Chapter 107: Leaving Spring Village
Close to five in the afternoon, the communication device in Ethan’s pocket suddenly vibrated.
He was helping the villagers tie up several bags of dried food when his hands stopped. Laira and Ruo Yan, who were nearby, turned almost at the same time. Ethan took out the black metal device, and the moment he touched its surface, a ring of blue light ran along its edge. After a few seconds of light static, Xue Ji’s familiar voice came through.
"Ethan?"
"It is me."
The other side fell silent for a moment. Then Xue Ji gave a soft laugh. "Finally changed your mind? I thought you were really planning to keep that device for ten years before using it. Unfortunately, I have matters to handle in Silver Moon City, so it is not convenient for me to come pick you up personally. I have already sent out a small airship. They are fairly close to the area where you sent the signal. They should arrive in about half an hour."
Behind her voice, there were also sounds of people moving around and heavy objects being shifted. Clearly, Xue Ji really was busy. Ethan looked around once, then replied, "All right."
"I will wait for you in Silver Moon City." Xue Ji paused for a moment before asking, "What about the two people with you?"
"They are coming with me."
"Laira and Ruo Yan?"
Ethan raised his brow slightly. "You still remember?"
Xue Ji laughed. "I am not so old that I would forget people I only met not long ago. All right, three people. I will inform the group coming to pick you up."
Ethan looked toward the road leading out of the village. He had never intended to let the people of Silver Moon City know the location of Spring Village, so he immediately said, "Do not let the airship come straight here. I will go to the point where I sent the signal this morning."
The other side went quiet for half a beat. Xue Ji did not ask why. She only replied naturally, "Understood. I will send those coordinates to them."
"Thank you."
"It is a small matter. See you in Silver Moon City."
The communication ended.
Ethan put the device back into his pocket. Vesna was standing not far away, the two thin structures at her temples trembling slightly as she looked at him. She did not need to ask too much. She only said, "It is time?"
"Yes. About half an hour."
The news quickly spread through the village, but this time, no one hurried to prepare another feast. The things that needed to be said, the blessings that needed to be given, and the gifts that people wanted to hand over had already been offered during lunch. By the time Ethan, Laira, and Ruo Yan were ready to leave, everyone had merely gathered quietly along the western road of the village.
Ruo Yan was the slowest.
She stood in front of Vesna for a long time. In the end, she still stepped forward and hugged her. Vesna also wrapped her arms around Ruo Yan’s back, her hand gently stroking that black hair, just as she had done countless times before. She did not tell her to survive, nor did she say anything too heavy. She only said softly, "Go."
Ruo Yan tightened her arms a little more before finally letting go. Her eyes were still slightly red after the feast at noon, but this time, she did not cry. She looked at Vesna, her voice much steadier than when she had said goodbye to the others. "I will come back."
Vesna smiled. "Mm."
Just as the atmosphere was turning a little emotional, the fox-eared girl standing behind them suddenly cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted loudly, "Ruo Yan! Remember what we taught you!"
Ruo Yan’s body instantly stiffened.
Ethan, who had just been about to turn away, also looked over. "Taught her what?"
"Nothing."
Ruo Yan answered so quickly that she nearly cut him off.
Laira, standing beside them, immediately laughed. She did not even need to know what that group of women had said. Ruo Yan’s reaction alone was enough for her to guess that the content was definitely not proper.
Ruo Yan snapped her head around. "What are you laughing at?"
Laira tried to force down the corners of her mouth, but her orange-red eyes were still curved. "Nothing."
"You are obviously laughing."
"I just remembered something funny."
Ruo Yan narrowed her eyes at her. If they were not about to leave the village, the two of them would probably have argued for a few more sentences.
Ethan did not ask further either. He slung his bag over his shoulder, looked one last time at the familiar faces around the road, and said softly, "Thank you, everyone."
Just two simple words.
But no one needed him to explain.
Ethan was thanking them for the shelter, the food, the help, and for those rare peaceful days whose feeling he had nearly forgotten. Spring Village had once only been a place where he was forced to take temporary shelter, but after everything that had happened, it had become one of the very few places he could step into without guarding against a knife suddenly stabbing him from behind.
Ethan turned first.
Laira walked on his right, and Ruo Yan followed on his left. The three of them slowly left the village under everyone’s gaze.
No one ran after them.
Vesna remained standing at the head of the road, watching the backs of the three grow farther and farther away. The fox-eared girl beside her waved her hand high, while several children had already started calling Ruo Yan and Laira’s names.
