Guided by Starlight (The End)

When Mi woke up the next day, a male deer with huge antlers brought the female deer and fawn that Mi had rescued to the foot of Mi's treehouse. Under the treehouse was a pair of huge antlers.

"Is this for me?" Mi tentatively jumped down from the treehouse and reached out to pick up the antlers. The antlers looked huge and ferocious, and were heavy in her hand. The surface of the antlers was covered with fine hairs, and the entire antler was smooth and clean. The sharp antlers could be used as weapons. Mi pushed the antlers forward and felt the enormous power they brought.

The stag with antlers on its head saw Mi pick up the antlers and turn to leave. Mi played with the antlers for a while, then took them back to the treehouse and put them away. The stag stopped and turned to look at Mi when it saw that Mi didn't follow.

"You want me to come with you?" Mi, who was placing the antlers in the treehouse, saw the stag go and come back, and couldn't help but lean forward and ask. The stag didn't answer, only its three pairs of watery eyes stared at Mi, moist and alert. Mi felt her heart melt. She decided to follow the stag; perhaps she would see a whole new animal kingdom.

Mi tidied up the treehouse. A new straw satchel contained the herbs she had dried. The deerskin satchel still held El's booklet. Mi only had eight arrows left, newly made in the Misty Forest. The water pouch she had brought from Fallen Leaf Valley was long lost; now, a hollowed-out gourd was used to hold water. There were also many small straw mats wrapped with various dried fruits and jerky. Mi put these in the satchel as well, changed into her last piece of clothing made from cloth stolen from Karin, and jumped down from the treehouse.

The treehouse is covered with a whole straw mat, decorated with fragrant dried flower petals. The straw mat is stuffed with a neatly folded quilt lined with white reeds, and a small rattan pillow is placed on top. The cup for drinking water and the pot for cooking soup are quietly stacked in the corner. If someone passes by, they can find this safe and comfortable shelter just by looking up.

After following the deer for several days, Mi finally arrived at the end of the forest. On the first day of her journey with the deer family, Mi discovered that the guiding stone on the witch's headband had come to life, pointing in the direction of the deer. Mi carried the large antlers that the deer had brought on her shoulder, looking like a small deer with huge antlers.

The fawn adored Mi, always leaving its mother to circle around her. Mi, gazing into the fawn's round eyes, couldn't resist pulling handfuls of dried fruit from her bag. Later, the mother fawn probed the bag full of dried fruit with her mouth, while the male fawn kept using its massive antlers to nudge Mi's bag, pouring out the dried fruit.

Mi was delighted to see this family of foodies, so on the way out of the forest, she generously took out all the dried fruit, even though she didn't eat any herself. The dried fruit was still gone by the third day. The stag and doe, finding themselves out of fruit, strode onward. Only the fawn, regardless of whether Mi had fruit or not, continued to circle around her, occasionally nudging her with its head. At this point, Mi would stop and play a game of antler butting with the fawn, carrying it on her shoulder. The doe would quietly stand by the roadside waiting for Mi and the fawn to finish their game, while the stag would charge towards them, its hooves kicking. Afraid the stag might hurt the fawn, Mi would leap into the air with the fawn in her arms. The stag, now without its target, looked around blankly, while the doe, waiting nearby, smiled. For the first time, Mi saw a smile in a deer's eyes. She put the fawn down, jumped up, and patted the doe's head: "What are you laughing at? Is it your mate?"

No matter how cute the deer were, and no matter how much time the game took, Mi followed the deer family to the edge of the Misty Forest. The Misty Forest was located on a small hill covered with weeds, with winding paths trodden by travelers leading to rows of red houses. It was here that Mi finally saw traces of humankind.

As Mi stepped onto the path, the stag, along with the doe and fawn, returned to the forest. The fawn clung reluctantly to Mi's clothes. Finally, Mi took out a bag of dried fruit she had hidden in her purse and gave it all to the fawn she had brought into the world. The fawn happily munched on the dried fruit, while the stag and doe watched it tenderly until it finished. The stag, having entered the forest, glanced back at Mi, who stood watching the family go, and let out a loud call. Mi moved her antlers to one shoulder, raised her hand, waved to the family, and turned to leave. The fawn watched Mi walk further and further away on the path and chased after her. After a few steps, the fawn looked back at the doe behind it, and finally turned and followed her.

At the foot of the hillside stood rows of red stone houses, with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys, the sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking, and even the laughter of children playing. Mi examined her tattered clothes and haggard appearance, then hoisted the deer antlers onto her shoulder and strode down the hill.

Redstone Town is a bustling yet lonely little town. It's bustling because everyone knows each other, greeting each other from afar, their chatter echoing throughout the town, ensuring everyone knows who has met. The town's only tavern sells both ale, favored by the elderly, and malt candy, loved by children. It's lonely because the town is almost entirely populated by the elderly and children; the young people have all gone out on adventures.

This small town isn't the domain of any noble lord, because it's near the Misty Forest. Besides wild beasts, the forest is vast and boundless, making it impossible to discern directions. Every year, far more people enter the Misty Forest than leave. Redstone Town is also a welcoming town; its residents warmly welcome those lost in the Misty Forest, guiding them in the right direction home. Redstone Town is a tiny town, with only a few streets and seventy or eighty households. Redstone Town is also a town both old and young; all the young people have gone out to adventure, sending their children born elsewhere back home so they can grow up and then go out to adventure again.

