“Can’t you stay a few more days?” Glenn asked, perhaps out of a lingering habit from his former life.

  “I understand your kindness,” Danni replied gently, “but I stayed only to see whether you were living well. Now that I know you are, it’s time for me to leave.”

  A faint, serene smile lingered on her face.

  Glenn hesitated, then asked, “If I remember correctly, Boult should be in Entor City of the Zern Kingdom. Which route are you planning to take?”

  “I’ve already decided. We’re fairly close to the Uso River. Ricky and I will take a ferry from there to reach Boult.”

  “I’ve been meaning to travel as well. Why don’t I escort you to the Uso River first?” Glenn said at once.

  His magic lessons were nearly complete, and he could always visit Daoaf later to seek further guidance. Letting this mother and child leave on their own… no matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t feel at ease. So the decision was made.

  There was nothing pressing on his side anyway—the shop had little business, and Luther’s group could easily manage things. As for the farm, a few reminders to Tia and the others, and perhaps asking the old neighbor or the puppet siblings to keep an eye on it, would suffice.

  Danni hadn’t expected Glenn to offer this. After a brief moment of hesitation, she asked, “Will this delay anything for you?”

  “Of course not. It won’t affect me in the slightest,” Glenn answered with firm certainty.

  Seeing his resolve, Danni could only nod in agreement.

  And so, the next day, Glenn met with Cliff, finished arranging matters so he could coordinate with Luther during the coming days, and only then packed his things and departed with the mother and child.

  Everything had been explained thoroughly; Glenn doubted anything unexpected would occur. After all, the situation in Dood was… exceptional. Public security was more than assured. Aside from that formidable female knight named Fett still remaining, several other powerful individuals had been dispatched from above. Only someone utterly brainless would stir trouble in Dood at a time like this.

  The journey proved uneventful, and they soon reached the wide expanse of the Uso River. It was so broad that the far bank was barely visible—likely because this part of the river lay close to the sea.

  Massive three-masted ships lined the riverbank, crowds bustling with the seasoned air of long-distance travelers. A thriving harbor scene unfolded before them.

  After asking the appropriate staff, they found a vessel suited to their needs. With tickets purchased, all that remained was to board and wait for departure.

  Before they parted, Glenn carefully instructed Danni on keeping her valuables hidden and staying alert. Danni noted down everything with patience—at that moment, their roles almost felt reversed.

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  Little Ricky clung to Glenn, crying endlessly in his mother’s arms, unwilling to part no matter how she soothed him. But departures come when they must, and partings cannot be postponed forever.

  Even as the ship slowly pulled away, Danni stood by the rail, waving toward Glenn. Ricky waved his tiny hands too, shouting something inaudible amid the harbor’s uproar. Even Glenn’s keen senses couldn’t make out the words.

  “Safe travels,” he murmured in Chinese, standing a moment longer before turning and disappearing into the crowd.

  Leaving the Uso River behind, he continued east. Unfamiliar with the roads, he hired a seasoned long-distance driver to learn the general direction of the Abyssfall Gorge, then set out at once.

  He traveled slowly, gathering information as he went.

  Night fell. After an entire day on the road, Glenn stopped in the wilderness, planning to rest and build a fire.

  But the wind had shifted—carrying with it the unmistakable scent of a stranger.

  Someone was nearby. And not far. He turned toward the source of the scent.

  There was no road through that expanse—nothing but wild, empty land. No one should be there.

  Given the darkness, Glenn had no desire to continue traveling. But he also refused to sleep with a stranger lurking nearby. He had to investigate.

  He tied the great deer to a dead tree and stepped into the open wilds.

  As he approached, he confirmed—there was only one person.

  Climbing over a low hill, he spotted a faint, flickering glow. A campfire.

  A lone figure sat beside it, busy with something.

  Glenn halted his approach, hiding behind a thicket to observe. The figure wore a black robe with a hood that concealed their face. Their baggage lay nearby, and they tinkered with an object too distant to discern.

  That was strange enough—but what puzzled Glenn most was the absence of any mount or vehicle.

  From what he had learned along the way, this place was far from any settlement. Even by carriage, it would take half a day to reach civilization. Only a powerful transcendent could cover such distances alone— but why would such a person be lingering here of all places?

  Just as Glenn wondered whether the stranger was pursuing some hidden treasure, a sultry, alluring female voice whispered right beside his ear:

  “Spying is hardly the behavior of a proper gentleman.”

  He’d been discovered. He had half-expected it and wasn’t surprised. He stood, brushing the dust from his clothes.

  The distant figure remained seated, still preoccupied—as if that voice hadn’t come from her at all. But Glenn knew it had.

  He had only lifted his foot when the world blurred— and in the next moment, he found himself beside the campfire.

  Turning back, he saw the thicket he had used as cover still far behind him. So I was crouched right in front of her the entire time? Realization made him want to bury his face in his hands.

  Mages truly were infuriating.

  Suppressing the embarrassment, he forced himself to speak:

  “Don’t be offended. In a place like this, anyone would be cautious.”

  “Sit,” the woman said. Her voice drifted out from beneath the hood—calm, unconcerned, utterly unbothered.

  Glenn rubbed his temples, then found a stone and sat, watching her work.

  Before her sat a strange contraption—no metal or machinery, only bones and the limbs of some unknown creature, connected by a maze of tubes. She handled it with practiced ease, though Glenn couldn’t make sense of it at all.

  “What are you doing?” he finally asked.

  “Preparing to harvest the moon’s mana.”

  He hadn’t expected such a straightforward answer.

  Harvesting moonlight? Moonlight had mana? Was this location special somehow?

  He saved the questions for later.

  At last, the woman stopped moving. Everything seemed ready.

  “That should do. Just waiting for the moon to rise,” she said, dusting off her hands.

  Her voice sent a tingling shiver down Glenn’s spine—warm, velvety, and intoxicating.

  As she mentioned the moon, Glenn instinctively looked up— and just then, the full, round moon slipped out from behind the clouds.

  For some reason, a fierce urge to howl welled up within him. The wolf venom in his body surged with wild excitement.