flstandardbreds Chapter 156: It's Hard to Leave Home
Chapter 156: It's Hard to Leave Home
"It sounds like the church is so... uh..." Sean also grew up in a small town. Like most children in the Gaia Empire, he followed his parents to the church every week. Now, he suddenly heard such wild news. Even if he didn't believe it, he was still a little turbulent in his heart and had some different feelings about the church.
"So bad..." Lilith supplemented Sean's unspoken sigh.
"Stop spreading nonsense and unfounded rumors here." Daniel had been dozing with his eyes closed, not wanting to get involved in the conversation, but he couldn't help but frown after hearing this.
"Even if those things really happened, they were all done by fools among believers. They misunderstood God's will. What does it have to do with the church? One of the most important jobs of clergy is to convey and interpret God's thoughts to those ignorant believers."
Nowadays, the relationship between the church and the nobility is extremely complicated. Most second sons and side branches of noble families are not eligible to inherit the family business. One of the most respectable options is to become a clergyman in the church. Daniel naturally protects the church.
“But the people who try witches seem to be clergymen,” Hannah retorted in a low voice.
"That, that is..." Daniel didn't know what to say for a moment. He looked at Catherine. The princess was looking at the firelight, her face flickering, her silver-gray pupils became the best canvas, and the firelight danced in her eyes.
"Squeak-squeak--"
The crow seemed annoyed by their noise and flew away.
"It's too late, let's go to bed." Catherine spoke, interrupting everyone's conversation to prevent everyone from getting more and more excited and unable to sleep.
The group finally quieted down, some sleeping and some closing their eyes to rest.
……
At noon on the third day, they finally saw a huge lake.
The sun shines on the snow, reflecting a dazzling light, and the lake appears quietly in this light. Like a large piece of clear sapphire, after a long journey, this huge lake is like an unexpected surprise, a reward for these tired travelers.
"How beautiful... This lake is not frozen in such a cold place!" Someone exclaimed in amazement at the steam rising from the lake.
"Maybe there is a heat source underground." Lilith walked over and put her hand in, and it was indeed warm.
"It's amazing..." Lulu also came over and stirred the water a few times. "No wonder the fire station has always wanted to develop into the valley. There are rich resources here, and there is geothermal water. It's much better than the cold valley entrance."
But the witch won't agree.
"Hey, is this an ancient monument?" The sharp-eyed Lucas asked excitedly, pointing at an ancient stone sticking out from the lake.
Everyone came closer to take a look. There were patterns carved on the stone, and at the top was a strange animal with a horse's head. The mottled marks of erosion on it showed that it was very old. The more Lucas looked at it, the more excited he became.
"...This is a stone post for tying horses." Catherine took a look and shattered Lucas' fantasy of getting rich quickly.
"...Never mind, Lilith, help me collect it." Lucas was stunned for a while, still unwilling to give up. What if it is valuable?
"Ah?" Lilith was speechless. Seeing Lucas's determined look, he covered his face and put the broken stone into his pocket. Now he really became a rag collector.
She quickly walked in the opposite direction of Lucas, vowing to stay away from this collector.
However, not long after she walked, she suddenly stopped.
People always say that it is hard to find traces of anything in winter, but Lilith doesn't think so. She looks at the small plum blossom prints on the ground, which must have been left by clever squirrels foraging in the snow. The big hoof prints may be the marks left by reindeer or roe deer when they came to drink water. Further ahead -
She saw a row of small human footprints, clearly visible in the snow, extending steadily into the forest, like a flexible ribbon, quietly drifting into the depths of the mysterious forest. She squatted down to observe carefully. The footprints on the snow had clear edges, and a thin layer of new snow accumulated in the indentations, perhaps left there in the morning.
"Catherine!" She turned around and called the princess, her heart unable to suppress her joy and a smile on her face.
After walking for a few days, I finally got some clues!
Catherine came quickly upon hearing the sound. The north was cold and the snow was deep. Like Lilith, she was now wearing long trousers and long boots, looking particularly dashing.
When she looked in the direction Lilith had directed, a hint of surprise finally appeared in her eyes.
"Let's just follow the footprints." Catherine made a decision immediately. The snowstorm could come at any time, and they had to find the witches' residence before the footprints were covered.
"If we find them, what will you say to them?" At this time, there were only the two of them standing by the lake away from the crowd. Lilith looked at the excited Catherine and asked her own question.
"...Do you think they will go back to Goletia with us?" Lilith's words calmed Catherine's heated head. She thought about it and asked Lilith for her opinion.
"Even if you can take them away, how will you settle them? My winery can take them in. But..." Lilith thought for a moment, "For many people, it is hard to leave their hometown."
"Moreover, their hatred has not yet been resolved, and they may not be able to live in harmony with humans." Lilith thought of the frozen blood on the top of the church.
Catherine fell into deep thought after hearing this, "I still don't want to believe that they did it..."
So she had to ask in person. After thinking this through, Catherine no longer hesitated and informed everyone to take a short rest before setting off.
……
The footprints continued along the forest, sometimes crossing rocks and fallen rotten wood. The surrounding atmosphere gradually became quiet and deep. The tall trees were like silent guards, quietly guarding this territory. The sunlight shone through the gaps between the branches and leaves, forming mottled light and shadows on the snow, and the footprints shuttled between the light and shadow, leading Catherine to go deeper and deeper. She walked faster and faster, her physical strength gradually declined, and her breath became unstable.
Lilith suddenly stopped and frowned, "I don't feel right."
"What's wrong?" Ian asked, immediately putting his hand on the sword.
At this time, they just climbed up a stone slope along the footprints. Lilith looked back and pointed at a rugged tree in the distance. "We have been there before."
"Did you see it wrong?" Bobby looked in the direction of Lilith's finger, not knowing which tree she was pointing at. "You can't even remember what the tree looks like, can you?"
"I really remember it." Lilith nodded. She did not rely on the tree's appearance. The elven magic allowed her to dissect the characteristics of the plant. If she wanted, she could see the veins inside the tree clearly, and every tree was different.
"What do you mean? Are we going in circles?" Lulu immediately sat on the ground upon hearing that and took a rest for a while.
"Wait, I'll go take a look." Lilith jumped down swiftly, climbed over the obstacles in the snow, slowly waded to the tree she had seen, and looked around -
The snow was white, with some traces of branches left behind. As the snow fell, the witch's footprints and their own were gone...