Ruger glanced at the tiny figure again. She shrank under his gaze, clutching the mouth of the sack with both hands and hiding most of her head inside the coarse cloth.
"Follow the main path. Try to stay where the grass is short..." Ruger said.
Zhizhi immediately adjusted course, twisting into a graceful curve.
Long-bodied creatures looked fierce, but their shape could be inconvenient at times.
Ruger took another glance, then passed the little creature behind him. Mona accepted her with a smile, and he could even sense Little One's relief. This was part of his and Mona's strategy: one played the villain, intimidating others and securing advantages, free to recklessly say things that would otherwise be awkward to voice. The other showed a gentler side, ready to plead for leniency and appeal to sentiment if anything unexpected happened.
They had done the same when meeting Wizard Lawrence and the Dragonkin Girl. A glance between them had settled their roles naturally.
Zhizhi continued at an unhurried pace.
Ruger gently released his Mental Power, sensing the changes around them, the path beneath their feet, and the little creature hiding in the coarse cloth sack behind him, while also keeping an eye on the distant red-roofed house.
All of these were subjects of his observation.
As they ventured farther in, the distant scene revealed more of its neglect, but also the care its original owner had put into it.
Someone who chose to live here must have liked peace and quiet. But a love of solitude did not necessarily mean someone was strange or gloomy.
This had also been someone who loved life.
The slightly tilted red roof, the crooked, plump mushroom-shaped house, and the carefully cultivated and arranged flowers and plants all revealed its owner's attitude toward everyday life. Even outside