Chapter 729: The Blood Registry
With the basilisk dead, the sky became free to travel. Adam reduced his gravity, turning over a ton of flesh and bones as light as a feather. Wind currents swirled into a jetstream at his command.
The canopy of pines below ruffled, needle-like leaves dancing around him as the stream propelled him toward the forest’s edges. In front, Yann flapped his feathered wings. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes each time he looked at the arcanist’s wistful grin and how he clutched the basilisk’s egg tight to his chest. Some might think Yann was the father with his uncommon morphing abilities.
"Now, that would be funny." He chuckled, enjoying the bright sun that replaced the Ashenveil Grove’s soul-corroding mist and stalking magical beasts.
Hundreds of thousands of tiny, hungry eyes had glared at his back, an experience far from pleasant. And somehow, he felt that Yann’s explanation about their patient behaviour had been wrong. They hadn’t struck because of his own natural aura. If not for him, swarms of voracious insects would have devoured Yann before he even crossed a third of the forest.
Yet, the fool tried to snatch the nest’s riches for himself? As if.
Not only could he feel his distinct life force from kilometers away, but he had marked the man with his mana as soon as they entered the archipelago. No matter where Yann went, he would feel it live. Hopefully, this would remain a mere safety measure. If it didn’t... the next time he blinked might be the time of the arcanist’s death.
He gazed down as leaves, pines, and the sound of buzzing insects faded behind. A weathered sign met his eyes first, the letters painted in bold red contrasting sharply with the green of nature.
[Only death looms in the Ashenveil Grove. Step back if you value your life.]
Beyond the sign, the remnants of an ancient road stretched forth—if it could still be called a road at all. Dirt melded with the surrounding wild grass, leaving only two faded tracks that had witnessed the last carriage passage centuries ago.
Everything around the road was green or yellow grass swaying in the salty breeze. Wheat, hop, and potato fields sprawled a few kilometers ahead. Though they took most of the plain, vineyards, vegetable plantations, apple and pear trees painted the scenery purple or red in a few places.