards, and no amount of money could induce him to sell that information.

Later, Despicable and Lovable had settled for less, asking only that Lu Kuan reveal some peripheral details, which was why he had arranged for a peer in Ironboot City to receive Lu Kuan.

"High-tier player, wandering around with such an eye-catching pet, you're bound to have plenty of guys and girls throwing themselves at you in the future, and surely no shortage of trouble either~" Jar glanced back at the pretty young woman who had not yet walked far, chuckling.

Lu Kuan raised an eyebrow, sensing there was more to the other man's words. "What? Any recent news?"

Jar looked around, then lifted his chin to gesture toward a cluster of players in the distance. "See that? They're all from the Blue Spear Guild. I heard one of their major squads got completely wiped out in the Sparse Plains a few days ago, and they've all been pumped up like they're on aphrodisiacs, just waiting to exact revenge."

With that, Jar gave Lu Kuan a deeply meaningful look. "Word is that the person who made a move was a ranger, accompanied by a remarkably striking pet..."

Lu Kuan smiled, feigning ignorance of the other's implication. "Your intelligence network is quite impressive. You're even clear on internal Blue Spear matters?"

"Professional ethics, professional ethics~" Jar chuckled with a grin.

After chatting for a little while, the two quickly got down to business. Jar asked a few core questions regarding Demi, to all of which Lu Kuan replied that he had nothing to disclose. In the end, the other man had no choice but to back down and alter his approach.