As time passed, the lizardmen of the Mountain Ridge Tribe gradually recovered from the grief of losing their kin and returned to their daily hunting and labor.
Ang followed Longya on more than ten hunts, gradually adapting to the tribe's rhythm of life and becoming more familiar with lizardmen customs.
Just when Ang thought the Mountain Ridge Tribe's Great Elder had forgotten about him, Longya brought unexpected news—the Great Elder had agreed to Ang's request for a visit.
"Are you taking me there?" Ang immediately asked upon hearing the news.
Longya shook his head, his expression carrying an unfathomable meaning.
"This is your path. You need to find it yourself."
Ang frowned slightly, recalling how he had previously tried to find a path to the summit, only to fail every time.
"But I wandered around for a long time before and never found a way up the mountain," Ang said in confusion.
"If the Great Elder is willing to see you, you will naturally see the path to the summit. If he is unwilling, then even if you circle the mountain for a year, you will never find it." Longya's voice carried a mysterious undertone, and a trace of devotion showed in his eyes.
After hearing that, Ang grew even more puzzled.
He did not understand this mysterious faith of the lizardmen, but Longya spoke with such certainty, as if it were simply the natural order of things.
After seeing Longya off, Ang sat alone in his room and paced for a long while. After weighing it over, he ultimately decided to go and see for himself.
Morning sunlight filtered through the clouds and fell upon the stone houses of the Mountain Ridge Tribe.
Ang headed in the direction where he had searched for a path last time, crossed the