Chapter 45: The Bloodstained Mandrake
As night faded and dawn approached, Sunan left the tavern with Amy at the first light of day.
Amy's master, the mysterious wizard, resided in the Spiked Stone Valley to the east of Clockstone City.
Just over ten kilometers outside the city lay a pine forest. Following the dense trees eastward and crossing two hills, they entered the Spiked Stone Valley.
Once inside the valley, the environment grew increasingly desolate, and the terrain became more rugged.
The ground was almost devoid of vegetation, littered with jagged stones and patches of withered grass and thorns sprouting from rock crevices, creaking as the cold wind swept through the mountains.
Sunan couldn't help but wonder why the wizard chose such a desolate place to live.
However, he reminded himself that a thousand years had passed; perhaps Spiked Stone Valley was not always like this.
Amy lay quietly on Sunan's shoulder, bored, licking her paws.
When the sun finally rose over the distant mountains, the pair reached a riverbank.
"Meow, if we follow the river upstream, we'll arrive," Amy pointed ahead.
Sunan didn't move immediately but ordered the Hidden Dragon nearby to scout ahead.