Let's rewind half an hour.
In fact, the Valley of the Wind is located in a continuous mountain range that runs from north to south and is close to the coast.
Outside the treacherous mountain pass leading deep into the mountains, dozens of gray-white, pointed stone towers stand tall in the sea of sand, forming a jagged forest of towers.
Between the stone towers, rusty metal rods connect countless pneumatic devices.
In the ceaseless breeze, Tallinn emits a melodious, distant, and strange sound that rises and falls.
That was the sound of an insect whistle.
It tells the insects passing by that this is not a place for them, and they should go home.
The Valley of the Wind is only thirty kilometers away from the edge of the Sea of Corruption. For flying insects like giant dragonflies or giant horseflies, it only takes a dozen minutes to reach it by flapping their wings at full power.
These stone towers were built to prevent giant insects from accidentally entering the valley.
Tap tap tap--
The large, thick talons of the Horseclaw kicked up a cloud of dust, and two figures wrapped in thick windproof cloaks rode on its back.
"Sister Meila, I'm so hungry..."
"Hold on a little longer, soon... soon we'll reach that legendary, bountiful place, like the Garden of Eden."
They passed through the towers and entered the pass, with a dazzling, deep canyon on either side and a narrow path carved into the red rock face without any safety measures beneath their feet.
Unless one has wings or travels around the coastline hundreds of kilometers away, this path is the only way to enter the Valley of the Valley of the Wind.
Meila gripped the reins tightly, forcing herself not to look at the bottomless cliff to her left.
You have to travel several kilometers downhill and pass through three sand-control dams made up of rows of tall towers to reach the bottom of the valley.
Ahead, a wall even thicker than the one at the edge of the forest, stretching for hundreds of meters, cut off the valley.
The city wall is nearly eight meters high and more than five meters thick, and is entirely made of white megaliths.
Dark green moss grows in the cracks between the stones, and the walls bear the mottled marks left by wind and rain erosion.
This is a true defensive fortification, unlike the haphazardly erected mud walls in small villages.
Meila gazed at the windmills slowly turning on the city wall, her eyes sparkling.
arrive.
We've really arrived.
This is the Valley of the Wind, a place she had heard about countless times in stories since childhood.
With her last bit of strength, she gripped the reins tightly, urging the Horseclaw to quicken its pace and charge towards the city gate.
On the city wall, the militiamen on lookout duty noticed the Horseclaw charging straight at them. The rider was completely covered by a cloak and mask, making it impossible to see his face.
"Halt! Who's down there?"
But the other side ignored them and continued running towards the city wall.
"Hey! Stop!" the militiaman raised his voice.
The militiamen on the city wall exchanged glances, their faces showing wariness.
One of them raised his spear and aimed it downwards.
Before the militia could even open fire, the man suddenly swayed, slipped Horseclaw, and fell onto the path in front of the city gate.
The small figure in her arms also collapsed, curling up into a ball.
The Horseclaw let out an anxious neigh, stopped, and gently nudged the two motionless figures with its beak, which was covered by a gas mask.
The militiamen on the city wall were stunned.
"This..." The man who had just pointed the gun opened his mouth, "Is this some kind of staged accident?"
"Still spacing out!" The team leader next to him shoved him hard. "Quick, go down and check on him!"
When Nausicaä arrived at the city gate, she was greeted by a somewhat comical scene.
The newcomers were a girl with a buzz cut and thick eyebrows that looked like they had been drawn with charcoal, and a little girl who looked to be under ten years old and resembled her older sister.
At that moment, the two sisters were sitting by the city wall without any regard for their image, wolfing down the wheat cakes handed to them by the militiamen, along with water from their kettles.
The two ate and cried at the same time.
"There's no such delicious cake in the world..." Meila mumbled, "It's so good, I'd die here for it!"
The little girl next to her looked up, her eyes brimming with tears, and asked, "Sister, what does Mom mean?"
