Red String

"Why did you buy so many miscellaneous things?"

Alicia, wearing her pajamas, carefully examined the ingredients on the table: eggplants, beef. There was no refrigerator in this era, so it was best to buy and eat the same day. The items weren't many.

The food only made up a portion; the vast majority were materials Shaya had bought.

"Those are materials for making the Thousand Mile Flying Boots," Arthur explained.

"Thousand Mile Flying Boots?" Alicia frowned. "What are those?"

"Once you put them on, you can cross five kilometers in a single step."

Shaya came down from the stairs, carrying a large iron bucket that also contained some materials. The Thousand Mile Flying Boots were a magical item that had appeared in novels.

Hal had made thousands of pairs of these for the royal family; the crafting difficulty wasn't high.

"Why are you making these?" Alicia asked.

Her expression wasn't one of surprise.

Compared to that gate which could cross thousands of kilometers in the blink of an eye, boots that could cross a few kilometers were insignificant to her.

"We just encountered the Wilderness Witch!" Arthur said.

Alicia's pupils contracted slightly. "The Wilderness Witch? At Eagle's Horn?"

"Yes," Shaya murmured softly. "This is where Cassifa's true form is located..."

"Didn't you use many magical items to conceal yourself?" Alicia asked, frowning. "I didn't touch anything in your room either. Why would she be able to find us here?"

Shaya looked up at her. "From the moment you arrived at this castle, its location was actually already exposed."

Alicia's mouth opened slightly, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't. The words the Wilderness Witch had spoken to her earlier flashed through her mind.

"Tell Shaya, I will definitely find him."

She had been a little confused before, wondering why the Wilderness Witch would seek her out for no reason.

But now, it seemed everything could be explained.

She was a lure.

A lure to confirm Shaya's location.

But how could she be sure that she would definitely find Shaya?

Alicia's emotions were in turmoil, and at this moment, there was an even more important matter.

She subconsciously clutched the hem of her clothes, bit her lip, and looked up at Shaya.

"You... you know everything?"

Shaya nodded. "I can tell if you have a curse on you or not. In this world, only the Wilderness Witch uses this kind of curse."

"What else?"

Alicia looked at him, pursed her lips, her face burning, tears welling in her eyes. The way she had acted like an old person with a straight face these past few days kept replaying in her mind.

Every look and reaction from Shaya in her memory now seemed like mockery.

"What else?" Shaya tilted his head in confusion.

Alicia fell silent. After a moment, she let out a long sigh.

"It's nothing."

"What? Alicia, you've been cursed?"

Arthur, oblivious to the strange atmosphere between them, asked anxiously.

"What curse did you get?"

"I got..."

Alicia opened her mouth, wanting to explain the curse, but an external force sealed her mouth. No matter how hard she tried to speak, she couldn't utter a single word.

"She can't reveal anything about the curse," Shaya said. "That's also part of the curse."

"What a detestable person!" Arthur clenched his fists, indignant. "As expected, she's a big villain. She even bullies someone as good as Alicia!"

He looked at Shaya. "Shaya, you must teach her a lesson!"

"If he could teach her a lesson, he wouldn't be hiding all this time."

Alicia stopped trying to talk about the curse and sat down in a chair by the fireplace.

"It's not that I can't, but not now," Shaya said calmly.

"So, you're making these shoes because you plan to run?" Alicia asked.

"We're moving," Shaya said. "There are three of us, but only two rooms. The house is too small, so we need to find a bigger one."

"Where are you moving to?" Alicia asked.

"I haven't decided yet, so I need to look around. I also need to find the locations of the other entrances."

Shaya looked at Arthur and Alicia and smiled.

"What kind of place do you like to live in?"

Alicia and Arthur exchanged a glance, and then Alicia continued.

"I think we were discussing the Wilderness Witch."

"We were discussing the Wilderness Witch," Shaya said seriously. "Cassifa's location has been exposed, so I have to move it, don't I?"

"If you don't give me conditions, I'll choose myself," Shaya said with a smile.

Alicia was silent for a moment, then said, "I want to go somewhere with a sea."

