34 On the Road

Hearing Nedeli's words, Yuan Chen said nothing, only rubbing his temples.

Although plenty remained uncertain, one thing was clear: Nedeli meant him no harm.

It was just that her way of showing goodwill was rather outside the norm... Forget ordinary people—Yuan Chen, a transmigrator, still had his head spinning.

Glancing at Nedeli's back and sensing how unconcerned she seemed, Yuan Chen thought of something. He relaxed a little and shook his head helplessly...

Thinking it over, it was no wonder Nedeli acted that way.

She had lived among cougars since birth, and understood human society even less than the children in Ixialia's villages. In those circumstances, a kiss might have been the best way she knew to express goodwill—

Like grooming someone's fur.

Even if, in the civilized world, it meant more than just goodwill.

"The wilderness tells me you gave me a tremendous opportunity..."

Nedeli glanced at Yuan Chen, whose expression was complicated. Her own face held little sign of uncertainty or hesitation. She simply spoke in a calm, gentle voice:

"It also says you aren't a poacher, or someone who destroys the forest or harms the wilderness... There's an unsettling power dwelling in your mind, but the wilderness tells me you can be trusted."

"What else did the wilderness say?" Yuan Chen asked, somewhat helplessly.

"Did it tell you to kiss me, too?"

"That was my own idea. I thought of it and did it." Nedeli shook her head. "It feels a little... strange? In the words of your civilized world, I suppose you could say it's a little complicated. Maybe it's because it was my first time."

As she spoke, a hint of unease crept across Nedeli's face—

She didn't understand why a simple way of showing affection had made her feel so... restless.

She shook her head. "I don't know why, but you've earned the wilderness's approval."

As she spoke, Nedeli reached out and lightly traced a finger across Yuan Chen's chest.

While he was still wondering what she was doing, Yuan Chen felt a peculiar, wild aura enter his consciousness through her finger.

The moment the aura appeared, he could clearly sense the wilderness around him more vividly.

The wind, the water, the plants and trees... even the grit on the ground. He could feel all of it with ease.

But soon, that aura's attitude changed. It seemed a little displeased, but there was no malice or hostility in it. How could he put it? It was like...

Like a farmer watching a wild boar root around in his precious cabbage patch.

Realizing something, Yuan Chen opened his status panel. Sure enough, under Traits, below Demon's Blessing and Dragon Blood Enhancement, a new trait had appeared.

Trait: Wilderness Blessing (Fine):

While in the wilderness, receive its blessing. Agility increases, and bushes and undergrowth will actively conceal your figure and sounds.

Yuan Chen's expression turned strange as he looked at the new trait on his status panel.

How should he put it? He could understand why the Wilderness Consciousness was so displeased with him after blessing him.

Oshirresh had taken an interest in him, and this consciousness, like Oshirresh, had been born of Runeterra. At their roots, they were the same kind of being.

In fact, natural consciousnesses were hardly uncommon in Runeterra—

The Ionians were well acquainted with the Spirit of Ionia, for one. And according to the lore, Ornn's mastery of fire came from a gift he received after wrestling with the land of Freljord.

But compared with natural consciousnesses like the Wilderness Consciousness, demons born from living beings' emotions were clearly more inclined toward chaos, evil, and disorder.

To put it in simpler terms, Nedeli, who had been born into order and received the Wilderness Blessing, was like an accomplished young lady—beautiful, outstanding, and at the top of her class.

She was the perfect girl in the eyes of countless model students, the Wilderness Consciousness's cherished darling.

And Yuan Chen, who had earned Oshirresh's attention and blessing—or curse—was...

A dyed-hair punk in middle school, a jock in high school, a rapper in college, then a drill instructor after taking two years off to serve in the military during his sophomore year. Pure, innocent eyes, illiterate, born to his mother, smoked nothing but Rick V cigarettes, partied at bars until midnight and raced his fire-spitting scooter down the streets until dawn. His catchphrase was "Too cool!" He only liked Curry in basketball and Neymar in soccer, used a secondhand iPhone, and only played Honor of Kings and (__). What did he ever do to you...

Once he realized the crux of the matter, Yuan Chen tried to see himself and Nedeli through the Wilderness Consciousness's eyes. He didn't even last five seconds before clenching his fists.

What a damn bastard!!

Wait...

I'm the punk?

Oh.

Then never mind.

After calming down, Yuan Chen sensibly pulled himself out of that perspective—if he kept putting himself in its shoes, he might get sick.

That said, most of it was just a joke. He could sense that the Wilderness Consciousness's dislike of him stemmed more from Oshirresh's demonic nature.

At the same time, he could also sense a faint call from the wilderness. But perhaps because his trait rank was too low, he couldn't understand what the wilderness was trying to say.

"Head west." While Yuan Chen was still pondering what the Wilderness Consciousness wanted to tell him, Nedeli raised her spear and pointed toward the west.

"The Wilderness Consciousness says there may be a way to solve this in the west."

Yuan Chen glanced westward. He couldn't see anything; west of Ixialia lay the Miasma Jungle. Its name alone said plenty about the place.

Its rugged mountains were packed with towering trees, man-eating vines, packs of beasts, solitary predators, and even poisonous miasma. Three regions lay along the way west.

First was Icathia, the Lost Lands, marked as a Void Nest on the League of Legends universe website.

Second was Shurima, the fallen empire of the sun, filled with Sand Bandits, bandits, warlords, tribal conflicts, and even Fallen Celestials.

Third was Mount Targon, the place in Runeterra closest to the heavens—a secluded home to Immortal Spirits, Giants, and Aspects, with no shortage of powerful beings.

All three places might hold demigods—or even true gods—at least as powerful as Oshirresh, if not more so. After all, Oshirresh had been sealed away for who knew how many millennia.