Meila choked, swallowed the biscuit in her mouth, and wiped her face. "Shut up! Children aren't allowed to swear!"
"Oh..." The little girl lowered her head and continued to eat her biscuit.
Tears mixed with crumbs smeared on his face, making him look both pitiful and somewhat comical.
The sisters' bold remarks made Nausicaä, who was about to step forward to greet them, pause in her tracks.
Are these really the refugees the militiamen claimed were starving and fainting? How come they look more energetic than the ordinary militiamen standing on the wall?
Meila took two more bites of the biscuit, then suddenly looked up at the militiamen around her:
"By the way, where's your leader from the Valley of the Valley of the Wind? I have something important to tell you."
"Tell me what it is, and I will pass it on to Princess Nausicaä."
"No!" Meila said firmly, "I must say it myself!"
According to the rules of the Valley of the Wind, outsiders are not allowed to enter without being searched, but Meila absolutely refuses to let anyone touch her.
"I am the chieftain of the Valley of the Wind. If you have anything to say, just tell me," a gentle voice interjected.
Meila looked up and saw that the speaker was a girl dressed in a sky-blue dress, who looked even younger than her.
Her short red hair was tied into a neat ponytail at the back of her head, revealing a delicate and pretty face.
What's most striking are those golden eyes—crystal clear, like amber in the sunlight.
"So beautiful..." she murmured.
She had never seen anyone like Nausicaä before, not just in appearance, but also in that kind of aura that made people instinctively want to get close to her, yet also subtly conveyed a certain sense of authority.
But soon, Meila's wariness took over again. After looking her up and down, she asked:
"You? You're not even as old as me, yet you dare to call yourself the clan leader?"
"Putting him... putting him there, impersonating an official, is punishable by hanging."
Clearly, Meila comes from a place with strict rules.
"No one is allowed to speak disrespectfully to His Highness!"
The militiamen beside him immediately stepped forward and gripped the hilt of Ceramic Steel's sword tightly.
Meila's face paled, and she immediately stood up to shield her sister behind her, while also reaching for the short knife at her waist.
Nausicaä waved her hand, signaling the two to leave.
"You've come all this way to the Valley of the Wind; there must be something important on your mind." She looked at Meila. "Tell me your purpose."
After a brief standoff, Meila took a deep breath and looked intently at Nausicaä.
"I am Meila from the Kingdom of Pejite, and this is my sister, Meili." Her voice gradually became calm.
"A gang of thugs is on their way. They are not ordinary robbers; they are extremely dangerous. I'm here to warn you."
We already know.
Meila stunned.
"You... you know?"
"Yes, thank you for reminding me." Nausicaä glanced at Meila and Meili, who was clearly frightened, and asked softly, "Would you like to come in and rest for a while? You both look exhausted."
Seeing Nausicaä's calm eyes, Meila was momentarily at a loss for words.
After a moment of silence, she suddenly made a move that surprised everyone.
thump.
Meila knelt down, her knees hitting the hard rocky surface with a dull thud.
She looked up at Nausicaä, tears welling up in her dark eyes beneath her thick eyebrows.
"Please... save my people!"
"What's wrong? Get up and talk to me." Nausicaä was taken aback by Meila's actions.
No! Unless you agree to my request!
Originally, Meila wanted to use the intelligence she had to gain the help of the Valley of the Wind, but the other side already knew about the enemy's situation.
Now, this is the only, humble way she can plead for help.
"Sister..." Meili stood timidly to the side, wanting to help her sister up.
Seeing the two pitiful sisters, Nausicaä sighed softly.
She then walked up to Meila, knelt down to look her in the eye, and extended her hand.
In the Valley of the Wind, no one needs to kneel to speak.
"Get up and tell me what you've been through on your journey."
"If we can help, the Valley of the Wind will not refuse anyone who asks for our assistance."
Meila looked at Nausicaä, hesitated for a moment, and finally shook her hand.
The warmth from my palm was so comforting.