Chapter 109 The Second Day in the Mountains
"Wow! So those wolves came again yesterday?"
A surprised exclamation came from behind.
Turning my head, I saw Annie, who had somehow emerged from the makeshift stone hut, standing nearby, yawning and curiously peering over my shoulder.
Although I sensed that she was awake, I was still somewhat surprised.
The lingering darkness still hung on the distant horizon, while the golden-red light eagerly spread out.
Her long, jet-black hair, each strand distinct, cascaded down with her movements, casting a light red glow along the edges.
Turning my gaze away, I busied myself skinning the wolf carcass in my hands, and casually replied, "It happened just as dawn was breaking; they probably came by scent. But don't worry, it's safe here."
"Hmph! Of course it's safe here, because I'm here!"
Annie's sudden attempt at a childish and pretentious pose was so ridiculous it made people shake their heads; it was such a waste of her good looks.
I wonder how the other survivors of the former royal family raised their children. Such a good girl, turned stupid at such a young age.
"Hey! Are you thinking something really rude? I already told you that what happened to me last time was just a mistake!"
"Yes, it was all a mistake," I absentmindedly agreed, then quickly reminded her before she got angry, "Remember to at least wash your hands by the river. We should eat after we're done here."
Annie, her face flushed with embarrassment and anger, fled in an instant.
Today is the second day of our trip into the mountains.
Yesterday's trek, which took most of the day, left everyone feeling genuinely exhausted. Even the two exceptionally energetic girls wilted halfway through, unable to persevere despite taking several breaks along the way. Fortunately, they managed to leave the perilous forest before nightfall and found a clearing on the newly appeared grassland where they worked together to build a simple shelter with earth and stones to rest.
Please allow me to repeat myself, magic is really useful in times like these.
Surprisingly, the little boy who had temporarily joined the group kept up silently, gritting his teeth and following along. If I hadn't noticed that he wasn't doing well—his face was pale and his legs were weak—and quickly told him to rest, I'm afraid the boy would have collapsed from exhaustion sooner or later.
To be honest, it was quite surprising that this child chose to join this mountain climbing trip. It was just a tentative inquiry; I thought I'd be rejected, but the answer was a resounding yes. As for the reason, while somewhat far-fetched, it wasn't entirely unreasonable: he said he wanted to go out and see the highest mountain on the mainland.
That's true, after all, they're just kids. Even if they lost their memory due to some accident, and their temperament is a bit more aloof than their peers, it's still much more fun to be able to move around freely outside than to be stuck in an office full of boring documents and busy work all day long.
Back in the day, I was also... no, never mind, now's not the time to talk about that.
Unfortunately, Ai'an's body was thinner than that of a typical twelve or thirteen-year-old boy, with little muscle definition in his arms and legs, and he didn't seem to have the talent to manipulate magic. But perhaps because he had received proper care recently, his complexion had improved significantly since he was first rescued from the experimental pod, and he was at least able to keep up with the initial pace.
As the sun rose above the treetops, Hikari and Aian, exhausted from oversleeping, finally emerged from the stone house. Judging from their unsteady gait, they were clearly too tired to walk any further.
"Should we rest for another day?" I suggested to the two of them. "Anyway, it's still at least two days' journey to our destination. We can recover our strength first before continuing."
Hikari looked up at the sound and glanced around. She quickly noticed Aian, who was still exhausted, as I gestured. She raised her hand in sudden realization and said, "I wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Yumi's suggestion. Why don't we just rest for another day? We've already wasted half a day anyway. There's water and food nearby. It'll be safer to go out with proper preparation."
"I wanted to ask this yesterday, is it not possible to summon a golem?"
Anne objected: "In Hengyao City, if you need to go to a distant place, you usually summon a golem for transportation. This method only consumes some magic power and is a better choice for movement or combat. Why not do it this way?"
To this, I can only shrug and say, "Because I don't know how."
"Hikari too."
"ha?!"
Annie suddenly jumped up, hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow, looking as if she was almost fainting from anger.
Golems belong to the advanced techniques within the category of alchemy. The mainstream forms in academia are mostly humanoid, with the body composed of specific stones or metals with high conductivity. The center and joints are inlaid with gem mediums engraved with various spell formulas. Even the simplest crafting requires a great deal of effort and materials. Simply summoning nearby soil and rocks is not sustainable, let alone using them for movement or combat.
If there really is a technique that can shape clay, then it must be an exclusive technique for those who have advanced to the Dharma Ring stage, right?
Speaking of this, we have to mention the puppets with the brightest smile.
I've always been very curious about how she managed to master the incredibly difficult skill of sculpting clay. Although she lacks a clear sense of self, she creates beings out of thin air that can carry out tasks on their own, easily responding to simple questions and suggestions, making them more lifelike than ordinary, lifeless golems.
If they weren't all wearing lace eyebands all the time, it would probably feel like an uncanny valley.
Yao always remained silent about such questions, as if he had something on his mind. Only once, perhaps annoyed, did he respond with just one sentence, "This has nothing to do with the technology of creating golems; it's a forbidden technology," and then he never mentioned it again.
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