Candy House

The group followed the trail back to where Wendigo had come from. The old village chief then began to recount some events along the way. After all, a little encouragement followed by a little reward was necessary to motivate them; they couldn't just keep looking gloomy and slacking off.

"I know you've all heard the rumor that I stayed in the village to find the legendary Candy House," the old village chief said with a chuckle. "And that rumor is true."

The old village chief's words made the others' breathing become heavy for a moment. "The Candy House does exist, and I've seen it before."

"Who do you think spread the rumors about the Candy House? It was me." The old village chief seemed to want to reveal his scheming over the years, and some secrets were also mentioned. "After years of investigation, I have finally confirmed the approximate location of the Candy House again."

The old village chief looked on with a look of reminiscence. That year was the most humiliating time for him. He was at the peak of his life, but the people had driven him off his throne. That damned bitch, just like she betrayed his parents, had betrayed him once again.

With nowhere else to turn, the old village chief fled into the forest, only to run into even more serious trouble: the infamous cannibalistic Wendigo. He stumbled into their territory and was imprisoned in a cage.

Despite having the help of that item to summon allies and successfully escape, he was subsequently severely injured by Wendigo's mental power. It was during that time that he encountered the Candy House and survived.

Over the years, he never gave up on finding the Candy House again. Last time, he was so badly injured that he had to make a wish for a healthy body. After that, he lost consciousness and was dumped somewhere in the forest. Because of his injuries, he was panicked and didn't know where the Candy House was.

"This time, I must make a wish for the power of revenge, no, I must wish to become the king of the world." The old village chief's eyes flickered as he thought to himself, but as he walked, he felt his strength waning. "Perhaps I should also wish for a youthful body."

"But we can take it slow. First, I'll gain the power to reclaim the kingdom. Then, with the kingdom's strength, I can continue searching for the Candy House. No, I should kill the owner of that Candy House and take it for myself, just like this thing."

The old village chief stroked the Tinderbox in his hand, thinking of past glories. He firmly believed that he would catch the pie falling from the sky again, just like the previous three times, and this time he would not make the same mistake again.

"We've arrived!" A cry of surprise startled the old village chief. Following the trail of Wendigo, they had come to the foot of a cliff. From the cliff, a waterfall cascaded down, its flow gradually slowing as it receded into the distance.

"There are many signs of battle here. The Wendigo was severely injured here and then chased all the way to where we found its remains." The surrounding area was a mess, and you could even see claw marks on some rocks and trees.

"Stand on top," a hunter suddenly said.

The hunter looked up at the cliff, where a house shimmering with seven-colored light stood beside the waterfall. It was unclear when it had appeared there, but everyone who saw it thought of the words "Candy House."

Bangier and Korandi looked up, their eyes shining. It was the legendary Candy House, the Candy House that could grant any wish, and it was right there not far from them.

The door to the Candy House opened, and everyone's hearts leaped into their throats. Who would emerge? A mysterious old witch with a hooked nose, or an angel with wings and radiant white light?

Contrary to their expectations, a strange young man emerged, wearing a white robe covered with scales that resembled white bones, and long, jet-black hair that reached his waist, simply tied into a ponytail that hung down his back.

His face was only considered handsome, but a unique temperament gave him an indescribable charm, making him very pleasing to the eye.

The man held up a strange umbrella, as if blocking out all the sunlight. He seemed to be looking down at the people below, making everyone's breathing heavier, as if being caught in his gaze was an immense stroke of luck.

Then the person withdrew their gaze and retreated back to the Candy House. Only then did everyone gradually regain their senses. The old village chief's expression was extremely complex, containing fear and envy, as well as inferiority and madness.

"He's still so young, and the scales on that robe have become even more numerous." The old village chief's eyes alternated between envy and fear. He envied the other's ageless body, yet feared the white robe he wore, for it symbolized his power.

If you were to remove the white scales from that robe and compare them to the Wendigo bones in the hunter's hand, you would find that they are similar, and the white scales are of even higher quality.

This is why Wendigo attack the Candy House like crazy every time Candy House appears. For Wendigo, obtaining the robe and the bone fragments on it are enough to allow Wendigo to evolve two or three times.

The old village chief knew Wendigo's power all too well. Back then, even with Tinderbox, he barely managed to escape from Wendigo's encirclement, suffering fatal injuries in the process. Yet, Wendigo was able to kill Wendigo time and time again, even grinding his bones into scales, which he wore as if they were honors.

This made the old village chief both terrified of the other party's power and even more eager to obtain the Candy House. He believed that it was because he possessed the Candy House that the other party possessed that terrifying power.

"Look here, that's the boat." One of the hunters made a discovery. They found the simple wooden boat that had been used to transport offerings under the waterfall. The boat had been hastily made by them and was now reduced to pieces under the waterfall.

"There's a path behind the waterfall, Bangier, it's up to you to scout it out."

Following behind the old village chief and his group was a squad of well-equipped soldiers escorting a sedan chair towards the old village chief's group. Beside the sedan chair followed a woman with a look of panic on her face; she was Bangier's mother.

Inside the sedan chair was a richly dressed middle-aged woman. Upon closer inspection, one could see the wrinkles of age beneath her makeup; she was no longer young and had become an old woman. Moreover, her control over the country was not as strong as it used to be, otherwise she would have brought more people with her.

"Is that soldier really in the forest? His Tinderbox, and the rumors about the Candy House circulating here... indeed, that guy is my savior." The old woman laughed, a strange and terrifying sound.

"Everyone's finally all here. I hope we can succeed this time," Lu Li thought with a hint of anticipation, shaking off his white bone-scale robe.

This is the third update. I have something to do tonight, so the fourth update will be tomorrow.