The airship descended upon a humble little town, and after transferring to a heavy-duty truck, they traveled for half a day before finally arriving at a small village. The village was situated by the Eastern Sea, where the sound of the waves could be heard from afar.
As the truck came to a halt, several people emerged from the village. At the center stood a burly, muscular man. Despite the cool weather, he left his chest bare, revealing a thick pelt of hair. He glanced at Qian Ye and the others, lingering on Night Pupil a moment longer, then said, “You must be the newcomers? A place has already been reserved for you. There’s also a plot of land in the village. You can choose to build a house within the village or reside on the designated land. Of course, if you wish to build homes in both places, no one will stop you, as long as you have the money. But remember one thing: pay your taxes!”
Seeing Qian Ye nod, the muscular man nodded in satisfaction. “Good, I like smart people. Dagger, take him to his place.”
A lanky young man nimbly jumped onto the truck’s roof, tapped the driver’s cabin, and said, “Drive, head towards the Black Forest!”
The Black Forest lived up to its name, with tree trunks almost black in color and leaves of deep, dark green. Even in daylight, it appeared as a vast expanse of darkness. If it were a rainy day, the forest would be as dark as night.
The truck navigated along the edge of the forest. Qian Ye looked around, feeling a pervasive sense of death. There were no beasts, no birds, not even the sound of insects—only a deathly silence. Even the roar of the truck’s engine did nothing to change the eerie stillness of the forest.
After driving about ten kilometers, they finally exited the forest and arrived at an open area. Beyond the forest lay a gentle slope, and at the base was a vast, rocky plain. Ahead, the endless Eastern Sea rolled gently, not tumultuous but with an oppressive aura that left one breathless.
In the distance, a river flowed into the Eastern Sea. The further scenery was obscured by dense fog, even Qian Ye could not see much beyond it.
Dagger walked up to Qian Ye, pointed ahead, and said, “From here to that river over there is all your territory. If you think it’s not enough, the land beyond the river is also yours, as much as you can claim. But let me warn you: very few from the village have ventured beyond the river, and none who did so returned. Lastly, try not to go out when it’s foggy, especially not in the mist.”
Having said this, Dagger pulled out a thin, hand-drawn booklet and handed it to Qian Ye. “Everything listed in this book can be sold for money or used to pay taxes directly. That’s all. I hope you brought enough food. Otherwise, it’s best to buy supplies now. No one will go out at night, and you’ll go hungry if you don’t.”
Seeing Qian Ye understand, Dagger hopped back onto the truck. The heavy-duty vehicle roared to life, turned with difficulty, and slowly disappeared into the Black Forest.
Qian Ye surveyed his new domain once more—from the Black Forest to the sea and the distant river. It was a vast area spanning tens of kilometers. As the light dimmed, the waves began to grow. Looking at the reef terrain near the shore, it was clear it would be submerged during high tide.
After examining the surroundings, Qian Ye chose a high ground near the river, deciding to build his home there. Although Dagger hadn’t mentioned the Black Forest, instinct told Qian Ye to keep his distance from it. Additionally, the sea held unknown dangers, whereas the river felt the safest.
Setting up camp was a basic skill for any elite soldier, something Qian Ye was intimately familiar with from his days with the Red Scorpions. After Dagger left, there were no prying eyes, so Qian Ye called Zhu Ji and headed towards the Black Forest to gather wood.
“Wait, I have tools,” the old man called out to Qian Ye.
“No need,” Qian Ye waved him off and headed into the forest.
Resigned, the old man fetched some tools, dug a pit, collected firewood, and lit a bonfire.
At the edge of the Black Forest, Qian Ye selected a large tree and slapped its trunk. This slap, imbued with dark energy, made the tree shudder, its leaves falling like rain. The aftershocks spread, causing the surrounding trees to sway, emitting eerie, wailing sounds like a woman’s night cries.
But through the vibrations, Qian Ye sensed that the roots of these trees were interconnected, and their internal activity was unusually high, responding far too quickly for mere trees. However, compared to the giant trees of the Misty Forest, the Black Forest seemed almost insignificant.
Qian Ye drew Dongyue from his necklace space, swung it, and in one clean cut, felled the tree at its base.
The tree crashed to the ground, but just before it hit, a small figure darted over and caught the trunk.
Under the ten-meter-long trunk, Zhu Ji was like a tiny cat. Yet, she lifted the tree effortlessly. Eager to prove herself, Zhu Ji tried to carry the tree back to the camp.
Amused and exasperated, Qian Ye called her back, then chopped off the branches and split the log in two, allowing Zhu Ji to carry the pieces back to the camp.
