Wizards begin by accessing the Inspiration panel.

Chapter 135 Mutant Winter Wolf

The mutated forest wolf, standing upright, is nearly 1.5 meters tall at the shoulder and has a body over 3 meters long. It is incredibly agile, with long black fur that provides excellent defensive capabilities.

The dire wolf has a saddle on its back, which is perfectly concave in shape. The saddle has bridges at the front and back, and two steel footrests on each side. All of these are designed to allow a person to sit on it steadily.

The head also has a bit and reins. The whole set of equipment is similar to that on a horse, but it has been specially modified, since the physical characteristics of wolves and horses are very different.

According to the first-level wizard apprentice in front of him, this forest dire wolf was selected from a variant of the common dire wolf and underwent careful breeding and several generations of crossbreeding and selection before finally being cultivated into the current breed.

The current breed of dire wolf is fatigue-resistant and adept at long-distance travel. At the same time, its amazing jumping ability makes it particularly suitable for steep terrains such as jungles and mountain streams.

Upon hearing this, Richard's face lit up with joy. Indeed, the forest dire wolf he had his eye on was not cheap, costing a full one hundred magic stones. Among forest dire wolves, which generally cost between fifty and eighty magic stones, this was one of the most expensive.

However, as Richard looked around, a pure white figure caught his eye.

"Huh, that white dire wolf is unusually tall?" Richard saw that deep inside the wolf pen, in a separate wooden fence, there seemed to be an unusually tall white dire wolf fast asleep.

The first-level wizard apprentice, following Richard's gaze, immediately explained.

"My lord, this is a winter wolf from the north. It has been transported here after a long journey, and its purpose is to crossbreed with a mutated forest mother wolf. It is said that this winter wolf is also a mutated species and has reached the strength of a low-level monster."

Although he had not yet awakened his innate sorcery, he possessed immense strength, and during the encirclement, he injured six or seven regular knights.

"Oh, can this winter wolf be sold?" A glint of light flashed in Richard's eyes.

"Um, sir, this is not for sale."

"Two hundred magic stones," Richard said, holding up two fingers.

"It really won't work, sir," the first-level wizard apprentice said, shaking his head like a rattle-drum.

"Five hundred magic stones."

"My lord, we intend to use this mutated winter wolf as a breeding wolf." The tone of the first-level wizard apprentice had clearly changed, from an absolute refusal to the current hesitation, showing that his heart was wavering.

"A thousand magic stones."

"How much could you ask for?" The first-level wizard apprentice's eyes widened, but he immediately interrupted himself as he was about to utter a half-finished excuse.

"A thousand magic stones."

"Sir, this...this should be fine. Please wait a moment. Due to the large amount of money involved in the transaction, I need to report to the Liberl Beast Tamer immediately."

The first-level wizard apprentice hurriedly left, muttering to himself as he ran, "Sell! Of course I'll sell! A thousand magic stones! Anyone who doesn't sell is a fool!"

Furthermore, the purchase of this mutated winter wolf only cost six hundred magic stones, including shipping. Now that the breeding season is over, selling it for seven or eight hundred would be quite good. Unexpectedly, a wealthy customer has appeared.

A short while later, a first-level wizard apprentice arrived, accompanied by a tall man with a thick beard.

Judging from the aura he sensed, the bearded man in his forties or fifties seemed to be only a second-level wizard apprentice. It appeared that he was the kind of wizard apprentice who didn't have good wizarding aptitude but was quite skilled in animal taming.

"Sir, this is Liberl, the beast tamer in charge of our mount shop. Before we reach an agreement, please have him introduce you to the basic information about the winter wolf you wish to purchase, to avoid any unnecessary disputes."

Richard nodded in agreement, quite satisfied with the mount shop's approach, which he saw as honest and straightforward, making the unpleasant aspects clear upfront.

"Sir, the mutated winter wolf you wish to purchase is a three-year-old male wolf. Its mutation is characterized by enhanced physique. Currently, its melee combat ability has been tested and has reached the standard of a low-level monster. However, since it has not yet awakened, it does not possess any innate witchcraft."

"Furthermore, sir, this mutated winter wolf is not yet fully tamed. Using it as a mount would carry certain risks, and I hope you are aware of this beforehand."

Regarding the last point, the Liberl tamer looked Richard in the eye as he spoke, seemingly worried that Richard might abandon the purchase if he knew the winter wolf wasn't fully tamed.

