After sealing their alliance, the trio and the assassin decided to leave Nepa temporarily.
Giō insisted that he knew a place where they could settle down and devise a plan to feed the villagers.
And so, the group departed from Nepa.
Just outside Nepa Village…
Present moment…
As the trio and the assassin traversed a path leading away from the village, Kutcher's curiosity finally got the better of him.
"So, where the hell do you plan on taking us, Giō?" he asked.
Giō, who was walking ahead of the group, turned and shot Kutcher a nasty glare.
"Tch! Of course, you're the one who would ask," he muttered sarcastically.
"We're heading toward one of the most famous landmarks in the Shiriku region."
"And what exactly is this landmark?" Kutcher asked.
Giō stopped and turned to face him.
Suddenly, a grin spread across his face.
"We're heading…"
"TO NO MAN'S VALLEY!!"
The entire group came to an abrupt halt.
Prīōra's expression immediately turned pale.
"Did you just say… No Man's Valley?" she asked, turning toward Giō.
He continued to grin.
"You heard me correctly, girl!" he replied.
Prīōra's expression remained troubled.
Noticing her reaction, Tuziku turned toward her.
"Prīōra, you know something about this No Man's Valley?"
She slowly nodded.
"I've heard stories about it since I was a child. My grandfather told me that the valley got its name from an unusual rumor surrounding the place," she explained.
Kutcher gulped.
"And what is this rumor?"
"It is said that, over the years, thousands of men have entered No Man's Valley," Prīōra continued.
"But for some strange reason…"
"NONE OF THEM EVER RETURNED ALIVE!"
Tuziku and Kutcher stared at her in disbelief.
"What kind of valley is that?" Kutcher wondered aloud.
"A No Man's Valley!" Giō interrupted.
"The rumors are true, you know."
Tuziku gazed at him, his curiosity growing.
"Then… what stopped those men from returning?" he asked.
Giō's grin grew eerier as the trio turned their attention toward him.
"Have you ever heard of Abyssal Creatures?"
The moment Tuziku heard those words, a memory flashed through his mind.
He remembered the day he had first met Sailou.
That's right…
Before Sailou rescued me that day…
I was being chased by that creepy deer!
"I haven't heard that name before… but I think I've encountered one," Tuziku replied.
"I've come across one before, too," Kutcher added.
"Brings back memories!"
He gazed up at the sky with a grin.
"Nobody cares about that, you half-baked swordsman!" Giō snapped.
Kutcher's expression immediately hardened.
"HUH?! WHO ARE YOU CALLING—"
"Anyways…" Giō continued, ignoring him. "A long time ago…"
"THAT VALLEY USED TO BE SWARMING WITH ABYSSAL CREATURES!"
Tuziku scratched his chin.
"I see… that makes sense."
"So, the men who disappeared after entering the valley were all killed?"
"That's the most logical explanation," Prīōra replied.
"Not just killed… but killed and eaten!" Giō added.
"It was only a few years before we were born that people finally discovered what had caused all those disappearances," he continued.
"A few years before we were born?" Tuziku asked in disbelief.
Giō nodded.
"It was around 18 years ago."
"Is that so..." Tuziku replied.
"After the rumors surrounding the valley continued to spread, people eventually stopped visiting the place altogether," Giō explained.
His expression hardened.
"With no humans left to hunt, all those Abyssal Creatures eventually starved to death!"
"So those creatures killed and consumed humans to sustain themselves?" Kutcher asked.
"Yeah," Giō replied.
"Then, 18 years ago, someone finally decided to venture into No Man's Valley after fifty years without any visitors!"
He paused dramatically.
"What they found… was very… unsettling."
"Countless human bones and the rotting corpses of starved Abyssal Creatures were scattered throughout the valley!"
The group fell silent for a moment.
"After that day, the place became known as…"
"THE NO MAN'S VALLEY!"
"Whoa! There's so much more to it than what I've heard in stories!" Prīōra exclaimed, thoroughly intrigued.
Giō smirked.
Kutcher folded his arms and remained silent.
"That's quite an interesting story," Tuziku remarked. "I'm glad to know the history behind No Man's Valley… but why exactly are we heading there of all places?"
Giō turned toward him with a confident smirk.
"Because I've figured out how we're going to feed the villagers!"
"You have?" Tuziku asked, looking doubtful.
"Well, let's hear it!" Kutcher demanded impatiently.
"Not so fast," Giō replied.
"Let's get to No Man's Valley first. Then I'll explain everything."
With that, he flashed another confident grin and continued walking.
"Come on, you guys!" Prīōra called as she followed him.
Tuziku and Kutcher exchanged glances before following behind.
A few moments later…
The group finally arrived at the head of the valley.
"WHOA…!!" Tuziku exclaimed, gawking at the breathtaking view of the Shiriku region stretching out before him.
"This sight truly feels legendary!" Kutcher remarked.
Below them lay the vast, dried-up valley floor, its rugged landscape stretching into the distance.
As the group gazed down into the uncharted expanse, they couldn't help but feel a strange sense of nostalgia.
"Alright, people! We're here!" Giō announced.
Prīōra admired the scenery, marveling at the geography of this renowned landmark.
"It's amazing!" she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with joy.
"So, Giō. What's this plan of yours?" Tuziku asked.
The trio turned their attention toward the assassin.
Giō suddenly sat down on a small rock nearby.
"Down there, on the valley floor…" he began, pointing toward the bottom.
"A SINGLE PERSON… DWELLS THERE!"
His expression suddenly hardened.
"What are you—"
"Let me finish!" Giō interrupted Tuziku.
"Two years ago, another rumor about No Man's Valley began spreading."
He folded his arms.
"For reasons unknown, a single man had been spotted roaming around the valley floor."
"At first, we all thought he was just some crazy person who'd wandered into the wrong place. But then…"
Giō paused.
"Several people came forward with the same story. The only difference was… they'd all seen him on different days!"
Prīōra scratched her chin.
"Are you saying… that person is actually living at the bottom of this valley?!"
"That's exactly right!" Giō shouted excitedly, raising both thumbs in confirmation.
"To this day, that person is still living at the bottom of this valley!"
He pointed toward the valley floor once more.
"Hold on just a second! This doesn't make any sense!" Tuziku exclaimed, stepping closer to Giō.
"How can someone live at the bottom of this valley and survive for two whole years?!"
"Yeah! And how come I don't see any signs of civilization down there? All I see are bones!" Kutcher added.
The trio looked at Giō, demanding answers.
For a moment, the assassin remained silent.
"I don't have the answers to all those questions," he admitted. "But there's one thing I can tell you for sure…"
"Someone definitely lives down there!"
"A human!"
Giō's grin returned.
"And since we've never seen this guy leave the valley, that means he must have some way… of finding food!"
"I see…" Tuziku murmured, scratching his chin.
"So, all we need to do…" Kutcher began, a grin spreading across his face.
"Is find out from this guy…" Giō continued.
"HOW HE'S BEEN ABLE TO SUPPLY HIMSELF WITH FOOD ALL THIS TIME!" Tuziku finished, clenching his fist.
CHAPTER 77 END!!