Chapter 211: Rabies and Turning into a Werewolf
"Ah…"
The workers who were still building the place panicked and scattered the moment they saw hordes of the Serpent Clan emerging.
Seated atop Hisius' neck, Allen sighed in resignation and sorrow, "I guess I really am devastatingly handsome—so much so that even men can't resist my peerless looks."
Of course, he didn't care about the annoyed stares around him and continued nonchalantly, "Handsome is as handsome does. A breeze over the hills—being handsome is a misunderstood truth that defies definition or validation."
The supervising mage came over to receive the newcomers and quickly arranged accommodations.
Fortunately, the Serpent Clan was used to roughing it in the wilderness and didn't need houses or beds.
If necessary, they could build their own shelters.
A veteran mage immediately began liaising with the stationed mages to fully understand the current situation.
Allen listened earnestly from the side.
"Master, the natives constantly harass and attack us. Several nearby tribes are extremely savage…"
The veteran mage's disciple gave a detailed account of their struggles.
In truth, the mysterious forces in the New Continent weren't as simple as imagined.
The complicated geography and sparse population made civilization rare, yet fertile lands had still given rise to city-state-level nations.
However, due to their limited scale, population restrictions, and various other factors, these civilizations often perished.
Wherever there's civilization, there are gods. Where there are nations, there are pantheons.
Thus, the New Continent was not lacking in deities. New gods were constantly emerging, causing a breakdown in order.
Most natives lived in nomadic or hunting tribes, naturally forming totem worship as a spiritual anchor.
These totem gods, still in a chaotic state of consciousness, were easily influenced by external forces and could descend into disorder.
If a totem god's consciousness matured, it could become a native god, capable of guiding followers to build a civilization and form a true nation. If they succeeded in transcending the bounds of mortal civilization, their pantheon could ascend to something akin to Olympus or Asgard.
But failure meant the collapse of their supporting civilization—and for a god to fall into the mortal world was a terrifying thing.
When a god goes mad, mortals suffer calamity.
Right now, they were facing numerous problems.
Natives, totem gods, apostles of fallen gods, and fallen gods lurking in the shadows.
The apostles of fallen gods—witch doctors and shamans—could wield extraordinary powers by borrowing strength from these deities.
To prevent enemy night raids, the Serpent Clan was stationed around the sanctuary for perimeter patrols. Any disturbance would be noticed immediately.
That night, stars scattered the sky.
Translucent figures moved swiftly toward the sanctuary.
Erha lifted its head, sniffed the air, then bit at Allen's pants.
"Cut it out, dumb dog."
Allen turned over and got into a more comfortable position.
Woof woof woof…
With a sharp yet faintly intelligent look in its eyes, Erha barked furiously.
Then it rushed out of the hut, barking wildly at the dark forest.
The transparent figures immediately froze, silently blending into the darkness, clearly wary of waking anyone in the camp.
"Dumb dog, why are you going into heat in the middle of the night? Don't you know you're supposed to be a gentle pup?"
Woken by the noise, Allen came out to find Erha barking nonstop. He slapped the dog to shut it up.
Woof woof woof…
Erha retaliated with a barrage of barking, but the language barrier made it pointless.
"I get it now."
Allen suddenly had an epiphany. "Huskies destroy furniture because they're full of energy. No wonder it won't sleep at night."
The natives hidden in the forest looked on in confusion at the man and his dog.
Then they witnessed a scene that nearly caused their brains to short-circuit.
That man grabbed the dog's front paws and started dancing in place.
"Boom-cha-cha, boom-cha-cha…"
With a beaming expression, Allen told Erha, "I'm a trainee with two and a half years of experience. Dancing is fundamental."
Woof woof woof…
"Keep up with the rhythm—one, two, three, four. Two, two, three, four…"
Woof woof woof…
"Three, two, three, four. One more time!"
Woof woof woof…
Erha was losing its mind. How did it end up with such a dumbass for an owner?
"Allen, what are you doing?"
Gu Yi stepped out groggily and saw the man and dog dancing under the moonlight. She instantly sobered up.
"What the hell are you doing now? Can't you let people get a good night's sleep?"
Agatha came out right after.
The two of them were roommates—light sleepers and quick to investigate disturbances.
"Morning!"
Allen casually greeted them. "I signed the pup up for dance lessons. Gotta cultivate its temperament."
"Ow—dumb dog, why are you biting my hand?"
In desperation, Erha bit Allen's hand to make him let go, then sprinted straight into the forest to escape the torment of dancing.
The natives, realizing they'd been exposed, bolted into the woods.
"There's someone in the forest!"
In an instant, Agatha snapped fully awake, realizing the dog's barking had been a warning.
The next second, she felt a sudden weight on her back. Turning her head, she saw Allen had jumped onto her.
"Witch Knight, to battle! Giddy up!"
Allen urged Agatha to chase after the intruders but was met with a scowl and indignant protest: "Don't you have a new mount? Why the hell are you riding me?"
"Come on, baby, now's not the time to get mad. In my heart, you'll always be the one and only."
Allen gazed at her with deep emotion.
Agatha blushed slightly and said helplessly, "I can't run fast with someone on my back."
"Tsk…"
Allen instantly changed his tone and sneered, "Can't believe you're slacking at a time like this. You should really work on your glutes and legs."
"I'm a mage—why would I train my body?" Agatha snapped.
"When push comes to shove, you can only rely on yourself."
Allen held up his hand to show the bite mark Erha left. "Know what this is?"
"A bite mark. What else?" Gu Yi asked.
"Good question."
Allen put on a serious face and explained, "Getting bitten by a dog gives you rabies. If you're also heartbroken at the time, you turn into a werewolf. There's even a song about it—'For you, I took on a werewolf's form. For you, I caught the madness. For you, I wore a heavy disguise. For you, I changed my heart…'"
"…"
Under the moonlight, the two girls watched as Allen sang, got down on all fours, and howled at the sky.
Awoooo!
Woof woof woof…
Then, tongue hanging out, he ran into the forest on all fours like a dog, barking the whole way.
"Should we follow him?" Gu Yi asked awkwardly.
"Of course! Otherwise, we'll lose him again."
Agatha sprinted after him. This had happened once before—and Allen had gone missing.
Gu Yi and Agatha chased into the forest, using the barking sounds as their only clue.
Meanwhile, up ahead, Erha turned to look behind in confusion, tilting its head as it wondered if it had just encountered a fellow dog.
Soon after, it realized—its idiot owner had gone completely mad.
Woof woof woof…
Allen caught up and barked a string of dog-speak at Erha. The dog stared at him in utter shock.
"Dumb dog, hurry up and track them down! I'm speaking dog—can't you understand me?"
Woof woof woof…
Erha replied: "You're not a dog—you're the real mutt here."