As Charlotte and the others looked on in confusion, Zhong Shenxiu began to circle the pack of dire wolves, darting about as if selecting produce at a market!

Zhong Shenxiu had no intention of acquiring too many Skeleton Wolves; in his own words, "Quality over quantity." Four would suffice. Then he could pair them up with the four Skeleton Roosters he already had for a "Wolf-Rooster Combo"! As the saying goes: Wolves and roosters paired, efficiency doubled!

After about half an hour, Zhong Shenxiu finally stopped moving, a knowing smile playing on his lips. It seemed he had already chosen which wolves he would target.

And then, a scene unfolded that utterly shocked Charlotte and the others.

Zhong Shenxiu merely extended a hand, and a mass of black gas materialized out of thin air. It looked like fire, yet like electricity, and somehow like a tree—utterly bizarre!

"Wh-what is that?" Charlotte asked faintly. Though her voice was soft, Angelia and Rhys both heard her, but neither paid her any mind.

Just then, Zhong Shenxiu gave a slight wave of his hand, and the black gas vanished.

Following this, several strange sounds echoed out.

Caw!

"Th-there," Rhys suddenly stammered, pointing.

Charlotte and Angelia shifted their gaze from Zhong Shenxiu and looked in the direction Rhys was pointing, freezing instantly as if struck by lightning!

Standing within their line of sight was a towering, formidable skeletal wolf, actively rattling its own bones. That strange sound had come from it!

Shock whipped through them like a lash, battering their senses!

Good heavens, what was going on?

Charlotte’s mind was nearly crashing. The four Skeleton Roosters alone had unnerved her for quite some time, and now, in such a short span, a Skeleton Wolf had appeared!

No, not just one—four! As three more bone wolves rose up from the chaotic pile of carcasses!

This looks so much like the summoning magic of a Necromancer!

Charlotte was not entirely ignorant and immediately made the connection, but realizing it didn't make it any more believable!

Compared to her, Angelia’s shock was slightly less severe, as she had witnessed Zhong Shenxiu’s ability to summon skeletons before.

While they were all lost in their thoughts, Zhong Shenxiu strolled back, accompanied by the four Skeleton Roosters and the four new Skeleton Wolves!

What was he planning?

A sudden jolt of alarm struck Charlotte and the others, especially seeing the four Skeleton Roosters, which made cold sweat run down their backs!

"Hurry up and get back to work. Don't look at me like that; I'm just having them supervise you!" Zhong Shenxiu said calmly.

Supervise us?

Charlotte and the others exchanged glances, each seeing the astonishment reflected in the other’s eyes!

"Alright, don't say I didn't warn you. If you slack off or lose focus again, they will attack!" With that, Zhong Shenxiu walked away with a smile.

It must be said that under the supervision of the Skeleton Roosters and Skeleton Wolves, the mining efficiency dramatically improved; there were no more instances of daydreaming or laziness.

Before they knew it, it was noon. Zhong Shenxiu was reasonable enough to let them stop for a rest.

Lunch was prepared through their collective effort, with a specific division of labor: Zhong Shenxiu was in charge of verbally directing; Robin was responsible for overseeing and guiding from the side; and Charlotte and the other two handled the actual physical tasks!

The ingredients for lunch were the wolf meat they had procured.

When the roasted wolf meat was dusted with Zhong Shenxiu's special spices, a rich aroma instantly filled the air. Charlotte and the other two, having worked hard all morning and tempted by the irresistible fragrance, were already salivating!

"It smells divine!" Rhys exclaimed as he took a huge bite of meat. He had never tasted anything so delicious in his life.

Charlotte also wore an expression of awe. She had never eaten anything so good either, and unconsciously let go of her ladylike demeanor; her hands and mouth were already smeared with grease.

However, no matter how much they ate, they couldn't compare to Robin, whose speed and capacity for consumption had reached an unparalleled level!

After the meal, Zhong Shenxiu ordered Charlotte and the others to continue mining for a while longer, but when he felt they had enough, he called a halt.

As Zhong Shenxiu collected all the stones and gave the order to return to the courtyard, Rhys suddenly asked with surprise, "Aren't you taking the Magic Wolf Cores?"

"Magic Wolf Cores?" Zhong Shenxiu heard this name for the first time.

Now, even Angelia and Charlotte found it strange. They couldn't fathom how someone as powerful as Zhong Shenxiu wouldn't know about "Magic Wolf Cores"—it was basic common knowledge! Every magical beast had a core!

Since the cores of magical beasts could be inlaid into staves, robes, and other items for sale, they fetched high prices, especially those from higher-tier beasts!

Take Charlotte, for example; when she didn't have any specific tasks, she would lead her subordinates to hunt magical beasts and sell their cores to earn money!

Seeing Zhong Shenxiu look at him with such curiosity, Rhys had no choice but to briefly explain the relevant knowledge about the cores.

