"Vita, hurry up. The mist isn't going to get any thicker."
Penelope stood impatiently on a rickety, swaying rope bridge, staring down into the deadly abyss below. Meanwhile, I, acting like a sensible person, had my feet firmly planted on the ground. Against all my rational instincts, I was trying to stop being sensible and step onto that bridge to meet her. But progress was not going well.
Although my memories of the Mist Watcher destroying part of our island were tinged with a strange color due to the joy of finally being free from its physical shell, as the days passed, that joy gradually faded, while the fear... well, the fear only grew stronger.
"I... I'm coming! Just give me a little more time!"
"You're still twenty feet away from the edge of the bridge! Hurry up!"
She made it sound so easy! The last time I approached the edge, I almost died three times! Her words kept echoing in my mind, reminding me that I could very well die of thirst before even reaching the Mist Watcher's eerie eyeballs, assuming it didn't kill me first!
After several futile attempts to move closer to the edge, Penelope sighed in exasperation.
"I can't believe I'm doing this. Pinta! Get her over here!"
The slime obeyed, yanking my body forward. I screamed internally, forced to walk onto the bridge, struggling to suppress the terrifying urge to tear Pinta's soul apart and flee the edge. Pinta stepped onto the bridge, gripping the ropes tightly, and walked forward without looking sideways, her body swaying. I was grateful in my heart, trying hard to suppress the murderous impulses. We weren't over the abyss yet, no! We were just taking a stroll, looking up at the sky! We could ignore the fact that I could no longer feel small animals digging holes beneath my feet. It was no big deal.
We walked on nervously and blindly, feeling as if time dragged on endlessly. Soon, I could sense the souls of the villagers in Litia Village, and sure enough, over half of them had a sticky black substance attached to them. Many of these people had astonishingly strong soul power, and their bodies controlled by Navaran souls were at different stages of growth. Hmm... maybe I could free enough powerful people to go directly against Remus...? But that was quite risky. If I freed someone and they suffered mental trauma or performed poorly, it could ruin the entire operation. Ideally, we would use poison to take out almost everyone at once. I didn't know if that was possible, but we would definitely try.
As we were about to reach what I hoped was the end of this definitely not an abyss rope bridge, a larger soul with a slime attachment approached us. This human soul had a pungent smell, but it emanated from a calm white core, which felt cool and comfortable. From here, I could roughly make out their appearance, but neither Pinta nor I wanted to stop looking up at the sky until we set foot on land. Even my soul's eye was looking straight up; although its way of "seeing" was different from my physical eyes, it was very sensitive to souls, allowing me to roughly discern the outlines of the people I "saw." Although the soul's eye was just an enhanced version of my normal soul perception ability (which I still possessed), in many ways, it was almost the opposite of normal perception: no matter which direction I looked, there was no distance limitation, but this extra sensitivity was blocked by objects. Fortunately, I could usually judge the position of objects by the absence of souls and seeing shadowy silhouettes of soulless objects. I hadn't figured out the principle behind this yet, but for now, the important thing was that I really didn't want to know how much farther I had to go.
"Hey, you kids!" a hissing voice shouted at us, "This isn't a place for travelers to rest! Get off our bridge! If you want a hotel, head right along the road for six hours to Grasdeep!"
"We're well aware!" Penelope shouted back, "Is Remus still here? We're with him."
"Remus?" the pungent-smelling soul demanded sharply, "What do you want with him?"
"We'll tell him when we see him! He knows us! Penelope and Vita!"
I didn't hear a response, but Penelope continued walking forward, so I guessed that statement temporarily satisfied the other party. Pinta followed behind, and I kept trying not to think about the invisible Mist Watcher tendrils rising from below, and whenever a tendril approached me, I desperately tried not to scream. The tendrils didn't pay me any attention, which made sense. They had always been there; although I could feel a tendril touch me when Roscoe was brutally killed, it wasn't until now that I could see them. Even hovering above the abyss, the mist protected me from the gaze of that divine being.
Finally, thank heavens, we were back on land. After Pinta returned control of the body to me, I collapsed onto the ground, hands and knees first.
"Kid, your legs aren't used to walking on high places, are they?" the hissing voice teased.
I looked up with my physical eyes, glaring at this powerful, slime-possessed person. This person with the pungent white soul was surprisingly short, only a few inches taller than me. They wore an oversized jacket with an exaggeratedly large collar that covered half their face comically. Although the clothes were made of simple dark brown material, they seemed to have pockets everywhere, leaving no empty space. From their salt-and-pepper bowl cut and half-covered face, I couldn't determine their gender, but I guessed they were around Remus's age. Their soul power wasn't much weaker than Remus's, but I should be able to eliminate that slime. It felt quite new, mostly sticky black, not yet tainted by the host's characteristics.
