<b>Chapter </b><b>1228 </b><b>Belongs </b><b>to </b><b>Kaspar</b>
<b>Though </b><b>the </b><b>crow </b><b>wasn’t </b><b>familiar </b><b>with </b><b>sigh </b><bnguages</b><b>, </b><b>he </b><b>realized </b><b>that </b><b>Dalton’s </b><b>lier </b><b>and </b><b>disguise </b><b>were </b><b>likely </b><b>to </b><b>be </b><b>discovered</b>
<b>Dalton </b><b>was </b><b>still </b><b>missing </b><b>a </b><b>fragment </b><b>of </b><b>his </b><b>soul</b><b>, </b><b>and </b><b>the </b><b>crow </b><b>was </b><b>uncertain </b><b>how </b><b>Wynter </b><b>would </b><b>react </b><b>if </b><b>she </b><b>learned </b><b>of </b><b>Dalton’s </b><b>identity</b><b>.</b>
<b>In </b><b>truth</b><b>, </b><b>both </b><b>Dalton </b><b>and </b><b>the </b><b>crow </b><b>came </b><b>to </b><b>Hawford in </b><b>search </b><b>of </b><b>the </b><b>missing </b><b>soul </b><b>fragment</b><b>. </b><b>They </b><b>couldn’t </b><b>afford </b><b>any </b><b>missteps </b><b>that </b><b>might </b><b>jeopardize </b><b>Dalton’s </b><b>safety</b><b>.</b>
<b>As </b><b>the </b><b>crow </b><b>grew </b><b>worried</b><b>, </b><b>Dalton </b><b>approached </b><b>Wynter </b><b>and </b><b>exined</b><b>, </b><b>“</b><b>There’s </b><b>a </b><b>holy </b><b>ground </b><b>that </b><b>lies </b><b>deep </b><b>in </b><b>the </b><b>forest </b><b>on </b><b>Mt. </b><b>Dragon</b><b>.</b>
<b>“</b><b>That </b><b>ce </b><b>is </b><b>brimming </b><b>with </b><b>spiritual </b><b>energy </b><b>and </b><b>inhabited </b><b>by </b><b>various </b><b>beasts</b><b>. </b><b>Humans </b><b>rarely </b><b>go </b><b>there</b><b>. </b><b>I </b><b>believe </b><b>Wolf </b><b>was </b><b>sent </b><b>there</b><b>.</b><b>”</b>
<b>Wynter </b><b>arched </b><b>her </b><b>brow</b><b>. </b><b>“</b><b>Is </b><b>there </b><b>truly </b><b>such </b><b>a </b><b>ce </b><b>on </b><b>Mt. </b><b>Dragon</b><b>?</b><b>”</b>N?velDrama.Org owns this.
