My monster cards can evolve infinitely.

Chapter 71 Night Raid

The carriage moved smoothly through the streets of Harbour City shrouded in night, the wheels making a regular "click-clack" sound as they rolled over the cobblestones.

Inside the carriage, Jasmine leaned against the soft cushions, her long, fiery red hair shimmering softly under the carriage's magical lights. Her face bore the weariness of the ball, but her eyes remained bright.

"Thank you for tonight, Hugh," she said softly. "You handled things very well today."

Xiuqi watched the street scene rushing past the window. The night in Harbor City was never truly quiet—the noise of the taverns, the footsteps of the patrolling guards, the horns coming from the distant docks, all kinds of sounds intertwined to form the city's nocturne.

"It's what I should do," he replied simply. "Are you still worried?"

Jasley raised her head, a hint of worry flashing in her emerald eyes: "The Third Prince's 'Wings of Dawn' is not an ordinary noble club."

I've heard that members must swear a magical oath to be forever loyal to him. Once you join, there's no turning back.

You can refuse.

"Rejecting a prince, especially an ambitious one, could have far more serious consequences," García said with a wry smile.

"My uncle wanted me to join, saying it was an opportunity for the Moore family to get closer to the center of power. But I knew that the price of power games is often freedom, or even life."

Xiuqi was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "In the Gray Forest, I learned something—sometimes the most dangerous choice is not to move forward, but to stand still and hesitate."

Jasmine looked at him, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes: "You mean, I should make a decision, whichever path I choose?"

"What I mean is, whatever you choose, be prepared to bear the consequences," Xiuqi said calmly. "Like facing a monster in the forest, a moment of hesitation could be death."

The carriage left the Chamber of Commerce district, passed through the brightly lit commercial street, and gradually entered the Academy district. The streets here were relatively quiet, with neat rows of magical streetlights casting a warm glow.

"Let's stop here," Xiuqi said to the driver.

The carriage stopped on a street outside the Royal Academy of Solma.

The academy rules state that summoned creatures are not allowed to live in student dormitories, so Xiuqi rented a room outside the academy for him and Ado to stay temporarily.

The car door opened, and the cool night breeze rushed into the carriage.

Jasmine looked at Xiuqi, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes: "Are you sure you don't need me to take you home?"

"No need," Xiuqi shook his head. "My residence is just ahead."

"Then be careful," Cassley said softly. "The Fernand family won't let this go."

"I know." Xiuqi got off the carriage, turned around and nodded to Jiasili, "Good night."

"Good night."

Xiuqi stepped down from the carriage, his dark gray suit swaying gently in the night breeze.

He turned and nodded to Cassie, then watched the carriage slowly drive away and disappear around the street corner.

The surroundings became quiet.

Xiuqi stood under the streetlamp, taking a deep breath of the cool night air. A warm pulse emanated from the rare meditation stone on his chest, sharpening his senses with spiritual energy.

He turned and walked along the street toward his rented house.

The street wasn't remote, but it was late at night, and there were few pedestrians. Neat oak trees lined both sides, their branches rustling in the night breeze. Magical streetlights were spaced apart, casting halos of light on the cobblestones, with deep shadows between the halos.

Xiuqi walked about fifty steps, his right fingertips unconsciously stroking the ruby ​​on the "Crimson Oath" ring.

Suddenly, he stopped.

It's too quiet.

Just moments ago, I could faintly hear the noise from the tavern in the distance, but now there is no sound at all—not even the sound of the wind or the chirping of insects.

The air seemed to freeze, filled with an eerie silence.

Xiuqi's gaze became focused.

He continued walking forward, but slowed his pace, and his right hand slowly moved toward the hilt of the sword at his waist.

Just as he walked into the shadowy area between the two streetlights—

call out!call out!call out!

Three whooshing sounds rang out simultaneously from different directions!

Three arrows tore through the night from the left, right, and front, shooting in a triangular formation toward Xiuqi's vitals: his heart, throat, and abdomen.

In the blink of an eye, Xiu Qi neither dodged nor even drew his sword.

He simply raised his right hand, his five fingers slightly spread.

A pale silver-blue force field instantly unfolded, forming a flowing halo around him.

Fine spiral patterns are faintly visible on the surface of the force field, like whirlpools in water.

The three arrows hit the force field almost simultaneously.

The arrow on the left trembled violently the moment it touched the force field, its trajectory suddenly deviated, and it flew backward, grazing Xiu Qi's left shoulder, before striking the wall by the roadside with a "clang".

The arrow on the right seemed to have crashed into an invisible swamp, its speed suddenly decreasing, and it finally stopped three inches away from Xiu Qi's right rib in mid-air. The arrowhead trembled slightly, but could not go any further.

The arrow directly in front was the most deadly—it was aimed at the throat. But at the moment of contact with the force field, the arrow shaft was entangled and pulled by countless microscopic force field chains, and finally with a "crack", the arrow shaft broke in the middle, and the two pieces fell helplessly.

[Xiuqi's Elementary Deflection Field] demonstrated its power for the first time in actual combat.

A suppressed gasp came from the shadows.

Xiuqi's eyes were cold. He had already seen the attackers' positions: one on the roof to the left, one at the alley entrance to the right, and one at the street corner directly in front.

There's one more person...

His senses picked up on the extremely faint footsteps behind him, almost blending into the night breeze.

A total of four people.

