The morning mist had not yet dispersed.
Loviki was already standing in the open space next to the apartment, wearing her training gear.
Mana surged around her, pressing the weeds on the ground flat.
Two silvery-white light swords, condensed from light mana, circled in the air before flying forward one after the other.
This was a new way of attacking that Chen Mian had guided her in, inspired by sword-controlling techniques.
Leaning against the apartment doorframe, Chen Mian held a cup of Moonlight Grass tea. “Your mana output is still uneven when turning.”
Loviki gritted her teeth, dispersed the light swords, and condensed them again.
This time, the arc of the two swords was smoother, and their speeds were much closer.
“There's progress.”
Loviki recalled the light swords, letting them float in front of her as she tilted her head to look at him. “Are you praising me?”
“Stating a fact.” Chen Mian took a sip of his tea, pausing with the cup at his lips. “Practice for ten more minutes, then eat breakfast.”
The corners of Loviki's mouth curved up slightly, and she was about to say something.
A wolf's howl echoed from deep within the forest.
It wasn't an ordinary wolf's howl; the sound was very long and drawn out, carrying a specific mana resonance unique to magical beasts.
Loviki's light swords paused in midair.
“Want some real combat?” Chen Mian took another sip of tea and looked at Loviki with a smile. “A Platinum Rank magical beast, the shadow wolf. They pack-hunt, usually around Level 50, Low-tier Platinum Rank.”
Loviki stared at him for two seconds, her lips curving upward. “Sure.”
She turned, her rapier already drawn from its sheath, a faint silvery-white light condensing on the blade.
Chen Mian leaned against the doorframe without moving, releasing a faint trace of mana in that direction to monitor Loviki's situation.
Flora's voice came from the kitchen. “Where did Loviki go?”
“There's a magical beast. She went to check it out.”
“Is it dangerous?”
“A shadow wolf, around Level 50.”
Flora poked her head out of the kitchen window, still holding a spatula, her apron dusted with flour, her face filled with worry. “She's by herself...”
“She's Level 59.”
“She's still alone.”
Chen Mian glanced at her. “Don't worry. She was a formidable adventurer before this, and I'm keeping an eye on her.”
Flora paused, the corners of her mouth curving up. She turned and went back into the kitchen. The sizzling sound of her cooking started up again, lighter and livelier this time, accompanied by her humming.
Chen Mian finished his last sip of tea and placed the cup on the table.
In the forest, the mist was thick, and the tall, dense canopy of trees blocked out most of the sky.
The ground was covered in soft, fallen leaves and mud, sinking slightly underfoot and making a dull rustling sound.
Loviki moved quickly through the trees. Though fast, her steps were light, making almost no sound as she stepped on the fallen leaves.
The wolf howls from the front right grew closer and closer, accompanied by the sound of snapping branches and hurried footsteps.
“Miya! Run!”
Someone was there!
Loviki quickened her pace, leaping between tree trunks several times. She swiftly crossed a patch of low shrubs, and the view ahead suddenly opened up.
Six shadow wolves stood there, their grayish-black fur almost blending into the mist, but their dark green eyes were exceptionally clear.
Surrounded by them were two demi-human girls.
Neither girl was very old. The one standing in front was bent low, her white cat ears standing straight up, the fur at the tips puffed out from extreme tension.
She tightly clutched a short dagger with dried blood on the blade. Her arms were trembling, but she shielded the other girl fiercely behind her. The younger girl huddled behind her, also bearing a pair of white cat ears that were pressed flat against her hair. She was shaking all over but held onto her older sister in a death grip.
Without hesitation, Loviki condensed a silvery-white blazing light on her blade. Her speed exploded, and she appeared before the lead wolf in an instant.
The rapier, burning with blazing light, thrust out in the blink of an eye. The lead wolf tried to dodge, but the glowing sword was too fast, completely cutting off its escape.
The rapier, burning with blazing light, pierced into the side of its neck, the tip exiting from the other side and drawing a spray of dark blood mist. The blazing light flared intensely at the wound, instantly cauterizing the blood vessels so that barely a drop of excess blood spilled.
Seeing their leader killed, the remaining five wolves turned and bolted into the mist. The bushes rustled a few times, and then everything fell silent.
Loviki sheathed her sword with a soft click, the silvery-white blazing light on the blade quickly dying out.
Standing beside the fallen lead wolf, her chest rose and fell slightly, but her breathing remained steady. “Are you injured?”