But to his surprise, Richard simply nodded and didn't say anything about giving up the purchase.

"I'll take care of that myself, Liberl Beast Tamer. Just please get me a suitable saddle." Richard thought for a moment and added.

Because this winter wolf was much larger than other forest wolves, using a forest wolves' saddle was definitely not suitable. At the moment, Richard didn't have time to order a saddle from somewhere else.

"No problem. I happen to have a saddle specially made for winter wolves. The craftsmanship is absolutely exquisite, so I'll give it to you as well, sir." Seeing that Richard agreed to the deal without hesitation, the beast tamer Liberl immediately offered to give him a set of exclusive saddles as a gift.

After all, since they spent a thousand magic stones to buy the mutated winter wolf, it's only right that they would give away a full set of saddle, bit, and reins.

The three chatted as they walked, and soon arrived at the fence where the winter wolf was imprisoned.

At this moment, the mutated winter wolf, which had been sleeping, was instantly awakened upon sensing the approach of Richard and the others. It immediately rolled to its feet, its large, bell-shaped eyes fixed on Richard.

Only then did Richard get a clear look at the mutated winter wolf in front of him, which was about the size of a calf. Its body was so tall that it seemed to be even larger than the Siberian tiger in his previous life.

It looks especially like a pure white husky, only several times larger.

Through its thick white fur, one can see bulging, muscular muscles, sharp teeth, and claws. It seems that what the animal trainer Liberl said was true; this mutated winter wolf is very skilled in close combat.

However, as Richard approached, the tall and mighty mutated winter wolf seemed to slowly retreat, making the whole scene somewhat eerie.

The beast tamer, Liberl, standing nearby, was greatly puzzled. He could tell that the mutated winter wolf was extremely nervous.

You should know that I have been here dozens of times, and I have never seen the mutated winter wolf look so wary of a major enemy.

Could it be because of him?

The Liberl Beastmaster glanced at Richard; he was merely a second-level wizard apprentice.

It was the murderous aura emanating from Richard, the very same aura he possessed after slaying hundreds of demons, that made the mutated winter wolf feel as if it were facing a formidable enemy.

Richard smiled slightly, slowly extended his right hand, and reached into the wooden fence. Just as the first-level wizard apprentice was about to warn him, the Liberl beast tamer next to him tugged at him, signaling him to continue watching.

The mutated winter wolf trembled and began to crouch down, eventually turning its entire soft white belly over so that Richard's right hand could casually rub its abdomen.

This made Richard chuckle slightly, thinking to himself, "What a clever Winter Wolf."

His original plan was to suppress the mutated winter wolf with violence if it dared to resist.

If they refuse to comply even unto death, then I'm sorry, Richard will choose to kill them directly and then control them with the Soul-Eating Spider.

But Richard didn't expect that the other party's perception was so sharp that they seemed to have seen through his hidden strength and immediately gave in, turning into a silly goose.

Since they're so obedient, there's no need to bother the Soul-Devouring Spider anymore.

After the Liberl tamer smoothly placed the specially made saddle and reins, Richard leaped onto the huge mutated winter wolf.

With a gentle squeeze of its legs, Winter Wolf launched itself like an arrow, speeding off in the direction Richard had directed. In no time, after a few leaps, it nimbly returned to the mount shop.

Richard was very satisfied with the mutated winter wolf's speed and agility, and readily handed over a thousand magic stones to the beast tamer, Liberl.

Seemingly having thought of something, Richard temporarily left the unusually conspicuous mutated winter wolf at the mount shop.

He then went to the herbal shop to replenish his stock of herbs for making hemostatic agents, basic healing agents, basic antidotes, and so on.

Richard had just suddenly thought of this problem. Although he rarely used these medicines to treat injuries, he might not be able to do so after returning to Silverpine Town.

If you need to use them and you don't have the herbs on hand, all your skills as a pharmacist will be useless, like a skilled cook without rice.

However, after spending all his money, including the 1,000 magic stones he paid for the mount, Richard discovered that he still had nearly 2,000 magic stones left over from the profits of selling his spoils.

Sure enough, robbery is the fastest way to make money. No wonder so many wizard apprentices like to take on these bounty missions; the rewards are simply too generous.

Half an hour later, Richard returned to the mount shop with a bulging package in his hand.

But as soon as he entered, he saw several wizard apprentices dressed in the gray robes of the Gurus Academy, seemingly pointing and gesturing around the white mutated winter wolf he had bought. One of the third-level wizard apprentices was talking to the first-level wizard apprentice who had previously served him at the mount shop.

