170: Chapter 170 Where is your master?
Before the five of them, it stood as tall as a small building.
But after a few minutes, the Canine Beast had not launched an attack.
It just kept growling at them, as if conflicted about what to do.
Just then.
Lin Fan noticed something behind it.
Beside the tree roots where the Canine Beast had been sleeping, there was a giant yellow egg, comparable in size to a car tire.
It had clearly been using its body to protect the egg.
"Do the dogs in this world actually lay eggs?"
Lin Fan was speechless, amused by his own thought.
This was impossible; the egg definitely didn't belong to it.
"Everyone, look behind it."
Lin Fan said, pointing at the egg.
Hearing this, everyone noticed the egg, and various speculations filled their minds.
"Could it be that it stole another Demonic Beast's egg, and these wounds weren't caused by mages?"
"Or was it attacked by mages because of this egg?"
The team members voiced their conjectures one after another.
Ge Ying reminded them to stay focused and be ready to act at any moment.
The two sides faced off like this, motionless.
Time passed bit by bit; they had been at a stalemate for over five minutes.
"It seems it won't attack us proactively; it's just wary of us."
Qiao Yu said.
"Now that you mention it, isn't the mark on its forehead a bit strange?"
Fang Lu spoke up.
Everyone immediately looked at the Canine Beast's forehead.
Because it had been covered in blood before, they hadn't noticed it.
Observing closely now, they found that beneath the missing fur and the wounds...
...there was a runic mark that looked like it had been engraved.
This mark meant it was a Contracted Beast!
This giant Canine Beast was actually someone else's Contracted Beast?
Then where was its master?
One should know.
Only a Summoner who has reached the third rank can form a contract with a Demonic Beast.
Furthermore, Contracted Beasts usually stay by their master's side at all times.
But why was there only a Contracted Beast here, with no sign of the Summoner?
Lin Fan was also somewhat puzzled.
He couldn't sense the aura of any other mages nearby.
"Could its Summoner be dead? Is that why it's in this state?"
Pagoan asked, looking at the giant dog, feeling an inexplicable pang of pity in her heart.
"Impossible."
"Once a Summoner dies, the contract is dissolved, and the Demonic Beast will also regain its freedom."
"The Contract Mark on its forehead is still there, which means its master is still alive, likely trapped somewhere or captured."
Ge Ying explained, and after hearing this, everyone fell into silence.
Ge Ying's words made sense, but how were they to verify them?
Now they knew this giant dog was a mage's Contracted Beast.
With the master's whereabouts unknown, what should they do?
"Since it's a Contracted Beast, it must have lived with humans before. Why don't we try communicating with it?"
Fang Lu suggested.
Ge Ying stared at the giant dog for a moment and slowly stepped forward, stopping after only a few paces.
She hadn't forgotten that this was still a Mutant-level Magic Beast; she wasn't foolish enough to get too close.
"Don't be agitated. We're not here to hurt you; we're here to help."
She spoke slowly, making soothing gestures as she spoke.
Lin Fan was a bit surprised; he hadn't expected Ge Ying to do something like this personally.
In his impression, she was more the type to order others to act rather than stepping forward herself.
The giant dog glared down at Ge Ying, still growling, but its hostility had clearly lessened.
It seemed to be working; the group was somewhat surprised.
"How were you injured? Where is your master? Is he alright?"
She continued to speak softly to the Demonic Beast.
At the mention of the word "master," the giant dog crouched on the ground and let out a whimpering wail.
It was crying!
The team members were all stunned, momentarily unsure how to react.
The giant dog then used its massive paws to push the egg hidden behind it to the front, looking at Ge Ying.
Ge Ying: "..."
What do you want me to do with this egg?
She looked at the egg, then at the giant dog, speechless.
"Do you want us to take it away?"
Qiao Yu said, taking a step toward the egg, but the giant dog suddenly lunged up and barked furiously at him.
Qiao Yu was scared out of his wits, hurriedly retreating and hiding behind Fang Lu.
"Damn, if you don't want to give it, don't push it out!"
Qiao Yu was still shaken, his heart pounding wildly.
After scaring Qiao Yu away, the giant dog sat back down and looked at Ge Ying again.
Ge Ying paused and asked.
"This egg, does it belong to your master?"
The giant dog nodded vigorously.
Lin Fan wasn't surprised that the giant dog could understand human speech.
He had known for a long time that once a Demonic Beast reached a certain level of strength, it could communicate with humans; Qing Yu was the perfect example.
Knowing the origin of the egg, Ge Ying asked again.
"Where is your master?"
Upon hearing this, the giant dog stood up, walked behind the tree where it had been sleeping, and soon returned with something hooked on its claw.
It threw the object onto the ground and growled at it, its tone full of hatred and anger.
Lin Fan and the others looked at the item on the ground... a yellow Mage Robe.
The Mage Robe was tattered and torn, covered in holes and bloodstains.
Lin Fan recognized the robe at a glance.
He had seen similar styles before, and a name instantly surfaced in his mind.
Dark Alliance!
He wasn't the only one who recognized it.
Ge Ying and the others also saw that this was the signature uniform of some members of the Dark Alliance.
Looking at the giant dog's reaction to the Mage Robe.
It was obvious that its master had come into conflict with people from the Dark Alliance.
"Was your master captured?"
Ge Ying asked. The giant dog nodded.
"Did you escape during the battle?"
She asked again.
The giant dog shook its large head, crouched on the ground again, and began to whimper.
"Did he tell you to leave first and not worry about him?!"
Fang Lu exclaimed in the next moment.
The giant dog turned to look at her, its eyes moist, and nodded.
"No wonder you're covered in wounds; you escaped from a battle."
"Your master probably didn't want that egg to fall into their hands... What kind of egg is this, anyway?"
Pagoan said in a sorrowful tone.
It's common for Summoners to seek out Demonic Beast eggs and raise them as contracted partners.
This egg must be an extremely rare Demonic Beast egg.
That's why the master had the giant dog flee with the egg while staying behind to cover the retreat.
"In which direction is your master?"
Ge Ying asked.
The Contract Mark is a special bond between a Summoner and their Contracted Beast, allowing them to sense each other's location.
Sure enough, the giant dog raised its head and looked in one direction... its master was over there.
"Alright, come back to the city with us. We will send a stronger team of mages to rescue your master."
Ge Ying said after a moment of thought.
A Summoner is essentially a walking army, capable of summoning Demonic Beasts to fight for them.
Furthermore, someone who can form a contract must be at least a third-rank mage.
Even a third-rank mage was captured, and a mutant grade Contracted Beast was forced to flee in panic.
If the five of them went, they would be powerless to change anything.
The best way.
Is to take the giant dog back, report to the Alliance Branch, and let the authorities handle it.