The cat-eared girl, Luolin, looked down at her left leg. There was a long tear on her pant leg from a wolf's claw, and blood was seeping out, staining the fabric below her calf a deep brown. Her hand, which had clutched the dagger for so long, finally relaxed, her muscles trembling uncontrollably.
Luolin nodded, but she didn't put away her dagger. She merely switched it to her other hand, then turned to help her sister up from the ground.
Miya's legs were weak, and she stumbled as she stood up. Her eyes were red, but she stubbornly held back her tears.
“Come with me.” Loviki turned and walked toward the apartment, her pace slightly slower than usual.
Luolin limped behind Loviki, blood continuously seeping from her wound. She bit her lip hard and didn't make a sound.
Her eyes red, Miya tightened her grip on her sister's arm. Along the way, she occasionally glanced back at the mist, as if afraid those dark green eyes would suddenly light up again.
Passing through a dense forest, the trees gradually thinned out.
The mist dispersed a bit, and the morning sun filtered through the gaps in the canopy, casting light onto the grass ahead.
Luolin stopped in her tracks.
She saw a cream-colored, three-story building standing there quietly.
Inside a fenced area next to the building, a small chick with pale yellow feathers was chirping while pecking at the tender grass on the ground.
The vegetable garden was a lush green, filled with red tomatoes, yellow pumpkins, tall cabbages... so many vegetables.
And these vegetables seemed somewhat different from normal ones.
In the orchard, neat trellises were set up, with vines climbing halfway up them, their tender green leaves shimmering in the sunlight.
In the ranch, a silvery-white cow was bowing its head to graze on the green grass.
What... is this place?
Loviki walked to the apartment door, pressed her hand against the black panel, and with a beep, the door opened.
“Come in.”
Luolin looked down at her mud-covered boots, then at the apartment's floor, which was so clean it reflected light. She shook her head. “...I'll get it dirty.”
“Just come in.” Loviki had already walked inside.
Luolin glanced at the bleeding wound on her left leg, then at the incredibly clean floor. Biting her lip, she bent down and took off her boots.
The moment her feet touched the floor, she subconsciously curled her toes.
Not because it was cold, but simply because the floor was too clean. Her feet were covered in mud and dried blood; stepping on such a clean floor felt like leaving stains where they shouldn't exist.
Miya took off her shoes as well. Clutching her sister's arm, her small feet stepped onto the floor, taking every step with extreme care.
“Sit.” Loviki pointed to the living room sofa.
Luolin didn't move. She looked at the clean sofa, then at the blood and mud on her pant leg, and shook her head. “I'll just stand.”
Loviki glanced at her but didn't press further, turning to go upstairs.
The living room fell silent.
Miya hid behind Luolin, her small hand clutching the edge of her sister's cloak, revealing only half her face and a pair of slightly trembling white cat ears.
Standing in place, Luolin let her gaze sweep across the living room.
The light on the ceiling was not a magic lamp; there was no fluctuation of mana.
The stove in the kitchen was something she had never seen before—made of metal, with black glass rings on top.
By the wall was a white cabinet. Its door was closed, but she could faintly feel cold air seeping from within.
Every single item was beyond her understanding.
Everything here was too clean, too tidy, too... surreal.
Like a dream.
In the Sairen City-State, they lived in a leaky shack with a dirt floor... even a noble's manor might not be cleaner than this place.
But the wound on her leg was painful. It was a very real pain, real enough to let her know this was no dream.
The shadow wolf's claws carried a corrupting mana, and there was a dark circle around the edge of the wound, slowly spreading outward.
Footsteps sounded from the stairs.
Loviki walked down, holding a small white box.
She squatted in front of Luolin, opening the box to take out tweezers, cotton balls, medicine, and bandages.
“Roll up your pant leg.”
Luolin was taken aback for a moment, then bent down to roll her pant leg above her knee.
The wound was longer than she had expected, stretching from below her knee to the middle of her calf. The flesh was torn open and still bleeding.
Loviki's expression didn't change. She quietly picked up a cotton ball with the tweezers, dipped it in the medicine, and began cleaning the wound.
The moment the medicine touched the wound, Luolin's shoulders suddenly tensed.
But she didn't make a sound, only biting her lip as her nails dug into her palms.
Watching the wound on her sister's leg, tears welled up in Miya's eyes. She wiped her face messily with the back of her hand and held onto her sister's arm tightly.
“All done.” Loviki put the supplies back in the box and stood up.
“...Thank you,” Luolin said, her voice a bit dry.
