While Luca and Nova were forging ahead on the main road toward Lakeside City, breaking through countless layers of danger and resistance, Fuzzsir and Melania had chosen a far more discreet route—one so remote that barely any human footprints remained on it.
At the break of dawn, the two managed to quietly circle around to the northern forested outskirts of Lakeside City, a region so desolate and obscure that it was said almost no one had ever set foot there.
It was here that the pair made their final preparations.
"We must mask our presence," Fuzzsir said as he reached into his backpack and pulled out a small tube of ointment, handing it to Melania.
"If we encounter monsters that aren't too powerful while we're moving," he continued, "we can eliminate them swiftly. But if we come across something too strong, we'll have no choice but to avoid it altogether."
As she slowly applied the scent-masking ointment to her exposed skin, Melania spoke softly, "Understood."
