"Nothing much, just appreciating the scenery in a different place. Look... uh, those broken branches and fallen trees under the thick dark clouds... don't they look like women who have been abused by soldiers... uh, it reflects the chaos and wars of this century, the miserable lives of women suffering under the double oppression of landlords and invaders. If I were a talented painter, I would definitely use this scene as inspiration..."

Ethan Clark was obviously talking nonsense, but as he rambled on, he suddenly noticed that the dark clouds nearby were a bit unusual.

After all, Ethan Clark had studied sorcery for ten years, and as a sorcerer, the first skill to master is refining death energy.

Death energy is to undead creatures what oxygen is to the living—they need to "breathe" it. If a sorcerer wants to keep undead alive, he must provide enough death energy. This energy is usually refined by a sorcerer's spiritual power from places heavy with yin energy, such as tombs, wine cellars, underground passages, castles—places rarely touched by sunlight. In essence, death energy is just highly concentrated yin energy.

Now, Ethan Clark noticed that the yin energy ahead was rather heavy, which was why he stopped his nonsense and frowned as he stared at a mountain path ahead.

"Miss, our spare tire is also having issues. I'm afraid we won't be able to get back on the road tonight." The coachman had struggled for a long time but couldn't fix the carriage wheel, so he had to deliver the bad news to Grace Bennett.

Grace Bennett also frowned. If she weren't rushing to the Sorcerers' Academy, she wouldn't have planned to travel overnight, but she hadn't expected something like this to happen here. Now they were in the wilderness, and the thought of Grace Bennett having to sleep outdoors made her uneasy.

"There's a small village over there. It's about a half-hour walk along the mountain path. While it's still light, Miss Grace Bennett, you should go there to stay the night. I promise I'll have it fixed by morning, and then we can be on our way." The old coachman pointed toward the mountains as he spoke.

"Better not go. The mountain path is rough. Xiner, just make do in the carriage for the night." Ethan Clark immediately objected. The yin energy there was so heavy, there might be something unclean, so Ethan Clark thought it best not to go.

Grace Bennett shot Ethan Clark a glare, clearly unhappy with him calling her by her nickname so intimately.

"There are quite a few bandits around here. It's safer to stay in that mountain village for the night. They should have clean and comfortable rooms." The sky knight spoke up. He was Grace Bennett's knight, and she usually called him "Left Knight."

Grace Bennett really didn't want to sleep outdoors, so she agreed to head to the mountain village for the night. Ethan Clark wanted to object, but couldn't find a good reason—he couldn't exactly say he was a sorcerer and could sense the heavy yin energy there...

Helpless, Ethan Clark could only accompany Grace Bennett toward the mountain village, comforting himself that maybe there was just a graveyard there, and nothing too scary would show up.

Chapter 002: The Gloomy Village

Grace Bennett didn't have her own horse, and it was absolutely impossible for her to ride with the Left Knight—their master-servant relationship made it unthinkable for them to share a horse. So Ethan Clark, acting the gentleman, dismounted, helped Grace Bennett onto his black horse, then jumped up himself, taking in the fragrance from Grace Bennett at close range, looking quite intoxicated.

"Don't get so close to me!" Grace Bennett naturally noticed the pervert behind her sniffing her, and spoke in a cold voice.

Ethan Clark and Grace Bennett were childhood friends. Although their statuses were different, they'd known each other for ten years, so Ethan Clark often acted a bit lecherous in front of this proud woman—like now, when he was holding the reins, he would "accidentally" brush against Grace Bennett's smooth skin.

With two attendants following behind, Grace Bennett couldn't scold this pervert openly, so she secretly pinched Ethan Clark's thigh and whispered, "If you don't behave, I'll turn you into roast pork."

Ethan Clark used to restrain himself a bit, since this young lady's status was so high that he couldn't afford to offend her. But now he was about to set off on his own journey, so he figured he might as well take advantage of this last chance. Subconsciously, he shifted his seat, pressing his thigh against the full curve of Grace Bennett's hip, then pretended to ride properly.

Grace Bennett's body was heating up—at least, that's what Ethan Clark thought. He was delighted, thinking that such a small move had stirred Grace Bennett's heart, and regretted not being bolder before. Maybe this young lady had liked him all along.

At that, Ethan Clark became even bolder, wanting to wrap his arms around Grace Bennett's alluring waist and press his lower abdomen against her perky hips.

"Ah!!" The next moment, Ethan Clark, lost in his fantasies, let out a scream!

Yes, he got burned. His lust had made him forget that Grace Bennett was a fire-wielding girl. Her body wasn't heating up because she couldn't resist Ethan Clark's teasing, but because she was using her fire control ability.

The thing stirring below Ethan Clark's belly instantly wilted, but he still kept a calm smile as he explained to Grace Bennett's attendants behind them, "Just got stung by a scorpion... it's fine, don't worry."