Chapter 145: Footsteps

Chapter 145: Footsteps

Lily sat cross-legged before the campfire, watching the dancing flames gradually disappear into embers. Nowadays, sleep had become a dispensable thing for her. This was a change brought by Evolution, a change that troubled her. The night felt far too long and dull for her.

She had never been able to understand how Bran could sit under the tree day and night. She had tried it once, but gave up quickly.

Bored, she began polishing her weapon s. She hadn’t brought many weapons for this trip: one Long Blade and two Short Blades. The Long Blade wasn’t to her liking; its slender, thin, and light blade lacked the substantial weight she preferred. This was Bran’s Long Blade, which she had inexplicably snatched when he left. Only after taking the weapon did she realize she had been tricked again. The hilt fit her hand perfectly, and the length of the blade matched her height and arm span. Bran had played his favorite game once more.

After Bran returned from his Trial, his strength was actually quite good, but he still preferred the path of agility and speed. Most of Bran’s weapons also lacked the heavy characteristics typical of the Northlands. She had teased Bran more than once, mocking him for not being manly enough, but he would only smile.

Bran had advised her not to pursue heavy weapons. Her strength would keep increasing, and an overly heavy weapon would only limit her mobility. As the weapon’s weight increased, rivers and the ground would struggle to bear it, and the environment itself would become her greatest enemy. What she needed was a tough weapon that could withstand her strength.

Bran had achieved it. Even with her current strength, she could hardly damage this weapon at all. The weapon possessed unimaginable resilience; she had even folded it in half, but it sprang back to its original shape when she let go.

The two Short Blades looked identical to the ones Bran carried with him, only they lacked spirit.

She really liked Bran’s pair of spirited Short Blades. Like lion’s teeth, they were substantial yet agile. Nebulae slowly swirled within their blades, with starlight occasionally spilling out. When spoken to, they would respond with metallic hums. Yet, such a pair of Short Blades had a surprisingly unexpected name—Fragility.

Fragility!? When she first heard the name, she was stunned for a long time. Now, she was beginning to understand the meaning hidden within.

…

A few days later, Lily arrived at Sancha Town. Influenced by the changes, as a major transportation hub in the Northlands, Sancha Town was now bustling with people. So her arrival didn’t attract anyone’s attention.

A large tree stood tall in the town center, with some children playing under it. As she approached, several Little Fairies, attracted by Mana, revealed themselves from the canopy and flew over. One landed on her head first, and the others occupied her ears and shoulders.

This scene caught people’s attention, and someone recognized her: “Wizard Lily.”

“Who?”

“Bran’s Sister.”

“Oh—, I remember now.”

The conversation clearly reached her ears. The words “Bran’s Sister” made her feel helpless. She had originally planned to stay here for the night, but now she gave up on that idea. She directly walked through the town center, bid farewell to the reluctant Little Fairies, and entered the Fertile Plains Grassland.

When Aisa, who was stationed here, rushed over upon hearing the news, he could no longer find Lily. Aisa looked somewhat haggard now. The changes in the Northlands had greatly affected Sancha Town. The large number of people passing through placed a huge burden on them. Hosting fellow clansmen was a tradition of the Northlands, but when clansmen from all directions gathered here…

Aisa was now almost unable to put food on the table, but he had to hold on. This wasn’t just about his personal dignity; it concerned the dignity of the entire Sancha Town.

He had originally returned to oversee the city’s construction, but now he was worried about feeding everyone. The people he sent to borrow grain hadn’t sent back any news yet; by his reckoning, they should be returning these days.

…

Not long after leaving Sancha Town, a Snow Falcon lying dead in the grass caught Lily’s attention.

Something was wrong! The Snow Falcon’s injuries weren’t fatal. If it had found a place to hide and waited for its wounds to heal a little… It died from excessive blood loss while forcing itself to fly back.

She let out a long cry, transmitting this discovery. Shortly after, a faint long cry echoed back. A bit later, a Snow Falcon swooped down from the sky and landed beside her.

Lily felt anxious and at a loss. She wanted to do something but didn’t know how to start. She had immense strength, yet she was powerless.

Sensing its master’s intent and anxiety, Little Bear approached the Snow Falcon’s corpse and sniffed it, then raised its head, nostrils twitching continuously. Soon it found clues. Drops of blood were scattered along a path, forming a line in Little Bear’s perception. It let out a low growl and ran in that direction.

Lily closely followed behind Little Bear. As drop after drop of blood was discovered, the faint Mana Fluctuation emitted by the blood droplets gradually became familiar to her. This familiarity slowly accumulated until a faint red line appeared in her perception, pointing into the distance. She then passed Little Bear and ran faster and faster…

When Aisa and his men arrived on horseback following the Snow Falcon’s guidance, they only saw Little Bear running alone. When they caught up to Little Bear, the beast let out an anxious roar and continued running with its head down.

Catching up to and surpassing galloping horses in a short time was something many Northlanders could do. At this moment, people hadn’t noticed anything unusual. The group passed Little Bear and continued the pursuit. But the further they chased, the more alarmed they became—they were actually falling further and further behind Lily.

When night fell, Aisa and the others had completely lost her trail. They had to stop and rest. Not long after, Little Bear, panting heavily, caught up, then ignoring everyone’s attempts to stop it, continued the chase. People had to get up and follow behind it.

In the latter half of the night, they found the first corpse—the corpse of a bug. Then more and more corpses appeared, all cut apart with a single slash.

At first, the corpses still showed signs of resistance. Later, all these bug corpses were cleaved from the back. The bodies gradually became scattered, spreading out in all directions. But they roughly maintained a general direction—toward the Flying Catkin Swamp.

As they kept moving forward, the number of corpses gradually thinned out. By now, everyone realized the severity of the situation. They couldn’t go any further; they had to sound the alarm.