<b>“</b><b>Indeed</b><b>, </b><b>but </b><b>it’s </b><b>remained </b><b>confidential </b><b>to </b><b>the </b><b>public</b><b>,</b><b>” </b><b>Dalton </b><b>replied </b><b>calmly</b><b>.</b>
<b>Wolf</b>
<b>Wynter </b><b>turned </b><b>to </b><b>for </b><b>confirmation </b><b>Wolf </b><b>thought </b><b>of </b><b>the </b><b>secluded </b><b>forest </b><b>and </b><b>nodded </b><b>in </b><b>agreement</b><b>.</b>
<b>Suddenly </b><b>remembering </b><b>something</b><b>, </b><b>he </b><b>whipped </b><b>the </b><b>crow </b><b>out </b><b>of </b><b>his </b><b>pocket </b><b>and </b><b>stuffed </b><b>it </b><b>into </b><b>Wynter’s </b><b>hands</b><b>. </b><b>He </b><b>pointed </b><b>at </b><b>the </b><b>crow</b><b>, </b><b>silently </b><b>implying </b><b>that </b><b>the </b><b>crow </b><b>had </b><b>guided </b><b>him </b><b>out </b><b>of </b><b>the </b><b>forest</b><b>.</b>
<b>Wynter </b><b>gazed </b><b>at </b><b>the crow </b><b>with </b><b>amusement</b><b>, </b><b>recognizing </b><b>him </b><b>as </b><b>the </b><b>mythical </b><b>beast </b><b>she </b><b>had </b><b>seen </b><b>back </b><b>at </b><b>the </b><b>Quinnell </b><b>residence</b><b>.</b>
<b>“</b><b>It </b><b>seems </b><b>fate </b><b>has </b><b>brought </b><b>us </b><b>together </b><b>again</b><b>. </b><b>So</b><b>, </b><b>tell </b><b>me</b><b>, </b><b>why </b><b>did </b><b>you </b><b>guide </b><b>Wolf </b><b>out </b><b>of </b><b>that </b><b>ce</b><b>?</b><b>” </b><b>Wynter </b><b>asked </b><b>with </b><b>a </b><b>meaningful </b><b>tone</b><b>.</b>
<b>The </b><b>crow </b><b>attempted </b><b>to </b><b>y </b><b>dead</b><b>, </b><b>but </b><b>Wynter </b><b>saw </b><b>through </b><b>his </b><b>tricks</b><b>. </b><b>“</b><b>ying </b><b>dead </b><b>again</b><b>? </b><b>Enough </b><b>with </b><b>this </b><b>pointless </b><b>act</b><b>. </b><b>You’re </b><b>a </b><b>mythical </b><b>beast</b><b>, </b><b>after </b><b>all</b><b>,</b><b>” </b><b>she </b><b>said </b><b>with </b><b>a </b><b>snicker</b><b>.</b>
<b>The </b><b>crow </b><b>stiffened </b><b>in </b><b>Wynter’s </b><b>hands</b><b>. </b><b>Unsure </b><b>of </b><b>how </b><b>to </b><b>react</b><b>, </b><b>all </b><b>he </b><b>could </b><b>manage </b><b>was </b><b>a </b><b>helpless </b><b>squawk</b><b>. </b><b>How </b><b>could </b><b>he </b><b>exin </b><b>that </b><b>he </b><b>guided </b><b>Wolf </b><b>out </b><b>of </b><b>the </b><b>forest</b><b>?</b>
<b>Tve </b><b>heard </b><b>that </b><b>a </b><b>Mythical </b><b>beast </b><b>has </b><b>activetected </b><b>a </b><b>cultivator </b><b>from </b><b>Mt.</b>
<b>I’ve</b>
<b>Dragon </b><b>as </b><b>their </b><b>master </b><b>It’s </b><b>not </b><b>surprising </b><b>that </b><b>the </b><b>crow </b><b>han </b><b>guided </b><b>Wolf </b><b>out </b><b>of </b><b>the </b><b>forest </b><b>as </b><b>the </b><b>beast </b><b>must’ve </b><b>sensed </b><b>Wolfe </b><b>awakening </b><b>on </b><b>the </b><b>holy </b><b>grounds</b><b>,</b><b>”</b>
<b>Dalton </b><b>calmly </b><b>exined</b>
