Living Person!

Human!

A human!

A living, breathing human!

Lin Yu stood atop Rolycoly's head, staring excitedly at the White-robed Woman ahead.

If his body had not been altered long ago, leaving him without things like tear glands, he would probably have been weeping with joy by now!

How many years had it been?!

How many years had it been since he had seen a living person he could communicate with?!

A long-forgotten emotion called excitement, perhaps even gratitude, surged within Lin Yu.

But he quickly calmed down.

Because an extremely serious problem stood between him and this highly intelligent being before him—

He could not understand her!

That was right. The White-robed Woman who had suddenly appeared was speaking an utterly unfamiliar language.

Lin Yu had no idea what she was saying and could only guess at her meaning from her expressions.

Judging by her appearance, she was a human woman around twenty years old.

She wore a simple white robe, along with a gold collar and bracelets. Her orange hair was braided into three plaits that hung behind her, while her beautiful yet mature face carried a trace of surprise and an indescribable calmness.

Those two emotions should have contradicted each other, yet they seemed remarkably harmonious on her.

If Lin Yu was not mistaken, what surprised her should have been the harmonious, friendly relationship between him and Rolycoly.

As for her composure, it came from the confidence that radiated from her very bones. It seemed that no matter what happened, she had both the means and confidence to solve it.

Lin Yu was not surprised by that in the slightest, because he could sense power fluctuations from this human woman similar to Rolycoly's.

If nothing unexpected happened, this should be the extraordinary power unique to this world!

While Lin Yu examined the woman, she was examining him as well.

This tall youth, dressed in a beast-hide coat and barefoot, looked like a primitive human—yet he could stand atop the head of the Forest's absolute ruler, the Spine Peak Lord!

And this king of Monsters, which had once dominated the Forest, forced several trade routes to be abandoned, and driven countless plateau residents to relocate, showed no resistance whatsoever to the youth's commands. It had even displayed behavior that suggested it was protecting its master.

—How was that possible?!

No matter how impressive its title was, a Monster was still a Monster.

Unlike beasts, Monsters had no reason and could not communicate.

If Monsters could be commanded by humans, then what had all her past efforts been for?

Just as the White-robed Woman furrowed her delicate brows slightly, the youth suddenly jumped down from the Spine Peak Lord's head. He spoke rapidly in words she could not understand, then enthusiastically made an inviting gesture.

"Is there a language barrier...?"

The White-robed Woman's fine brows drew together.

After pondering for a moment, she glanced at the mountain-like giant beast before her and lightly nodded.

She agreed!

Lin Yu's face lit up with delight. Even if they did not share a language, they could still communicate through the most basic body language.

Without hesitation, Lin Yu turned and patted Rolycoly on the head. Once it lowered its head, he stepped onto it.

After reaching the top of Rolycoly's head, Lin Yu turned around and once again made an inviting gesture toward the White-robed Woman.

"Is he inviting me?"

"Interesting."

The White-robed Woman raised her brows. Then, smiling faintly, she stepped forward.

From an observer's perspective, both Lin Yu's enthusiastic invitation and the White-robed Woman's unhesitating acceptance were full of suspicious points. Yet neither of them felt there was anything wrong with their actions.

Lin Yu had gone too long without seeing another human. No matter what, he wanted to keep this rare highly intelligent being he had encountered and bring her back to the house for a proper conversation.

The White-robed Woman, on the other hand, had considerable confidence in her own strength and believed that the youth before her posed no threat to her.

This did not stem from arrogance or conceit, but from the conclusion she had reached after carefully investigating him.

In truth, the White-robed Woman was indeed the strongest being Lin Yu had encountered in this world.

Even Rolycoly was like a firefly before the moon in her presence, separated from her by an insurmountable gulf in strength.

Unfortunately, this cautious human powerhouse could never have imagined that the one she had encountered was not an ordinary human youth, but a terrifying existence completely beyond her understanding!

"Let's go home!"

Standing atop Rolycoly's head, Lin Yu smiled broadly and pointed ahead with high spirits.

