Chapter Text
The Immortal Lord of Heaven and Earth for Blessings.
The Sky Lord of Heaven and Earth for Blessings.
The Exalted Thearch of Heaven and Earth for Blessings.
The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings.
The rustling sound of falling leaves echoed as a small figure appeared in the distance. He moved up a small hill, where a carpet of green grass stretched from the foot to the summit, with only a single large ancient tree standing at the peak.
He sat beneath the tree and took a book from the pouch hanging at his hip. If anyone saw this book, they would surely praise its detail; it contained descriptions of many plants and animals illustrated with beautiful drawings, along with several maps tucked inside.
The youth began to draw a map. His long black hair, obscuring his face, flowed down onto the grass like a river of night. A "thud" sounded; the youth stiffened and turned his face toward the source of the noise, his eyes—blue like the sky—narrowing.
Within his sight, he saw a thin body. This person had short black hair and was dressed strangely. He knew he should not approach, but for some reason, he moved toward the figure. He sat down and propped the body up. Looking at the face before him, his eyes widened, unable to hide his surprise.
It wasn't because the person was too ugly or too beautiful; on the contrary, the face was quite ordinary—a slim face with a high nose. With eyes closed, this person looked like a student who had stayed up late studying and fallen asleep. What surprised him was that this person’s face resembled an Ancient Elf.
If not for the lack of pointed ears, green hair, and the characteristic features of an elf, he might have mistaken them for one.He slowly and carefully carried the person on his back. The youth was not too heavy; without much effort, he brought the person to his destination.
His destination was a small village. Instead of houses, there were tents made of cloth and animal skins, supported by wooden poles tied with rope. He did not enter through the main path but circled behind the tents to go inside. As he was walking, a voice rang out.
"Are you going out again, Bethel?" Bethel turned his head to look. A group of three young men was standing there. The speaker was a brown-haired youth with a large build, clearly strong enough to fight a wolf on equal terms. He frowned, his gaze shifting to the person on Bethel back. His voice was harsh: "Who are you bringing back?"
Bethel looked at him. "I will take responsibility." The person beside him sneered. "I hope you truly do take responsibility. When something happens, don't you dare run away, right Victor, Otis?" Otis looked at Bethel with an expression of undisguised disgust. "I will report this to the Leader." After speaking, the other two looked at Otis and sneered. "I'm really looking forward to it," Clement said. Bethel ignored them and continued on.
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed as two large figures entered the tent. A man with silver hair and sharp features—a scar stretching from his right eyebrow down to his left cheek—looked at Bethel, who was sitting on the bed next to a body lying under the covers. His eyebrows knitted slightly, making the wrinkles on his face more prominent. Bethel stood up and bowed to the two.
The other person looked at Bethel with a face showing clear disapproval.
"Do you know the consequences of bringing a stranger into the village without an inspection?" asked Elora, a girl with black hair. Berthal lowered his head and said nothing. Percival, the man with gray hair, said in a stern voice, "You broke the law. Go outside and receive your punishment." Watching Bethel figure disappear, the two looked solemnly at the figure on the bed.
Bethel was not a thoughtless person; he would never do something so self-destructive as this. In a world where danger lurked everywhere, bringing a stranger into the village was no different from gambling with their lives—who knew if that was truly a human being?
From any perspective, this behavior could be seen as harmful; Bethel had no reason to bring a stranger in, and from every angle, the person on the bed was suspicious.