On the fringes of Ruglien…
A desert stretching endlessly, devoid of any greenery, held a few tent-like structures on the horizon. Wisps of white smoke spiraled into the air.
This wasn’t the first time the group had arrived in Ruglien. Compared to their clueless rookie behavior on their initial visit, they had gained much experience. This time, they had prepared specifically to spend the night in Ruglien.
“Filisia, is the bread warm yet?”
“Hmm, almost. Just needs a bit more cooking.”
“Ah, okay,” Wenfu said as she stirred the broth in her hands, not bothering to check.
Filisia was always reliable, and seemingly skilled at everything. When offered to assist with the camping setup, Wenfu didn’t hesitate.
But soon enough, Wenfu caught a whiff of something burning. Her pale pink cat ears perked up.
“Filisia, how come the bread still isn’t ready?” Wenfu asked suspiciously upon noticing the black smoke rising from the pot, walking over with trepidation.
“Just a moment longer, it needs more heat,” Filisia responded, eyeing the crackling flames thoughtfully.
“More heat? The pot bottom’s about to turn into charcoal!” Wenfu quickly smothered the fire and opened the lid with a damp towel. Inside the pot was nothing but black goo—it was unclear whether it was scorched bread or burnt pot stains fused together.
“I bought this fresh white bread at the palace dining hall at 6:30 this morning…” Wenfu stared despairingly at the mess, unable to reconcile her once beautiful, soft bread now reduced to a black mess.
“Perhaps, the heat was… too much?” Filisia said, looking uncertain.
“Too much! Filisia, why didn’t you add water when heating the bread?”
“Anything will burn if cooked this way without water!”
“Oh, is that how it is…” Filisia said apologetically.
“Filisia, do you even know how to cook?”
“I… I think I do have some understanding,” she replied, recalling her occasional observations of the palace chefs. She believed she wasn’t far off their level.
This incident was rooted in Filisia’s assumption that since she excelled at everything she tried, cooking shouldn’t be much different after a glance or two. However, her first attempt turned catastrophic, sacrificing a fine loaf of bread.
“I see, so for heating, water needs to be added underneath. I’ll keep that in mind and try again.”
“No no no!” Wenfu clutched her remaining bread tightly, traumatized by the thought of another attempt at cooking.
Thus, cooking was left entirely in Wenfu’s hands; she no longer trusted anyone else with the kitchen.
“Well, shall I?”
“Filisia, go gather some firewood. That damp pile won’t be usable after this soaking.”
“Alright,” Filisia agreed, sensing her cooking skills were less than appreciated.
By midday, hunger struck. The silver-haired elf stood lightly clad on a nearby rock, keeping watch, while Tillysha sat in front of the tent reading and reviewing the map drawn on their last journey.
On her previous trip, posing as Dillin, she had conducted a map survey. However, her understanding of the Ruglien surroundings remained incomplete.
To aid her investigation, Tillysha had brought along materials like the ‘Ancient Empire Regional Detailed Guide’ and the ‘Comprehensive Maps of the Ancient Empire’s Historical Territories’.
These documents meticulously recorded the ancient empire’s borders and lands. Through detailed comparisons, Tillysha confirmed the border between Ruglien and Coleman Forest to be part of the ancient empire’s reach, while the fringes of Ruglien were situated in what used to be its central territories.
Four hundred years had passed, but no one knew how drastically the region had changed. The geography might remain consistent, giving these maps of the ancient empire’s borders some reference value.
But though the terrain hadn’t changed drastically, the ecosystem definitely had. Areas once adorned with trees and winding paths through small towns were now barren wastelands without even a hint of green. Trying to imagine what happened here to cause such a drastic ecological shift was difficult.
For centuries, Ruglien had been a forbidden land, a scar for the Light Races. Few who ventured into it returned alive, and thus there was no hope for a complete map.
The empire and other powers feared that sending military forces into Ruglien might provoke the Demon Race into a war.
Still reeling from the Demon invasion four hundred years ago, the continent’s current state couldn’t withstand a full-scale war. Nobody dared to push that button.
So, the current state of the Demon Race remained anyone’s guess.
According to Tillysha’s observations, the Demons today appeared not unlike the Light Races. They weren’t a perfect cohesive unit. If they were unified, the scattered Light Races would have certainly been annihilated.
Moreover, the term ‘Light Races’ didn’t even exist back in the old days, as her research revealed. The ‘Light Races’ was a label invented during the Demon’s invasion, grouping all non-Demon races to unify humans, elves, and demi-humans against the impending doom.
This term, though conceived by humans, was accepted by elves and demi-humans, showing a common fear of the Demon threat more than each other.
History books vaguely described the invasion. But one fact was clear: the sudden emergence and overwhelming power of the Demon Race had effortlessly crushed the once-powerful empire and dismantled elf defenses, overwhelming the demi-human tribes.
Fear of this unknown presence was universal.
There was one detail Tillysha noticed. After the empire’s downfall and the emperor’s retreat to the southern territories, the empire displayed an obsessive correction toward religious matters. This was marked by increased persecution of heretics and doctrinal disputes that led to church splits, culminating in the White Glass Kingdom’s declaration of independence.
