CH55

After arriving at the station, Helag and the others boarded the Hell Foot carriage. They needed to travel to the Red Mountains, the eastern border of Moonlight Woodland.

Beyond that, it was no longer Moonlight Woodland's territory.

As Helag stepped off the carriage, he saw the continuous red mountain range ahead.

The rocks here were soft and red, with many maple trees growing in the mountains. In autumn, the view was a sea of red.

After reaching the Red Mountain station, the Hell Foot moved to a trough to eat fresh grass and drink water.

Once it was satisfied, it stood still, watching Helag and the others, its hooves tapping the ground.

Bessie patted the Hell Foot's head. "You can go back now, little one. We won't be taking the carriage."

The Hell Foot seemed to understand and walked back alone, pulling the carriage.

At the station, a sturdy young man with a regular horse-drawn carriage awaited them, as arranged by Bessie.

"Get in. Let's try to reach River Town by tonight so we don't have to camp outside," Bessie said, lifting the curtain and getting in first.

Helag followed closely. The carriage was spacious, with soft cushions on the seats, making it very comfortable.

Bessie's long legs were a bit cramped in the carriage, and she had to adjust her position frequently to get comfortable.

Emma and Bessie, being close friends, chatted about various topics, like which third-class apprentice slept with whom to advance or who was involved in a love triangle.

Helag and Locke remained silent. Locke closed his eyes, seemingly meditating.

Helag opened the window curtain, securing it with a hook, and watched the scenery outside.

This was his first time outside Moonlight Woodland.

Outside, there were endless maple forests with no signs of human activity at first.

After about two hours, they began to see people chopping wood and occasional wooden houses, likely resting places for loggers and hunters.

Another half hour later, the maple forest was behind them, and the scenery became more varied.

They were heading to the Thousand Needle Stone Forest to find the Stone Giant, a three-day journey. Their first stop was River Town.

Helag closed the curtain and began meditating. About five hours later, the carriage slowed down.

"We're here," the driver said respectfully, opening the curtain to inform the apprentices.

Helag got off and found himself in a peaceful-looking town. It was already dark, and the town was quiet with few people around.

A wide river flowed beside River Town, its gentle sound filling the air.

"River Inn."

Helag followed Bessie and the others to an inn. Two lanterns hung at the entrance, emitting a soft yellow light.

"I've prepared rooms for you upstairs. Tonight, you'll be the only guests on the upper floor," the driver, who was also the innkeeper, said warmly, leading the way.

The inn's first-floor hall had many tables for guests to eat and drink.

Four tables were occupied, by locals and sword-wielding adventurers.

As Helag and the others entered, the other guests noticed them. Seeing their robes, their expressions turned fearful.

They quickly looked away, not daring to stare, and the inn became very quiet.

Helag noticed a bearded man trying hard to control his breathing, barely daring to make a sound.

"They seem very afraid of us," Helag remarked after going upstairs.

Bessie turned and said, "It's normal. We're close to a wizard organization, so many people here know about wizards. As we go further, people won't know about wizards."

Later, when they went downstairs for dinner, they found the hall empty.

"Where is everyone?" Helag asked.

"They left. Even those with rooms checked out, afraid of disturbing you," the innkeeper said with a bow.

***

Two days later, Helag and the others arrived at the Thousand Needle Stone Forest on horseback.

The terrain here was unique, a sunken valley filled with countless tall stone pillars, each several hundred meters high.

The forest had little vegetation, mostly bare yellow soil.

With a slight breeze, dust swirled in the stone forest.

Locke led the way, cautioning, "Be careful inside. This is a neutral area where we might encounter members of any wizard organization. If we meet anyone from Green Cottage, we must be extra cautious."

Helag kept an eye on Deep Blue's environmental monitoring, which showed no unusual activity for now.

Locke held an hourglass, adjusting their direction based on its movements.

The Thousand Needle Stone Forest was vast and easy to get lost in. Stone Giants usually hid deep within, sometimes burying themselves underground.

Locke's hourglass seemed to track the Stone Giant's location, guiding them through the forest.

Helag could use Deep Blue to locate the Stone Giant, but he kept this personal secret.

In his mind, the map of the Thousand Needle Stone Forest was gradually being completed, with a red line marking their path.

An hour later.

Locke suddenly stopped, the hourglass in his hand flipping rapidly.

"We're close. Be careful," he said, putting away the hourglass and closing his eyes.

Helag sensed a wave of magic spreading from Locke, scanning the surroundings.

"Magic detection, impressive range," Helag estimated Locke's detection range to be seventy to eighty meters.

With Locke's magic detection active, they advanced slowly.

Soon, Helag noticed a large creature hibernating underground behind a stone pillar two hundred meters ahead.

"Stone Giant," Helag thought, continuing silently, ready to retreat if needed.

Locke's detection range was just short of the Stone Giant's location.

After a while, Locke stopped, pointing to the stone pillar ahead. "It's behind that pillar, underground."

"Helag, find a place to hide. Come over when we're done. Stay safe," Bessie instructed.

Helag nodded. "Got it. You go ahead."