"You're saying all magical beasts have cores inside their heads?" Zhong Shenxiu asked a question that seemed utterly nonsensical to Rhys and the others.

Rhys nodded speechlessly.

Zhong Shenxiu said no more, immediately heading to rummage through the corpses of the Firefang Wolves. In a short while, he actually managed to find a reddish, pentagonal Magic Wolf Core.

Zhong Shenxiu immediately used his mental waves to probe it. After investigation, he discovered that although the core itself showed no energy fluctuations, it could resonate with the surrounding fire elements!

What a strange thing!

Zhong Shenxiu hadn't encountered many magical beasts before, and this was the first time he learned that such valuable items existed within their bodies! If he had known earlier, those beasts would likely have met a much worse fate!

It was clear that the magical beasts' ability to cast spells was directly linked to these cores. A strange thought bloomed in Zhong Shenxiu's mind: Could these's (Magical Beast) cores be related to the inner elixirs of the (Demon Beast) in the cultivation world?

To find the answer, he would need further research, but not right now!

Speaking of which, Zhong Shenxiu felt an even stronger urge to increase his own strength. Why? Because at this moment, he thought of the supreme treasure he used to subdue demon beasts and ghosts: the Chaos Tablet!

The Chaos Tablet held numerous extremely powerful demon beasts and ghosts that Zhong Shenxiu had refined. Among them was a Demon Beast named "Tongzang" that possessed a peculiar ability—it could communicate with all demon beasts!

Zhong Shenxiu even wondered what the outcome would be if the magical beasts of this world were taught the cultivation techniques of demon beasts.

However, this idea was currently impossible to implement. Although he knew some cultivation techniques for demon beasts, he couldn't impart them to the magical beasts.

If only he had "Tongzang," things would be much easier. "Tongzang's" ability could certainly serve as a universal translator; with it, he could communicate with anything that flew, ran on the ground, or swam in the water!

"Hey, you three, stop standing around and come help!" Zhong Shenxiu suddenly looked up and called out to Charlotte and the others.

Charlotte’s mood could only be described as "conflicted." She never expected her earlier decision to result in this outcome!

With their assistance, it took nearly another hour to extract all the Magic Wolf Cores from the Firefang Wolves—there were over two hundred in total! Selling these cores would certainly bring in a massive profit!

Back at the small courtyard, Zhong Shenxiu and Robin immediately set about performing a preliminary refinement of the ore. Since this was a technical task, Zhong Shenxiu did not ask Charlotte and the others for help this time.

Angelia and Rhys began practicing after resting for a while.

Charlotte, unsure what to do, simply found a spot to sit down and watch quietly.

Clearly, the actions of Zhong Shenxiu and Robin held more fascination for her. Her eyes followed with keen interest as Zhong Shenxiu poured the refined ore liquid into several molds.

Charlotte found it incredible. She hadn't realized Zhong Shenxiu and Robin knew how to forge artifacts—a specialty of the Dwarf race!

Once the ore liquid solidified, they opened the molds and took out the contents: they were all swords. However, not only were the shapes of these swords bizarre, but their sizes varied greatly as well. Some were wider, some were longer.

Charlotte’s expression was odd. In all her years of wielding a sword, she had never seen such strange blades! Of course, what puzzled her even more was: what was Zhong Shenxiu planning to do with these swords?

Afterward, Zhong Shenxiu began reheating these nascent swords until they glowed red, preparing for slight adjustments!

Once this stage was complete, Zhong Shenxiu actually took the swords inside the house and didn't emerge for a long time!

Charlotte grew even more perplexed. She understood the man, Zhong Shenxiu, less and less! In truth, she didn't know that Zhong Shenxiu was currently performing the most crucial step for these swords: infusing them with magical arrays!

Furthermore, one detail particularly baffled Charlotte: Robin didn't follow inside; instead, he walked off to practice Tai Chi!

Time slipped by quickly, and dusk settled before they realized it. When Charlotte and Rhys both returned to their quarters, Zhong Shenxiu had still not come out!

The next morning, Charlotte arrived early again, but Rhys was clearly even earlier than her.

The group waited for a while before Zhong Shenxiu finally emerged from the room.

However, the Zhong Shenxiu who walked out wore a sinister smile, which grew even more pronounced as he looked at Charlotte.

Charlotte couldn't help but feel a chill. Her feminine intuition warned her that something unpleasant was about to happen.

As she was wildly guessing, Zhong Shenxiu called Rhys over to him.

To everyone's surprise, Zhong Shenxiu handed Rhys one of the swords he had forged yesterday and said, "Today, you will use this one to spar with her. Remember to return it when you're done." After speaking, he didn't forget to caution Charlotte: "Be careful, this sword has some unexpected functions!" He then let out another evil grin!

What in the world was Zhong Shenxiu trying to do??