Loviki didn't reply, placing the box back where it belonged.
Footsteps sounded from the stairs again.
Chen Mian walked down, glancing at the two girls. His gaze paused for a moment on the bandaged wound on Luolin's leg.
Flora poked her head out from the kitchen doorway. “Breakfast is almost ready. Let's eat together.”
Luolin shook her head. “We're not hungry.”
Just as she spoke, Miya's stomach let out a growl.
The living room fell silent for a brief moment.
Chen Mian sat down on the sofa, picking up his unfinished cup of Moonlight Grass tea, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
Loviki sat down beside him. “They were surrounded by shadow wolves. I drove the pack away.”
“They're from the Sairen City-State. The older one is Luolin, and the other is her younger sister, Miya.”
In the kitchen, Flora brought out the breakfast.
Today she had made pumpkin porridge, fried eggs, a plate of pickled radishes, and a small basket of flatbreads.
Flora brought out two extra sets of bowls and chopsticks, placing them on the table. “Eat first.”
Luolin looked at the breakfast spread, her throat bobbing.
Miya poked her head out from behind her, her white cat ears standing straight up, her eyes unblinking as she stared at the basket of flatbreads. “Sister...”
“It's fine, sit down.” Chen Mian pulled out a chair and sat at the dining table.
Luolin glanced at him, then at Flora.
Flora placed the bowls filled with porridge on the table and smiled gently at them.
That smile was very warm...
Luolin pulled Miya to the table and sat down. Her posture was very stiff, sitting on only half of the chair.
Miya sat close to her, her small hands resting on her knees.
Flora pushed the porridge in front of them. “Eat while it's hot.”
Luolin looked down at the steaming bowl of pumpkin porridge and took a sip. The porridge was very hot, numbing the tip of her tongue, but she had already been starving for two days.
As she took her first mouthful of hot porridge, her eyes suddenly pricked with tears.
Miya, holding her bowl, drank too quickly, choked, and began to cough.
Luolin quickly set down her bowl and reached out to pat her sister's back. “Slow down.”
Miya nodded, swallowed the porridge, and wiped her mouth with her sleeve.
After finishing his porridge, Chen Mian set down his bowl. “What happened to the Sairen City-State?”
Luolin set her bowl down, her white cat ears drooping slightly. “The city-state... is in chaos.”
“At the end of last year, the lord died of illness without naming an heir. The nobles started fighting among themselves for the position of city lord.”
“At first, it was just a struggle between the nobles, and the commoners could barely get by, but after three months, the situation spiraled out of control.”
“Now the city-state has no unified army. Various factions are expanding their forces, conscripting people everywhere. Food prices have also surged tenfold, and you can't buy food even if you have money.”
“Demi-humans never had citizenship in the Sairen City-State to begin with. After order collapsed, without any faction to protect them, no one would look into it if they were taken. At first, only those who were alone were captured, but later it turned into outright abduction. Eventually... even the nobles started ordering demi-human slaves with set prices. Demi-humans have completely lost their human rights in the Sairen City-State.”
Miya's body trembled, and she shrank closer to her sister. “Before we escaped, the older sister from next door was already taken away. She was just helping us sew clothes the day before.”
Luolin's fingers gripping the bowl turned slightly white. “We escaped into the Forest of Death with everyone under the cover of night, but with pursuers behind us, we scattered into the forest. They didn't dare enter easily. As long as we reach the Hella Kingdom...”
“Once we reach the Hella Kingdom...” she repeated, but did not continue.
Would the Hella Kingdom really take them in? She didn't know.
Along the way, she had only thought of escaping the chaotic land of the Sairen City-State.
But what about after they escaped?
They had no identity, no money, and their ability to protect themselves was incredibly weak. What kind of life would they live in the Hella Kingdom?
Sensing her sister's emotions, Miya reached out her small hand and grasped Luolin's fingers.
Leaning back in his chair, Chen Mian looked at the two demi-human girls.
One was about sixteen or seventeen, and the other was around twelve or thirteen. Even if he brought them to the Hella Kingdom,
life wouldn't be much better. Although the Hella Kingdom was peaceful, it was no utopia.
When he first crossed over to this world, he had seen too many people like them, curling up in empty alleys at night—a batch freezing to death in the winter, another starving to death in the summer, with no one ever caring.
Chen Mian set down his bowl and looked at the two white catgirls. “Stay here for now. Crossing the Forest of Death is not something you can achieve.”
Luolin raised her head, disbelief written all over her youthful face. “Re... Really?!”
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