<b>Though </b><b>his </b><b>words </b><b>sounded </b><b>convincing</b><b>, </b><b>Wynter </b><b>couldn’t </b><b>shake </b><b>her </b><b>doubts</b><b>. </b><b>“</b><b>Are </b><b>you </b><b>implying </b><b>that </b><b>the </b><b>crow </b><b>belongs </b><b>to </b><b>Mr. </b><b>Stavius </b><b>?</b><b>”</b>
<b>“I </b><b>only </b><b>know </b><b>that </b><b>a </b><b>cultivator </b><b>has </b><b>been </b><b>acknowledged</b><b>, </b><b>but </b><b>I’m </b><b>not </b><b>sure </b><b>who </b><b>they </b><b>are</b><b>.</b><b>” </b><b>Dalton </b><b>nonchntly </b><b>replied</b><b>.</b>
<b>Despite </b><b>her </b><b>doubts</b><b>, </b><b>Wynter </b><b>didn’t </b><b>have </b><b>time </b><b>to </b><b>confirm </b><b>the </b><b>crow’s </b><b>identity</b><b>. </b><b>She </b><b>suddenly </b><b>noticed </b><b>Dalton </b><b>standing </b><b>at </b><b>the </b><b>hidden </b><b>passage’s </b><b>entrance</b><b>.</b>
<b>In </b><b>an </b><b>instant</b><b>, </b><b>Wynter </b><b>looked </b><b>up </b><b>and </b><b>realized </b><b>they </b><b>were </b><b>out </b><b>of </b><b>the </b><b>surveince </b><b>cameras</b><b>‘ </b><b>view</b><b>.</b>
<b>Closing </b><b>her </b><b>eyes</b><b>, </b><b>Wynter </b><b>slowly </b><b>recalled </b><b>Vanessa’s </b><bst </b><b>movements </b><b>after </b><b>her </b><b>drink</b><b>. </b><b>It </b><b>appeared </b><b>that </b><b>Vanessa </b><b>would’ve </b><b>passed </b><b>through </b><b>that </b><b>area </b><b>either </b><b>way</b><b>.</b>
<b>Wynter </b><b>spected </b><b>that </b><b>a </b><b>switch </b><b>or </b><b>a </b><b>master </b><b>control </b><b>might </b><b>operate </b><b>the </b><b>hidden </b><b>passage</b><b>. </b><b>As </b><b>for </b><b>where </b><b>the </b><b>hidden </b><b>passage </b><b>would </b><b>lead </b><b>to</b><b>…</b>
<b>Wynter </b><b>handed </b><b>Wolf </b><b>her </b><bptop </b><b>and </b><b>a </b><b>sh </b><b>drive</b><b>. </b><b>“</b><b>Hack </b><b>into </b><b>this </b><b>nightclub’s </b><b>local </b><b>area </b><bwork </b><b>and </b><b>restore </b><b>the </b><b>chat </b><b>histories</b><b>,</b><b>” </b><b>she </b><b>instructed</b><b>.</b>
<b>It </b><b>had </b><b>been </b><b>ages </b><b>since </b><b>Wolf </b><bst </b><b>worked </b><b>with </b><b>a </b><bputer</b><b>. </b><b>He </b><b>innocently </b><b>epted </b><b>the </b><bptop </b><b>and </b><b>started </b><b>tapping </b><b>on </b><b>the </b><b>keyboard</b><b>.</b>
<b>While </b><b>Wolf </b><b>focused </b><b>on </b><b>hacking</b><b>, </b><b>Wynter </b><b>turned </b><b>on </b><b>her </b><b>shlight </b><b>and </b><b>nced </b><b>at </b><b>the </b><b>dark </b><b>passage</b><b>. </b><b>A </b><b>fleeting </b><b>flicker </b><b>passed </b><b>through </b><b>her </b><b>eyes</b><b>, </b><b>though </b><b>it</b>
<b>betrayed </b><b>nothing </b><b>of </b><b>her </b><b>thoughts</b><b>.</b>
<b>“</b><b>Well </b><b>then</b><b>, </b><b>let’s </b><b>find </b><b>out </b><b>where </b><b>this </b><b>leads</b><b>.</b><b>” </b><b>Wynter </b><b>smirked</b><b>. </b><b>If </b><b>the </b><b>hidden </b><b>passage </b><b>truly </b><b>opened </b><b>onto </b><b>the </b><b>other </b><b>side </b><b>of </b><b>the </b><b>building</b><b>, </b><b>Vanessa’s </b><b>case </b><b>would </b><b>be </b><b>solved</b><b>.</b>