Free Web NovelThe next country was a small one, a nation that worshipped the God of Plague.
Given the massive events that had transpired, there might be an ambush waiting here, so Loren chose not to stop and instead spent extra time detouring around it.
During this time, Loren also had Orianna go check on the situation there. Sure enough, the country had plenty of ambushes set up, and the number of Plague Envoys even exceeded that of the larger nations.
This was the closest location to the crash site. Even if there were survivors, they would most likely come here.
By now, they had already received news that the robed figures were dead, but beyond that, they had obtained no other information.
The moment Loren killed them, he immediately used Return to Earth to dissolve the corpses, not only to prevent Deathrattle but also to keep them from leaving any clues.
The Shadow-Mane Wolves pulling the carriage were incredibly fast. A day later, Loren and the others finally arrived at their destination: the territory of the God of Vows and Wind.
"You've worked hard."
Loren jumped off the carriage and patted the Wolf King's head. The Shadow-Mane Wolf's fur was surprisingly soft, much more pleasant to pet than an ordinary dog.
"The forest is over there. I sent someone ahead to check it out. It's well-suited for you to live in."
Shadow-Mane Wolves didn't have a fixed territory; anywhere with shadows was their domain. So having them travel this far didn't really affect them much.
"Scarlett, put the carriage away, and while you're at it, bring out some meat."
Under Paqina's watchful eyes, the massive carriage suddenly vanished, only to be replaced by a pile of raw meat.
The Wolf King gave a human-like nod before leading the pack, each wolf carrying a piece of meat in its mouth, and dashing into the forest.
"Alright, let's head into the city. We'll find some means of transportation to the coast."
Loren pulled up the hood of his black robe and continued:
"We'd better not expose our identities. Otherwise, it might affect what we need to do next."
What Loren was planning to do this time was, frankly, a bit shady. Mainly because he still had to meet with the merfolk.
"Yes."
Everyone also put on black robes. Logically, a group this large all wearing black robes would be pretty conspicuous, but Loren had the Hermit card; the robes were just an extra layer of protection.
The city gates were heavily guarded. Everyone entering had to undergo strict inspections, to the point where a wall of wind surrounded the city's perimeter. If anyone tried to enter from elsewhere, the Wind Messengers would be notified immediately.
Thus, the main gate was the only entry point. Even trains had to be inspected before entering.
And yet, under these circumstances, Loren led the others straight into the city without any trouble.
"Back here again..."
Looking at the orderly scene within the city, Loren felt a bit emotional. His team had grown a lot since the last time he was here.
"Wow..."
Paqina, who was visiting for the first time, was fascinated by everything. Hot air balloons and kites flew in the sky, and the wind was integrated into people's lives, powering mills and other machinery.
Lilith, on the other hand, who rarely ever left home, showed no interest in these novel sights and simply huddled close to Loren.
"How are we getting from here?"
Laila came up beside Loren and asked.
Once inside the city, the options multiplied. Whether by train or carriage, both could take them to the Kingdom of Anselm.
"We'll take a hot air balloon."
"A hot air balloon?"
The others looked confused, not quite understanding what that was.
"I'll take you all there. Last time I came here, I was too focused on my goal, so you missed out on a lot of things."
With that, Loren led the group toward a certain location. As they got closer, they saw massive balloons rising from a specific spot, then flying off in an orderly formation in a certain direction, with giant baskets hanging beneath them.
"This is a hot air balloon. The balloon is filled with gases lighter than air, which can lift us up into the sky."
"Once we're airborne, we'll enter a designated flight path. The wind pushes the balloon along; it's fast and very stable."
This hot air balloon was completely different from the ones Loren remembered. It didn't even use fire, relying entirely on wind. He only called it a "hot air balloon" out of habit.
"This is something unique to the God of Vows and Wind's territory. Once you leave His domain, forget about stable travel—even getting off the ground becomes a problem."
When supernatural forces weren't interfering, this world still adhered fairly well to the laws of physics.
"Do I have to ride it..."
Hearing that this thing would fly, Scarlett got a little scared.
Given her long list of weaknesses, acrophobia didn't even qualify as a notable one anymore.
"No, you can't skip it. But I could knock you unconscious, and by the time you wake up, we'll have arrived."
"Then I guess I'll just ride it normally..."
After settling Scarlett's objections, Loren led the group to the hot air balloon boarding area. It was essentially the same as taking a long-distance bus. There were no complicated procedures; just pick a destination, pay, and board.
Here, Loren couldn't use his status or wealth to get any special treatment.
The hot air balloon's capacity was considerable, easily holding everyone.
Once they were all aboard, the balloon began to ascend slowly. During this process, Scarlett's legs started trembling violently.
She immediately crouched in a corner, clutching her head.
"Do you need some diapers? If so, I can buy you some next time."
"Really?"
Scarlett didn't catch Loren's sarcasm. Instead, she turned around happily:
"That way, I won't have to worry about peeing myself from fear. That's actually a great idea..."
Before she could finish, Loren gave her a hard knock on the head.
"You're in your twenties, and you'd seriously use diapers?"
Actually, age wasn't the real issue. The problem was that if Scarlett actually wore diapers, Loren would genuinely feel a sense of guilt.
He already felt guilty enough about manipulating a "foolish" Scarlett. It had been a long time since he last dreamed of Liu Haizhu chasing after him to scold him, and he really didn't want Scarlett to make things worse.
"Boo hoo hoo..."
After getting hit, Scarlett retreated back into her corner and started silently crying.
"You must have a hard time usually, taking care of Scarlett like that..."
Watching their interaction, Paqina let out a small laugh.
"Indeed."
Loren admitted it outright. It was the truth. A two-year-old Anna was less trouble than a twenty-year-old Scarlett.
Paqina joined Loren, leaning over the edge of the hot air balloon to admire the scenery below.
The God of Vows and Wind's territory was really quite beautiful. Everything was so neat and orderly.
"Ever since I met you, I realized that living could actually be this happy..."
"..."
Loren keenly noticed something off about Paqina's tone. If she was just praising him, there was no need to use a word like "living."
"My glasses!"
Just as Loren was about to say something, Paqina's glasses suddenly slipped off and began to fall.
But before they had fallen very far, a gust of wind blew them back up, right into Loren's hand.
