Chapter 146: “Hope You Can Maintain This Luck Forever.”

Chapter 146: "May You Always Remain This Lucky."

Mother tightly grasped Meng Na's hand, leading her past low wooden cottages, livestock—cattle and sheep—penned under sheds, and vast fields of golden wheat stalks bowing heavily with ripe grain.

First step.

Morning dew rolled off the plump tips of wheat as farmers, drenched in sweat, toiled in the fields with their tools. Above them, white-winged birds swooped across the clear sky, casting fleeting shadows over their backs.

Second step.

The birds vanished into thick, wool-like clouds. Meng Na gasped in shock as the wheat fields burned away, revealing blackened, lifeless earth. A few charred remains and skeletons in tattered clothes slowly turned their heads, as if smiling at Meng Na and her mother.

The stench of charred flesh and wood filled the air, while the hoarse caws of crows echoed in her ears. The shadow of death spread silently across the land.

Third step.

The scene before Meng Na returned to normal.

And so she took the fourth step, the fifth, the sixth...

The visions of the human world and hell alternated endlessly. Reason told Meng Na she should be afraid, she should be wary!

But reason's warnings soon faded, as if another force had overpowered her fear—soothing, numbing, gently luring her:

Why be afraid?

There’s no need, my child—you are like the wheat in the fields, born, raised, and matured in this soil!

In the scorched fields, the charred corpses smiled at Meng Na up close, but this time she didn’t flinch, returning their greeting as naturally as breathing.

"That’s right! Our Meng Na has always been the most polite and sensible child in the village!"

Mother patted her cheek approvingly, her lips stretching wider to reveal more of her bone-filled grin. "You acted a little strange when you woke up, but I’m glad you’re back to normal now."

"You are a child of this land. You will truly adapt to it, become part of it."

Meng Na widened her eyes with curiosity, observing the strangely familiar scenery around her. The pale memories that had been forced upon her in her mind gradually took on color, unfolding vividly before her.

She recalled her earlier doubts about her mother and her own identity and had to laugh at herself.

She was her mother’s most beloved youngest daughter, raised in this land since childhood—why would she doubt it?

Atop the pointed roofs of every house in the village hung weighty crimson banners with golden tassels dancing at the corners, instantly catching Meng Na’s attention.

Embroidered on the banners were two emblems:

At the top, a griffin with wide-spread wings stood atop conquered mountains and rivers—the royal emblem of the Holy Lion Empire, where Meng Na lived.

Below it was a cluster of irises, their petals like butterfly wings, intricately, symmetrically intertwined to form a ring. Within the floral wreath was an ornate frame with abstract designs.

The iris wreath and frame represented the ruling noble family of this territory—the Iris Family.

The village where Meng Na grew up had for generations been home to serfs bound to the Iris Family's lands, providing for the duke's household with fresh grain, milk, and wine.

This time, the duke’s daughter had come to the village to select a playmate—someone to attend to her daily needs, accompany her in studies and play. Being chosen to stay at the duke’s manor was undoubtedly an opportunity to change not just her own fate, but her entire family’s!

With this thought, Meng Na’s resistance to the puffy dress faded away without her noticing.

At this moment, she finally embraced the identity of "Meng Na" with all her heart!

By the time Mother brought Meng Na to the village entrance, three carriages stood waiting in formation.

In front of the carriages, dozens of finely dressed children stood in two neat lines, their faces tight with nervous anticipation as they awaited the selection that would decide their fate.

Pushed forward by her mother, Meng Na hurriedly joined the group.

Consistent with the anomalies of this village, the children alternated between appearing normal and resembling corpses in various stages of decay.

The child closest to Meng Na had a face nearly charred beyond recognition, the flesh sagging like melted tallow, eyelids fused together, reeking of putrid decay.

Nervous, the child often leaned in to whisper to Meng Na, seeking reassurance.

Thus, the uneven burns and blisters on their face loomed large in Meng Na’s sight. She even spotted tiny white maggots squirming in the wound's depths, gorging on death's bounty.

Yet Meng Na chatted with them as if everything were normal, only occasionally holding her breath against the overwhelming rot.

Somehow, Meng Na had become inured to this reality.

Mother was right...

She was becoming part of this land, this village.

Still, Meng Na found herself wondering:

In others’ eyes, did she too sometimes take on a corpse's appearance?

If so, how had she died?

Had she also been burned?

Compared to the "peers" beside her, Meng Na remained surprisingly calm, even finding the presence of mind to carefully study the carriages, catching traces of expensive perfume.

Before long, a woman with sharp cheekbones and hollow cheeks stepped out of the middle carriage.

The embroidered curtain bearing the Iris Family crest lifted and fell, and Meng Na caught only a fleeting glimpse of the occupant—only the delicate, petal-layered hem of an extravagant dress.

The high-cheekboned woman stood gracefully, chin slightly raised, thin lips pressed in disapproval, her piercing, evaluative stare sweeping over the nervous children.

"This one has a scar by the eye. Rejected."