But the problem was... the risks were just as great.

A hint of gravity crossed Yuan Chen's brow as he thought it over. He'd originally planned to get stronger before going there. But now, it seemed that once he finished what he needed to do in Ixialia, he'd have to set out.

With a force like Oshirresh's—uncontrollable power from a lunatic—he needed to bring it under control as soon as possible. If he couldn't, he'd have to cut it off completely!

This time, Yuan Chen didn't sense Oshirresh watching him as he thought. The Wilderness Blessing had helped shield him from Oshirresh's gaze.

While Yuan Chen was still thinking, Nedeli stood quietly beside him, not interrupting. After a moment of silence, she raised her hand and punched him.

Feeling the air stir, Yuan Chen immediately went on alert. But he didn't try to summon a blade; he simply raised his hand and blocked the punch—

It wasn't heavy. Nedeli hadn't used her full strength. Even so, Yuan Chen couldn't help complaining:

"Getting embarrassed and lashing out already? If you regret it, I can apologize."

"What do you mean, lashing out?"

Nedeli looked confused at his words—

She'd only been showing affection. Though some faint human instinct told her that it meant more than that, surely there was no reason to get embarrassed and lash out over it?

Looking at Nedeli's lovely, almost divine face, still filled with confusion, Yuan Chen realized he'd gotten the wrong idea—she hadn't been thinking of it that way at all!

Just as Yuan Chen was about to say something else, he felt a warmth in his palm.

He opened his hand. At some point, blue-white stripes had formed there from his Heavenly Power, faintly coming together into the emblem of a blue lioness.

He cast Scout Skill, and the emblem's details appeared before him.

Name: Dawn Mark

Category: Marking Magic

Effect: A magical mark made of Dawn Power. It allows location tracking regardless of distance, and communication with a range that varies depending on distance.

Note: The mark's tracking and communication effects are affected by the environment and concealment magic. Its signal will be strongest at dawn.

After seeing what the mark did, Yuan Chen paused. When he looked at Nedeli again, his gaze had grown more complicated.

Nedeli's class trait, Dawn Bringer, let her appear in every ray of dawn's Shimmer. With this mark, he could locate and communicate with her from afar...

Nedeli sensed Yuan Chen's complicated feelings but paid them no mind. She simply nodded, turned, and said:

"If there's nothing else, I'll be going..."

She paused, then added:

"I'll remember what you've done for me. If you run into a troublesome enemy, just call for me. But I won't leave with you, because I belong to the wilderness. This is my home."

With that, Nedeli gave a soft snort and leaped into the golden sunset.

As the Dawn Power enveloped her, her graceful body transformed into a lioness made entirely of Heavenly Power. Stars adorned her form, nebulae swirled around her, and her lithe, exquisite shape was like a work of art.

She gave a quiet growl and started off.

Each time her paws touched down, a thin mist of starlight appeared beneath her pads. Like a mythical spirit beast soaring through the clouds, she raced away along that illusory path.

Seeing Nedeli leave, the other cougars gave a low growl—more precisely, they growled at Yuan Chen.

As if saying goodbye, they too sprang into motion and raced after Nedeli.

Yuan Chen stayed where he was and took a moment to compose himself.

Mm... A cougar's gratitude?

He scratched his head, then turned and headed back toward the village. Whatever happened, his adventure had only just begun.

As Yuan Chen turned to leave, far in the distance—beyond the edge of his sight—Nedeli stopped.

Standing atop a giant tree on the mountain, she watched the back of that strange human from the civilized world as he walked away. After a moment, she seemed to speak to herself, or perhaps ask someone:

"Did I do something wrong?"

The breeze stirred the treetops. The wilderness's answer left Nedeli silent for a moment. Then, with a quiet snort, she vanished from the tree.

As he made his way through the dense forest, Yuan Chen could clearly feel the benefits of the Wilderness Blessing—

It was like the wind was pushing him along. He barely had to exert himself; he just had to start walking, and the wind would help him move faster with less effort.

The ground beneath his feet was sometimes soft, sometimes firm, but it was always comfortable.

Branches and vines actively moved aside. His passage left no footprints, and even the sound of his steps and the rustling of leaves seemed to disappear...

No, they weren't disappearing. They were only being muffled to a certain extent.

That made sense. It was only a Fine-grade blessing... Though it allowed him to form a connection with the Wilderness Consciousness, directly communicating with it like Nedeli could was clearly out of the question.

What father could possibly like the pig that rooted around in his precious cabbage patch?

The dragon that had ruled this mountainous region was dead. It was easy to imagine that Nedeli would one day become the master of this wilderness... No, wait.

Remembering how powerful the Dawn Bringer was, Yuan Chen realized that as long as she had enough time to grow, once she fully mastered that power, the entire Miasma Jungle would become her hunting ground...

But that was still in the future. A class like hers would take decades to fully master and develop. Even so, Nedeli's strength was beyond question...

And now he'd become a kept man, too. If he ran into anyone troublesome in the future, he might have to call her for backup.

Poachers in the future were in for a rough time~

Yuan Chen thought without a care. Nedeli didn't hate hunting; she hunted to survive.

But those who disrupted the wilderness's balance, gave in to base desires, and hunted excessively without restraint...

The moment hunters, poachers, or anyone else like them entered this forest, they'd meet their reaper.

As he thought about it, Yuan Chen gradually slowed his steps. A moment later, his expression changed—

Damn it! He'd been so busy talking and thinking that he'd forgotten to ask Nedeli how to refine Dragon Blood!!

No, wait. He'd meant to ask. Then the kiss had made his brain shut down...

He rubbed his hair helplessly, but soon relaxed and looked down at his palm...

Looks like he'd be trying out his backup call sooner than expected.