Chapter 195: Who is this woman?
Meanwhile, Damon, Mark, Kate and Aurora arrived at a different location. For a moment they were all surprised because the spot they were currently standing on was completely different from the frozen tundra they had come from.
They were standing in a valley nestled between two towering ice-crusted mountains, but the valley itself was unlike anything the group expected. A tranquil oasis spread before them, a ribbon of lush green snaking through the heart of the frozen lands.
The snow faded at the valley’s edge, giving way to soft grass, blooming flowers, and warm, fragrant air. Birds flitted between branches heavy with fruit, and a gentle stream sparkled under the filtered sunlight pouring through the misty sky above.
Damon froze for half a second before he gasped, his eyes going wide. "These are... these are Spiritroot Blossoms... and that’s Starvine! And that... wait, that’s Sunquartz Moss!" He spun around, the excitement on his face almost childlike as he crouched down to gently pluck the glowing leaves of a moon-colored plant. "These are all rare. Some of these haven’t even been seen in the trade markets yet. What is this place?"
He didn’t wait for an answer. With a gleam in his eye, he pulled out his spatial pouch and began stuffing it with every herb he could recognize, darting from patch to patch like a treasure-mad botanist.
Azuna, watching with a serene smile, knelt beside a small blooming bush, her fingers brushing its leaves. "I had a feeling you might like it, Master," she said gently. "The earth called to me. It whispered of this place, a cradle of life hidden beneath the cold. I only followed its voice."
Damon didn’t even stop to respond. "Like it? I love it. You might’ve just saved me weeks of grinding." His laughter echoed through the valley as he vanished behind a cluster of shimmering blue ferns.
Kate let out a sigh, dropping her shoulders and finally relaxing. They had been through a lot and this felt like a much needed break. She crouched beside a stream, dipping her fingers into the crystal-clear water. "It’s warm," she murmured, eyes narrowing slightly. "Geothermal activity, maybe? But how does something like this exist in the middle of an ice field?"
Mark nodded. He too let out a big breath and directly jumped into the inviting water.