Its Name Is... Laterano (Continued)

"You're only making things worse..."

Maria whispered, her eyes sweeping over the crowd.

Those scarlet eyes emanated a chilling aura that, even through the camera equipment, was still felt on the skin of everyone present.

Goosebumps...

Her slender fingers transformed into sharp claws, but in a moment, they retracted as Maria took a deep breath.

This is the mercy of Maria.

She didn't actually take action to deal with these idiots, whom she found somewhat unbearable to look at; she simply turned away in silence.

They silently arrived at the Aegir border crossing, preparing to leave.

Some people tried to stop Maria along the way, but Maria gradually lost patience.

"Of course you can stop me, that's your prerogative, but I also hope you'll take responsibility for your own lives..."

Maria whispered as she continued on her way.

This time, however, she showed no mercy.

The Sea Patrol, unaware of the situation, continued to try to stop Maria.

But the final result... only led to the gradual emergence of a bloody path...

Finally, one of the governors spoke up, letting out a soft sigh.

Let her go.

Subsequently, the Sea Patrol's actions gradually slowed down...

Many officials fell silent at this point.

Heratia, however, seemed resigned, rose with a sigh, and turned to leave.

"Are you planning to leave?"

Standing at the dock, Heratia and the designer couple caught up.

They watched Maria prepare to leave, and after a long while, they didn't know what to say.

"I guess so..."

Maria nodded, her emotions calming down slightly.

She pressed down on the brim of her hat and turned her head slightly.

"The Aegir still don't realize their place. Humans have never been naturally superior; it will take time for them to truly understand what the food chain is..."

Maria whispered, and her words were not difficult for those present to understand.

These words helped everyone understand Maria's plan.

Are you planning to... go back to land?

Beside her, the designer woman Lotkalo, sighed.

She was helpless after seeing Maria nod.

However, after a moment's hesitation, she nodded.

"Indeed, Aegir is not a good fit for you right now. Returning to land might be a better choice."

"Um."

Maria nodded and turned away.

At this moment, everyone realized that something was wrong.

After hesitating for a while, the designer, Basdeke, finally spoke hesitantly.

"You're not... planning to go up like this, are you?"

"What's wrong?"

"This is over 3,000 meters underwater!"

Basdeke hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.

This water pressure... it could easily kill someone!

"Um?"

Maria didn't answer, but only gave her a strange look.

Three thousand meters?

Isn't that a very relaxing place?

"This..."

Basdeke somewhat helpless.

But Heratia came back from the side.

Under everyone's gaze, she handed a card to Maria.

"I just bought you a single-person submarine... I know you can travel freely on your own, but having a means of transportation will make things easier..."

Heratia laughed, her extravagant spending leaving the two people beside her speechless.

After a brief pause, Lotkalo finally realized what was happening and shook his head helplessly.

After thinking for a moment, she took off the pendant from her neck and handed it over.

"I don't know when you'll be back, but... if you need help when you return, perhaps you can use this to find us."

As the woman spoke, her eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a hint of a smile.

Although they hadn't had many encounters with Maria had already saved their lives several times.

Furthermore, after the incident was exposed, they realized the correctness of Maria's actions and developed a greater liking for her.

It's a pity, though, that Aegir is no longer a suitable place for Maria to stay.

Otherwise, she actually really wanted to have a good talk with Maria.

Heratia's actions did indeed help Maria a great deal.

After boarding the submarine, Maria quickly arrived on land.

The sky was overcast, but the light was still generous, reflecting off the ground.

This made Maria let out a sigh of relief.

Aegir's stark, cold beauty is indeed appealing, but it's certainly not suitable for normal people to live in.

At least, in Maria's opinion, she still preferred the feeling of being on land under the sun.

Only...

Turning her head to look around, Maria suddenly noticed another problem.

What is this place...?

At this time, Maria was located on a coastline.

The submarine automatically docked at a certain location, ready to be summoned by Maria when needed.

In the distance along the coast lies a lush forest.

After Maria followed suit and went inside.

Green light and shadow outlined the delicate lines in the air, and a gentle breeze rustled through Maria's hair, making her breathing slightly easier.

My mind gradually went blank.

It was only at this point that Maria suddenly realized a problem.

It seems she... has never truly seen Terra...

With this in mind, Maria began to take action.

They began to seriously calm down and observe the flora and fauna of Terra.

She seemed to be meant to be this way; after briefly abandoning her identity as Maria, she was just an ordinary, even somewhat carefree, person.

The river flowed past her ankles, the wind whispered in her ears, and Maria's breathing grew ever calmer.

More than a month into her solo journey, Maria finally encountered people again.

By this time, she had traveled an unknown distance from where she had started.

"Are you... from out of town?"

A man with bull horns on his head looked at Maria with surprise and curiosity.

He was simply dressed and looked like an ordinary farmer; he seemed somewhat surprised when he saw Maria.

How could I possibly encounter anyone in this deep mountain forest?

I guess so.

Maria nodded, using words to dispel the other person's doubts and fears.

After confirming that Maria was alive and not some kind of ghost, the man breathed a sigh of relief and then gave her a warning.

"You'd better be careful, there are monsters in this forest!"

As the man spoke, his eyes flickered, as if he were afraid that his words would attract the monster he was talking about.

"Monster?"

Maria blinked, her expression unchanged.

But the man nodded firmly.

"Every night, a thick fog rises in this forest, and the howling of wolves can be heard. It eats the equivalent of three cows' worth of food each day, and if anyone enters the forest, it will..."

Upon hearing Maria's question, the man began to recount the stories he had heard since childhood.

Most of them were so exaggerated that you could tell they were fake as soon as you tried them, but some of them caught Maria's attention.

For example, fog after dark, the howling of wolves, and...

"You mean, that monster was a three-headed vicious dog?"

Maria asked the question calmly, but it made the man stutter.

A moment later, he also scratched his head.

"I... I don't know either."

"I've only heard that it's a three-headed wolfhound... some people say it has hundreds of heads or something..."

"Anyway, it's very dangerous."

The man stammered for a long time, even confusing himself.

But Maria nodded.

He turned around and chose to leave.

The man also wanted to warn Maria that it was dangerous and that she should leave as soon as possible.

But it only took the time it took to turn around.

Maria's figure vanished into the forest!

"Huh?!"

The man was stunned, blinking repeatedly in disbelief.

He glanced around hard, and after confirming that no one was around, a cold sweat suddenly broke out on his forehead.

A bad feeling washed over him, and he was so frightened that he didn't even grab his farm tools. He turned around and started running away in a panic!

Of course, Maria had no idea how much harm her unintentional act had caused to a grown man; she simply walked calmly into the depths of the forest.

Then...

She tore through the fog that was blocking her way...