"My lord, I'm truly sorry, but this mutated winter wolf has already been sold. It's just being held by a customer temporarily." The first-level wizard apprentice seemed to recognize from the insignia on the gray robe that the other party was a formal student of the Gurus Academy, and was now struggling to explain.

"Hehe, I think you're trying to raise the price. A regular forest dire wolf only costs sixty magic stones, and I'm offering six hundred magic stones. That should be enough to show my sincerity, right?" The level three wizard apprentice seemed certain that the level one wizard apprentice in front of him was just trying to raise the price, which is a common price-raising tactic used by shops.

"My lord, it has indeed been sold. I will ask the Liberl Beastmaster to come out now; he was present when the sale took place." The first-level wizard apprentice was now blushing.

After all, he couldn't afford to offend a level three wizard apprentice.

Just as the third-level wizard apprentice was about to say something, the first-level wizard apprentice spotted Richard, who had just entered.

He immediately exclaimed as if he had met a savior, "My lord, you're finally back!"

He then said to the third-level wizard apprentice from Gurus Academy, "That gentleman is the esteemed guest who purchased the mutated winter wolf. He is now the owner of the mutated winter wolf. I did not lie to you."

Instantly, the two men and one woman from the Gurus Academy all focused their attention on Richard.

Because Richard was not wearing the standard apprentice robes of the Ignis School, but rather a black robe, the aura he exuded was only that of a second-level wizard apprentice.

So the third-level wizard apprentice raised an eyebrow and said, "Second-level wandering apprentice? How about transferring this mutated winter wolf to me? I'll offer six hundred magic stones."

Richard said calmly, "I'm sorry, I need it myself right now."

At this moment, the first-level wizard apprentice next to him blurted out, "This gentleman just paid a thousand magic stones to buy the mutated winter wolf."

"Hiss! A thousand magic stones!" The three students from Gurus Academy looked at Richard in surprise.

You should know that although this mutated winter wolf is rare, in their eyes it is definitely not worth a thousand magic stones.

Richard, however, was different. First, the money was like something he'd picked up off the street, so he naturally bought it because he thought it was good. Second, Richard urgently needed a means of transportation, and the mutated winter wolf was two levels stronger than the ordinary forest wolves, so he bought it.

The third-level wizard apprentice seemed somewhat embarrassed and angry, saying, "A thousand magic stones? You two aren't doing this in concert, are you? How could anyone possibly be willing to pay a thousand magic stones for a winter wolf?"

"Senior Muken, maybe we should just forget about it. A thousand magic stones is too expensive," the second-level wizard apprentice girl next to him said, shaking her head.

The third-level wizard apprentice glanced at the beautiful junior, gritted his teeth, and said to Richard, "That wandering apprentice, a thousand it is, deal."

Richard couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. "What a weirdo. I didn't agree at all. Did you think that just because you offered a thousand magic stones, I would have to sell you the mutated winter wolf I had?"

Richard immediately replied irritably, "For personal use only, not for sale."

He turned and left.

This immediately made the other party feel challenged, and he said in a sinister tone, "Wandering apprentice, you should know that sometimes words can lead to trouble. I advise you to sell it to me instead. However, the price has now increased to eight hundred magic stones."

Richard was speechless for a moment: "Sir, have you drunk too much 'foolish liquor' (a type of strong liquor)?"

"Hmm?" a third-level wizard apprentice asked in confusion.

This seemingly incoherent statement immediately surprised everyone around him, who wondered what Richard meant.

"Fools who drink too much usually have a big mouth." It seemed that there was no such proverb in this other world, and the people around immediately burst out laughing.

Even his junior classmate was covering her mouth and chuckling.

"You wretched, vagrant apprentice! Your arrogance will bring you endless pain and regret!" the third-level wizard apprentice retorted, his face flushed.

If this hadn't happened in the market, he probably would have attacked Richard directly.

After saying that, Richard shrugged, ignored the others, leaped onto the mutated winter wolf, and galloped towards the market exit.

This made the third-level wizard apprentice of Gurus Academy's eyes light up, and he immediately said to his junior, "You guys wander around the market first, I'm going out for a bit."

Seemingly guessing what Senior Muken was about to do, the beautiful junior said anxiously, "Senior Muken."

But the senior student, Muken, vanished in a flash.

(End of this chapter)