"If you could feel what this body can sense, you wouldn't want to look down either," I retorted, looking up at them.
They raised an eyebrow. Before I could explain, I saw Remus running towards us.
"Vita! Penelope!" he shouted, his face beaming with a bright smile, "What are you two doing here? I thought I told you to stay in Skyhope City!"
Despite our disobedience, he seemed genuinely happy to see us.
"Security in Rock Bee City has become ridiculously tight because of the bee incident," Penelope said half-truthfully, "There are Inquisitors everywhere. We thought it wise to meet you here before anything suspicious happened."
"Ah, damn it," Remus cursed, "Well, that was thoughtful. And the timing is perfect! We were planning to head out to pick you up soon anyway. This saves us a trip! How was your journey? Did you run into any trouble?"
"I'm fine, Dad!" I replied as cheerfully as possible, "There's a section of the road leading to the port that got blown up. Just... a whole chunk of the island is gone. But taking the detour wasn't too difficult."
"I saw that," the short, hissing person commented, "That was a sensory event. Don't know what caused it. Maybe some rich idiot metal merchant?"
"Hopefully not. Metals are precious enough as it is; we can't afford to lose them to fools," Remus said firmly, "But the fragments didn't land in Litia Village, and that's the most important thing. Anyway... Vita, Penelope, this is Song. They were a member of my hunting team before the other members retired. Song, these are Penelope and Vita, my hunting apprentices. They're quite similar to us in other respects, and I hope you'll get along well."
"Now I understand," Song nodded, "Nice to meet you both. These two girls are the ones who can help us find the others...?"
"That's right," Remus smiled, "Vita's reconnaissance talent allows her to perceive things through objects. With her help, we have a good chance of tracking down our other companions and rescuing them from the forest."
"I've been working hard to expand my perception range on the way here, Dad!" I boasted, even giving a salute, "Even through objects, I can now sense much farther, and without obstacles, I can sense even farther!"
"Oh, that's fantastic, Vita!"
To my surprise, Remus put an arm around me and pulled me into a hug, just like Lin and Rowan often did. I guess... that made sense. He thought I was his daughter. The thought made me feel a bit uneasy.
"What does Song do in your hunting team?" Penelope asked Remus curiously, trying to gather information.
"Long-range combat and poison expert," Remus explained, "It's quite troublesome to obtain wild rations from what they hunt, but when it comes to dealing with monsters beyond your capabilities, no one is better suited than them."
A poison expert. Damn. Fortunately, Penelope asked; we might need to deal with that Navaran before taking any action. But we couldn't risk raising Remus's suspicions here. Maybe I could find an opportunity to be alone with them?
"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure if I can fully utilize all the skills of the host yet," Song whispered to us, "But I think I can perform well enough to reach the deep forests where we last saw our companions."
"You can definitely do it, Song!" Remus insisted, "Come on, Vita, Penelope. Let's take you to meet the others!"
"Uh... are they all my siblings?" I hesitated, feeling at least twenty other slimes in the village, and with nearly a month to go, the number seemed quite high. There might even be more working in the fields; Litia Village was quite large.
"Siblings, nieces, nephews, and so on," Remus replied, "We've been reproducing as quickly as possible. Litia Village has abundant food, which makes it easy."
Pinta briefly took control of the body to keep me from shivering. Navarans were terrifying.
"Are you planning to expand to Skyhope City through the grain portal...?" Penelope asked loudly, pondering with her chin in her hand, "I hope you haven't sent anyone yet. Now isn't a good time for expansion."
"The grain portal?" I asked.
"Litia Village supplies a significant portion of the grain and agricultural products to Skyhope City, Vita," Penelope explained, "Its location as an independent island makes it one of the safest places on Verdant Summit against monster attacks. After the Valca family took over this territory, they invested heavily in metals, building a high-yield interdimensional portal between Skyhope City and Valca, allowing goods to be transported quickly and safely."
"What!" I protested indignantly, "Then why didn't we come directly from there?"
Penelope rolled her eyes.
"That portal is too small. We could pass through, but our host bodies are too big. Leaving them behind obviously wouldn't benefit us."
Oh, so it was like a slightly larger Infinite Bottle, but still not big enough to hold a person. Probably just big enough to transport wheat and grains, but not large items. Obviously, I didn't voice this comparison. I was a bit worried that Navaran might use that portal as an escape route and infiltrate the city, but by now, the Inquisitors had probably set traps for those who tried. Although the Inquisitors' involvement was personally bad for me, it was good that we had warned them.