When Laira heard them, she turned around and waved.
Ruo Yan had originally intended to keep walking, but in the end, she also stopped and turned back to look at the village one more time.
Ethan did not urge her.
He stood beside her and waited.
After a while, Ruo Yan finally withdrew her gaze.
"Let’s go."
"Mm."
The three of them continued walking.
Ethan did not head straight for the pickup point.
After leaving Spring Village, he led Laira and Ruo Yan around the northern slope, crossed a narrow rock crevice, then changed direction two more times. Only after making sure no one could trace their route back and deduce the village’s location did he head toward the open ground where he had sent the signal in the morning.
Ruo Yan walked beside him, occasionally turning her head to look back. On the third time, Ethan finally spoke. "Do you not want to leave?"
Ruo Yan withdrew her gaze. "I already said I would go with you."
"That is not what I asked."
She fell silent for a moment before replying, "I am just not used to it yet."
Ethan said nothing more.
He understood that feeling.
Spring Village had once been the place Ruo Yan returned to when she had nowhere else to go. Leaving it this time meant that she was truly beginning a new life, and in that life, her future was no longer tied to the village.
Ethan reached out his right hand.
Ruo Yan looked down.
Then she naturally held it.
She said nothing, but her steps became a little quicker.
Laira, who was walking on the other side, saw this and immediately extended her hand toward Ethan.
He turned to look at her.
"What are you doing?"
"I want to as well."
"You are already walking this close. Do you still need to hold hands?"
Laira raised a brow. "Is that relevant?"
Ethan looked at the hand extended before him. In the end, he could only laugh. His left arm, covered by the Primordial Armor, still functioned normally, so he offered it to her.
Laira immediately held it.
With her height of nearly two meters and twenty centimeters, her arm was much longer than Ethan’s. As long as she moved slightly closer, his entire body would almost fall within the range where she could hug him at any moment.
The three continued walking like that for a while.
Laira was no longer maintaining her complete Red Dragon form now.
After stepping into Silver Rank and releasing the first layer of the Sunfire Divine Seal, her control over her bloodline had improved greatly compared to before. Her black horns were withdrawn, and the dragon wings as well as the Thunder Wings behind her had completely disappeared. Only her crimson hair, orange-red eyes, and height of nearly two meters and twenty centimeters remained, making her so eye-catching that she was almost impossible to blend into any crowd.
Ruo Yan was still wearing her familiar dark outfit. The Necromancer had already been put away, while the three old Puppet Cores were carefully stored inside her storage space.
Only after they reached the open ground did Ethan let go of the two of them.
He looked at the time on the communication device.
A few minutes left.
Laira sat down on a large rock nearby. The rock was originally almost waist-high for an ordinary person, but to her, it was only like a slightly low chair. Her long legs stretched out in front of her, one hand braced behind her, while the wind blew her crimson hair to the side.
Ruo Yan stood beside Ethan.
"Do you trust Xue Ji?"
"Not completely."
"Then you are still going?"
Ethan put the device back into his pocket. "At least for now, she has no reason to harm us. Silver Moon City is also a suitable place to understand the situation outside, buy resources, and prepare for the next step."
Ruo Yan nodded.
Laira spoke from behind them. "If she has ill intentions, we beat her."
Ethan turned to look at her.
Laira was speaking very seriously.
"Are your solutions always this simple?"
"They work."
Ruo Yan rarely agreed with her. "On this point, I think she is right."
Ethan looked at the two of them.
"I am starting to worry about Silver Moon City."
Laira immediately laughed.
At that exact moment, the faint sound of an engine came from the distance.
The three of them raised their heads at the same time.
A black dot appeared beyond the mountain range, then quickly grew larger in their field of vision. It was an airship, far smaller than the ship Xue Ji had used before. Its hull was more than twenty meters long, and its surface was covered in dark gray metal. Four energy engines on both sides emitted a faint blue light, leaving short trails as the airship slowed down.
It circled once above the open ground before beginning its descent.
The airflow from the engines pressed downward, sending dry grass and dust rolling up in rings. Ethan had just narrowed his eyes when Laira stepped half a step forward out of habit. Her body, nearly two meters and twenty centimeters tall, stood in front of him like a wall, easily blocking most of the dust blowing toward him.
The airship touched down.
The engine noise slowly lowered.
After a few seconds, the side door of the ship slid open to both sides.
Six figures walked out one after another.
Ethan stood still and looked at them.
The journey to Silver Moon City had officially begun.