Anita hesitated for a moment but then nodded and let them in. Adrian revealed a heartfelt smile as Mya pushed him inside.The stone house only had one room. The living room, kitchen, and bedroom were a combined space of a little over fifty square meters. This was because much of the resources required to build a house were stone. It would take a person about a year to excavate enough rocks to build a single house. On top of that, rocks were precious to them so they could not bring themselves to build elaborate houses. Instead, they would sell off most of the rocks they could gather. Aside from a crude table made of wood, the house did not have much other furniture. There were three beds, one for each family member, but they were really small. There was a curtain made of banana leaves between Anita and Strider's beds, providing Anita the privacy she needed. Cooking was done outside and they had their meals while sitting on the floor as they did not own any chairs. A small mat made ou
Mya took out all of her snacks and spread them out on the banana leaf mat. Smiling, she said to Anita, "You've never had these before, have you? The girls in the city love them. Come try some."She opened up a bag of chips and handed it to Anita, who looked a little nervous as she took it. Still smiling, Mya said, "Try it. It's really tasty. Those are my favorite."Anita nodded and tried a piece. "Do you like it?" Mya asked.Anita nodded once more. "These are all for you. You could eat them every day from now on if you want. Would you like to go to the city and have your own room? Do you want to wear nice clothes and be in a relationship with a dashingly handsome man?" Anita nodded again. Mya stroked Anita's hair with a smile. "I promise to fulfill your every wish. In return, I need you to tell me and Adrian everything about Strider. For example, where is he right now?" While eating, Anita pointed to a mountain and said, "He goes up the mountains before the sun even rises
"Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!" Jenny panicked and ran over when she saw Adrian getting out of his wheelchair. Adrian took a deep breath, withstanding the pain in his legs. After flexing for a moment, he said, "I'm fine. I've been in that wheelchair for more than half a month now. It's time I get some exercise." "Y-You're infuriating! Why do you insist on moving around when you're still recovering?" Jenny scolded. Mya did not seem too surprised. After all, she was used to Adrian's personality after having followed him for so long. She even thought it would be odd for Adrian to sit still in the face of such a situation.Ignoring Jenny's words, Adrian said, "I'm leaving Anita in your care while Mya and I head to Strider Mountain. Wait for us here.""Do you want to lose your legs?" Jenny stomped her foot angrily. "My legs are fine, Jen. Come on, Mya. Let’s go." Adrian then strode out of the house. Mya gave Jenny a pat on the shoulder before following after him. ***
Due to the bright moonlight, the man and the wolf could be seen clearly."It’s Strider…" Adrian whispered. "No wonder the villagers call him the child of a wolf. He seems really chummy with them, don’t you think?“Wait… That wolf has only two legs, and Strider's holding a wild rabbit. He's feeding it. He's taking care of that wolf!" Mya exclaimed in shock. Adrian looked surprised too.Suddenly…"Who's there?" Strider whipped around, emitting a beam of light against the dark of night.In the blink of an eye, he was standing before Adrian. His fist was about a centimeter away from Adrian's face, but he quickly retracted it the moment he saw the two. "Who are you? Why are you following me?" Strider asked as he took a few steps back. The pair stood and dusted the dried leaves off themselves. "We weren't following you. We came here to find you,” Adrian explained."Find me?” Strider frowned. He soon recognized Mya. "It's you. Didn't I already say I won’t go with you? What are
Strider sat on the ground. There was not a single person who did not wish for their siblings to lead a happy life, including Strider. Noting Strider’s silence, Adrian asked, "What are you afraid of when you've got such powers? Is there something stopping you?"Strider shook his head. "Nothing's stopping me.""Then why would you be fine living deep in the mountains for the rest of your life? You've heard Jerome and Remy's stories, haven't you? Although the three of you are alike, you've chosen a different life from them. Do you really wish to live like an ordinary mortal?"Although Strider lived deep in the mountains, he was aware of everything that happened at Wyvern Peak. For a long time, he had dreamt of becoming Wyvern Peak's legate, but he ultimately did not choose that path.Strider had a good friend in Knoxville, a businessman who came from a major city. Whenever the two conducted business, Strider would hear of events that took place at Wyvern Peak, which was how he knew a
"The wolves here live dozens of years longer than wolves of other places.""Infinite Grotto? Where is that?" Adrian asked. "It's a cave at the top of Strider Mountain with this name engraved above it. There's a skeleton inside the cave, and the place is rather magical. There are many rocks I've never seen elsewhere inside the cave too. These rocks emit powerful energy, which I call aura essence. The wolves gained a lot more intelligence after absorbing these essences.""Rocks again?" Adrian mumbled.Mya turned toward him and asked, "Do you think they're the same meteorites from Isle 416? According to our research, the Isle 416 meteorites emit a similar sensation. Do you think the worms on them altered the wolves' DNA?"There was a chance that Mya was right. At this moment, Novemton knew little about the meteorites except that the worms on them could alter DNA and cells. Adrian turned to Strider and asked, "Were you also affected by the rocks inside of Infinite Grotto?""Yes. S
Mya heaved a sigh, lamenting how everything seemed to be connected to the meteorites. She wondered how many more people would be affected by those things. At that moment, Blue howled and collapsed. Strider ran over to her, but her eyes were shut. Her soul had left her body. He stood next to her and took a deep breath while Adrian and Mya walked over."Blue was my only friend. She saved me and protected me…""My condolences," Mya consoled.Strider proceeded to bury Blue's body near the den.Flint back at Knoxville had said that it was Strider's grandfather who had found this wolf den. Blue was probably protecting baby Strider at the time, and when he grew up and got injured, it was also she who took him to the cave. This was proof that Blue was an intelligent being.Adrian said, "Take me to Infinite Grotto.""That place is dangerous, sir. You might end up becoming like me if you go there. I suggest you forget about it."Mya suggested, "How about we head home first? I'll buy som
The cave was dark and moist, crawling with insects, mice, and even snakes.The trio entered with Strider leading the way. Adrian and Mya could not feel the energy inside the cave due to their protective gear. After about ten minutes of walking, they found large clusters of black rocks. The rocks covered the walls of the cave and were in piles on the floor. A skeleton sat behind one of these piles. The skeleton was in a meditative position, indicating that whoever it used to be had died a peaceful death. "Here we are," Strider said. "The rocks here look just like the ones back at Isle 416. We now know for sure these rocks are the same meteorites," Mya said after some observation. Adrian recognized the rocks too and walked toward the skeleton. "This deceased here must have been the ones to bring these rocks here. They believed they’d become a god. Yet, they died living in a fantasy," he said as he shone his flashlight on the skeleton. "This person’s situation was probably the sa