Chapter 405: The Stage of the World
Yuliya confidently found a city.
But it was still a Beastmen city.
“Kaise, why don’t you go in and take a look? I’ll wait outside.”
Kaise looked puzzled.
Why does Lady Riya always avoid contact with others?
It was understandable before, maybe the atmosphere was just too heavy. To be honest, she didn’t want to socialize much either.
But now that they’re in a new place, why is Lady Riya still hiding?
However, she didn’t pry and simply nodded obediently.
She was familiar with how to ask and what to say by now.
After half an hour, Kaise jogged back to Yuliya, bubbling with excitement. “Lady Riya! Good news! I found out where Kaistes is! Yay!”
“Slow down.”
Yuliya was about to step in, but Kaise quickly regained her balance and stood before Yuliya again.
“Lady Riya! I found out! Kaistes isn’t very far from here. It’s true; what Father said is really true!”
Yuliya lightly chuckled and nodded. “That’s great; we’re getting closer to our destination. Did you find out anything else?”
“Oh, this place is called the ‘Great Star Realm.’ It’s a really, really big place. People from all kinds of races gather here, it’s beautiful, but some areas are chaotic and it seems a lot of people d*e there, so let’s avoid that direction.”
Yuliya frowned.
Chaotic? d*ath? Could it be war?
In such a large place, with all these races gathered, it’s normal for there to be wars over territory.
I see.
“So where’s Kaistes, and where’s the chaotic area?”
Kaise cheerfully replied, “Kaistes is to the west, and the chaotic area is to the north.”
“Got it…” Yuliya sighed lightly.
Kaise froze, her cheerful expression disappearing.
She sensed something was off.
“Lady Riya… you…”
Yuliya smiled faintly. “Kaise, perhaps we must part ways here. You can go to Kaistes, but I think I’ll check out the north.”
“…” Kaise’s face dropped entirely, sounding a bit down, “Aren’t you going to have a look at Kaistes, Lady Riya? It’s a really beautiful place; the people in the city say so too.”
“I’ve seen beauty. I need to explore the dark corners. That’s my journey.”
“With your strength and how you’ve handled things so far, you have more than enough capability to go on your own. Go to Kaistes; this is your journey.”
“We’re destined to part ways.”
“…” Kaise fell silent.
She had always listened to Lady Riya, and would do so again.
Yuliya stepped forward, ruffled her hair, and even gave her cat ears a little pinch.
“Let me tell you one last thing. You must have been wondering why I haven’t interacted with others on this journey.”
Kaise looked at Yuliya and nodded.
Yuliya slowly took off her hood.
Kaise’s gaze followed.
Inside the hood was a little… creature that looked somewhat like a dog, but not quite, lounging on Lady Riya’s head.
The little creature opened its sleepy eyes just a bit, called out to Kaise, then settled back down, snugging up for a snooze.
So cute!
Stars sparkled in her eyes as she watched the tiny creature’s swishing tail.
Suddenly, she froze, her gaze shifting slightly as realization dawned on her.
“Lady Riya… you…”
Yuliya gently picked up the little creature and smiled. “Yep, I’m not a Beastman; I’m human. So, I can’t accompany you to Kaistes.”
“…”
“So, I’ll head out first. You should set off quickly too.”
With that, Yuliya donned her hood and turned toward the north.
But just as she took a couple of steps, a voice yelled from behind.
“Lady Riya!”
Kaise shouted, “Actually, it doesn’t matter what race you are! In fact, wouldn’t it be even better if you were a human instead of a Beastman?!”
“Oh?” Yuliya, curious, turned around. “What do you mean by that?”
“Well, our Cat Race has often been confused with other Beastman races and humans. Because neither race has a divine being.”
“Mm?”
“Father told me that our Cat Race used to have a divine being, but it fell long, long ago. That’s why we’ve always been at the bottom of the Beastman hierarchy.”
Yuliya propped her chin in thought.
So there was this twist to it.
Because they lost their divine protection, they were oppressed by other races.
It was rather sympathetic.
“So what I want to tell Lady Riya is, even if you’re not a Beastman, you still saved me from peril, pulled me back from the brink of d*ath, gave me hope, and motivation to move forward. You are my savior!”
“…”
Yuliya felt a bit embarrassed by the praise, sensing the sincerity in those words.
“Kaise, don’t make me sound so grand. I’m just a passerby. I happened to save you, but your hope comes from yourself, and your drive comes from your own resolve.”
“No, Lady Riya. Without you, I wouldn’t have had the courage to make it this far. On that night, I would’ve been left forever among the straw piles. Don’t underestimate the light you radiate!”
Wow, I just got lectured by this little kitty.
Yuliya covered her face, eyes shut in thought, then nodded gently. “I’ll take that as the truth.”
She opened her eyes and beamed a brilliant smile at Kaise. “Then you need to hold onto that hope and work hard from now on.”
Kaise returned the smile with a shining grin. “I definitely will!”
With that, she surprisingly turned and headed west first.
Yuliya watched her departing figure, chuckling as she shook her head.
Is this the light I radiate…
Yuliya suddenly looked up at the brilliant sun in the sky.
She remembered the time she visited the Ashen Realm with her teacher.
It hadn’t felt too long ago, yet it now seemed so distant.
Back then, she was so weak;
Back then, she saw the world’s sorrow;
Back then, she could only shake her head in sighs and ignore the suffering.
But now…
It seems I can influence a group of people now.
I have that power.
That sage’s words rang clearer in her mind.
“When in poverty, safeguard your own integrity; when prosperous, contribute to the world.”
Having walked through the night into dawn alone before, it was time for the world to dance for me.
With a flash, Yuliya soared into the sky, speeding northward.