Shaya nodded. "That sounds easy to find."

He hadn't visited the peninsula that Emperor Moria had given him yet; that place should be pretty good.

He looked at Arthur. "What about you?"

Arthur thought for a moment, then said excitedly, "I want to go to a place with grasslands. I've lived in the Imperial Capital my whole life, and I've never seen a plain before."

"That's fine, not difficult," Shaya mused. "I was also planning to open a shop, but I don't know what kind. How about a restaurant?"

"Too tiring," Alicia said. "If you open a restaurant, you have to get up at four or five in the morning to prepare ingredients, unless you hire someone to do it."

Shaya nodded. "Never mind, let's talk about it after we move."

Then, he looked at Alicia and took out an identical red string from his person, the same one he had given to Mrs. Foster earlier, and handed it to her.

"This is for you. It has a magic spell on it. Wear it, and your body will feel more comfortable, and you won't get sick again in the future."

However, Alicia did not take the red string. Shaya looked up at her with some confusion.

She was staring intently at the red string in Shaya's hand, remaining silent.

"What's wrong?" Shaya asked.

She looked up at Shaya, her eyes flashing with an unreadable light. "I remember, you're from the East, aren't you?"

Shaya nodded.

"Then do you know the meaning of giving someone a red string?" Alicia asked.

"Health, peace, and smooth sailing," Shaya said. He asked with some confusion, "Is there anything else?"

"No, you're right."

Alicia took the red string from Shaya's hand.

Her mother was from the East, and Alicia had heard her talk a lot about Eastern things, like the color red, which was a very important color for Eastern people.

In Eastern legends, there was a god who governed marriage, and he used a red string to tie the bonds of marriage between men and women, so it also symbolized love.

Of course, Alicia knew Shaya didn't mean that.

She threaded the red string onto her right hand. The small bell hanging from it jingled crisply, and she could clearly feel her aching body become much lighter, even her breathing smoothed out a bit.

The magic spell on this little thing was very effective. She flipped her arm, deliberately making the bell ring, and looked at the red string. For some reason, a barely perceptible smile curved her lips, and she looked very happy.

Arthur stared intently at Alicia from the side and suddenly said.

"Alicia, you look younger."

Alicia raised an eyebrow. "Do I?"

Arthur nodded seriously.

"Then this thing really seems to have some effect," Alicia said, looking at the loop of the string.

"Then lunch today is up to you," Shaya said. "I need to hurry and finish making the boots."

Alicia knew the situation was a bit urgent, so she didn't say much more. For her, cooking was a very enjoyable activity.

Shaya sat down at a workbench and began to use the materials to craft the Thousand Mile Flying Boots.

After an unknown amount of time, there was a sudden knock on the door.

With the sudden knock, the entire first floor became much quieter, except for the sound of Shaya engrossed in making the item.

After learning that the Wilderness Witch had arrived, Alicia and Arthur were a little nervous, except for the carefree Shaya.

However, Cassifa then spoke.

"Go open the door. If it's really the Wilderness Witch, I'll give you a warning. Don't worry, she can't get in."

Arthur slowly walked down and opened the door.

Two people stood behind the door, a man and a woman. The woman was naturally Mrs. Foster, whom they had met before, and the man wore overalls. He was slightly overweight, tall, with a round face and a scruffy but pleasant and honest-looking beard.

"Mr. Foster, Mrs. Foster," Alicia recognized them and asked in confusion, "Is something wrong?"

Mr. Foster smiled and held up a large fish in his hand, while Mrs. Foster spoke beside him.

"We've come to deliver a fish."

Alicia nodded, assuming Shaya had ordered it from them, and asked.

"How much is it? I'll pay you."

"No, no need," Foster said with a simple smile. "I heard from Irene that you were sick. This fish is specifically for you to supplement your nutrition."

Irene must be Mrs. Foster's name.

"And your payment has already been made," Mrs. Foster said with a gentle smile.

As she spoke, she raised her hand, and with a light jingle of a bell, Alicia saw an identical red string hanging on her wrist, just like hers.

Her gaze froze.