Qian Ye intended for Zhu Ji to make two trips, but the little one clearly didn’t want to bother. She plunged her small hand into the hard wood and carried the two halves back in one go.
In the camp, the old man was preparing a large fish. Night Pupil had caught it from the river. Though the current was strong and Night Pupil’s body was not fully recovered, she merely stood on the bank, gazing at the water. When a large fish appeared in her sight, it leaped out of the river and into her hands.
Using the feared Destruction Eyes to catch fish might make the vampire dukes and princes awaken in fury from their blood pools.
But to Night Pupil, this was the proper use of the Destruction Eyes. She brought the fish back to the camp and handed it to Cui Yuanhai, well aware of her own lack of cooking skills.
The old man volunteered to clean the fish and prepare a good pot of fish soup.
Just then, he saw a cloud of dust rising in the distance, with a long log rolling like a earthworm. Dumbfounded, he dropped the fish, rushed to a box, and hastily grabbed an origin gun, aiming it at the approaching log. But the trembling gun suggested his aim might not be accurate.
Thankfully, his vision was still sharp. He recognized the tiny figure carrying the log. However, this only shocked him more, and the origin gun clattered to the ground.
Zhu Ji dashed back to the camp, tossed the log down, and, seeing the big fish, squealed with joy. She picked up the fish, sniffed it carefully, frowned, and pondered for a while before saying, “It… should be edible, right?”
Then Zhu Ji lost interest in the fish and ran back to the Black Forest to continue fetching wood.
In reality, Zhu Ji’s assessment meant the fish’s flesh quality was nearly as good as that of a common beast. The old man and Night Pupil exchanged a look, realizing this place was not as peaceful as it seemed.
As night fell, the bonfire grew brighter, and the fish soup had been boiling for a long time, turning milky white and aromatic. On one side, a pile of logs had accumulated, and Zhu Ji continued her tireless efforts. It seemed she knew no fatigue, so eventually, Qian Ye bundled several logs together for her to carry in one trip.
After a while, the ground trembled as Qian Ye ran back, carrying dozens of logs. Had he not used origin power, his feet would have sunk into the ground, and he wouldn’t have been able to run. After this trip, Qian Ye was sweating.
The old man called Qian Ye over for dinner. A big pot of fish soup and some warm bread made a decent meal. Zhu Ji, however, was not very interested. Sitting by the fire, she gradually dozed off. After a full meal, she could go without food or drink for days, only waking up for a treat. Though the fish was delicious, it lacked the energy of beast meat and held no appeal for her.
After dinner, Qian Ye wielded Dongyue, slicing the logs into planks. With his swordsmanship, each plank was perfectly uniform, more precise than machine-cut pieces.
With the planks ready, Qian Ye chose a flat spot and hammered wooden stakes into the ground. Using Dongyue as a hammer, he drove the stakes in with a single strike. Before midnight, he had built two wooden huts—one for the old man and one for himself.
The moon rose high, casting a cold light on the rising tides, creating a myriad of silver waves. Qian Ye leaned against a wooden bed, looking out the window at the sea. Night Pupil, nestled in his arms, slowly drifted to sleep. The flickering firelight highlighted her exquisite features.
On the other side, Zhu Ji clung tightly to Qian Ye’s leg, sleeping soundly.
The sea breeze grew colder, piercingly so. This was typical of the neutral zone, especially the Eastern Wastelands—scorching hot by day, bitterly cold by night.
The tide rose higher, submerging the shoreline rocks. As the moon climbed, the river began to churn mysteriously, as if something was swimming swiftly beneath the surface, thrashing and churning the water.
The wind blew through the Black Forest, causing the treetops to sway, emitting ghostly wails. But upon closer listening, one could discern low, guttural roars and the last, agonizing cries—whether of man or beast, it was uncertain.
During the day, Qian Ye had scanned the Black Forest with his true vision, detecting no signs of life. Yet now, bestial howls emerged from the forest.
The sea was even more restless. Far out, the waves were chaotic, with massive shadows occasionally surfacing. Along the shore, there was a rustling, as if small creatures were scurrying.
That night, the two small wooden huts stood out starkly against their surroundings. Firelight seeped through the windows and gaps in the walls, illuminating a small, warm circle in the frigid night.
In the midst of the tide, a pair of amber eyes opened, fixating on the two huts. But suddenly, the fierce gaze faded, replaced by deep fear, and the creature submerged into the sea, vanishing.
In its sight, a dark golden aura emanated from the huts, soaring into the sky, instilling awe and dread.
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