"It seems we're on the right track. Just like the hunters in town said, this is a gathering place for pikas. If we follow the river straight ahead, the first mountain we'll have to cross today will be the one we're going to get to."
I suggested to the group that we take a short rest nearby. In the blink of an eye, we saw the hunting dogs that had been running off earlier running back happily, carrying several fat pikas that were twitching in their mouths.
Hikari and Anne cheered at the same time.
Even Ai An, who always remained calm and composed, showing no trace of childishness, couldn't help but secretly cast a glance at him at this moment, quietly swallowing her overflowing saliva.
Without bothering to gather firewood and build a fire, I suddenly had a brilliant idea that awakened magic.
After removing the internal organs with a compressed blade, the dog was handed over to the waiting hunting dogs. The skin was then wrapped with warm water, which instantly removed the fur and cleaned the abdominal cavity. After being simply cut into pieces, two girls volunteered to skewer the dog and place it on a lit flame. They hummed cheerful songs and sprinkled on seasonings, and the dog was grilled in the dripping oil.
"Hoo hoo, this is the first time I've ever seen a dish made almost entirely with magic." Annie, her mouth covered in grease, didn't bother to wipe it off. She chuckled happily under the sparse shade of the trees, licking the lingering fragrance from her fingertips. "Going out to play really does have its good points."
Hikari nodded in agreement: "If we don't come out, we won't be able to enjoy Mr. Yumi's carefully prepared dishes! I want to try them next time!"
“You guys were in charge of the production; I just provided the flame.” I shook my head, looking at the tiny flame flickering between my fingertips. “Besides, this method is more difficult than I imagined. I didn’t control it well at first and almost hurt you.”
"The real joy of barbecue is its caramelized aroma, Mr. Yumi!"
[The cat] makes a meow in response.
After a brief rest, they continued their journey.
The rest and recuperation before the actual climb is indeed necessary.
As the slope of the ground gradually increased, coupled with the fact that few people had ever traveled there in the past, the increasingly desolate hillsides gradually became less and less suitable for settling down. Sometimes, in order to move forward, one even had to detour to the side or downhill around bends to avoid the excessively treacherous cliffs.
Fortunately, it wasn't a difficult task; it just involved walking a little further and seeing the familiar scenery from a different perspective.
The town we had come from was now mostly obscured by the trees we had walked through. Standing at a higher vantage point than before, even the towering trees that had seemed taller than several people combined now appeared as thin, gray lines in the distance. The brick-red walls and tiles peeked out from the deep green of the winter landscape, tiny black dots moving back and forth, their exact locations almost indistinguishable.
The two girls at the front seemed to have inexhaustible energy, chattering noisily.
The one who argued the most when we went out was Annie.
Perhaps tired of working amidst endless piles of books, a few nights ago, while I was out running errands, Anne, who had encouraged Hikari to join, easily gained the approval of Yao, who was temporarily at a loss. The two of them practically whispered to each other and decided on their travel destination.
"I've never even tried climbing a mountain in my entire life!"
As he spoke, his dark red eyes seemed to be illuminated by the newly risen starlight covering the sky.
"I've heard that somewhere in the mountains there's a spring that continuously overflows with white mist! It's a spring that never freezes, even in the dead of winter!"
Hikari's face also radiated a look of novelty and longing.
Then the matter was settled.
After crossing the last steep slope, the previously sparse grass suddenly became more abundant, and the flat, gentle surface seemed like a platform beckoning for rest, where a few small animals reappeared.
But this was only a small area; after a few steps, one would step into the shadow cast by the cloud-like cypress, and hear the movements of carnivorous animals all around.
The howls of hunting dogs echoed in the distance, their fierce anger carrying far as the senses expanded forward. A nimble cat defiantly leaped back and forth across the backs of the gathered pack, dodging claws and bites; each leap of its dark form brought forth a spray of blood, stained with cries of pain.
Soon, the wolves that had surrounded us realized they had encountered a formidable opponent, and howled as they retreated into the distance. By the time we approached, all that remained were splattered bloodstains on the grass, cooled and stained with blood, and fallen fur.
There is no need to go to the summit, even though it is already close at hand, it is still far from the road to our ultimate goal.
After confirming their location once again, they adjusted their direction of travel and soon confirmed from the curve of the transition under their feet that they had arrived at another nearby mountain peak.
After another round of repairs, we had a late lunch in the cleared space, and by looking through the sparse treetops, we could clearly see the traces of falling sunlight.
Layered clouds randomly divided the clear blue sky, while large clumps of white filled the field of vision, letting in sparse and slightly warm light.
Beyond the gaps between the trees, perhaps the most striking thing is that dot on the distant horizon.
Like black mud spots, or some kind of stain floating in mid-air, the constantly unfolding triple nested magic array keeps the island forever suspended high in the sky, embarking on an endless drift.
"I never expected to be able to see Yong'an Island from here."
Sipping the warm broth, Hikari squinted at the tiny dot in the distance, no bigger than a pebble, and said thoughtfully, "I've heard about it, but I'm really curious about what it looks like up there."
"Anyway, I don't like that kind of high-class life." Annie leaned affectionately against the girl. "Living high up is terrifying to even think about. What if something unexpected happens one day, like falling or something breaking down? Wouldn't there be nowhere to escape to then?"
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