Chapter 45: Silent Pursuit

"Reynard! Are you really maxed out on your taunt buff?!" Rynar exclaimed, leaping and dodging through the forest, avoiding the spikes that occasionally shot up from the ground beneath him.

"It's not fair! My King! Who knew there was a giant earth bear in that cave?!" Reynard grimaced as he followed closely behind Rynar.

"Roar!" An angry roar erupted from behind them, prompting Rynar and Reynard to pick up their pace.

"I mean, even an idiot knows elves don't live in caves!" Rynar covered his face in exasperation.

"By the way, don't you think running like this attracts the attention of the orcs even more than riding a horse?" Rynar glanced back at the furious earth bear chasing them.

As a top-tier magical beast, the earth bear boasted a massive physique akin to a small hill, along with powerful earth-based magical abilities. 

Its gigantic body granted it defenses comparable to a dragon, while its formidable earth magic could easily obliterate armies. 

Reynard, the fool, had foolishly intruded into the lair of this hibernating male bear, inadvertently catching its attention.

"I've never felt this forest was so dangerous!" Rynar muttered, turning around to unleash a sword beam composed of battle energy.

"Roar!" 

With a few bear hairs floating away, the earth bear became even angrier.

"What the hell! Your Majesty, why are you attacking it?" Reynard jumped to avoid a spike that shot up from the ground, looking at Rynar in terror.

"Grass!" Rynar was instantly awed by the bear's thick hide.

"If we could kill it and strip its hide to make armor, wouldn't that have excellent defense? 

And those thick bear paws, wrapped in honey and roasted…" Rynar felt tears welling up, overwhelmed by desire.

"What the hell! Your Majesty, we're about to die, and you're still thinking about bear paws?" 

Reynard was taken aback by Rynar's gluttonous thoughts, clearly indicating that the people of Zaltarion wouldn't understand the obsession of the gluttonous empire.

After all, Rynar had only ever seen pictures of bear paws in his previous life, and bears were notorious for being dangerous creatures.

"Uh… How long have we been running? Aren't you tired, brother?" Rynar gasped, glancing back at the relentless earth bear pursuing them.

"I wish Caslow were here!" Rynar reminisced fondly about his most loyal sidekick, who was obedient, good-looking, strong, and, most importantly, never caused trouble!

"Unbelievable… Even if Caslow were riding a dragon in this dense forest, he'd still get beaten!" Reynard sighed.

"Is there any way to shake this bear off us?" Rynar asked helplessly.

"Unless there's a river…" Reynard sighed again.

"You'd be better off not saying that!" Rynar quipped, but his feet didn't slow down in the slightest.

At this moment, there were two fewer paladins in the world, replaced by two holy rangers… 

Their agile forms, quick movements, and excellent awareness could enable true rangers to score perfect.

"Hey? It seems to be slowing down!" 

Reynard exclaimed as he noticed the earth bear's pace gradually decrease, shifting from a run to a brisk walk. 

Finally, after crossing a large tree, it stopped suddenly, lifting its head to sniff the air, as if wary of something nearby. After standing still for a moment, it turned and left.

"It's gone?" Rynar was taken aback.

"It seems we're in big trouble again…" Reynard sighed.

"Why would we have trouble now that it's gone?" Rynar questioned, puzzled.

"Ahem, usually, when a predator abandons its prey, it's for one of two reasons: either it can't run anymore, and clearly, that earth bear was still full of energy, or its prey has entered the territory of a more powerful predator…" Reynard swallowed hard and didn't elaborate further.

"Please stop talking…" Rynar had had enough of Reynard's chatter.

"Be careful! We're not far from our destination!" Rynar advised, hoping nothing else would go wrong. 

His heart couldn't take much more; not everyone had Reynard's abnormal constitution. 

As a fellow paladin, Rynar felt he was starting to wear out after playing tag with a high-level magical beast.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty! Just be careful, and don't get hurt!" Reynard nodded earnestly.

"I'm most worried about you!" Rynar covered his face.

…

"Waving starry grasses, reviving bright dawn flowers. Shimmering six-pointed stars, lowly guardians…" Rynar softly chanted.

"Your Majesty?" Reynard asked, confused.

"It seems we need to find the starry grass first…" Rynar ignored Reynard and began searching for the starry grass.

"Starry grass? Isn't that a plant that grows in summer? How could it be here in winter?" Reynard questioned, bewildered.

"This is the secret code for entering Singrey. 

Singrey is isolated from the world, surrounded by barriers, and hidden; we need to find a way in." Rynar glanced at Reynard.

"And the starry grass will guide us!" Rynar gazed into the depths of the forest.

"Uh… Okay, Your Majesty." Reynard scratched his head. Though he didn't understand why starry grass would grow in winter, since Rynar said so, he decided to follow along and see.

"Now don't rush; the starry grass can only be seen at night!" Rynar said pensively.

As the sun set, Reynard and Rynar hastily filled their stomachs with hard black bread and water before climbing a sturdy tree, quickly lying on the broad branches of its dense canopy to rest.

As the sun dipped below the horizon and the moon ascended the treetops, the starlight illuminated the dark forest, creating an exceptionally tranquil atmosphere.

"Let's go, Your Majesty; it's night." Reynard gently shook Rynar awake.

"Hmm? Is it dark?" Rynar rubbed his eyes.

"Let's get to work!" After stretching, Rynar jumped down from the tree.

…

After a long while, just when Rynar thought there were no starry elves left and was about to give up, Reynard quietly pointed to a spot on the ground near the tree to Rynar's right.

There, near the dark roots of the trees, a few frail starry grasses swayed desperately toward the direction of the starlight, as if the stars above were attracted to them, gently pouring down like a silken thread.

"They really exist!" Rynar was taken aback. If starry grass could grow out of season, then the bright dawn flowers that only bloomed in autumn should also be found.

Rynar gently lifted the starry grasses, scrutinizing them carefully. 

Since the starry grass was attracted to the light of the stars, the barrier of Singrey would surely attract the grass as well; otherwise, it wouldn't exist in winter, during an out-of-season time.

"Their grass cores are pointing south!" Rynar finally discovered the secret hidden within the starry grass.

"Let's go! This way!" Rynar waved to Reynard, signaling him to follow.

Along the way, Rynar spotted several clusters of starry grass. Indeed, all the grass cores pointed south.

"It seems we'll need to wait until dawn to find the bright dawn flowers to determine the approximate location of the entrance to the Kingdom of Singrey." Rynar clapped his hands. 

The starry grasses had fulfilled their mission; the remaining path required the bright dawn flowers to guide them.

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