Chapter 177

"Creak..."

The sound of a dry branch snapping echoed in the forest.

"Whew..."

Helen sighed, looking at Mina who was leading the way. She had tried her best to tread lightly, but she still kept making noise. The crunch of leaves underfoot and the occasional snap of a twig seemed to echo through the dense forest, making Helen wince with each step.

She had caused Mina a lot of trouble along the way. Although Mina didn't mind, she felt a little embarrassed. She glanced at Mina, who was carefully maneuvering through the underbrush, her face set with concentration. The thought that she might be slowing them down weighed on Helen.

This time, she was truly grateful to Mina for accompanying her. Otherwise, she wouldn't have made it past the entrance of the Forbidden Mountain Range.

On their first day entering the Forbidden Mountain Range, after separating from the War Wolf Squad, they encountered a bear shortly after. If it hadn't been for Mina's experience and her arrow that killed the bear, Helen would have been dead.

Along the way, they encountered countless poisonous insects and wild beasts. It was Mina's keen senses and rich experience that helped them overcome the dangers.

"Hey, Mina," Helen said quietly, trying to break the silence that had fallen between them. "I know I've been a bit of a hindrance. I'm really sorry."

Mina shook her head with a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Helen. We're in this together, remember? Everyone makes mistakes, and we're getting through it. We'll figure it out."

Helem nodded her head.

"It's getting dark, let's stop and rest for now." Mina appeared like a phantom, a compound bow hanging on her back. This was a gift from Lucas for Mina's safety.

"Okay. We're close to the tribe, we'll just walk for another morning tomorrow and we'll be there." Helen said softly, her light red eyes filled with anticipation.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm, golden glow over the forest.

"The tribe will be very happy to see you back." Mina said softly as she looked around their surroundings.

The lush, green forest seemed to hum with life, the leaves rustling gently in the breeze. Mina glanced at Helen, noting the mixture of exhaustion and relief on her face.

"They've been waiting for your return."Helen nodded, their eyes scanning the landscape. "I hope they understand the reasons for my long absence. So much has changed since I left."

Mina placed a reassuring hand on Helem's shoulder. "They'll understand. They've missed you, and they'll be eager to welcome you back. For now, let's focus on getting home."

"Mina, thank you for coming with me." Helen said gratefully.

Mina shook her head, her eyes filled with a smile, "Who told you to be my friend? Plus, you're so silly, you'll get into trouble if you're not careful."

"How am I silly?" Helen puffed up her cheeks, thinking to herself, why does everyone call her a silly rabbit? She hasn't done anything silly.

"Alright, I found a suitable place for camp ahead."

Mina walked ahead, and Helen quickly followed. They arrived in front of a large tree. The tree was old and majestic, its branches spreading wide to provide ample shelter. Mina dropped her backpack on the ground, looking up with satisfaction."This should be perfect," she said, brushing off her hands. Helen nodded in agreement, her eyes scanning the surroundings.

"Are we sleeping on the tree again tonight?" Helen blinked as she asked Mina.

"Yeah, it's safer up there."

Mina said softly, her hands and feet moving nimbly as she climbed up the tree branch. She took out a rope from her backpack, tied it up, and then threw it down to Helen.

"Whew..." Helen took a deep breath, then grabbed the rope and slowly climbed up. Finally, Mina pulled her up by the collar of her shirt.

"Hold on tight, I'm going to secure the sleeping bag." Mina took out the sleeping bag from her backpack, then took out some large iron nails, hammered them into the tree trunk with the handle of her army knife, then hung the sleeping bag on it and tied it up.

"Okay."

Helen hugged the branch, quietly watching Mina busy herself. She finally understood why Lucas preferred Mina. Besides being the first beastkin the Young master had encountered, Mina was very capable and knew a lot about many things.

"Done." Mina easily hung up the two sleeping bags from the tree branch. These were for her from the young master. She hadn't expected such things. In the wild, she would just climb a tree, cut some branches, and use them as a bed.

Helen slowly moved to the side of the sleeping bag, then, with Mina's help, slowly crawled into it. It was at this moment that she finally relaxed.

"The Young master really has so many amazing things. I'm surprised every time I see them." Helen sighed as she remembered the things she had seen in Sedona City and in the castle.

"Indeed, the young master is like a bottomless pit (black hole), making you want to understand him." Mina smiled softly.

She took out a small transparent bottle from her pocket and sprayed it around the sleeping bag. She had heard the young master say it was a mosquito and insect repellent spray. As she finished spraying the repellent around the sleeping bags, she carefully returned the bottle to her pocket. The night before had been surprisingly comfortable without the usual buzzing and biting from the insects.a

Mina then pulled out a rope from her backpack. This rope had many sharp iron triangular spikes. She wrapped it around the main trunk of the tree to prevent wild animals from climbing up at night. After finishing these preparations, Mina crawled into her sleeping bag and took out a small bag of fried fish from her backpack.

She reached out and handed it to Helen, "Have some fish flakes." Mina said.

"Don't you want to save some for later? It seems like there's not much left." Helen knew that this was given to Mina by the Young master, so she hesitated, "Let's eat something else. Didn't the Young master give us those small cakes?"

"Those are called compressed biscuits, they don't have much flavor. They'll taste better with fish flakes." Mina stuffed the fish flakes into Helen's hand and chuckled, "I still have three bags."

Mina then took out the compressed biscuits. These weren't very big but could fill her up, and with her appetite, a few pieces would fill her up. The only downside was that they didn't have much flavor. The two of them hung on the tree, like two silkworms, eating compressed biscuits, paired with fried fish flakes, and taking a few sips of water. This was their dinner.

"Ooouuu..." As the sky darkened, the roar of a wild beast came from afar, making Helen slightly nervous. She quickly covered the sleeping bag with the cloth curtain. The cloth cover had a mesh grid for breathing and also prevented mosquitoes and insects from biting. Helen took a deep breath, her heart pounding with each distant growl she heard.aq

Mina didn't care at all. She had heard this sound many times before. It was just that now she was a little nostalgic for the soft and comfortable bed in the castle. "Mina, I have a question for you." Helen's voice sounded a little too quiet, making her feel uncomfortable. "Hmm! Ask away." Mina replied casually.

"Mina, do you think that young master would marry a female beastkin?" Helen blurted out, "Or would he marry you?"

"Cough, cough... You, you're talking nonsense." Mina blushed, her eyes filled with shyness.

"Uh... I'm just a little curious, you don't have to answer." Helen said slowly.

She didn't know why she asked that question, maybe it was just curiosity. As for whether she would fall in love with Lucas, she didn't know either. But she definitely had a good feeling about him.

The atmosphere fell silent again, except for the roars of wild beasts in the distance, disturbing the quiet night.

"I don't have an answer to that question either." Mina suddenly broke the silence, a smile playing on her lips. "Actually, I want to know too. Although there's a tiny bit of hope in my heart, but..."

Helen knew what Mina didn't say. Because they were both beastkins, if a noble married a female beastkin as his wife, he would be looked down upon by many nobles.

"But, the young master said he might marry a beastkin as his wife." Mina whispered, "Sometimes I imagine the young master marrying me as his wife, even if it's not as his main wife. I don't want to leave the Master."

"He will, you know. The young master has fulfilled all his promises to us. Maybe he really will marry a beastkin as his wife."

A hint of surprise flashed in Helen's eyes as she gazed at the dark night, her tone tinged with a touch of lightness. "After all, the young master is a special noble."

"So, in the future, Mrs. Mina, please take good care of the young master."

"What are you talking about? Maybe you'll become Mrs. Helen too."

"Really?"

"No." Mina replied in a flat tone.

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