"This one’s hunched. Unacceptable."

"And this one..."

After careful inspection, many children were eliminated for imperfections in looks or bearing, led away crying by disappointed parents.

When the woman’s judgmental eyes landed on Meng Na, a sudden terror gripped her. Instinctively, she straightened her posture, hands clasped properly before her.

Some deep instinct warned Meng Na—

If she were rejected, it wouldn’t just mean going home. The "mission" would fail outright, and she would remain here forever...

Wait.

Her mind faltered, and Meng Na’s gaze grew clouded with confusion.

What "mission"?

Why had this word suddenly appeared in her mind, bearing such an inexplicably familiar weight?

The woman with high cheekbones' scrutinizing gaze swept over Meng Na repeatedly. After a long wait, she finally gave a reluctant nod, letting Meng Na pass.

Meng Na immediately exhaled in relief, her tense spine relaxing slightly. She knew she'd passed this test—for now.

In the end, five children remained before the carriages.

Four of them were girls around the Duchess's age, with the chance to become her close companions.

The other was a sturdy boy with pleasant features, chosen to serve as a manual laborer at the Duke's estate.

The children were arranged by the woman with high cheekbones to board the last carriage, setting off toward the Duke's residence.

As the horses clopped along, the village grew smaller in Meng Na's eyes. The charred ruins gradually shrank into a tiny speck before being left far behind, disappearing from view.

Halfway through the journey, the three carriages halted briefly to let everyone rest.

"Bleh—"

The girl beside Meng Na turned pale, nauseous from the bumpy ride. The moment the carriage stopped, she leaned out the window and vomited.

The woman with high cheekbones glanced over, scrunched her nose in disgust, and covered her mouth with a handkerchief.

She casually pointed at Meng Na and another freckled girl—the ones who seemed least likely to get carsick—and instructed them to move to the front carriage to keep Miss Ernos company.

This carriage was far more spacious and lavishly decorated, with gold-plated handrails, a full woolen carpet on the floor, color-coordinated plush cushions, and even a few picture books and storybooks tucked in the corner, clearly reflecting its owner's tastes.

Miss Ernos had carefully arranged white curls cascading down her back and striking purple eyes the color of irises, marking her noble birth.

Meng Na and the freckled girl cautiously climbed aboard. The freckled girl initially tried to strike up a conversation with the noble girl but received only cold looks and short, polite answers.

Gradually, the freckled girl fell silent, and the carriage fell into an uneasy silence, broken only by the soft sound of Miss Ernos turning pages in her picture book.

The carriage started moving again.

Suddenly, Miss Ernos looked up and asked her two companions: "Which of you would like to go to the front and see where we are?"

Eager for this first chance to engage with the young lady, both girls jumped at the chance.

Without hesitation, they focused solely on the chance to get on her good side.

Just as Meng Na was about to rise, she heard an unfamiliar male voice warn sharply in her mind:

"Don't go!"

"—You'll die."

Meng Na froze. The freckled girl, not wanting to be outdone, quickly stood and leaned halfway out of the carriage, gripping the doorframe for balance.

"I can already see the spires of your estate! We're passing through a forest—"

Before she could finish, Miss Ernos hurled a picture book at her back.

The hard edge struck the girl's spine with a thud. She cried out in pain as her back spasmed violently, sending her tumbling off balance. She tumbled headfirst out of the carriage.

It all happened too fast—Meng Na couldn't react in time, watching helplessly as the girl vanished behind the flapping curtain.

A series of horrible crunching sounds followed, like hooves crushing bone without pause, accompanied by the sound of something wet splashing.

In that instant, Meng Na felt drenched in icy fear, her body numb and rigid.

Only then did she realize—

The carriage already had windows on both sides. If Miss Ernos merely wanted to know their location, she could've just looked out the window.

So why had she specifically told them to dangerously lean out the front?

That didn't add up—unless her true intention was for one of them to fall.

Even if they miraculously avoided the horses' hooves, the force alone would break their fragile necks.

But why would the Duchess do such a thing?

Just an arm's length away separated Meng Na from Miss Ernos. She could hear the girl's soft breathing. Unlike the others, Miss Ernos was the only "normal" person Meng Na had seen who didn't look like a walking corpse.

Yet now, Meng Na found her far more terrifying than any beast, corpse, or skeleton. She instinctively shrank back, trying to disappear...

"You suddenly stopped moving," Miss Ernos remarked, her violet eyes locking onto Meng Na with a stare that froze her blood. "Why?"

Meng Na didn't know how to respond.

She couldn't exactly say a man's voice in her head had warned her not to go to her death.

When Meng Na failed to reply promptly, Miss Ernos didn't seem to mind.

She even smiled faintly, blinking as she added, "You're very lucky to have avoided that unfortunate accident."

*An accident?* Meng Na thought.

*That was outright murder!*

Unaware of Meng Na's terrified and furious thoughts, Miss Ernos added calmly, "May the great Nature Sculptor watch over you—"

"—and may your luck hold forever."