The stonekin followed Nili's footsteps into the strange forest shrouded in ghostly blue fluorescence.
Fluorescent moss paved a glowing carpet beneath their feet, while starlight quartz gleamed faintly along both sides of the path, as though guiding their way.
Once the trees completely swallowed the world behind them, the surroundings gradually sank into profound silence. Even the chirping of insects and the cries of night birds vanished entirely, leaving only the sounds of their footsteps on moss and fallen oak leaves.
Here, rocks that could be found everywhere in Gore lay half-buried in the soil beneath blankets of fluorescent moss.
They had lain silent for countless ages, meant to be slowly forgotten in the long river of time. Yet now, they seemed to have awakened, silently welcoming back the descendants of that ancient city.
If Chen Yu was not mistaken, the vast majority of these stones were the remains of ancient beings.
Perhaps, in the distant past, they had suffered the Stone Giant lords' cruel punishment and been permanently petrified here. Or perhaps they had been mercilessly hunted by flocks of gargoyles, becoming trophies displayed to flaunt power.
In any case, they were far older than he was.
Although the Fluorescent Forest was not normally open to these young stonekin, they were not surprised by the massive boulders scattered about so casually. One could even say they had grown used to them.
After all, on the land of Gore, the least unusual things were strange stones of unknown origin, each brimming with stories.
It would have been stranger not to see any.
But the deeper they went, the more rocks lay buried in the soil. Beyond swaying thickets of fluorescent grass, enormous fossilized hand bones from some humanoid creature began to appear beside the path.
Its finger joints jutted from