Speaking of the White Glass Kingdom…
Tillysha glanced at Filisia returning from gathering wood. As the kingdom’s crown princess, Filisia should know something. It’d be worth asking her about the mystery behind the Demons letting the Light Races off the hook after their invasion.
There were too many blanks in history. Too many unanswered questions. Even the actual events of the battles weren’t clearly recorded.
Tillysha thought of the original Tillysha, the genuine Elf Divine Warrior who died battling Demons four centuries ago. Would she have known the answers?
On another thought, asking the enigmatic Bilodis probably wouldn’t yield any solid answers.
Without Filisia assisting, lunch preparations went much faster.
Considering the diverse dietary tastes of the group, consisting of different races, the chosen meals were simple yet adaptable to everyone’s needs—white bread and corn soup. Wenfu also added some bacon, catering to Filisia’s penchant for meat dishes.
“Mr. Dillin handed over his travel notes and experiences to me before setting off again. Based on that, I took on the temporary role as the team’s Male, or divine guidance figure,” Tillysha said as they all gathered around the cauldron, sipping soup and munching on bread while she pointed at the imperial map laid on the table alongside Dillin’s notebook.
Filisia was surprised. She hadn’t realized how meticulously Tillysha had documented her previous travels, including mapping the area.
She could map areas? It was one of the Divine duties for the Male, though it was scheduled for the next term’s course.
How had she learned it so thoroughly beforehand?
Filisia, unfamiliar with cartography, looked at Tillysha’s complex notes with intricate markings on her notebook and the map, marveling at the skill.
Wenfu, munching on bread and sipping her soup, felt an unexplainable sense of security from Tillysha’s calm demeanor, despite her occasional mischievous antics. She was a reliable teammate when it mattered.
Not that it was necessarily polite to say, but compared to Dillin, Tillysha felt much more reliable. Dillin seemed unable to protect anyone, needing protection himself.
And then there was Aistride, eating graciously even amidst this barren desert. Elves relied on photosynthesis or natural harmony for sustenance, but here, lacking vegetation, they had to supplement their diet.
She’d grown accustomed to Dillin’s notebook, a testament to his dedication, much like Tillysha’s own approach in her role as Male.
“Orcs, Goblins, some Demon races that can’t wield Divine Authorities don’t possess Demon hearts, so I recommend… venturing deeper into Ruglien’s central regions.”
“Deeper?” Wenfu recoiled in fright, hugging herself tightly, wrapping her tail around her body.
“Last time we barely had time to go deep before encountering a terrifying Orc. Won’t it be even more dangerous this time?”
This concern was shared by Filisia, who didn’t want her team members to face unnecessary danger just on her account.
“We encountered a Red Orc on our last trip, which is quite the opposite of the Green Orcs. Red Orcs dislike living in groups, prefer wandering alone, and are quick to pick fights with strong opponents.”
“Such nomadic Orcs don’t have fixed habitats and can appear almost anywhere.” Tillysha explained their hesitations.
“Even encountering such a powerful one was bad luck.”
“Still, even Red Orcs lack Demon hearts. Killing them wouldn’t be useful. The wilderness here is filled with Goblins and Orcs, but something feels off.”
“What’s off?”
“Doesn’t it seem the ecosystem here is unsuitable for their survival?” Aistride summarized Tillysha’s point, clearing up the confusion for Wenfu and Filisia.
“True, there are fewer monsters here. The wilderness is far from the dense jungles or mountains, where food is plentiful. With harsh sandstorms and no protective forests, it’s hardly livable. If I were an Orc or a Goblin, I wouldn’t settle here.”
“It’s possible Orcs and Goblins live here because more powerful and fearsome Demons with Divine abilities inhabit the better, more fertile lands, driving them to the wastelands,” Tillysha speculated.
At this hypothesis, silence fell over the group.
Filisia understood this meant the Demon Race likely had a class system, and possibly racial divisions, suggesting their intelligence was no less than that of the Light Races.
Although many scholars theorized this, they lacked evidence to support it.
“Look here, this area used to be part of the empire. Historical records note it should have had several forests, now turned to deserts.”
“Further inward was the empire’s central town district, a significant economic center where even Orcs and Goblins wouldn’t dare venture.” Tillysha continued, indicating the map.
“But, if even Orcs can’t withstand those Demons, aren’t we in even bigger trouble?” Wenfu nervously curled her tender toes.
She didn’t think anyone in this team could single-handedly take on an army, especially her. She often just held everyone back in fights.
If even Orcs couldn’t handle them, then they certainly couldn’t either. Avoiding trouble was one thing, but venturing in only to end up provoking these creatures would surely lead to a bad end.
At the thought of encountering even more terrifying Demons than Orcs, Wenfu trembled uncontrollably.
She was young, she wanted to live!
The team consisted entirely of delicate, beautiful young women, apart from old Dillin. Just looking at those barbaric Goblins and Orcs reminded her that the Demon’s aesthetic preferences aligned with the Light Races. If things went south, and the whole team was defeated…
Would they end up staying in Ruglien as pastries?
