"Reno! You really maxed out your taunt buff, didn't you?!" Roland leaped and darted through the woods, dodging earth spikes that kept erupting beneath his feet.
"I'm innocent! My prince! Who knew there'd be a Great Earth Bear in that cave?!" Reno followed behind Roland with a miserable expression.
"Roar!" An enraged bellow came from behind them, and Roland and Reno could not help quickening their pace.
"I mean, even an idiot would know elves wouldn't live in a burrow!" Roland covered his face.
"By the way, don't we stand out more like this than if we were riding horses?" Roland glanced at the furious Great Earth Bear behind them.
As one of the top Advanced Beasts, the Great Earth Bear possessed a body like a small hill and formidable Earth Magic. Its enormous frame gave it defenses comparable to a wyvern's, while its powerful Earth Magic could easily destroy an army. That idiot Reno had actually barged straight into its den and successfully caught the attention of this hibernating male bear.
"This is the first time I've felt this forest was so dangerous!" Roland said irritably, turning to fire a sword beam formed of Battle Qi.
"Roar!" A few bear hairs drifted down, and the Great Earth Bear grew even more furious.
"Damn it! Your Highness, why did you attack it?" Reno leaped over an earth spike bursting from the ground and stared at Roland in horror.
"Damn!" Roland was instantly stunned by that thick bear hide.
"Say, if we killed it and skinned it to make leather armor, wouldn't the defense be absolutely amazing? And those thick bear paws, roasted with honey..." Roland felt tears of weakness about to flow from the corner of his mouth.
"Damn it! Your Highness, we're about to die, and you still have time to think about bear paws?" Reno was left utterly speechless by Roland's outrageous words. Clearly, Lagrangeans could not understand the obsession of a people from a great foodie empire. In his previous life, Roland could only look at pictures of bear paws; bears were the kind of animals that could get you locked up for life.
"Uh... how long has it been chasing us? Brother, aren't you tired?" Roland panted as he glanced at the Great Earth Bear relentlessly pursuing them.
"If only Caslo were here!" Roland deeply missed his most loyal lackey. He was obedient, handsome, and strong—and most importantly, he never caused trouble!
"Ridiculous... In this dense forest, even Caslo riding a dragon here would get crushed!" Reno sighed.
"Say, can't we shake off this stubborn pest?" Roland said helplessly.
"Unless there's a river..." Reno sighed.
"You might as well not have said anything!" Roland complained, though his feet did not slow in the slightest.
And so, at this moment, the world had two fewer Holy Knights and two more holy rangers... Their agile figures, nimble movements, and excellent awareness were enough to make real rangers type 666 with their feet.
"Eh? It seems to be slowing down!" Reno watched as the Great Earth Bear gradually reduced its speed, changing from a run to a brisk walk. Then, after crossing past a massive tree, it suddenly stopped. It raised its head, stretched out its neck, and sniffed around, as if it were deeply wary of something here. After standing still for a moment, it immediately turned and left.
"It left?" Roland asked in surprise.
"It seems we have even bigger trouble now..." Reno sighed.
"It already left. What trouble could we possibly have?" Roland asked, confused.
"Ahem. Normally, there are only two reasons a predator would give up food already in its mouth. First, it can no longer run. Obviously, that Great Earth Bear still had plenty of stamina. Second, its prey has entered the territory of an even higher-level predator..." Reno swallowed and did not continue.
"Please stop talking already..." Roland had truly had enough of Reno's mouth.
"Be careful! We're not far from our destination!" Roland warned. Nothing else could go wrong—his poor heart could barely take it anymore. Not everyone had Reno's freakish physique. Though they were both Holy Knights, Roland was already feeling a little spent after running a marathon with an Advanced Beast.
"Don't worry, Your Highness! You must be careful too. Don't get hurt!" Reno nodded.
"The person I'm least worried about is you!" Roland covered his face.
"The swaying Heavenly Star Grass, the reviving Morning Star Flower. The shining six-pointed star, the solemn guardian..." Roland murmured softly.
"Your Highness?" Reno asked, puzzled.
"It seems we need to find the Heavenly Star Grass first..." Roland ignored Reno and began searching around for it.
"Heavenly Star Grass? Isn't that a plant that grows in summer? It's already winter. How could there be any?" Reno asked in confusion.
"This is the secret phrase for reaching Singri. Singri is isolated from the world, concealed within a barrier. We need to find the route leading there." Roland glanced at Reno.
"And the Heavenly Star Grass will point us in the right direction!" Roland stared into the shadowy forest.
"Uh... all right, Your Highness." Reno scratched his head. He did not understand why Heavenly Star Grass would grow in winter, but since Roland had said so, he had to follow him and look.
"Don't be in such a hurry. Heavenly Star Grass can only be seen at night!" Roland said quietly.
In the fading light of sunset, Reno and Roland hastily filled their stomachs with hard black bread and water. Then they found a thick tree, swiftly climbed into its dense canopy, and lay down on broad branches to rest for a while.
As the sun set and the moon climbed above the treetops, starlight filled the night sky, making Mirkwood seem especially tranquil.
"Let's go, Your Highness. It's night." Reno opened his eyes and gently shook Roland.
"Mm? It's dark already?" Roland rubbed his eyes.
"Time to work!" After stretching lazily, Roland jumped down from the tree.
After a long time, just as Roland was about to give up, thinking there were no Star Elves in this world, Reno suddenly quietly pointed to a spot beneath a tree not far to their right.
There, beside dark tree roots, several frail clumps of Heavenly Star Grass swayed desperately toward the direction of the starlight. The light from the sky seemed drawn to them, pouring softly over them like a silken ribbon.
"It really exists!" Roland froze. Heavenly Star Grass that grew out of season truly existed, so they should also be able to find the Morning Star Flower, which grew only in autumn.
Roland gently supported the Heavenly Star Grass and examined it closely. Since Heavenly Star Grass was drawn by starlight, Singri's Star Barrier would surely attract it as well. Otherwise, Heavenly Star Grass could not possibly exist in winter, so far out of season.
"Their cores are facing south!" Roland finally discovered the message hidden within the Heavenly Star Grass.
"Let's go! This way!" Roland waved at Reno, signaling for him to follow.
Along the way, Roland spotted several more clumps of Heavenly Star Grass. Sure enough, every one of their cores pointed south.
"It seems we'll have to wait until dawn and find the Morning Star Flower before we can determine the approximate location of the Singri Kingdom's entrance." Roland clapped his hands. The Heavenly Star Grass scattered everywhere had completed its mission. The rest of the path would need the Morning Star Flower to guide them.
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