The Shan Hai Assembly. (Continued)

The bear-man shook his head, glanced hesitantly at Maria and the little boy playing by himself, and after a moment of silence, he continued, "But... he didn't do it to solve the mysteries of the mountains and fields."

"He's been influenced by a cult!"

"Cult?"

Maria was somewhat puzzled.

Meanwhile, the bear-man nodded and continued speaking.

Although the fact that his child had joined had been pretty much exposed, since he hadn't deliberately hidden it.

However, for other people, hearing an ordinary person say something and hearing someone else say it are two different things.

After all, as the father, his words essentially have the final say.

Logically, he should have kept these things hidden; after all, family scandals shouldn't be aired in public.

But at this point, he really couldn't care less about his family's dirty laundry.

After all, there are indeed more important things to deal with.

He joined the Shanhai Assembly!

Li Zhenfang spoke, gritting his teeth as he looked at Maria in front of him.

"The Shanhai Assembly?"

"A sect that worships Great Beast, calling themselves followers of Great Beast, believes that the land should be returned to those Great Beasts, for they are the true masters of this place..."

Li Zhenfang spoke, his words still carrying a hint of resentment.

"A bunch of heartless cowards, scattered far and wide, trying every possible way to lure the Great Beast into the city... Just a few weeks ago, the Imperial Court issued a decree that a group of members of the Shanhai Demon Cult had appeared here..."

"I originally thought that sending my men to impose martial law and conduct investigations would be enough, but I never expected that my own place would catch fire."

As the man spoke, he couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

Maria also subconsciously turned her head and looked at Sui, who was sitting bored in a chair to the side.

Luring the Great Beast... into the city?

"What's wrong?"

The man looked up, somewhat puzzled.

"No... it's nothing."

Maria didn't say much, she just shook her head.

She could probably understand the situation regarding the Shanhai Assembly.

After all, among the human race, there are warriors she admires, and naturally, there are cowards she despises.

If warriors are the hunters who, after witnessing the Great Beast, grit their teeth and fight back against them, then these cowards are those who succumb to the power of those Great Beasts.

Maria did not actually blame those who feared power.

After all, everyone has their own choices, and there will always be people who cannot bear such despairing psychological pressure.

But the problem is...

It's your business if you give in; you can't expect others to do the same.

Just like Maria would never ask anyone else to hunt Great Beast with her...

After a few more exchanges, Li Zhenfang finally spoke.

"To be honest, I still don't know your names..."

"My name is Maria, and hers... is Sui."

"Age?"

The name suddenly aroused the man's alertness, but he only glanced at the girl incredulously a few times before shaking his head with a wry smile.

I'm being too sensitive.

It's just a coincidence that they share the same name; where is the majesty of Great Beast in front of me?

The man murmured to himself, then looked at Maria again.

"Judging from your names, you two don't seem to be from our Yan... Where are you two planning to go?"

"... Hundred Stoves."

According to the villagers, Hundred Stoves should be the capital of the Yan.

Maria hadn't forgotten that she had come here to find a way to suppress the Skyborne Great Beast Gordan.

However... she might have transmigrated a little too early.

At present, the Yan still has no intention of taking action against the Great Beast.

"Hundred Stoves."

Li Zhenfang nodded slightly, then turned his head away a moment later.

"Those two are out of luck. The most recent caravan heading to Hundred Stoves departed yesterday, and the earliest the next one will be at the beginning of next month... If you don't mind, could you stay here for a while? I can help arrange your lodging and transportation..."

Li Zhenfang was a kind-hearted person, and with a few simple steps, he decided to arrange accommodation and transportation for Maria and the others.

After thinking about it for a while, Maria and the others did not refuse.

Soon, they arrived at the accommodation arranged by the other party.

After a brief inspection to confirm that the other party had indeed not prepared anything, Maria and Sui slowly moved into the small attic not far from the city center.

Without saying a word, Sui lay down and opened her mouth with a smile.

"The Shanhai Assembly... this is the first time I've ever heard of such a thing."

"... Didn't they contact you?"

Maria sorted through their meager belongings, then sat down to the side.

She didn't understand how to use many of the pieces of furniture in the room, so she simply stopped using them.

On the contrary, it was Sui who was standing to the side.

He seemed clueless about human affairs, yet he skillfully picked up a small incense stick, lit it, and quietly placed it in the incense burner, watching it burn slowly.

"What are you doing?"

"Incense? You've never tried it before?"

"Incense?"

Maria blinked.

He looked at the thin, long piece of wood with a face full of doubt.

"I've used incense before... the Doll often prepare it for me, but... I've never seen anything like this before."

The way the Doll prepared incense for Maria was quite simple.

All the spices were prepared, then condensed into a block, and finally stuffed into a small, breathable ball, which was then attached to a thin chain and hung around Maria's waist.

She had never seen anything like this, specially made...

"These little people are easy to kill, but they do manage to create some interesting little things."

As she spoke, she took another delicate sniff of the incense, but after only a short while, she choked.

He then lay down to the side and continued answering the questions Maria had asked earlier.

"I truly don't know about the Shanhai Assembly, but if you're asking if anyone has contacted me... then yes, they have."

Even in the Yan, Sui's strength is among the top two.

Naturally, many people came to seek her out and beg for her favor.

But before Maria, she had never looked at those people directly, and naturally didn't know the difference between them.

In fact, in her eyes, all villains are the same.

They wear all sorts of strange things, live in small mud pits built on flat ground, and occasionally decorate them with wood and stones... essentially they are no different from each other.

For these reasons, she naturally stopped caring about the thoughts and feelings of these petty people.

Maria sat quietly to the side, lost in thought.

After playing alone for a while, Sui looked at Maria with some curiosity.

"Are you going to get involved in this?"

"Um."

So which side are you planning to help?

"I will eliminate the Shanhai Assembly."

Maria spoke without hesitation; as a human, she naturally would not help those Shanhai Assembly.

She only ever has one choice.

"Just as I thought."

Sui wasn't surprised by Maria's choice, but...

"You said... humans can defeat Great Beast, but if you don't step in, how will they solve this problem?"

The little boy lay face down on the bed, propping his head up with his hands, gazing at Maria.

Maria remained silent for a moment before shaking her head slightly.

"I have no idea."

"Huh? You don't know?"

The man was somewhat taken aback.

"Didn't you say that humans could defeat Great Beast? How come you don't know that now?"

"Humans can indeed defeat Great Beast, but... I don't know what efforts they will make along the way."

The human race is vast, and countless talented and outstanding individuals exist within it.

Maria herself always considered herself an ordinary, unremarkable member of the group.

How could someone like her possibly imagine what methods humans would use?

However, there was one thing she was certain of.

"The Great Beast cannot destroy this city!"

Are you so sure?

The boy was a little curious.

But Maria didn't say much.

She simply looked silently out of the city through the wooden window.

Along the towering, enveloping city walls, countless black dots moved slowly...

They're almost done fixing something...

Several more days have passed.

During these past few days, Maria and Sui seemed to have nothing to do, wandering around aimlessly.

The child seems very interested in all sorts of small things and toys made by humans, and often goes to examine various objects.

Unfortunately, she didn't have the money to buy it.

However, Sui quickly came up with a solution.

That's what it means to work!

She easily found several blacksmith shops, and after securing the right to work there temporarily using methods Maria didn't notice, she began forging weapons for people.

Divine weapons that are rarely seen by ordinary people can be forged in her hands in the blink of an eye.

The weapon, already rare in itself, seemed to be magically enhanced in her hands, allowing her to improve it even further with ease.

The occasional glimpse of his skill would attract blacksmiths from all over the city to come and see.