Mi lived in Redstone Town for a full year. The old people there were kind, and the children were innocent and adorable. Having just come down from the mountain, Mi was mute for almost half a month. Although she could fully feel the town's warmth, speaking the completely new language was difficult for her. Finally, the townspeople led Mi to the northwest corner of town, where there was a small school run by Annie, the town's only young hunter with red hair.

Anne is said to be an adventurer who returned from the Land of Flowers, and she is an excellent hunter. Almost all the wild game in the town is hunted by Anne. However, the townspeople are not picky about food. They are happy when there is meat to eat, and they are also cheerful when there is no meat. Everyone in the town likes to gather in the tavern to chat. An old man can pass an afternoon with a glass of ale and a child candy.

Annie's school only held classes in the mornings, teaching various wilderness survival skills and hunting techniques, as well as the languages ​​and rules of the outside world to the children who were venturing out. Annie had traveled to many places, was fluent in the languages ​​of the surrounding Flower Kingdom, Sea Kingdom, and even the Snow Region, was familiar with the local produce, knew the rules of adventure, and knew the best hunting spots—she was an excellent teacher. When Mi was brought there, Annie was repairing her bow and arrows. Seeing the small bow on Mi's back, she immediately ran over: "Are you a hunter too?"

Mi opened her mouth and said "Ah," then shook her head and took out herbs from her bag.

“Herb gatherer, I don’t buy herbs here,” Anne said disappointedly, withdrawing her hand. “You’ll have to go to the apothecary in the front town.”

The rice was delivered by a cute little blonde girl with round, bright eyes: "Teacher Annie, the mayor asked me to bring her here; she wants to learn to talk." With that, the little girl skipped away.

"Why are you still learning to talk at your age? Did you come from the Misty Forest?" Red-haired Annie crossed her arms and looked Mi up and down for a long time. Mi's face already showed the marks of time, with wrinkles and gray hair.

Mi settled in with Annie, listening to her adventure stories in her spare time. Gradually, she learned the language of Redstone Town, as well as the languages ​​of the Flower Kingdom, the Sea Kingdom, and the Snowfield, and also learned the approximate locations of these countries. The Flower Kingdom, located east of the Misty Forest, was a beautiful place. The nobles of the Flower Kingdom all had titles related to various flowers, including the Longevity Flower Fairy, which fascinated Mi. The Sea Kingdom was an island nation composed of many small islands, mostly inhabited by fishermen. The sea was said to be teeming with longevity creatures, and those who had seen them were said to have vanished without a trace. Therefore, the Sea Kingdom was shrouded in a legend of man-eating monsters. Sea monsters and sea maidens were said to be specialties of the Sea Kingdom, and encountering either one was believed to bring good luck if one wasn't eaten. The Snowfield was the territory of snow monsters and artisans, who were warlike and constantly at war. However, the Snowfield possessed the best ores and elixirs, making it a favorite destination for adventurers.

Mi began to yearn for the wondrous land Annie had described. Sometimes, she would pick up the witch's headband to see if the guiding star had changed. Since separating from the deer family, the witch's headband had returned to its former state, the small guiding stone's tip pointing to the sky once more. Mi sat in the rocking chair in the yard, watching the sky over Redstone Town. The sky over Redstone Town was the same as the sky over the Misty Forest, with a red sun during the day and brilliant stars and a blue moon at night. The difference was that Redstone Town was populated with many people, filled with the warmth and life of the world. The townspeople, hearing that Mi had come from the Misty Forest, all came to visit her, telling her not to worry, that she could live in the town forever, even if Mi always thought about where her hometown was.

In the morning, Mi and a group of children listened to Annie's lesson. The children were full of energy, and Mi became quite lively along with them. She and the children practiced archery with bows and arrows, then swung their arms and jumped over the wall, rushing into the Misty Forest. Whoever brought back the prey first was the winner of the day. In the afternoon, Annie would take Mi to the tavern in the town center. The morning's winner would receive a piece of candy personally awarded by Annie as a reward.

“You can treat this place like your own home.” Janet is the town mayor and also the tavern owner, and she always treats Mi to a free glass of ale.

Does everyone who comes out of the Misty Forest suffer from amnesia? Mi wondered, wondering if this was just an excuse from the witches who came out of the forest, or if some people had genuinely lost their minds after a long period of living in the wild. But the children of Redstone Town rushed into the Misty Forest every day to hunt. Mi, holding his mead, asked, "Aren't you afraid your children will get lost in the Misty Forest?"

"If they can lose it here, how can they risk their lives?"

“The children have grown up in the misty forest since they were little, and no one knows the forest better than them.”

“A child has never been lost in Hongshi Town.”

"Redstone Town only finds people who have gotten lost in the Misty Forest."

"You can make Redstone Town your home."

The people in the tavern chattered with Mi about where the children had run off to in the forest, as if they were personally watching over them and witnessing all their activities.

That evening, Annie would give Mi a private lesson, teaching her real swordsmanship and close-quarters combat skills. Even though Mi could quickly perceive Annie's intentions, she was no match for her. Mi was once again pinned to the ground by Annie. Annie frowned as she looked at Mi beneath her, pinched her arm, and said, "You have too little muscle; you lack strength."