The dancing flames cast a warm glow inside the abandoned storeroom, dispersing the damp chill of the deep mining tunnels.
The meat broth simmering in the iron pot bubbled with a soft gurgle, its rich aroma filling the cramped space.
The three of them sat around a wooden crate that served as a makeshift dining table.
Elvia held a steaming bowl of meat broth, eating with relish and letting out occasional soft sighs of satisfaction.
Though Theia also held a wooden spoon, she seemed to have lost her appetite. Her crimson eyes stared into the fire, looking rather troubled.
Lin Gui knew what she was thinking about—about Avalon, and about their impending separation.
But he didn't offer much comfort; every journey had its end, and parting was inevitable.
As he took small sips of his soup, he casually controlled a weak 【Wind Guiding】 spell, silently directing the few wisps of cooking smoke that tried to drift out of the cave toward the cracks in the stone wall, allowing them to slowly dissipate.
Taking another sip of soup, Lin Gui suddenly raised his head and spoke calmly toward a seemingly empty shadow against the stone wall not far away.
“Would you like some, member of Dreamweaver?”
The air fell silent for a brief moment.
Then, a slender and agile figure dressed in tight black leather armor emerged from the shadow as if melting out of it.
It was the emotional female assassin from the Dreamweaver group earlier.
Looking at the bright, dancing fire, her eyelids twitched violently, her voice filled with unbelievable dread.
“A-Aren't you afraid of attracting demons?!”
“Even though this is the boundary between the forest and the rift, and demon activity is relatively sparse, there's still no guarantee that a large pack of High Rank demons won't suddenly pop out from somewhere!”
She added in a rapid-fire voice, as if trying to emphasize the severity of the situation.
“Especially in a place like the Withered Rift!”
“The toxic fog lingering at the bottom of the valley can corrode flesh, and packs of Rift Crawlers that can sprint up vertical cliffs nest on the rocky walls!”
“There are also the Crypt Spiders hiding deep within the abandoned mining tunnels—their webs are incredibly tough and laced with paralyzing poison!”
“Even worse are the Scorch-Winged Demons that occasionally fly up from the depths of the valley. The fire they spit can melt armor!”
“So... how dare you build a fire?!”
“So,” Lin Gui said, as if he hadn't heard her long list of hazards, simply swirling the steaming bowl in his hand as he asked again, “would you like some?”
The assassin girl froze, her nose twitching instinctively.
The irresistible aroma wafted into her nose, causing her empty stomach to spasm.
She hesitated for a few seconds but ultimately couldn't resist the temptation. Stepping forward cautiously, she entered the small pocket of air that Lin Gui was deliberately maintaining with 【Wind Guiding】.
The rich aroma of food instantly enveloped her.
“Ooh...”
An suppressed whimper escaped her throat. Her eyes instantly widened, a brilliant light bursting from her pupils.
She practically snatched the bowl of meat broth from Lin Gui's hand. Ignoring the heat, she began devouring it ravenously, like a starving ghost.
With a bowl of hot soup in her stomach, she seemed to come alive again, waving the empty bowl excitedly as she blurted out,
“This is so delicious, meow!!!”
This praise, ending with a peculiar sound, drew Lin Gui's gaze to the pair of black cat ears on her head that twitched slightly with her excitement, as well as the cat tail behind her that was unconsciously swishing back and forth.
He had initially thought it was some kind of special accessory, but now it appeared she was actually a rare demi-human.
“Your name?” Lin Gui asked, ladling another bowl for her.
“Mmh, I'm Luo Youyou, an assassin of the Dreamweaver adventure group, and Big Sister Rona's most trusted partner and sister!”
The cat-eared girl, Luo Youyou, introduced herself in a muffled voice as she took the bowl, the tip of her tail curling happily.
The territory of demi-humans was extremely far from the borderlands, practically at opposite ends of the continent.
Lin Gui couldn't help but feel a bit curious.
“How did you end up here?”
Luo Youyou's ears drooped slightly, her tone turning a bit somber.
“My parents were captured by slave traders near the end of the Golden Age and sold to Caran.”
“Later, they were bought by Big Sister Rona's family.”
“Big Sister Rona's family was very good to us. Even after their family fell on hard times later on, they still helped us out often.”
“Big Sister Rona's family were all good people... Unfortunately, they all died in that world-ending rain of blood, including my parents...”
“Big Sister Rona treats me like her only family, and she's also the only one I rely on to keep living.”
At this point, Luo Youyou suddenly stood up, took a few steps toward Lin Gui, and knelt straight down before him.
Large tears welled up in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.
She looked up, pleading with a sob in her voice,
“Please! Save my sister!”
“I'll pay any price for it! I can even... even become your slave!”
Having seemingly made up her mind, she raised her head to reveal her face, which was still delicate and pretty despite the dirt. Her ears were pinned flat against her head out of nervousness.
“Though I can't compare to your companion... I-I've learned a lot about that kind of thing... I'll definitely satisfy you!”
With that, she actually leaned forward, trying to rub her body against Lin Gui's arm.
However, a pale hand carrying astonishing strength gripped her shoulder like an iron vise, preventing her from moving forward even an inch.
Wincing in pain, Luo Youyou turned her head and met Theia's cold, smiling face.
“Meow!!!”
Luo Youyou's fur stood completely on end from fright. She shrieked and scrambled backward like a startled wild cat, staring at Theia in sheer terror.
“H-Half-demon! What do you want?!”
Theia frowned, her crimson eyes carrying an undisguised warning.
“Don't get close to Lin Gui. What if you're here to assassinate him? Don't forget, you're an assassin.”
“I'm not!” Luo Youyou defended herself in a hurry, even spreading her arms and spinning around to show off her light leather armor. “I didn't even bring any weapons with me! Look!”
“Who knows if you've hidden a weapon somewhere?” Theia refused to yield an inch.
“That's prejudice! You're bullying a cat!”
“I'm only protecting my companion!”
The two of them bickered back and forth, cat-like cries and the half-elf's cold rebuttals echoing through the cave.
“Enough.”
Lin Gui spoke up, putting a stop to the escalating argument.
He looked at the still-shaken Luo Youyou and asked the crucial question.
“Didn't your Vice Leader, Catherine, say that Leader Rona had perished?”
At the mention of this, Luo Youyou immediately reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, shouting back excitedly,
“No! Sister hasn't perished!”
“It's that annoying Catherine who lied to everyone!”
“She always wanted to stop Sister Rona's plan to explore the ruins and seek a breakthrough, so she went as far as fabricating a lie to deceive the entire group!”
Rate on N.U.