The mountain-sized Unicorn Giant Beast immediately began moving on all fours, rumbling toward the giant pit.

Before long, a two-story wooden Attic came into view.

Outside the Attic stood a ring of wooden fencing. Within it lay a cobblestone path, blue and purple flowers growing along both sides. At the midpoint, the path branched off toward a Stone Pavilion surrounded by flowers.

Inside the Stone Pavilion stood a stone table, with stone stools shaped to fit the curves of the human body placed on either side.

I never expected to find such a residence in a Forest overrun by Monsters!

The White-robed Woman looked over everything before her with great interest.

At the same time, Lin Yu jumped down from Rolycoly's head and ran excitedly into the Attic.

The moment his figure vanished inside, Rolycoly, which had been so docile moments ago, became restless and let out a threatening low growl.

"As expected, a Monster is still a Monster."

The White-robed Woman calmly glanced at Rolycoly below her feet, then gracefully leaped down.

Though she wanted to take action and eliminate this Monster, as a guest, she could not neglect proper etiquette. At the very least, before obtaining the owner's consent, it would not be appropriate for her to overstep and remove the danger on his behalf.

Fortunately, this Monster seemed different from those outside.

After she jumped down, it did not even look at her. It simply turned and left on its own, found a spot beside the giant pit, and lay down as if intending to take a nap there.

"With this temperament... is it really still a Monster?"

The White-robed Woman watched its departing back with some surprise.

A moment later, she turned around and walked into the Fenced Courtyard.

Just then, the youth came running out excitedly with an armful of things. Without saying a word, he took her by the hand and led her into the Stone Pavilion, where they sat opposite each other at the finely polished stone table.

"I made this a while ago, but this is the first time it's finally come in handy!"

"I've always drunk it alone before, and that's really no fun. Good things really are meant to be shared!"

As the youth excitedly spoke words the woman could not understand, he arranged the Ceramic Tea Set in front of him one piece at a time.

Once all the tea ware had been laid out on the stone table, the youth dropped a small pinch of suspicious-looking plants into the teapot. Then he extended his index finger and lightly tapped the ceramic teapot filled with water.

"Gurgle, gurgle—"

In an instant, the water in the teapot boiled, sending up billowing steam.

At the sight, the White-robed Woman's pupils contracted slightly, and the slender hand resting on her thigh twitched instinctively.

Wait, that should have been Magic Power heating the tea just now, right?

Yet she clearly had not sensed any fluctuations of Magic Power from this youth.

—What was going on?!

A ripple disturbed the White-robed Woman's previously calm heart.

But at that moment, Lin Yu did not notice the change in her gaze.

He was staring intently at the teapot. Once the tea had brewed to the right strength, he eagerly picked it up, poured it into a teacup, and pushed it toward the White-robed Woman with an expectant expression.

"This is the closest thing to the taste of tea leaves I've found in seven months!"

"Come on, give it a try!"

The White-robed Woman came back to her senses. When she looked at Lin Yu again, a trace of vigilance appeared in her eyes.

But when she saw his eager gaze, her heart somehow settled again.

That was right. No matter who this youth was, or what past and power he possessed, there could be nothing wrong with such pure, clear eyes, nor with the warmth he had shown along the way.

So... it should be fine, right?

The White-robed Woman hesitantly looked at the tea before her.

After giving it some thought, she decided it was better to remain cautious.

So, she extended her little finger, lightly dipped the tip in the tea, and wrote a line of symbols on the stone table.

"What is this?"

Sure enough, Lin Yu's curiosity was piqued. He hurried around to the woman's side.

The White-robed Woman smiled slightly, pointed at the symbols on the table, then pointed to herself.

"So that's your name!"

Lin Yu suddenly understood.

Seeing that he had understood her meaning, the White-robed Woman nodded with a smile. Then she parted her red lips and spoke a string of syllables:

"Flamme."

"Flamme, is that how you pronounce it?"

Lin Yu repeated it with interest, then muttered softly, "That name... why does it sound a little familiar?"