Lu Chongwei walked up to the kitten and squatted down.
The kitten closed its eyes in fright, thinking Lu Chongwei was about to attack.
Lu Chongwei took out some disinfectant powder he carried with him from his pocket and skillfully sprinkled it on the kitten's wound.
"Ouch—that hurts!"
The kitten hissed in pain.
Lu Chongwei, using the torn strips of cloth to securely wrap the kitten's wings.
The kitten opened its eyes, looked at its bandaged wound, and its eyes were full of gratitude.
"Thank you."
The kitten whispered.
She stood up and formally bowed to Lu Chongwei.
"My name is Nancy. What's your name?"
Lu Chongwei stood up and dusted off his hands.
" Lu Chongwei, lead the way, Nancy."
As noon approached, sunlight filtered through the dense foliage and dappled the soil.
Lu Chongwei and Nancy hurried through the woods.
Nancy walked ahead, glancing back at Lu Chongwei every now and then, her eyes full of curiosity.
Lu Chongwei, with his hands in his pockets, asked casually.
" Nancy, when you were being chased by the gorilla, why did you keep emphasizing that you were the Exceed?"
Nancy stopped and turned around, looking at Lu Chongwei in surprise.
"You don't know about the Exceed?"
Nancy's eyes widened in disbelief.
Lu Chongwei shrugged.
"I am not from this world. I came from Earth-land to save my companions."
Nancy hearing the name Earth-land, Nancy's fur immediately stood on end.
She rushed anxiously to Lu Chongwei and opened her petite arms to block him.
"You're going to rescue people? To the capital?"
Lu Chongwei nodded.
"No! You absolutely can't go!" Nancy shouted excitedly. "The human king is very strong, and the capital is filled with countless terrifying armies and Mage! Going alone is suicide!"
Looking at Nancy's anxious expression, Lu Chongwei spoke calmly.
"My companions are there; I must go."
Nancy looked at Lu Chongwei's calm gaze and sighed helplessly.
She knew she couldn't persuade this stubborn person.
Nancy lowered her arms and began to explain to Lu Chongwei.
" The Exceed are the only race in Edolas born with magical powers. In this world, magic is a scarce resource."
Nancy's tone was filled with awe.
"Our Queen Shagotte is revered as a god by all humanity. Because of the existence of the Exceed, humanity holds us in great awe. Before humanity, the Exceed holds a lofty position, and no human dares to harm Exceed."
Upon hearing this, Lu Chongwei laughed heartlessly.
"No wonder you kept shouting that you were the Exceed when the gorilla was chasing you. Did you think I would be like those humans, afraid to hurt you for fear of offending your queen?"
Nancy's thoughts were exposed, and she nodded awkwardly.
Her ears drooped, and her mood immediately turned somber.
Lu Chongwei keenly noticed Nancy's emotional change.
"What's wrong?"
Nancy gave a bitter smile, her voice becoming hoarse.
"Actually, I am not an ordinary Exceed at all. Within the Exceed race, I am defined as a Fallen sinner."
Lu Chongwei stopped and looked at Nancy intently.
Nancy took a breath and began to recount her life story with difficulty.
"Back then, Queen Shagotte issued a cruel order. She was to send one hundred unborn Exceed Eggs to Earth-land to carry out a secret mission."
Nancy's eyes reddened, and tears welled up in them.
"My parents were vehemently opposed to the plan. They didn't want their child to be used as a tool to be sent to a strange world. To protect me, they openly defied the Queen's orders."
Nancy choked up.
"Because of their rebellion against the Queen, my parents were condemned as Fallen. They fled the realm of Extalia, the land of the Exceed, with me before I was even born."
Nancy closed her eyes in anguish.
"Later, we struggled to survive in the lower realm. My parents, due to their long exile, contracted a serious illness. They died of the disease within a few years. From then on, I could only hide alone in this forest, surviving by picking fruit and catching small insects."
After listening to Nancy's story, Lu Chongwei's gaze softened.
He reached out his large right hand and gently patted Nancy's head.
"It's all in the past."
Lu Chongwei naturally changed the subject.
"I'm hungry, is there anything to eat nearby?"
Nancy wiped away her tears and nodded vigorously.
There's a small river ahead, and there are fish in it.
Half an hour later.
A roaring bonfire rose in the open space by the river.
Several plump river fish were skewered on tree branches, grilling until they sizzled and released an enticing aroma.
Nancy held a grilled fish in both hands and tore into the fish meat without any regard for her image.
She was so hungry; she rarely got to eat such delicious cooked food.
Seeing Nancy wolfing down her food, Lu Chongwei casually handed her another grilled fish.
Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you.
Nancy blushed shyly as she looked at the grilled fish that was handed to her.
But she couldn't resist the temptation of the food and carefully took it.
"Thanks."
Nancy ate the fish while speaking indistinctly.
" Lu Chongwei, you really shouldn't go to the capital. Even if you're very strong, you definitely can't defeat the entire kingdom's army by yourself."
Lu Chongwei casually took a bite of the fish.
"I won't die. I'm going to bring everyone in the guild back safe and sound."
Nancy looked at him, puzzled.
"Guild? Are your comrades really that important? Worth risking your life for?"
Lu Chongwei looked at the flickering campfire, the noisy scene in the Fairy Tail lobby flashed through his mind.
"My companions are my family. Anyone who dares to harm my family, I will crush their bones."
Lu Chongwei's tone was calm, yet it exuded a terrifying murderous aura.
Nancy looked at Lu Chongwei's profile with envy in her eyes.
She longed to have a group of companions who cared about her.
High in the sky, the clouds seemed to have been forcibly torn apart by some enormous force, revealing a dark and gloomy void.
Natsu, Wendy, Happy, and Carla, like kites with broken strings, plummeted miserably from the hole.
" The Fire Dragon's... cough cough!"
Natsu instinctively tried to open his mouth and breathe fire to alleviate the force of his fall, but apart from a mouthful of cold air, not a single spark came out.
"Magic... I can't detect any magic anymore!"
Natsu's eyes widened, his face filled with terror.
He frantically swung his fists in the air, but the fiery feeling that used to be so powerful and responsive had vanished without a trace. It was as if a beast accustomed to running had suddenly had its bones removed.
" Happy! Carla!"
Wendy screamed, her little face turning deathly pale with fright.