Due to his continuous walking, Zixin eventually fell to the ground out of exhaustion. With his face slightly flushed red and his breath unsteady, he composed himself to regain his strength.
Upon seeing Zixin's fall, Hope laughed, unable to hold back any longer. She sat down with him, watching as he contemplated.
Zixin sighed, gazing at the indigo-dyed sky. He muttered, "It's evening, huh?"
He turned to Hope, who watched intently like a child observing the stars for the first time. Her smile remained unmoving, and her eyes shimmered with brilliance.
It was indeed a beautiful moment; ruining it would be a sin, but something inside Zixin told him to speak the truth, leaving behind lies for this one moment alone.
After hesitating a little longer, he bit his lip and spoke, "I have slain someone before."
Hope went silent; it wouldn't surprise him if she decided to run, but what she did only left him confused. She took his hand, gripping it gently as her melancholic gaze swept over him, landing on his expression.
Letting go with her right hand, she pointed to herself, questioning him, "Am I a target then?"
Zixin pondered for a second, choosing his words carefully before speaking, "The only reason that I told you this is to gain your trust, although on second thought, this is rather counterintuitive. I wanted to let you know that I can be honest when the time is needed."
Sigh, you really need to learn better. The mood was nice, and you ruined it! Not that I care, though–I like the honesty. Now, should I go about this… Hmm? I have an idea. She pondered before deciding on a plan.
"Since you told me a secret, how about I tell you one? I enjoy traveling, but due to the Contract, I can no longer do so." She spoke cheerfully.
"How is this a secret? Does it mean that if I had asked you about this, you wouldn't have told me?" Zixin probed, his confused tone returning.
Hope chuckled, standing up and pulling him with her, and as she did, her hair began fluttering with the breeze. She tucked a strand as she spoke, "All I want in return for helping you is a Token of Promotion or Promotion Token if that's how you call it. To be promoted into the Longevity Bloodline."
Zixin's eyes widened in shock, questioning her reason, "Why my Bloodline? There are certainly other Bloodlines that should have garnered your attention."
Hope answered as though she knew he would have asked, "It's rather simple, really–I want to watch its end."
Zixin laughed dryly, choosing to accept her request.
…
Hours later, they managed to reach the Peak of Mount Lorebale, and what they found was a grand scenery with a majestic tree glowing with life. Flowers bloomed across it, filling the surroundings with life.
The tree grew spontaneously, its branches sprouting out by the second, reaching the clouds before withering away like a grand portrait. But unlike every other plant that Zixin has ever seen, this tree somehow regained the life that it had lost. And thus, the cycle repeated–endlessly.
"This is…" he muttered unknowingly, stunned at its beauty.
Upon noticing Zixin's confusion, Hope started explaining, "What you are currently watching are the cycles of life essence inside Mount Lorebale."
She walked forward, continuing her words, "The tree represents the monsters, with the falling leaves succumbing to death and the herbs nearby representing the energy lost in this endless cycle."
But why is this cycle currently taking place? If it is, as she has said, then does that mean that there are monsters that are being slain at this very moment? This is confusing… sigh, but I suppose this is quite interesting. Zixin thought, deciding to ask.
"Does it mean that monsters are currently being hunted?" He asked in confirmation.
Hope shook her head, beginning to elaborate, "Due to the special nature of Mount Lorebale, it allowed for this area to exist, and with that, its cycles began. From what my ancestors have recorded, over eight hundred years ago, the cycles were slower than they are now. And as the time passed, the cycles only continued to become faster and faster." She continued, "After noticing this, my family came to our own conclusion as to why this is occurring: with each cycle, Mount Lorebale slowly loses a minuscule percentage of its life essence, and because of this, the amount needed to complete a cycle decreases alongside it."
Zixin thought, processing the information, This sounds familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on why… hmm? Wait a second, isn't this basically what Fang Hau said when we first met? So this is what he was referring to, huh?
"Can I touch them?" He asked, probing a little deeper.
An awkward smile formed as she spoke, "I would advise not to because due to the abundance of life essence inside this area, it can easily corrupt anyone who doesn't know what they're doing. The corruption is fatal because it attacks the soul, and the reason it corrupts like this is because the life essence of a Mountain differs from that of a Human."
Did she just call me an idiot without stating it directly? Wait, why am I being so negative? Apologies, Hope… kidding aside, how does she even harvest these? Zixin thought, intrigued by this, causing him to ask.
"Since that's the case, how do you even harvest?"
"Well, there are some spots similar to the Peak all around Mount Lorebale, but the concentration of life essence is significantly lower, so I can safely harvest them." Hope walked forward, continuing to admire it.
"What would be needed to navigate this area safely?" He probed, his curiosity piqued.
"I can't be sure, but perhaps asking Fang Hau directly might bring you better answers." She walked back, leading Zixin home.
"I suppose." He muttered, not too fond of the idea.
On their way back, Zixin tried to think things over, but his thoughts were abruptly halted when he saw the same pack of wolves from before, running away in a hurry.
This left them both utterly stunned, too shocked to even ponder.
After regaining his senses, Zixin scanned his surroundings, turning in the direction from which the wolves came. And right there and then, he saw a squad of Hunters rushing over, but only one of them caught Zixin's attention–Vanor.
Vanor dashed forward, ordering the Hunters as he stayed behind, "Go after them. I will handle these two."
The squad followed his orders, pursuing the wolves without delay.
He walked forward, apologizing politely, "My sincerest apologies for the trouble that I have caused you."
"I don't mind it, I'm already over it," Zixin replied before thinking to himself: Now that I think about it, I have no clue what his ability might be. I'm pretty sure he used it to throw me to the ring after all. I can't just ask out of nowhere; that would be suspicious.
Hope, noticing Zixin's behavior, asked, "Oh, right! Why were you suddenly hunting with your squad today?"
"The recent monster activities have been quite frequent, so I figured that now would be a good time for a hunt. Plus, I'm currently broke." He explained to her, keeping his composure while at it.
Yeah, I could guess you gambling addict. Hope commented internally.
"Hmm? How are you broke?" Zixin asked, utterly confused.
"You can say I lost a few rounds in a game of cards." He replied, deliberately speaking vaguely to wait for Zixin's reaction.
"Gambling is stupid." Zixin instinctively knew and immediately replied.
He laughed before bidding them farewell and rushing after his squad.
While Hope continued to lead the way, Zixin muttered, "Vanor is quite different from what I have imagined."
Hope barged in, giving her thoughts, "Outside the market, Vanor is pretty reasonable. He, like many others, acts differently when outside the market."
"You two seem to know each other. How is that?" He asked, almost tripping on a pebble.
"I usually keep tabs on influential figures inside Daisal. And he's also a Hunter, so it's only natural that we would cross paths here. I also wouldn't want to see any of them start acting differently from their usual behaviors." She explained while stretching her arms.
Then I suppose the unexpected hunt just a few minutes ago must have startled her, huh? She sounds like she really wants everything to go well. I guess I do, too; the only difference is that I lack control. He sighed, carefully walking forward this time.
"Is Vanor a Holder?"
"Oh? Yes, but are you curious about his ability? From what I have seen, he can materialize a claw made from lightning, which he uses to obliterate his foes with ease. Are you thinking of a counter? Just don't fight him." She spoke, giving out her opinions.