Twisted trees coiled toward the sky like the arms of the dying, clawing at the heavens as shrill roars echoed beneath the dark-red sky.
Between those trees and roars stood simple stone grave markers amid the twisted dense forest.
Their material was not particularly good, nor did it have much luster. It was not suitable for making gravestones.
But it was likely the sturdiest, most workable material that could be found nearby.
They had been driven deep into the earth to keep the wild beasts of the wilderness from easily knocking them over or moving them.
They stood there, guarding the small burial mounds behind them.
These gravestones had begun to show signs of weathering in the howling, twisted wind, yet every name carved upon them remained clearly visible.
Thud—thud—thud—
Dull footsteps sounded behind the Old Man. A trace of spreading frost extended from behind him and stopped at his side.
A girl with long snow-white hair dusted with ice crystals walked barefoot across the frost and came to stand beside the Old Man.
"Is the funeral over?"
The stern-faced Old Man withdrew his gaze from the gravestones and asked softly.
"Mm." The White-Haired Girl nodded lightly. "He was highly respected in De Nuo City. The people who came to pay their respects clogged every road nearby."
"People are truly surprising beings." The Old Man raised his head and sighed softly. "Sometimes, they are easily stirred up by public opinion, like mindless swarms of insects. Yet at other times, they display an unexpected sharpness that transcends logic, clearly distinguishing who is good and who is evil."
"Perhaps, for ordinary people..." The White-Haired Girl gazed at the standing gravestones and sighed softly. "They simply want to live, and to live better."
"Perhaps that is precisely why human civilization has endured so