Evergreen Town, Owl Head Inn.
In a small room, a group of adventurers were sitting around a wooden table, discussing their next course of action. The mood was light, giving off a casual and relaxed vibe. The two men and one woman were looking through a pile of documents that had been strewn across the table.
The man who had the bearing of a leader frowned. "She still refused? Does that little girl think that the world revolves around her?"
A man who looked slightly more intelligent adjusted his glasses. "I heard that she even refused the invitation from the Sky Tower. Maybe she has her own difficulties."
A younger woman shook her head. "I looked into it, she's taking care of a little orphan who lives near the edge of town. Apparently, that little girl refused to leave, so she stayed as well."
The leader frowned. "Is that accurate? I mean, the little girl refused to leave? Could it be someone wanting to get rid of an unnecessary obstacle for Elena's growth?"
The man with the glasses nodded. "That's likely. With Elena's talent, her future is unimaginable. Having ties to that little girl is probably not a good thing. You can't underestimate the malice of the greedy"
The woman sighed. "Couldn't we just take in the little girl? If Elena really cares so much about her, then recruiting her is no different from recruiting Elena."
The man with glasses disagreed. "I know a little about this. The townsfolk often talk about that little girl. It's said that she has a mental problem. Even talking is difficult, not to mention traveling."
The leader frowned. "So she's just a liability?"
The man with glasses nodded his head. "That's right, that's probably why somebody wants to get rid of her."
As the group was talking, a man opened the door and whispered something to the man with glasses.
His eyes lit up. "Looks like we're in luck. Traces of the ruins were found not too far from us!"
The leader crossed his arms. He thought about the timing and realized that it was a bit too coincidental. He looked at the scout who had just entered and asked. "What's the source of this information?"
The man wearing the guard's uniform bowed and reported. "Reporting to the party leader, this information came from the Silver Eye, it should be truthful."
Narrowing his eyes, the leader tapped his finger on the table.
Over the past week, many forces had gathered at this remote town. Now that most of them had arrived, this information was suddenly publicized. He thought, 'It looks like they found it a long time ago, they just needed cannon fodder.'
Frowning, the leader said, "Tell the men to get ready, even if it's a trap, we still need to take a look."
He looked at the woman. "See if you can convince Elena one last time. If not, just forget it."
The woman nodded.
Following that, the team from the adventurers' guild all began to prepare. The journey through the forest was destined to be a bloody battle.
* * *
Over to the north, a group of large tents were set up outside the town border. These tents were all black, with a silver shield embroidered on the side.
Inside the soundproof tents, a heated discussion was underway.
Bang!
A fist was slammed into the table, sending shards of wood everywhere.
"How was the location leaked! How did those stupid birds steal the information?!"
A massive man wearing heavy black armor roared through gritted teeth. His fury was almost tangible, as a wave of crimson energy slowly seeped out from the gaps in the armor.
"Orin! Tell me! What happened!"
The man named Orin grimaced. He really didn't want to be the one to say it.
"Sir, w-we, uh, I, think the people from The Silver Eye have more methods than just controlling birds. If my guess is correct, they can contract much smaller beasts like ants and…"
His voice trailed off in the end.
He himself knew that this was ridiculous. The smaller the beast, the weaker the soul. If one wanted to contract a beast, their size couldn't be too different. It wasn't a matter of strength, It was a matter of stability.
Small Beasts were too fragile.
Smaller beasts like birds could barely handle the contract, and multiple birds could be contracted as a group, depending on the size of their flock, using a special method. This system allowed the Silver Eye to become one of the strongest intelligence organizations on the continent. If they were able to apply this rule to small creatures like ants, then wouldn't it be unimaginable just how powerful their information network could become?
Of course, the Silver Shield and the Silver Eye were both branches of the Mercenary Alliance, so they had a good idea of their competitors' strength.
Having suggested that they had used ants was not much different than courting death.
As he expected, when the man in black armor heard this, his eyes turned red. A burst of explosive energy erupted from his body. His rage dyed the energy red, fully displaying his anger, and manifesting it as a tangible aura.
Orin felt an invisible pressure slamming down on him. The spiritual energy surrounding the tent all began to vibrate violently, a clear sign of a cultivator displaying his might. its oppressiveness was like a piece of sandpaper, shaving away at the surface of the surrounding objects. Small holes were torn in the cloth tent, and the paper with the report was turned to dust. The pressure on the surrounding men pressed down and brought a violent and tyrannical wave of energy that destroyed their bodies. Their skin started to bleed, there eyes stung, and their armour was worn down, almost as if they were standing in a sandstorm.
Eventually, Orin fell to his knees.
The target of the pressure was him, and he didn't dare to put up a barrier.
