Chapter 49: The Mysterious Mountain Village
The sun hung high in the sky, and Reynolds was currently trekking through a vast mountain range.
"I should be just about at the border of the Chaos Territory by now," Reynolds muttered to himself, unsure exactly how far he had traveled. After more than ten consecutive days of journeying, Reynolds generally walked through desolate areas. Even when he saw large cities in the distance, he didn't enter them.
The mountain range Reynolds had now entered was extremely vast in scope.
After walking for a long time, Reynolds climbed to one of the higher points of the mountain range and looked around. Suddenly, he discovered... nestled in a hollow of the mountains was a peaceful little mountain village. Reynolds licked his dry lips, grabbed hold of some vines, and descended into this small village hidden within the mountain hollow.
When the people of this small mountain village saw Reynolds enter, they all stared at him with curious eyes.
Clearly... they rarely saw outsiders.
There were quite a few families in this small mountain village. Reynolds estimated that there were at least several thousand people. The village even had an open-air tavern, simply set up with a canopy. Reynolds walked straight over, sat down, and called out, "Give me two jugs of water, a few dishes, and a bottle of good wine."
But as soon as he sat down, Reynolds noticed something—
"What's going on here?" Reynolds' heart trembled.
He realized that every single person here exuded the aura of a master. From Reynolds' assessment, there were many warriors of the sixth and seventh ranks, some eighth-rank warriors... and even some powerful mages. Everyone was either a warrior or a mage, and their strength was extremely formidable.
"Brother, how did you end up in our village?" A bald-headed man carrying a bottle of wine and two bowls walked over. "Come, have a drink."
Sensing the unusual nature of this mountain village, Reynolds quickly replied, "I'm heading from the O'Brien Empire to the Chaos Territory. I didn't take any main roads. Instead, I crossed mountains and rivers, heading straight north. If I encountered a big river, I swam across; if I met a mountain, I climbed over it... I never expected that while crossing this mountain range, I'd discover a village here."
The bald-headed man nodded and smiled. "So that's how it is."
"No wonder. There are no roads around our village. This mountain range is also very desolate. Normally, we might not see a single outsider for ten or twenty years." Another man also walked over, speaking with a smile.
Reynolds felt a chill in his heart.
Both men before him were very strong. They were probably at the seventh or eighth rank.
"What kind of place is this? Why is everyone a master?" Reynolds thought to himself.
After drinking and chatting with the two men, Reynolds discovered... the people of this mysterious mountain village were not completely isolated from the world. They were quite familiar with the outside world.
"Princess Monica is coming," the bald-headed man suddenly said. At that moment, many people around them looked toward the same spot. Reynolds also turned his head to look—
A beautiful woman with emerald-green hair, followed by a maidservant, was walking over while warmly greeting the surrounding villagers. When Reynolds saw this beautiful woman, he was momentarily stunned. Her exquisite features, her kind smile...
Even Reynolds, who had frequented many romantic establishments, felt a sense of breathtaking beauty and a tremor in his heart.
"I think I've found where I belong."
Reynolds had flirted and dallied with many noble ladies. But none had ever truly moved his heart... which was why he had remained single. Yet seeing this girl in the mysterious mountain village, with her unique aura, made Reynolds' heart race.
This girl named "Monica" turned her gaze toward Reynolds. It was then that Reynolds noticed her clear eyes held a faint, emerald glow, like that of a legendary elf. She was utterly captivating. Monica smiled and spoke, "Hello, outsider."
Reynolds immediately stood up and said with great politeness and humility, "Beautiful Princess Monica, my name is Reynolds."
Monica suddenly glanced at Reynolds' left hand, her mouth opening in surprise. Then she looked at Reynolds and asked, "What happened to your hand?"
"I was injured by someone," Reynolds said casually.
Monica immediately stepped forward. "Extend your hand." Without asking further, Reynolds stretched out his left hand. The wound, where it had been severed by iron pincers, was shocking to behold. Monica's lips moved slightly, and after a moment—
Countless white specks of light, like a dreamy nebula, merged into Reynolds' left hand. At the wound site, two fingers began to grow back at a clearly visible speed. In the blink of an eye, Reynolds' left hand was as good as new, as if it had never been injured.
"This, this..." Reynolds was astonished, staring at the girl named "Monica" before him.
He hadn't expected that this girl "Monica" was actually a Light-style mage, and a very high-level one at that. Her strength was in no way inferior to Reynolds'.
When Reynolds saw the focused expression on Monica's face at that moment, his heart stirred.
...
In the evening, as the sun set in the west, a large expanse of fiery clouds filled the sky.
On the grassy field west of the village, Reynolds and Monica were walking side by side. Reynolds looked at Monica's beautiful face beside him, feeling a sense of contentment in his heart. Reynolds had already been staying in this mysterious mountain village for over a month.
During this month, the villagers hadn't chased him away.
In his month here, Reynolds had learned that most of the villagers had never left the village. Only a very few occasionally ventured outside. When they returned, they would tell the other villagers about the outside world.
Monica was only twenty years old this year, yet she was already a seventh-rank Light-style mage. In terms of talent, she was even stronger than Reynolds.
"I can't go on like this. I have to let my parents and my brothers know that I'm alive," Reynolds thought. He wanted to see his family soon, but Monica's attraction to him was too strong. For Monica, Reynolds, who came from the outside world, knew a great deal, and chatting with him allowed her to learn more about the outside world.