"Actually, I don't plan to use the grain portal for anything else," Remus said, "Except to continue its original function."
Penelope raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
"Of course! Expanding to Skyhope City is not only foolish but also puts all of us in danger. We just need a place where our people can live in peace and safety. Litia Village is perfect because it's isolated enough and important enough; if things go wrong, it can protect us. Once we rescue everyone we can find, we can hide them here. If we're unfortunately discovered... well, they wouldn't dare to destroy a place like Litia Village lightly."
Penelope and I exchanged glances, both remembering how Glaldra had casually considered melting this place down. Unfortunately, Remus seemed to sense our unease.
"What's wrong with you two? Don't you agree?"
Thank heavens, Penelope reacted quickly.
"Not entirely disagreeing, but from my noble perspective, I must add some important notes. The Council is dissatisfied with Litia Village's economic importance and relative independence. They might approve a purge operation to address these two issues in their eyes, regardless of food shortages."
Remus frowned.
"That's utterly insane."
"I...," Penelope took a deep breath and sighed, "Well, I guess I don't entirely disagree either. However, if our goal is safety, we should gradually start making some concessions regarding Litia Village's independence. That would please the Council and reduce the likelihood of a detailed investigation here."
"Hmm... thank you for your advice. Penelope, you seem much calmer than when I last saw you. That's good."
"You're right," Penelope said to him, "Your plan is our greatest hope. It just took me some time to realize that."
Remus smiled, clearly satisfied. Penelope's smooth and natural lying was quite eerie. I was more than willing to let her continue talking.
The buildings in Litia Village were mostly built near the bridge entrance, with farmland radiating outward. Therefore, although the island was quite large, it didn't take long to walk into the village. It was actually quite strange. Verdant Summit was the name of the large island we were on, but wasn't Litia Village still part of Verdant Summit? Or was it not? Hmm, I'd ask Pinta or Penelope later. Soon we arrived in the village, and Remus had Song gather other important slime-possessed individuals before bringing us to a place in the village where we could talk freely.
Only three new faces joined Song in his house to meet us: a sturdy, dark-skinned middle-aged woman, a wiry woman covered in tattoos who looked a bit older than Lin, and a young brown-haired boy... well, strictly speaking, he looked a bit older than me. But he was younger than my actual age! The boy and the sturdy middle-aged woman seemed to be mother and son, both with brown hair, brown eyes, and round faces. However, the woman laughed heartily, while the boy's face was expressionless.
"You brought Merek?" Remus asked the older woman, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes," she confirmed, "I took your advice. He's part of our group now."
Remus smiled.
"I see. Glad to hear it. Vita, Penelope, this is Taryn and her son Merek. Taryn, like Song, was also a member of my old team. She's our defense expert and scout. This young lady is Theodora, the most powerful meta-mage in Litia Village."
The heavily tattooed woman Theodora nodded politely without saying a word. She was tall and fair-skinned, with an ethereal quality to the parts of her body not covered by tattoos. The slime soul inside her was the largest here besides Remus, and her host's soul was a hard blue sphere surrounded by jagged, lightning-shaped red spots glowing.
Meanwhile, the souls of the mother and son felt like howling winds, a gale blowing towards their center. The son's soul was small with black spots, while the mother's soul was large and yellow, smelling of fermented grains.
"So, Vita, can you sense the presence of our kind within everyone here?" Remus asked, seeking confirmation.
"Of course," I lied without batting an eyelid, "Dad, you and Lady Taryn even have two each. You split pretty quickly!"
He laughed and nodded.
"Indeed. Well then, we can start discussing the detailed plan... but first, I want to ask you, Taryn, why did you bring Merek? You surely don't intend for him to go into the forest with us."
"Gods of the Watcher, forbid!" she replied with a laugh, "No, not at all. He's young and just joined recently. But I want him to learn, to see what we're doing here. Let him watch so that he can be better prepared in the future."
The young boy said nothing, but Remus nodded understandingly.
"I see. Worthy of praise. Well then, let's begin..."
The meeting officially started. I didn't pay much attention, as I had a bunch of questions to consider myself. Among the people Remus had gathered to help, there was a knowledgeable mage whom I would need to use the Infinite Bottle around; there was a poison expert, who might discover our poisoning if we tried; there was a woman whose abilities I wasn't clear about, but since Remus introduced her as a scout, she could pose various potential threats. Finally, there was a variable, her child, Merek, whom I had just gone to great lengths to cover up for.
Because, contrary to what his infected mother had just said, there was no Navaran inside him.