His throat was blocked, and blood oozed from his eyes, ears, and nose.
A moment later, he collapsed.
The pressure disappeared, and the commander waved his hand, ordering someone to take this useless piece of trash away.
His blood-red eyes looked around.
A ray of light pierced through the torn roof. It illuminated his side, giving off the feeling that he stood in the shadows. His blood-red eyes were like a demon's, and his gaze pierced through anyone who dared to look at him.
A pair of bloodshot eyes looked at each man one by one.
"No excuses, no failure, no loss! We set out immediately! Send someone to catch a few people from the Silver Eye and figure out what went wrong!"
He dismissed the meeting, but stopped one of the armored men.
"What happened to that girl, Elena? Did she agree?"
The armored man shook his head. "It looks like she refused all the offers, even the Sky Tower."
The man sneered. "Does she think that just because she's a genius, she can go without a backer? Send someone to kidnap her, if anyone gets in the way, just kill them! If the townsfolk try to stop us, then just burn down the town!"
The man's vicious command was given.
* * *
Scenes like this were happening all over town.
-
Back in Petra's shack, Elena had finally returned.
Petra was looking up at Elena with sad eyes. Elena explained to her that it was time for them to separate.
Elena was going to leave town, and she wanted Petra to live well.
"Evergreen Town is one of the few places that is safe from the Green Tide. Stay at home until everything is over. I'll come again and visit you in a few months."
Elena bent down and hugged the little girl.
They had been together for three years. After so long, they had become close.
She passed a small bag of coins and some simple supplies. She rubbed the little girl's head and wished her a safe tide. Elena didn't know what secrets Petra was hiding, but she still treated this little girl as her own sister.
Watching her leave, Petra actually felt a little sad.
Although she was used to being alone, having a big sister was a very nice change. Especially considering her past life, where she was hunted down day after day just for creating 'that thing.'
With Elena's departure, Petra finally decided to leave as well.
Although Evergreen Town was a safe place to stay, she felt it was better to find a home of her own.
She looked down at her dirty and torn clothes, her muddy and bruised flesh, and her matted and clumped hair. She also needed a makeover.
In this world, there were many paths one could take.
Cultivating Immortality, Magic, Necromancy, Controller, and Summoning were just the common ones. Although cultivators made up the majority of the top-level practitioners, the potential paths were endless.
As for Petra, she already had a plan in mind.
The only uncertainty was her body.
Ever since Petra was 'born' (reincarnated), she understood that she was special. Whether it was her race or her physique, it was a confusing clutter of indecipherable nonsense. She was definitely not human, but she seemed to be a half-blood of two humanoid races. Combined with her strange physique, it was difficult for even her to decipher what she was.
Petra needed an isolated environment to study herself.
Now that Elena was gone, it was time to go find herself a home.
Her little eyes rolled, and she looked towards the forest.
Should she go with the crowd or leave in the opposite direction?
She spun her head in contemplation.
After some time, Petra decided to leave against the current of fate.
She pulled out her backpack and stuffed all the things hidden beneath the floor inside.
Although she didn't know the exact details of her body, one thing she was sure of was that her physical strength was ridiculously strong.
She easily lifted the bag that was almost the size of herself. She pulled the hood over her head and left through the door.
She took one last glance at the decaying shed, then resolutely left.
There was no need for theatrics.
From a distance, Elena watched silently as the little girl she had taken care of for three years pulled one thing after another out from under the floorboards. As the stupidly large bag stretched more and more, she gradually began to find it funny.
Although she didn't know where the little girl was hiding her stuff, she always knew that Petra had a secret stash.
Watching the massive bag with two stubby legs disappear down the road, a smile appeared on Elena's face. She didn't know why Petra wanted to hide her identity, but since it was so, she wouldn't complain.
With one last look, the big-breasted big sister disappeared into the forest.
Petra, whose keen senses picked up the 'gaze,' also understood that Elena had discovered something. Without turning back, Petra left in the opposite direction.
It was the start of their journey.
* * *
Petra walked slowly through the long streets one last time.
She passed countless outsiders, all walking in the opposite direction.
She passed orderly adventurers.
She passed aggressive mercenaries.
She passed zealots of the church.
She passed small groups of cultivators and strangely dressed magicians.
She saw Beastmen and Magitech Engineers.
One by one, fantasy tropes walked past the small girl.
Petra truly felt like she was going against the flow.
On her way out, Petra stopped at the market for food and the medicine shop for medicine; she bought herself a short dagger for protection and a map for navigation.
Finally, Petra reached the town gate.
It was desolate and lonely, with only a single guard on duty.
The simple town guardsmen greeted her with a nod. Petra walked through the village gate and into the vast and boundless Green Wind Forest.
It was time to leave.