Reynolds was especially good at conversation, and Monica was very happy spending time with him.
"If only I could be with Monica forever," Reynolds thought longingly.
"Miss."
Suddenly, a voice came from behind. A man with short silver hair approached. Reynolds was startled. This middle-aged man had gotten so close without Reynolds even noticing. His strength was remarkable.
"Uncle Miller." Monica turned around, saw the silver-haired middle-aged man, and immediately called out cheerfully.
Miller had a weathered face. He glanced at Reynolds, then said to Monica with a kind smile, "Miss Monica, it's getting late. Your mother is waiting for you to come back for dinner." Monica nodded, then smiled at Reynolds. "Brother Reynolds, I'm going now. See you!"
Reynolds nodded with a smile.
When Monica left, Miller fixed his gaze on Reynolds and said coldly, "Outsider boy, you've been in our village for a while now. You must make a choice now—"
"Choice?" Reynolds was surprised.
Miller nodded indifferently. "Since you've come here, it means you have some fate with our village. You now have two options. One is to stay in our village permanently, becoming a member of our village, never to leave. The other is to leave immediately and never be allowed to return. You have only these two choices. If you disobey, you will surely die."
The cold words sent a chill through Reynolds' heart.
Leave forever? Or stay here forever, never to leave the village?
Reynolds didn't want to choose either.
"Mr. Miller," Reynolds said hastily, "As far as I know, some people in the village are allowed to leave occasionally, right?"
Miller glanced at him and said with a faint smile, "That's right. Our village holds a competition every year. The top ten in the competition are allowed to leave the village for a trip. However, with your strength... you wouldn't even rank in the top hundred of our village, let alone the top ten."
Reynolds was very tense now.
"I may not rank now, but that doesn't mean I won't in the future," Reynolds thought, having already made up his mind. "Mr. Miller, I've decided to become a member of this village." Although Reynolds loved his parents, when he was in the army, he often went a year or two without seeing them. As long as he could let them know he was alive and well, and perhaps visit them later, it should be fine.
Reynolds knew his parents could live for another one or two hundred years.
As for Monica... Reynolds was afraid that if he left now, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
Miller nodded slightly. "Welcome to our village. Remember, you are not allowed to leave the village without permission. If you are caught... you will surely die. Never doubt the power of our village." With that, Miller turned to leave.
"Mr. Miller," Reynolds called out.
Miller turned to look at him. "What is it?"
"When others from the village go out, can they deliver messages for me?" Reynolds asked.
Miller nodded. "Yes, but you cannot reveal any information about the village. I will be leaving the village in a couple of days. If you have any messages, I can deliver them for you."
Reynolds was overjoyed and quickly said, "Mr. Miller, when you leave the village, could you go to any branch of the Dawson Conglomerate and tell them that I, Reynolds Dunstan, am not dead and am doing very well, so my family and friends don't need to worry."
"The Dawson Conglomerate?" Miller glanced at him, then nodded.
"Mr. Miller," Reynolds suddenly realized something, "Didn't you say that only the top ten in the annual competition get to leave once? How come you can leave whenever you want?"
Miller looked at him. "When you have strength like mine, you can also leave the village anytime you wish." With that, Miller's figure flickered and completely vanished before Reynolds' eyes. Reynolds was shocked. That speed was terrifying.
******
"Sir, that Reynolds isn't very strong, but Miss Monica seems to be..." Miller stood respectfully to the side, while a handsome, refined-looking middle-aged man with long black hair sat on a stone stool, casually drinking wine.
The refined middle-aged man smiled faintly. "Whoever Monica likes is up to her. Don't force her. That Reynolds choosing to stay in the village shows he has some courage."
"But the Madam..." Miller said.
The refined middle-aged man laughed. "Haha... Well, I can't help with that. If that Reynolds really likes my daughter, he'll have to work hard. He might not even pass the Madam's test."
"Tomorrow, when you go to the Dark Forest, be careful not to offend the king of that place," the refined middle-aged man said, glancing at Miller.
"Yes, sir," Miller replied respectfully.
...
The next morning, a blur shot out from the village, instantly tearing through the sky and flying north at an incredible speed. It was even faster than Linley's flight speed after his Dragonblood Warrior transformation. In about an hour, this blur was already nearing the Dark Forest.
"Hmm?" The speed suddenly slowed, and Miller looked down from high above.
Blackwood City was near the Dark Forest, less than fifty miles away. Miller was currently above Blackwood Mountain. Although he had been flying fast, he still sensed a powerful surge of Wind-style energy.
"Someone else cultivating the Wind-style Elemental Laws?" Miller's eyes lit up.
Miller himself cultivated the Wind-style Elemental Laws. He looked closely at Blackwood Mountain and saw a figure in a deep cyan robe, holding a violet longsword, constantly flickering across various spots on the mountain. The speed was astonishing.
"His realm is also quite good. It's been centuries since I've sparred with another Wind-style master." Miller felt an itch to fight and flew straight down toward the mountain.
Linley also noticed the figure flying down from above at extreme speed.
Miller landed directly on the crown of a large tree on Blackwood Mountain. Standing on the treetop, he looked at Linley from a distance and laughed heartily, "I am Miller, also a cultivator of the Wind-style Elemental Laws. Brother, would you be willing to spar with me?"