"Come out." Xiuqi's voice was calm, exceptionally clear on the quiet street. "Did Fernand send you?"

Three figures slowly emerged from the darkness at the alley entrance, forming a semi-circle to block the way.

There was another person standing in the shadows behind him.

They were clearly not ordinary passersby.

The leader was a burly man nearly two meters tall, wearing plate armor, his bare arms bulging with muscles, and holding a battle axe in his hand. He had a scar on his face that ran from his eyebrow to his chin, resembling a twisted centipede in the dim light.

On the left was a slender man, dressed in light leather armor, with two daggers at his waist, moving so lightly he made almost no sound. His eyes gleamed coldly in the darkness, like a nocturnal animal preparing to hunt.

On the right was an archer holding a longbow, the bowstring half-drawn, the arrowhead gleaming coldly in the dim light of the magical streetlamp. His positioning was deliberate, perfectly positioned to flank Xiuqi, blocking any possible escape route.

The last person stood a little further away; he was a middle-aged man dressed in a dark brown robe, holding an oak staff. The gem embedded at the top of the staff emitted a faint magical fluctuation.

Four professionals.

Xiuqi's gaze swept quickly over the four people, and his brain completed the assessment in an instant.

Warriors, rogues, archers, and a spellcaster. A standard combat squad setup, and judging from their positioning and aura, they were all experienced veterans.

"Shuki Light?" the scarred, burly man at the head of the group asked, his voice rough and hoarse like sandpaper.

"It's me," Xiuqi replied calmly, his right hand already on the hilt of his sword.

"Very good." The scarred, burly man grinned, revealing his yellowed teeth. "Hand over that ring on your finger, and we might let you die a quick death."

His tone was as relaxed as if they were discussing what to have for dinner, as if Xiuqi were already fish on a chopping board.

"Did Fernán send you?" Xiu Qi asked, while silently preparing his spell.

The scarred, burly man didn't deny it: "Who the employer is isn't important. What's important is that you won't be leaving this alley tonight."

The moment he finished speaking, Xiuqi's right hand was already holding a scroll.

Xiuqi unfurled the scroll and began chanting: "By the bond of companionship, we traverse space..."

The runes on the scroll lit up with a silver light, and a phantom portal quickly took shape in the air.

"He's calling!" the archer exclaimed, quickly nocking an arrow and drawing his bow.

call out!

The arrow left the bowstring and shot straight at Xiuqi's right hand, which was holding the scroll.

But the moment it touched the force field, the arrow was deflected and flew diagonally to the side.

The doors were flung open with a loud crash.

A giant foot stepped out—

Boom!

The street ground shook.

Then the other foot.

Boom!

The tremors were even stronger, causing the windows of the houses on both sides to shake slightly.

The ogre Hador's enormous body emerged completely from the doorway, his ten-foot-tall form resembling a moving hill in the night.

It wore simple linen clothes, held a specially made giant hammer in its right hand, and held a huge shield made of oak and covered with iron in its left hand.

Its bright yellow eyes scanned its surroundings, and when it saw Xiuqi, it made a reassuring gurgling sound in its throat.

"Ado," Hugh said calmly, "protect me."

The ogre immediately turned, its massive body blocking Xiuqi's path, mace held horizontally, shield protecting its vitals. Its bright yellow eyes stared at the four attackers, a threatening growl emanating from its throat.

The expressions on the faces of the four professionals changed.

"Damn it, it really is an ogre!" the archer cursed. "The intelligence didn't say it was this big!"

The soldier gritted his teeth: "Proceed according to plan! Second Brother!"

The wanderer known as "Second Brother" quickly pulled an item from his pocket—a black crystal covered in intricate runes. He smashed the crystal on the ground and began chanting a difficult incantation.

Xiu Qi's eyes narrowed.

He could sense the strange magical fluctuations emanating from the crystal, fluctuations that resonated with the contract magic in some way.

"What is this?" Alarm bells rang in Xiu Qi's mind.

This magical item is extremely rare and expensive, capable of forcibly breaking a basic magical contract. Fernán actually prepared something like this to deal with him!

As the wanderer finished chanting, the fragments of black crystal on the ground burst forth with a blinding black light.

The black light surged toward Xiuqi and Ado like a tide, instantly enveloping them.

Xiuqi felt a violent tremor coming from the contract scroll on his chest. The runes on the scroll flickered, and the contract connection between him and Ado began to fluctuate violently.

Then--

Snapped!

An invisible, crisp sound.

The contract connection has been broken.

The black crystal, having exhausted its energy, turned into powder and drifted away from the wanderer's hands.

"We did it!" the wanderer shouted excitedly. "The contract is broken! Let's wait and see the cannibal turn on the original owner..."

His words came to an abrupt end.

Because Ado did not go berserk and attack Xiuqi as expected.

The ogre blinked its clear yellow eyes in confusion, looked down at its large, rough hands, and then looked up at Xiuqi.

It made a puzzled gurgling sound in its throat, as if asking: What was that just now?

Then, it gripped its hammer and shield tightly again, its massive body still firmly blocking Xiuqi's path, watching the four attackers warily.

No contract exists, but loyalty remains.

All four professionals were stunned.

"This...this is impossible!" the warrior exclaimed. "After the contract is broken, the summoned creature should turn against its original owner! That's common sense!"

Xiuqi looked at them calmly:

"Ador is not my summoned creature, it is my companion."

These words made the four of them look extremely ugly.